94-7 WLS adds songs from 2000’s and 2010’s

[TheBigA]

My point is Uptown Funk or anything post 2010 is too new for the format.

Send the format police.

Uptown Funk is being played on numerous classic hits stations, not just WLS.

 

[Seltzer]

Adele actually started in alternative and moved to the other formats. Other of her songs were played there. My point is Uptown Funk or anything post 2010 is too new for the format. It will certainly fit in another 5 to 10 years.

Current based formats are another whole animal. Many country tunes crossed over in the 70s and early 80s. Crossovers from other other formats was part of what Top 40 or CHR great. And 20 years from now, some of those songs..Morgan Wallen etc will find their way into the Clasic Hits format.

 

[Oldbones]

Many country tunes crossed over in the 70s and early 80s. Crossovers from other other formats was part of what Top 40 or CHR great. And 20 years from now, some of those songs..Morgan Wallen etc will find their way into the Clasic Hits format.

But that was then, this is now. CHR has become just another niche format, focused on a specific genre of music. It's been 40 years since it was a sampling of the biggest hits of all (well, most) genres.
I won't likely still be here in 20 years, but there are so few consensus hits today that a broadbased classic hits format isn't gonna have much to choose from.

 

[CTListener]

But that was then, this is now. CHR has become just another niche format, focused on a specific genre of music. It's been 40 years since it was a sampling of the biggest hits of all (well, most) genres.
I won't likely still be here in 20 years, but there are so few consensus hits today that a broadbased classic hits format isn't gonna have much to choose from.

There don't need to be many to perpetuate the format, just 500 songs or so spread over 25 years.

 

[TheBigA]

But that was then, this is now. CHR has become just another niche format, focused on a specific genre of music. It's been 40 years since it was a sampling of the biggest hits of all (well, most) genres.

I don't know about that. Have you looked at the Hot 100 chart lately? A country star had 3 songs in the Top 5.

there are so few consensus hits today that a broadbased classic hits format isn't gonna have much to choose from.

Depends on the format, but pop radio is built on consensus hits. There may be fewer now than 40 years ago, but when you have Shaboozey topping three different format charts, that's a consensus hit. My concern is how long will people remember these songs, because there is so much more music now than in the 80s.

 

[CTListener]

Depends on the format, but pop radio is built on consensus hits. There may be fewer now than 40 years ago, but when you have Shaboozey topping three different format charts, that's a consensus hit. My concern is how long will people remember these songs, because there is so much more music now than in the 80s.

But the charts move like sludge compared to the '80s. Songs take the better part of the year to peak, then linger as recurrents for another year. So there are fewer songs reaching listeners' ears -- at least on radio.

 

[TheBigA]

But the charts move like sludge compared to the '80s. Songs take the better part of the year to peak,

Unless you're Morgan Wallen. Then you have three songs that each take a few weeks to go #1. But that quick rise is why I say the songs won't likely have the long-term impact of songs that received airplay for a longer period of time.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

But female leaning songs like Adele and Bruno Mars doesnt make sense to me.

And perhaps that’s why other people are running the show. Because they understand this isn’t 2000 anymore.

 

[The Hustle]

Its all relative. Classic Hits is what your market allows it to be. What audience are you REALLY going for? 35-64? 45-74? 25-54? The younger you go, the newer the music has to be. 25 year olds graduated HS in 2018. The Weeknd, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and the Jonas Bros doesnt seem to far fetched if thats truly what you are going for. If you are skewing older...say 45-64, then id stop at 1995. There are no more "rules" about what years and era's you should be playing. I have heard WLS playing Poker Face. It was a little strange, but not as much as you think it would be. Followed by "You might think" by the Cars, with a snazzy WLS jingle in between. But id argue in Chicago, WLS is most certainly is going 25-54. There also used to be an "artist separation" rue for CHR's. Thats been out the window for years...dont make artificial "rules" in a format that is ever evolving and growing. Go with the flow.

 

[MarkW]

95% of the music 94.7 plays is still very much in the "center lane" of the Classic Hits format for the year 2025, I would contend. I am in my middle 40s, and I find much of the playlist too old for my personal liking, as is true with most Classic Hits stations. I find nearly all Classic Hits stations to be too reliant on the 80s and not nearly deep enough on the 90s.

That being said, I do suspect 94.7 is aiming for 35-54 as a primary target with 25-54 as a broader target. The station over the past five or more years has pretty consistently been a decent if not strong performer for those age categories.

Throwback 100.3 (I am so glad they abandoned the cheesy and ineffective "She" branding) is closer to what I'd consider Classic Hits for my generation. They don't quite hit the sweet spot, but they come fairly close.

 

[K.M. Richards]

95% of the music 94.7 plays is still very much in the "center lane" of the Classic Hits format for the year 2025, I would contend. I am in my middle 40s, and I find much of the playlist too old for my personal liking, as is true with most Classic Hits stations. I find nearly all Classic Hits stations to be too reliant on the 80s and not nearly deep enough on the 90s.

As has been stated in other threads -- not only by myself but by others, including David (Eduardo) Gleason and Mike Hagerty -- there is a reason why it is incredibly difficult to "go deep" into the 90s. That was when CHR fragmented into mainstream, alternative, rock, and rhythmic-focused variations. Listener preferences for songs from that decade is dependent on which "flavor" of CHR they listened to when those songs were currents, and as a result there are very, very few consensus favorites.

Example: Play "Feels Like Teen Spirit" to a listener that wants to hear "Vogue" and that listener will go elsewhere. And vice versa.

We are reliant on the 80's for the core of the format because that was the last decade where CHR was inclusive of multiple genres. As a result, the same polarized reaction does not occur and so there are considerably more consensus favorites.

And that "center line" is what keeps the format relatively high in the ratings, so it's not likely to change anytime soon.

 

[TheBigA]

We are reliant on the 80's for the core of the format because that was the last decade where CHR was inclusive of multiple genres.

I'll add that it was the last decade when record labels made music for radio. Radio was a key and critical part of their marketing plan. That began to change in the 90s. The two biggest record labels were owned by companies that also owned broadcasting: RCA & NBC, Columbia & CBS.) Both of those labels changed owners at the end of the 80s. In fact by the 2000s, both of those labels came together under Sony. Corporately, music became more international.

The other thing that helped the 80s was MTV. The channel helped further the impressions the music made with viewers, because they could now SEE the artists in ways they couldn't with radio. Once we got into the 90s, even MTV started to change, partly due to the nature of the music. They could see that the audience for the boy bands wasn't the same as the audience for MTV Raps. That wasn't a problem in the 80s. As the 90s continued, MTV played less music and began to create their own reality TV shows. Music really began to balkanize during the 90s.

 

[CTListener]

I'll add that it was the last decade when record labels made music for radio. Radio was a key and critical part of their marketing plan. That began to change in the 90s. The two biggest record labels were owned by companies that also owned broadcasting: RCA & NBC, Columbia & CBS.) Both of those labels changed owners at the end of the 80s. In fact by the 2000s, both of those labels came together under Sony. Corporately, music became more international.

The other thing that helped the 80s was MTV. The channel helped further the impressions the music made with viewers, because they could now SEE the artists in ways they couldn't with radio. Once we got into the 90s, even MTV started to change, partly due to the nature of the music. They could see that the audience for the boy bands wasn't the same as the audience for MTV Raps. That wasn't a problem in the 80s. As the 90s continued, MTV played less music and began to create their own reality TV shows. Music really began to balkanize during the 90s.

Is the cross-pollination of hip-hop, rock and country an attempt to prompt radio to return to its past something-for-everyone approach, or a way to ensure that fans of any or all of the genres can stream their favorite artists -- and interesting new ones -- from a variety of streaming channels and services? I'm beginning to think the end game is the latter, with radio eventually being out of the picture entirely or used strictly for talk, news and sports programming.

 

[TheBigA]

Is the cross-pollination of hip-hop, rock and country an attempt to prompt radio to return to its past something-for-everyone approach, or a way to ensure that fans of any or all of the genres can stream their favorite artists -- and interesting new ones -- from a variety of streaming channels and services?

Interesting question. My take is it's based on what we're seeing from streaming charts and other public surveys that show music listening isn't based around genre or format. It's based around the song and the artist. So if a country artist is making music that connects in some ways with pop fans, then the radio benefits from playing that music, even if it might not fit the format. I heard one PD say that we shouldn't limit ourselves to formats because the audience isn't constrained in that way. Even genre-based formats like country might miss out on potential listeners if the format only plays one type of country.

That why I bristle when someone brings up "rules" about certain format such as classic hits. We put these rules on ourselves, and the listeners just want what they want. They don't care about our format rules. Radio is not in the position it was in 40 years ago. People have other ways to sample music, and we have to adapt to our audience. The people who make the music have more to say about it than people in radio. One thing I've been saying is that I can see a day when there are no traditional formats as we have known them. Just various groupings of music built around percentages in order to reach a particular target demographic. We're almost there now. Stations may use the broad terminology like adult contemporary or classic hits, but they're really just brands for songs that aim at a specific audience.

 

[MarkW]

As has been stated in other threads -- not only by myself but by others, including David (Eduardo) Gleason and Mike Hagerty -- there is a reason why it is incredibly difficult to "go deep" into the 90s. That was when CHR fragmented into mainstream, alternative, rock, and rhythmic-focused variations. Listener preferences for songs from that decade is dependent on which "flavor" of CHR they listened to when those songs were currents, and as a result there are very, very few consensus favorites.

Example: Play "Feels Like Teen Spirit" to a listener that wants to hear "Vogue" and that listener will go elsewhere. And vice versa.

We are reliant on the 80's for the core of the format because that was the last decade where CHR was inclusive of multiple genres. As a result, the same polarized reaction does not occur and so there are considerably more consensus favorites.

And that "center line" is what keeps the format relatively high in the ratings, so it's not likely to change anytime soon.

So what happens to the Classic Hits format a decade from now? Fragmentation didn't end when the 90s ended.

The solution is to pick the genre lane that's the best fit for a particular station's market. In the case of WOGL in Philly, they've chosen rhythmic crossover for the backbone of its 90s category.

 

[K.M. Richards]

So what happens to the Classic Hits format a decade from now? Fragmentation didn't end when the 90s ended.

They asked that same question ten years ago, and the answer is as simple today as it was then, and will be ten years from now.

And you (sort of) answered that question, but it was still too narrow a view:

The solution is to pick the genre lane that's the best fit for a particular station's market. In the case of WOGL in Philly, they've chosen rhythmic crossover for the backbone of its 90s category.

"Picking a lane" is only genre-specific if you ignore the continued strength of the music from the 80's. BigA alluded to that in post #32. As long as those songs remain strong draws -- and also attract some younger demos -- that can be the "lane".

Whether WOGL's direction is the correct one is subject to debate ... and is being debated, in this thread.

 

[MarkW]

There'll be a point where that 80s music is no longer a strong draw among advertiser coveted demos. I think that inflection point will happen by 2030.

You are certainly correct that it continues to perform very well for the time being.

 

[K.M. Richards]

One thing I've been saying is that I can see a day when there are no traditional formats as we have known them. Just various groupings of music built around percentages in order to reach a particular target demographic. We're almost there now. Stations may use the broad terminology like adult contemporary or classic hits, but they're really just brands for songs that aim at a specific audience.

I think we are seeing that more on current-based stations, which are doing so as a logical reaction to the ways younger listeners discover new music. They are much more likely than their predecessors to be genre-specific in their choices.

Formats aimed at older demos are likely to keep playing it "in the safe lane", for the flipside of that reasoning (as we just discussed, above).

 

[K.M. Richards]

There'll be a point where that 80s music is no longer a strong draw among advertiser coveted demos. I think that inflection point will happen by 2030.

Within the circle of those of us involved in programming CH stations, you would be seen as being off by about a decade or a little less.

Not as soon as 2030 ... maybe as late as 2040.

 

[MarkW]

I suspect people who reach their 40s in the year 2035 won't care much for the music that their parents enjoyed as teenagers.

By then, 80s music on the radio will have the same airplay representation that 70s music has today. There'll be a place for it, but it'll be in diminished quantity.

What I meant by my earlier remark is I'm hard pressed to see 80s music as the backbone decade of the Classic Hits format once we reach 2030.

90s/00s centered formats such as those found on WTBC or Sacramento's Kiss will increase in number dramatically, I predict.