70s

[carolinaradio]

This is definitely the decade that will not die on AC. Just months after large market stations like WBEB, WLTW, and WLIT eliminated the decade, guess what.... "Lights", "September", "Tiny Dancer", and "Old Time Rock & Roll" are back! Can AC not move on and leave that decade to classic hits, adult hits, and classic rock? I just wish they'd lose the 70s and dive more in to the 90s (songs that Hot AC stations have moved on from) and even play more new music. I guess I don't understand why the AC format seems to keep getting more dependent on older music. I love the 70s, but can't we move on to more songs that AC has been ignoring? There's plenty of stuff out there.

The only station I can understand doing this (somewhat) is WBEB, who is dealing with WOGL's unprecedented strength. Perhaps to help keep the upper end of the demo from defecting to 98.1.

 

[dave73]

I was listening to WLIT a bit more when they dropped the 70's from their playlist. I like some 70's songs (I was born the mid 1970's), but I grew up more in the 80's & was an adult by the mid 1990's, & would like to hear more 80's & 90's songs. It seems to me that these AC stations still want to hold onto the baby boomer demo that were born in the 1950's & early 1960's.

In the case of WILV, they might be classified in a way, a Gold AC format, as they have few songs from the 2000's, & no new songs since positioning primarily to an 80's playlist. They call themselves Rewind 100.3, Hits of the 80's 90's, but they play few 90's songs, but still play a lot of 70's songs (especially when they announce: "Here's a Rewind, Rewind").

I wish CBS hadn't dropped Fresh from 105.9, but they couldn't compete with WLIT, though they had the better playlist. They played a lot more 90's songs than WILV did (done so intentionally to protect WTMX), & slightly more than WLIT, while avoiding any songs from the 1970's. While CBS still has Fresh on 105.9 HD2, it's otherwise not on in Chicago.

I'm starting to think it might be 5-10 years before we see the 70's dropped from AC radio stations. At least I haven't heard any Carpenters or Barbra Streisand music.

 

[Tiger1983]

If you listen to any of the CC AC stations(whether Premium Choice or live-and-local), you sometimes hear the artists that are not known to other AC stations owned by different companies. A few years ago, I heard Barry White's Never, Never Gonna Give You Up on KQXT from San Antonio when that song was part of their regular playlist. I can still see some other AC stations playing it, according to the YES.com's playlists. That song originated in 1973, along with his commonly heard Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe and My First, My Last, My Everything. My First, My Last, My Everything was frequently played on B101 in Philly last year before that station cut down on some '70s product and focus more on the 80's thru Now.

As for Never, Never Gonna Give You Up(no relationship to Rick Astley's version, but with one "Never"), the song is more tolerable for smooth AC, urban AC and classic hits formats because it is considered too sleepy for today's AC, especially when they are playing newer music. Personally, I would change to a different station every time I hear it because it could put me to sleep.

As I say it again, WKSB from Williamsport, whose format is classified as a hot AC but plays Premium Choice, plays too much sleepy oldies music along with the current product. I wish that station, along with the others in the same cluster is sold to a different company so that it can be "live-and-local" again. They used to be a true hot AC until Clear Channel got rid of their local talent.

 

[carolinaradio]

Interesting insight and I agree.

I wonder if the issue could be that the AC format can't survive without the upper end of 25-54, which probably likes 70s and 80s music? When B-101 in Philadelphia dropped the 70s, WOGL started increasing and has surged to #1, while WBEB/B-101 fell back. AC stations also tend, in a lot of markets, to do better when there isn't a Classic Hits station. AC stations have become so gold obsessed/focused, that "new" music has become an afterthought. Despite them being in the top 15, Premium Choice AC still isn't playing Fun. / Janelle Monae, Norah Jones, One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen, Katy Perry (Wide Awake), or Jason Mraz. All fit the format well.

I don't understand any other reason why AC stations now have to hold on so to 70s/80s music and burned-out recurrents instead of embracing more NEW music. The top 15 on AC right now is fantastic and has a lot of variety, better than the format has had in years, from "Call Me Maybe" to "Happy Pills" to "Wide Awake" to "We Are Young." They should take advantage of it.

This is what I'm noticing - more and more females in their upper 30s and early 40s are listening to CHR (in addition to Hot AC) along with their kids and liking it. This wasn't really the case in 2000. CHR is probably the most "soccer mom friendly" right now that it has ever been. That audience is sticking to CHR/Hot AC longer instead of moving in to AC like we've seen in recent times. When they want to hear something old, they may go to Adult Hits or Classic Hits where it isn't as boring or repetitive. That poses a problem for the "Best Variety Of Yesterday and Today"/Delilah/Shania Twain, Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Daughtry AC's. Do they continue to emphasize 70s and 80s to maintain their (aging) audience, or start playing more currents off of the AC chart and embracing new music? Smaller markets are doing the former, larger markets are doing the latter.

IMO, AC has become a 35-54 format with a bias towards the upper half of that. It seems to me that as AC has gotten harder and harder in sound, there is less to distinguish it from other formats. 70s and 80s are on Classic Hits and Adult Hits, those decades plus 90s are on Adult Hits, and 00s/much more current are on Hot AC/CHR. Where does this leave the AC? I think that in the near future, these AC's are going to have to decide if they want to come in to the 2010s or be classic hits stations.

 

[carolinaradio]

Also, if you're a 25-54 and listen to CHR (and even Hot AC) and AC, since basically everything on AC is a previous CHR hit, you're already going to sound stale/burned to the listener if you consider "Set Fire To The Rain", "The One That Got Away", or "Stronger" your "newest" music - the slow moving chart is another problem at AC..

 

[semoochie]

You can't blame AC for trying to hold onto baby boomers for as long as possible. There are still a lot in the 45-54 demo. The youngest baby boomer is now 48 though, so expect this to change in a couple of years. Overall, AC hasn't aged with its audience for a long time, not since switching from 25-44 to 35-54. "55" is still the end of the line.

 

[carolinaradio]

If we use Philadelphia as an example, it's obvious when an AC aleniates 45-54 (when WBEB went more modern and dropped the 70s) that it gives a boost to the Classic Hits and Adult Hits stations and the AC slips. Older-leaning AC stations typically do better in the overall numbers than more modern, upbeat Mainstream AC's. 25-44 seems to be all about Hot AC and even CHR now.

I think the format, as we have known it for the past 10-15 years, has plateaued. As the Boomers age out, it will be essential to try to adjust to the tastes of Gen X'ers - many of whom have no interest in traditional AC as it currently is. CBS and Cox have done a good job of evolving their AC's and taking risks - Clear Channel, overall, not so much. While I understand them wanting to hold onto the Boomers, they have to start evolving. That's why I keep suggesting more 90s.

 

[carolinaradio]

This article is on target: http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/a...-contemporary-s-demographic-fault-line-is-now

As the current 45+ listeners start to rapidly fall out of the target demo, AC is going to have to think fast. Do they want to update their concept, to try to at least get the lower end of 45-54, or evolve in to classic hits stations, just "throwing in" some occasional 90s or 00s gold? If the station is doing well playing older music, and no one is filling that void in the market, the latter may not be a bad idea (B-105.7/Indy is somewhat of an example of this, and to a lesser extent, Kool 105.5 in West Palm Beach).

35-44 wants way more new music than AC is providing, IMO. When those age in to 45-54, what happens? Premium Choice has yet to add One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen, or Fun - I don't see those songs appealing to listeners over 45, so they are obviously still shooting for the very high end.

 

[crainbebo]

I like some 70s songs on AC. "Tiny Dancer" completely fits the format. My local KRWM airs Tim McGraw's version, but I've heard other ACs spinning the original Elton John version.

 

[semoochie]

I think "Tiny Dancer" fits the format that AC used to be but gets further away from the present one, with each passing day. Even some early 2000s ballads are starting to sound out of place!

 

[gj567]

I think "Tiny Dancer" fits the format that AC used to be but gets further away from the present one, with each passing day. Even some early 2000s ballads are starting to sound out of place!

I know, every time I hear Lee Ann Womack's annoying, sappy, irritation, mind numbing "I Hope You Dance" and Lady Gaga's obnoxious music back-to-back it just throws my day into wack.

 

[carolinaradio]

I think "Tiny Dancer" fits the format that AC used to be but gets further away from the present one, with each passing day. Even some early 2000s ballads are starting to sound out of place!

It depends on the AC, I agree. The format has drastically changed in many markets in just a couple of years. IMO, ALL of the 90s country-crossover ballads sound out of place on many AC stations. I'm talking to you, Shania, Lee Ann (Rimes and Womack), Lonestar, etc. Same goes for "I Can Only Imagine." IMO, those songs can't go away fast enough!

I still hold to the opinion that Elton John going in to Fun just sounds weird. Perhaps Fun and One Direction have sort of almost stalled on the AC chart because they don't mix well with the older ballads. "Call Me Maybe" should already have been top 3, too.

 

[crainbebo]

Haven't heard "What Makes You Beautiful" One Direction on any of my local ACs, only the Dial Global satellite-fed AC network.

I notice KRWM is starting to play "Human" by Human League, and "Take On Me" A-Ha a lot as well. Plus they added some late '90s hits like "Oops! I Did It Again" Britney Spears.

-crainbebo

 

[vchimpanzee]

I know, every time I hear Lee Ann Womack's annoying, sappy, irritation, mind numbing "I Hope You Dance"

I got sick of hearing this one a long time ago.

 

[Seltzer]

This is definitely the decade that will not die on AC. Just months after large market stations like WBEB, WLTW, and WLIT eliminated the decade, guess what.... "Lights", "September", "Tiny Dancer", and "Old Time Rock & Roll" are back! Can AC not move on and leave that decade to classic hits, adult hits, and classic rock? I just wish they'd lose the 70s and dive more in to the 90s (songs that Hot AC stations have moved on from) and even play more new music. I guess I don't understand why the AC format seems to keep getting more dependent on older music. I love the 70s, but can't we move on to more songs that AC has been ignoring? There's plenty of stuff out there.

The only station I can understand doing this (somewhat) is WBEB, who is dealing with WOGL's unprecedented strength. Perhaps to help keep the upper end of the demo from defecting to 98.1.

The 90s continue to be a problem at AC. Song scores beyond the usual stuff still having a hard time. The 90s were really a screwed up decade musically with grunge/hip hop. Fewer mass appeal pop songs were created than probably any other decade. From 2000 on, pop songs came back strong. ACs should be out of the 70s, remain heavy on the 80s (for now), keep testing 90s tunes to see if the scores change over time, and go heavy on 2000 songs and re-currents. The recent Alan Burns study did not show a desire for more current music by AC partisans. But there is also the older side..in their 40s..that like current music. I believe the format as we have known it will be disappearing soon. CHR. Hot AC. and the "Greatest Hits' stations will be all that is needed to cover the pop music spectrum.

 

[carolinaradio]

The 90s continue to be a problem at AC. Song scores beyond the usual stuff still having a hard time. The 90s were really a screwed up decade musically with grunge/hip hop. Fewer mass appeal pop songs were created than probably any other decade. From 2000 on, pop songs came back strong. ACs should be out of the 70s, remain heavy on the 80s (for now), keep testing 90s tunes to see if the scores change over time, and go heavy on 2000 songs and re-currents. The recent Alan Burns study did not show a desire for more current music by AC partisans. But there is also the older side..in their 40s..that like current music. I believe the format as we have known it will be disappearing soon. CHR. Hot AC. and the "Greatest Hits' stations will be all that is needed to cover the pop music spectrum.

I've often thought that the 90s will be the era that could break the AC format. As the format gets edgier and edgier, the more the Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Lonestar, and Paula Cole tracks are going to sound out of place. If edgier 90s tracks can't be found that test well to replace them, there will be a problem. As I've said before, it's notable that as the 80s and recent material has gotten more aggressive, the 90s remain very sleepy on AC.

I agree with your statements (although I still think AC stations that don't have an older focus need to play more than 4 or 5 current hits), especially the last comment. The AC audience and its musical tastes are becoming more and more fragmented, and as the format lost its "soft" niche, it lost its direction and, IMO, has lost a lot of its cohesion in the past 5 years. I predict that in the next few years, we will see heritage AC's that are still successful go in to more of a conservative Hot AC direction, especially in markets with no Hot AC - and those that are still successful playing a lot of 70s and 80s music go in to a classic hits/greatest hits direction. I think Adult Hits stations have hurt AC also.

I think B-98.5 in Atlanta, as well as the other Cox AC's, are a good indication of where AC may be in several years.

 

[dave73]

This is definitely the decade that will not die on AC. Just months after large market stations like WBEB, WLTW, and WLIT eliminated the decade, guess what.... "Lights", "September", "Tiny Dancer", and "Old Time Rock & Roll" are back! Can AC not move on and leave that decade to classic hits, adult hits, and classic rock? I just wish they'd lose the 70s and dive more in to the 90s (songs that Hot AC stations have moved on from) and even play more new music. I guess I don't understand why the AC format seems to keep getting more dependent on older music. I love the 70s, but can't we move on to more songs that AC has been ignoring? There's plenty of stuff out there.

The only station I can understand doing this (somewhat) is WBEB, who is dealing with WOGL's unprecedented strength. Perhaps to help keep the upper end of the demo from defecting to 98.1.

The 90s continue to be a problem at AC. Song scores beyond the usual stuff still having a hard time. The 90s were really a screwed up decade musically with grunge/hip hop. Fewer mass appeal pop songs were created than probably any other decade. From 2000 on, pop songs came back strong. ACs should be out of the 70s, remain heavy on the 80s (for now), keep testing 90s tunes to see if the scores change over time, and go heavy on 2000 songs and re-currents. The recent Alan Burns study did not show a desire for more current music by AC partisans. But there is also the older side..in their 40s..that like current music. I believe the format as we have known it will be disappearing soon. CHR. Hot AC. and the "Greatest Hits' stations will be all that is needed to cover the pop music spectrum.

The 90's has been a problem with some Hot AC stations as well. That format has also not added many 90's songs into their playlist as in years past. The first half of the 90's saw many CHR/Pop stations go away. It was mainly rap, alternative, & Dance dominating the charts in the first half of the decade. The Chicago market went without a CHR/Pop station on a city grade signal for 10 years (1991 - 2001), while Kankakee, IL had one until 1996, when Entravision bought the station from them. Big City Radio had Kiss FM on 92.7 Kankakee & Arlinton Heights, IL from 1998 to 2001 (heard on the north side of Chicago & northern suburbs on WKIE & far south suburbs & Kankakee, IL on WKIF), when CC gave BCR a cease & decist order on the Kiss FM name. I remember WBUS mixing rap, alternative, & what few songs that would fit CHR into their playlist, like Mariah Carey, Madonna, Celine Dion (no mistake on that one), Elton John, Gloria Estefan, & many others.

Out of 90's Madonna's music that could fit AC would be Rain, Bad Girl, Secret, Take A Bow (I do hear this one from time to time on WLIT), You'll See, This Used To Be My Playground

For Mariah Carey: Vision of Love, Someday, I don't Wanna Cry, Emotions, Make It Happen, Can't Let Go, Hero, Dreamlover, Anytime You Need A Friend, Fantasy, Always Be My Baby, One Sweet Day (w/ Boyz II Men), My All, & One Sweet Day (w/ 98 Degrees).

For Gloria Estefan: Coming Out Of The Dark, Live For Loving You, Cuts Both Ways (song released as a single in 1990, but is on a 1989 album), Reach, Heaven's What I Feel, & cover songs Turn The Beat Around, Everlasting Love, & It's Too Late.

I'm not sure I really need to list Elton John, as he's still heard on most AC stations, even with some of his 90's hits.

 

[crainbebo]

This is definitely the decade that will not die on AC. Just months after large market stations like WBEB, WLTW, and WLIT eliminated the decade, guess what.... "Lights", "September", "Tiny Dancer", and "Old Time Rock & Roll" are back! Can AC not move on and leave that decade to classic hits, adult hits, and classic rock? I just wish they'd lose the 70s and dive more in to the 90s (songs that Hot AC stations have moved on from) and even play more new music. I guess I don't understand why the AC format seems to keep getting more dependent on older music. I love the 70s, but can't we move on to more songs that AC has been ignoring? There's plenty of stuff out there.

The only station I can understand doing this (somewhat) is WBEB, who is dealing with WOGL's unprecedented strength. Perhaps to help keep the upper end of the demo from defecting to 98.1.

The 90's has been a problem with some Hot AC stations as well. That format has also not added many 90's songs into their playlist as in years past. The first half of the 90's saw many CHR/Pop stations go away. It was mainly rap, alternative, & Dance dominating the charts in the first half of the decade. The Chicago market went without a CHR/Pop station on a city grade signal for 10 years (1991 - 2001), while Kankakee, IL had one until 1996, when Entravision bought the station from them. Big City Radio had Kiss FM on 92.7 Kankakee & Arlinton Heights, IL from 1998 to 2001 (heard on the north side of Chicago & northern suburbs on WKIE & far south suburbs & Kankakee, IL on WKIF), when CC gave BCR a cease & decist order on the Kiss FM name. I remember WBUS mixing rap, alternative, & what few songs that would fit CHR into their playlist, like Mariah Carey, Madonna, Celine Dion (no mistake on that one), Elton John, Gloria Estefan, & many others.

Out of 90's Madonna's music that could fit AC would be
Take A Bow (I do hear this one from time to time on WLIT)

For Mariah Carey:
Hero
Always Be My Baby

For Gloria Estefan:
Turn The Beat Around
Everlasting Love
It's Too Late

The ones listed above I've heard on various AC stations, Dial Global, KAFE, KXXO, KAFE, etc. Seriously, we need more '90s into the mix. There were a few pop songs in that era that worked. When Dial Global has their "Nearly Neglected '90s" segment a couple times a day, a rarer AC '90s song is played. Sometimes it's stuff like "I'll Make Love to You" Boyz II Men, other times it's "Every Day is a Winding Road" Sheryl Crow, and others.

-crainbebo

 

[semoochie]

There must be more Alanis Morissette and Sheryl Crow types, that will test! I'm already hearing some of it.

 

[new_friends_gr]

Out of 90's Madonna's music that could fit AC would be Rain, Bad Girl, Secret, Take A Bow (I do hear this one from time to time on WLIT), You'll See, This Used To Be My Playground

I would LOVE to hear these Madonna songs on AC stations, and I agree they all would fit well.

For Mariah Carey: Vision of Love, Someday, I don't Wanna Cry, Emotions, Make It Happen, Can't Let Go, Hero, Dreamlover, Anytime You Need A Friend, Fantasy, Always Be My Baby, One Sweet Day (w/ Boyz II Men), My All, & One Sweet Day (w/ 98 Degrees).

Don't forget "Love Takes Time" by Mariah Carey. And the song she did with 98 Degrees was "Thank God I Found You". Another beautiful song that certainly would sound great on AC.

For Gloria Estefan: Coming Out Of The Dark, Live For Loving You, Cuts Both Ways (song released as a single in 1990, but is on a 1989 album), Reach, Heaven's What I Feel, & cover songs Turn The Beat Around, Everlasting Love, & It's Too Late.

More great examples.

It's unfortunate that these songs are considered to be too sleepy for AC anymore.