Anyone listening to the yacht rock weekend on klos

[KilowattKat]

Well, whether or not KLOS touches Yacht Rock again, is how we'll know whether this was a success or failure.

BTW, what special weekends are other LA stations doing? Over at KROQ its an A to Z Labor Day Weekend (yawn). Over at KYSR it's a 2K Labor Day Weekend (yawn). Are there actually any listeners who get excited about these special weekends, or even care?

I give KLOS a lot of credit for thinking outside the box and having the courage to do something completely different, whether or not it's a failure.. Finally, you would think KROQ would be the one to take chances, and to try something completely different. That distinction now belongs to KLOS. This weekend really shows how bland boring, and safe KROQ has become (yawn).

 

[Loverofradio]

Well, whether or not KLOS touches Yacht Rock again, is how we'll know whether this was a success or failure.

BTW, what special weekends are other LA stations doing? Over at KROQ its an A to Z Labor Day Weekend (yawn). Over at KYSR it's a 2K Labor Day Weekend (yawn). Are there actually any listeners who get excited about these special weekends, or even care?

I give KLOS a lot of credit for thinking outside the box and having the courage to do something completely different, whether or not it's a failure.. Finally, you would think KROQ would be the one to take chances, and to try something completely different. That distinction now belongs to KLOS. This weekend really shows how bland boring, and safe KROQ has become (yawn).

Huh? I think KROQ takes chances daily. Not all songs on KROQ’s playlist is Linkin Park. They play several indie acts on a daily basis

 

[michael hagerty]

IF they had asked and IF they were going ahead anyway, I'd have strongly recommended they get back to normal programming this morning at 12:01.

All those P1 listeners that went out of town on Friday are coming back today. If they're coming back anytime after noon, they're going to be stuck in traffic for an extra hour or three on the 5, 405, 101, 10, 15---all of the highways back into L.A. And the station they love is going to be playing music they don't love.

This is where they could get burned.

 

[Seltzer]

Actually they also offer chicken wings.

https://www.pizzahut.com/menu/wings

Ratings aren't as important as sales, and this weekend is sponsored. As we've said, holiday weekends are usually down anyway.

And doing something that stays in their "wheelhouse" and doesn't go against the wants of their P 1 listeners can be sponsored too.

 

[MarkW]

Special themed weekends have been around for decades. They haven't had the negative impact you claim.

That's because most feature music the P1s *want* to hear. I'd say the A to Z weekend on KROQ qualifies.

My gut feeling is this Yacht Rock weekend is driving many P1s away.

 

[Gregg.]

Many of the artists that are currently associated with Yacht Rock got plenty of airplay on stations like KLOS in the 70s and early 80s. That might seem weird to younger listeners who's idea of classic rock is Guns n' Roses, but us Gen-X geezers remember what's up.

Yeah, I have heard Christopher Cross and Dan Fogelberg played on AOR stations. Not much, but they were played.

How true. The AOR stations of the 1970s and early 80s had PLENTY of artists who are rarely or never heard on today's classic rock outlets. Remember when James Taylor, Simon & Garfunkel, Carly Simon and Carole King were core artists? How about Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack and Earth Wind & Fire? How about Cat Stevens, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell and Seals & Crofts?

When Mandy first came out, Barry Manilow got regular airplay on AOR stations, which thought he was a singer-songwriter type. Then when he was embraced by AC and even MOR, he lost his AOR airplay.

 

[MarkW]

Rock radio was unbearably awful in that era.

 

[ted chittenden]

If it was up to me, there are a number of songs I would not have played. There was no need to play Looking Glass or Earth Wind & Fire. I don't think either qualify. I agree with Flipper about Gino Vanelli. I'd tighten the list, play more of the bigger names. Maybe a contest. Since it's LA, and most of these records were recorded in LA, I'd point out the obvious LA connection. But that's just me.

And if it was up to me, I would have narrowed the focus of the weekend to artists and songs that KLOS and other rock stations were playing at the time that are now considered to be "yacht rock." Some examples would have included: "C'Mon!", "Such a Good Feeling,", "Crazy Love,", "Heart of the Night,", and "Under the Gun," by Poco; "Holdin' on to Yesterday,", "Nice, Nice, Very Nice,", "Magical Mystery Tour,", and "Life Beyond L.A.," by Ambrosia; "Part of the Plan,", "There is Room in the World for a Gambler,", "Longer,", "Hard to Say,", and "Leader of the Band," by Dan Fogelberg; "The Power of Gold," by Dan Fogelberg with Tim Weissberg; "Baker Street,", "Days Gone Down,", "Right Down the Line,", "Home and Dry,", "Mattie's Rag,", and "Get It Right Next Time," by Gerry Rafferty; "Ride Like the Wind," by Christopher Cross; "Love Is a Rose,", "Heat Wave,", "When Will I Be Loved,", "You're No Good,", "The Tracks of My Tears,", "It doesn't Matter Anymore,", "Faithless Love,", "Someone to Lay Down Beside Me,", "Just One look,", and several more by Linda Ronstadt; and "Peg,", "The Fez,", "Hey Nineteen,", "Deacon Blues,", "Aja,", "Time out of Mind," and several others by Steely Dan, among others. I probably would not have included music by Robbie Dupree, Earth, Wind and Fire, Paul Davis, and some others because rock stations were, by and large, not playing that music at the time it was out.

Or perhaps I'm just overthinking things...

 

[ted chittenden]

Well, whether or not KLOS touches Yacht Rock again, is how we'll know whether this was a success or failure.

BTW, what special weekends are other LA stations doing? Over at KROQ its an A to Z Labor Day Weekend (yawn). Over at KYSR it's a 2K Labor Day Weekend (yawn). Are there actually any listeners who get excited about these special weekends, or even care?

I give KLOS a lot of credit for thinking outside the box and having the courage to do something completely different, whether or not it's a failure.. Finally, you would think KROQ would be the one to take chances, and to try something completely different. That distinction now belongs to KLOS. This weekend really shows how bland boring, and safe KROQ has become (yawn).

I liked a-to-z weekends, especially when done by oldies stations and especially if they expand their playlists to accommodate more songs than they actually play. I used to love KOOL-FM's A-to-Z playlists that would start out on a Friday and wouldn't (even after the weekend had stopped) until the next Wednesday or Thursday. I used to hear a lot of forgotten (or almost forgotten) songs there.

 

[michael hagerty]

And if it was up to me, I would have narrowed the focus of the weekend to artists and songs that KLOS and other rock stations were playing at the time that are now considered to be "yacht rock." Some examples would have included: "C'Mon!", "Such a Good Feeling,", "Crazy Love,", "Heart of the Night,", and "Under the Gun," by Poco; "Holdin' on to Yesterday,", "Nice, Nice, Very Nice,", "Magical Mystery Tour,", and "Life Beyond L.A.," by Ambrosia; "Part of the Plan,", "There is Room in the World for a Gambler,", "Longer,", "Hard to Say,", and "Leader of the Band," by Dan Fogelberg; "The Power of Gold," by Dan Fogelberg with Tim Weissberg; "Baker Street,", "Days Gone Down,", "Right Down the Line,", "Home and Dry,", "Mattie's Rag,", and "Get It Right Next Time," by Gerry Rafferty; "Ride Like the Wind," by Christopher Cross; "Love Is a Rose,", "Heat Wave,", "When Will I Be Loved,", "You're No Good,", "The Tracks of My Tears,", "It doesn't Matter Anymore,", "Faithless Love,", "Someone to Lay Down Beside Me,", "Just One look,", and several more by Linda Ronstadt; and "Peg,", "The Fez,", "Hey Nineteen,", "Deacon Blues,", "Aja,", "Time out of Mind," and several others by Steely Dan, among others. I probably would not have included music by Robbie Dupree, Earth, Wind and Fire, Paul Davis, and some others because rock stations were, by and large, not playing that music at the time it was out.

Or perhaps I'm just overthing things...

Here's the thing, Ted and everyone else.

While I went to bat earlier in this thread to show KLOS did play a lot of this when new, that's irrelevant.

Anyone old enough to remember whether KLOS played what they now call "yacht rock" when it was new is older than anyone KLOS is targeting (ask me how I know).

And yeah, IF you were gonna do it, you tighten the song selection to make it compatible with format.

In the last 15 minutes, according to the "last played" widget, they've aired:

George Benson-Give Me The Night
Stephen Bishop-On and On
Chicago-Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is (a 1970 Top 40 hit is somehow "yacht rock"?)
Ambrosia-How Much I Feel
Rupert Holmes-Escape (The Pina Colada Song)

As artists for airplay on KLOS under any circumstance, Chicago and Ambrosia---okay. The other three? Yikes.

 

[michael hagerty]

When Mandy first came out, Barry Manilow got regular airplay on AOR stations, which thought he was a singer-songwriter type. Then when he was embraced by AC and even MOR, he lost his AOR airplay.

You are either telling me something I never knew or something that didn't happen, and I honest to God don't know which.

This is where I'd usually dig into the trades of the time and see if I could find Barry reported by even a single AOR, but.....I'm scared I might confirm that.

 

[Gregg.]

If it was up to me, there are a number of songs I would not have played. There was no need to play Looking Glass or Earth Wind & Fire. I don't think either qualify. I'd tighten the list, play more of the bigger names.

Hey, if you're going to do "Yacht Rock" then Looking Glass and EWF are part of the format. Once KLOS made the commitment to do this, why quibble with which artists get chosen? 95% of Yacht Rock is music that KLOS would never play.

I always wonder why KLOS is so "classic rock that really rocks" as compared to WAXQ NYC, WDRV Chicago and WSRV Atlanta, stations that do great in the ratings with a more balanced playlist. You'd think that So. Cal. vibe would play against the hard edge KLOS has embraced for decades.

I know at one time KLOS had other Classic Rock competition. The Arrow format on KCBS-FM and KSWD 100.3 The Sound, both pop-leaning that might make KLOS choose the harder approach. And I'm sure KLOS once thought it should try to get some of the KNAC buzz saw rock listeners when that station switched formats. But that was a LONG time ago.

.

 

[michael hagerty]

Rock radio was unbearably awful in that era.

I'm curious. Can you give me a date span for "that era"?

 

[ted chittenden]

Here's the thing, Ted and everyone else.

While I went to bat earlier in this thread to show KLOS did play a lot of this when new, that's irrelevant.

Anyone old enough to remember whether KLOS played what they now call "yacht rock" when it was new is older than anyone KLOS is targeting (ask me how I know).

And yeah, IF you were gonna do it, you tighten the song selection to make it compatible with format.

In the last 15 minutes, according to the "last played" widget, they've aired:

George Benson-Give Me The Night
Stephen Bishop-On and On
Chicago-Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is (a 1970 Top 40 hit is somehow "yacht rock"?)
Ambrosia-How Much I Feel
Rupert Holmes-Escape (The Pina Colada Song)

As artists for airplay on KLOS under any circumstance, Chicago and Ambrosia---okay. The other three? Yikes.

The sad thing is, whether the younger listeners like it or not, there was (and still is) an audience for much of this music. The problem is, national advertisers and their agencies no longer wish to go after that audience.

 

[michael hagerty]

The sad thing is, whether the younger listeners like it or not, there was (and still is) an audience for much of this music. The problem is, national advertisers and their agencies no longer wish to go after that audience.

Which makes it pointless for KLOS to do. They risk alienating the younger audience the agencies will pay them for.

 

[Gregg.]

You are either telling me something I never knew or something that didn't happen, and I honest to God don't know which.

This is where I'd usually dig into the trades of the time and see if I could find Barry reported by even a single AOR, but.....I'm scared I might confirm that.

For years, WPLJ NYC, KLOS's sister station, never abandoned Manilow completely, even after other rock stations stopped playing him. It dropped Mandy but kept a couple of his uptempo songs around.

I remember WPLJ having "Copacabana" and "New York City Rhythm" on its playlist long after other AOR stations said goodbye to Barry. It may have to do with Manilow growing up in NYC. It may have to do with his being a pianist and back up singer for Bette Midler, who was also heard on rock stations before she became more of a movie star. They both had rock credibility for a while.

But not just WPLJ, which always leaned more pop, played Manilow. I also remember WNEW-FM playing Mandy as well when Manilow was still a little-known artist.

 

[MarkW]

I'm curious. Can you give me a date span for "that era"?

1977 to about 1982.

Rock product was so bad that even 101 WRIF was sneaking in disco tunes on occasion for a couple of those years.

 

[michael hagerty]

For years, WPLJ NYC, KLOS's sister station, never abandoned Manilow completely, even after other rock stations stopped playing him. It dropped Mandy but kept a couple of his uptempo songs around.

I remember WPLJ keeping "Copacabana" and "New York City Rhythm" on its playlist long after other AOR stations said goodbye to Barry. It may have to do with Manilow growing up in NYC. It may have to do with his being a pianist and back up singer for Bette Midler, who was also heard on rock stations for a while. He had rock credibility for a while.

But not just WPLJ which always leaned more pop. I also remember WNEW-FM playing Mandy as well when Manilow was still a little-known artist.

Okay, so that's very specific and likely a New York thing, which is very different from:

When Mandy first came out, Barry Manilow got regular airplay on AOR stations, which thought he was a singer-songwriter type. Then when he was embraced by AC and even MOR, he lost his AOR airplay.

"Mandy" was from Barry Manilow II and if there's a subtle, AOR-passable cut on it, I've never been able to find it. The first Barry Manilow album had been out for more than a year before that one, and maybe someone got suckered in by this guitar riff, but he kills that dead by the 55 second mark.

No longer scared, I checked the trades. There was never sufficient airplay for Barry (apart, I guess from NY stations) to get him a single mention in the AOR pages of R&R.

 

[michael hagerty]

1977 to about 1982.

Rock product was so bad that even 101 WRIF was sneaking in disco tunes on occasion for a couple of those years.

Oddly, that's also considered to be the peak era for AOR---tons of platinum albums from big acts and just before the "do we play modern rock or not?" dilemma.

 

[michael hagerty]

I always wonder why KLOS is so "classic rock that really rocks" as compared to WAXQ NYC, WDRV Chicago and WSRV Atlanta, stations that do great in the ratings with a more balanced playlist. You'd think that So. Cal. vibe would play against the hard edge KLOS has embraced for decades.

KNX-FM peaked in 1976. By 1983, it wasn't even viable. They tried to bring it back in '86 and it never took off. Dumped it again in '89.

KSWD ("The Sound") was the next attempt an a "So. Cal. vibe"---and it didn't really work, either.

I think the L.A. people picture is 70s L.A. That's 50 years ago. If you want to feel that vibe today, you probably go to Santa Barbara. Even San Diego is too big and too busy to really sustain the whole laid-back thing.