70's 80's format are younger demos listening?

[Groove1670]

With the surge in country & CHR formats, Is the 18-34 crowd listening to 70's-80's formats. Your thoughts & observations.

 

[amfmsw]

your timeline is off...way off. yes, there are exceptions, but, why would a 20 year old listen to music that is 20 years older than he/she? if the hit was from 1971 or 81, it is now 40 or 30 years old. even the 34 year-old doesn't remember it.

no, this format would be for 35-54 year olds. i know, it seems really old, but look at how old the music is. actually, more like 40-59 year-olds. time marches on.

That said, there IS ONE thing that MAY get them interested and hooked: PERSONALITY RADIO, something they're not familiar with. Live, Local, one-to-one broadcasting with facts and background and requests.

 

[oldies76]

The 70's and early 80's music would appeal more to 18-34's today than the 1930's and 40's music, did to us, in the 70's and early 80's.

Actually, far more stations are playing 30-40 year old music today, than they did in 1980.

Time does march on, but the music is staying with us too.

 

[amfmsw]

An 18-34 year-old's idea of we may call an 'oldie' is "Toad The Wet Sprocket" and "Smashmouth", not The Eagles or Elton John. The timeline is off. I have a 22 and 25 year-old. An 18 year-old is listening to Lady GaGa, not Madonna. When I was 18, I listened to Dianna Ross and Janice Joplin, not Patti Page. An 18 to 34 year old audience for this format is wishful thinking. Maybe some scraps, but no meat on the bone.

 

[RadioLinx]

Good points. However, if you are going to program 70s and 80s music, remember that Top 40 radio of that era was very personality driven. The jocks of the time did a great job keeping the music flowing while presenting in a very entertaining way. Once such personality was M.G. "Machine Gun" Kelly. As a matter of fact, M.G. is available in syndication and sounds as great as he did then. http://www.radio-linx.com/M.G.html

 

[qid937]

I'm not even thirty and one of the two stations I primarly listen to in my market plays a majority of tracks from the 70s. So I can't buy the argument 18-30 yr. olds aren't listening.

 

[willdav713]

I'm not even thirty and one of the two stations I primarly listen to in my market plays a majority of tracks from the 70s. So I can't buy the argument 18-30 yr. olds aren't listening.

I am 31, and I listened to the Super Songs of the 70s weekend on Austin's KKMJ. Now they stopped playing the all 70s weekend on KKMJ so they are off my presets.

I also listen to the True Oldies Channel KXBT Austin, and KROX 101x Hypersonic Radio.

I like the music Bo Chase spins at the Iron Cactus on Saturday nights. He plays music from the 70s, 80s, and the early 90s all of them dance tracks.

I think Lady Gagas music is horrible. Most of the CHR stuff is garbage unless it is electronic, house, or trance.

The 80s pop songs played on FM radio suck in my opinon and anything that resembles COX's The Point branded stations.

But I am geared from the lower mid range of the 25-54 demo.
What they pass off as AC today blows. I never liked Hot AC.

 

[oldies76]

The 80s pop songs played on FM radio suck in my opinon and anything that resembles COX's The Point branded stations.

That's because the staff playing those "played to death" songs probably never lived in the early 80's, when the 80's mattered the most. :

The 80's are not just "Boys of Summer", "I Melt With You" and "What I Like About You". Sad, isn't it?

 

[willdav713]

The 80s pop songs played on FM radio suck in my opinon and anything that resembles COX's The Point branded stations.

That's because the staff playing those "played to death" songs probably never lived in the early 80's, when the 80's mattered the most. :

The 80's are not just "Boys of Summer", "I Melt With You" and "What I Like About You". Sad, isn't it?

Oh and don't forget the over played "Any way you want it" by Journey. That is one of the many reasons why I don't listen to the so called all 80s weekend on a radio station that offers it.

 

[Groove1670]

The 70's and early 80's music would appeal more to 18-34's today than the 1930's and 40's music, did to us, in the 70's and early 80's.

I think more 25+ listeners listen to 70's and 80's songs. It would be interesting to see a breakdown.

 

[firepoint525]

The 80s pop songs played on FM radio suck in my opinon and anything that resembles COX's The Point branded stations.

That's because the staff playing those "played to death" songs probably never lived in the early 80's, when the 80's mattered the most. :
The 80's are not just "Boys of Summer", "I Melt With You" and "What I Like About You". Sad, isn't it?

Oh and don't forget the over played "Any way you want it" by Journey. That is one of the many reasons why I don't listen to the so called all 80s weekend on a radio station that offers it.

Journey is overplayed alright, but the Journey song that I am especially tired of is "Don't Stop Believin'." They play that one to death here!

 

[oldies76]

"Lights" is somewhat overplayed today, even though it stalled at #68 in 1978.

 

[johntherogger]

your timeline is off...way off. yes, there are exceptions, but, why would a 20 year old listen to music that is 20 years older than he/she? if the hit was from 1971 or 81, it is now 40 or 30 years old. even the 34 year-old doesn't remember it.

no, this format would be for 35-54 year olds. i know, it seems really old, but look at how old the music is. actually, more like 40-59 year-olds. time marches on.

That said, there IS ONE thing that MAY get them interested and hooked: PERSONALITY RADIO, something they're not familiar with. Live, Local, one-to-one broadcasting with facts and background and requests.

Ummm i do this....I'm 25 and I hate modern music and so does my wife and most of my friends...we love the 80s most of all....we were BORN in the 80s, didn't even know what it was till 1999 if you know what I mean!

The Mike/Bob/Jack format is my favorite because it plays everything I want to hear, 70s, 80s and 90s...I don't think Im alone in this either, there's a lot of us out there

 

[gamefreak]

My girlfriend considers any radio stations that does not play music within the last 10 years oldies. She even refers to Variety Hits such Max 98.3 in Lakeland, Fl and 80's stations such as the former 101.5 The Point in Tampa Oldies

However she does have a point. Her dad was telling me that when he grew up in the 70's stations playing 50's and early 60's were considered oldies.

I do believe that younger people are in fact listening to older music. Even people that aren't even 20 yet listen to the Rolling Stones and Led Zepplin. As well as The Ramones, Joy Divison and so on. Your Classic Rock stations do in fact get quite a few younger people listening. Not every 22 year old wants to hear LMFAO ever hour.

 

[gamefreak]

Being 22 Years Old I love older music. I usually listen to True Oldies 106.3 out of Spring Hill. As well as 105.9 Sunny FM out of Orlando when I can. I like Sunny FM because the station has personality. Q105 out of Tampa is also good.

I also used to listen to 107.3 The Eagle out of Tampa but now I can't stand it. Too much burnout of The Eagles, Led Zepplin and Foreigner. Not to mention the repetitiousness of their liners between every song. Oh and the station is automated most of the time.

Another one I did like was 101.5 The Point in Tampa. Lets face it the station wasn't that great. However it was my only choice for 80's and 90's music. The station did play some good music though. From Depeche Mode and New Order, some of the 80's new wave to some 90's such as Alanis Morrisette. Just wish Cox digged deeper in their library and played some not so pounded to death songs. Or some fun Pop songs as well. Well at least I never heard "Boys of Summer' on there. At least not after the station modified the format a year before the launch of "Hot".

 

[oldies76]

but, why would a 20 year old listen to music that is 20 years older than he/she?

Why Not? Heck, here in 2012, I enjoy music of the 50's through the 80's.....here in my mid 40's!

My 16 year old nephew likes Jimi Hendrix....

Life isn't just LMFAO, Bruno Mars, Rhianna or Lady Gaga these days, is it?

 

[oldies76]

Being 22 Years Old I love older music. I usually listen to True Oldies 106.3 out of Spring Hill.

Good for you!!!

Well at least I never heard "Boys of Summer' on there. At least not after the station modified the format a year before the launch of "Hot".

I'd rather hear "New York Minute" anytime over "Boys..."
"Boys of Summer" is way overplayed these days, just about anywhere. Enough

 

[oldies76]

I also used to listen to 107.3 The Eagle out of Tampa but now I can't stand it. Too much burnout of The Eagles, Led Zepplin and Foreigner. Not to mention the repetitiousness of their liners between every song. Oh and the station is automated most of the time.

Quite amazes me why stations cannot figure out that they are burning out so many songs, so frequently, but rely on "music tests" to keep on playing these tunes to death. Nothing wrong with the artists you mentioned above, but keep them in check! We don't need to hear "Already Gone" every day of the darn week! People complain about repetition, but people keep choosing the same songs in tests.....does not make any sense at all.

 

[gamefreak]

I know this is probably before I was born but I believe DJ's should have say so in the music. I also feel radio stations should take requests more seriously. Have you ever noticed whenever a radio station gets a request its usually a song that is already pounded to death, however if someone requests a song not currently on the playlist it is ignored.

Look at Clear Channel with its iHeartRadio. C.C radio stations have a auto request button for most of its radio station websites. However you can only pick certain songs.

The Eagles, Zepplin and Foreigner are great. However couldn't different songs of theirs be played. When do you ever hear "The Immigration Song" anymore. "Communication Breakdown" anyone What about some Deep Cuts. Would it hurt for a Radio Station to play "Witchy Women". Or some pre-Nicks Fleetwood Mac. These Classic Rock stations could dig deeper, a lot deeper.

 

[gamefreak]

I take that back on Led Zepplins "The Immigration Song", it gets pounded to death on a good deal of classic rockers. Particularly Cox owned stations.