I thought the newest “old” song was “Smooth” but just saw they played “Rolling In The Deep”, “Poker Face”, “Just Like A Pill” - how soon ‘til they play “Blinding Lights”? It would probably fit right in. Good for WLS.
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94-7 WLS adds songs from 2000’s and 2010’s
- Thread starter RockTheRadio
- Start date
They're following the lead of other classic hits stations around the country. There's a lengthy thread about WOGL on the Philadelphia board.
The vast majority of the music is still from the 80s, with an occasional song from the 2000s. But they still play Take It Easy from 1972.
The vast majority of the music is still from the 80s, with an occasional song from the 2000s. But they still play Take It Easy from 1972.
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And “Brown Eyed Girl” from 1967.
And WLS-FM still plays a lot more 70s music in general than WOGL, or especially WCBS-FM or KRTH.
Why do I feel like Adult Hits is becoming the new Classic Hits?
When Adult Hits/Variety Hits took off in the early/mid 2000s it was a lot of 80s and 90s pop and rock sprinkled with some very high performing Hot AC recurrents (and even an occasional Hot AC current).
Those Hot AC tracks that Adult Hits played then are now 20+ years old and have found their way to many Classic Hits libraries. And Classic Hits has shifted from 60s/70s to 80s/90s in the majority of markets. The gap between the two formats has narrowed quite a bit.
Those Hot AC tracks that Adult Hits played then are now 20+ years old and have found their way to many Classic Hits libraries. And Classic Hits has shifted from 60s/70s to 80s/90s in the majority of markets. The gap between the two formats has narrowed quite a bit.
Saw that they played “Uptown Funk” on onlineradiobox.com - like KRTH Los Angeles did a while back. 🎉
More interesting, they just played Cold Heart by Elton John & Dua Lipa.
It's a great choice. A recent hit that mashes up two classic Elton hits.
The Chicago situation is much different than Philly. OGL is in the same co owned cluster with an AC and a Hot AC. So it remains puzzling why they chose to go in a direction that could hurt their cluster mates and send men to the Classic Rock WMGK.
In Chicago WLS is owned by a different company than WLIT and the Hot AC station. Although the rule for Classic Hits has been the song needs to be 25 years old...perhaps moving that forward to 2005 would make sense. But female leaning songs like Adele and Bruno Mars doesnt make sense to me.
In Chicago WLS is owned by a different company than WLIT and the Hot AC station. Although the rule for Classic Hits has been the song needs to be 25 years old...perhaps moving that forward to 2005 would make sense. But female leaning songs like Adele and Bruno Mars doesnt make sense to me.
Fixed that for ya
Well no. Are you meeting listener expectations of a Classic Hits P1 listener by playing Adele and Bruno Mars? A Classic Hits P1 listener..an adults 35-54. 50 50 Male to female. Should Classic Hits stations be playing Taylor Swift and Katy Perry? Their biggest hits are only 15 years old. That seems where some are headed. If you don't own an AC or Hot AC in yiur cluster, maybe you can get away with it. Although 45 to 54s probably won't be happy. Especially the guys
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How many Adele and Bruno Mars songs are they playing? Would it shock you to know that Easy On Me by Adele was played on Alternative stations? Uptown Funk was a massive cross genre hit that draws on numerous pop hits from the 70s and 80s. It fits because the audience knows the songs that influenced it. The song is familiar while also being fresh and contemporary. In the same way as the Elton John Dua Lipa mashup.
Music isn't as simple as it used to be. The pop charts are dominated now with country hits by Morgan Wallen and Shaboozey. Do you avoid playing those songs because of some "rules" that once worked with a demographic you're no longer chasing? That's the question you need to ask.
I don't think anyone is saying that what WOGL in Philadelphia is currently trying will work on every Classic Hits station across the country. It absolutely will not. But in 2025 I'd absolutely argue that Uptown Funk or the Elton John/Dua Lipa song fit Classic Hits like a glove compared to an overwhelming majority of the 70s library that dominated the format 10-15 years ago.
The classic hits format really changed about ten years ago when it started adding classic rock from the 80s. That's still the foundation of the format. But the audience for those songs can hear them on The Drive. The reason classic hits played those classic rock songs was because they helped the demos. Classic rock appeals to younger demos. WDRV is #4 18-34. WLS isn't top 5 with any key demo. To me, classic hits as a format is in real trouble. The audience is aging and there's no place for the station to go once the audience ages out completely. Once you get into the early 90s, CHR radio was at a low point.
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The natural progression through the decades has been so easy for the format, but I think the issue of the 90s and beyond has always been in the back of everyone's mind. We're finally at the time where it is that time.
I think the 80s focus will continue to work for a while on most stations. But at some point Duran Duran and Madonna will be as toxic to the format as The Monkees and Frankie Lymon are now. It will be interesting to see if Classic Hits as a format splinters much like CHR did after the 80s
I think the 80s focus will continue to work for a while on most stations. But at some point Duran Duran and Madonna will be as toxic to the format as The Monkees and Frankie Lymon are now. It will be interesting to see if Classic Hits as a format splinters much like CHR did after the 80s
The funny thing about the Chicago market is that it already has a newer classic hits station, Throwback 100.3, which gives a good idea of what that format might sound like. 100.3 dose always seems to be the signal that tries something different. WLS FM sounds like what Rewind 100.3 sounded like in 2012 ,and then 100.3 WNND had an 80's and 90's format already in 2002.
100.3 is pretty much the same thing as WLS except no 80’s and they play more 2000’s to 2010’s hits.
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.