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

K.M. Richards said:
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.
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Some full disclosure is needed here, I'd say. After all, it is very much in your own interest to keep enthusiasm for '80s music appear strong in the Sacred Sales Demos for as long as you can, right? Songs that now date back 50 to 60 years -- as old as '80s music will be in the 2040s -- fell out of favor with radio and (more importantly) Madison Avenue and its clients out there in Corporate America during the '00s.
 
No need to get snarky. No, it wasn't lost on me.

There are a decent number of Variety Hits stations out there, who as we sit here today, seem to integrate plenty of 90s music into their respective playlists successfully.

Variety Hits as a format played a significantly higher percentage of 80s when that format first proliferated than now.

I have no reason to believe Classic Hits will be unable to make a similar pivot.

I cited Kiss 107.9 in Sacramento and Throwback 100.3 as two examples of classic hits stations that are succeeding with little to no music older than 1990.

I might be wrong and you might be right regarding the staying power of 80s music. Time will tell.
 
CTListener said:
Some full disclosure is needed here, I'd say. After all, it is very much in your own interest to keep enthusiasm for '80s music appear strong in the Sacred Sales Demos for as long as you can, right? Songs that now date back 50 to 60 years -- as old as '80s music will be in the 2040s -- fell out of favor with radio and (more importantly) Madison Avenue and its clients out there in Corporate America during the '00s.
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I have said many times, in many threads, that I consider myself fortunate, as a programmer, that the 80's have remained viable musically. I've said it enough times that I don't feel the need to offer it as a disclaimer every time the subject comes up.

I have also said that 80's popularity among younger demos will increase that decade's viability for longer than most people outside the business believe.

A comparison to previous decades is an "apples and oranges" scenario. Those decades did not produce as much music that remained as something other than an antiquity. (Although, since you brought up Madison Avenue, I will note that the jingle for the Ozempic television spot uses the melody of the 1974 song "Magic" by Pilot.)
 
MarkW said:
I suspect people who reach their 40s in the year 2035 won't care much for the music that their parents enjoyed as teenagers.
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Maybe not classic hits, but right now, The Drive is a Top 5 format with 18-34. People who are in their 30s now like classic rock. To them, it's not their parent's music. They have a connection to those songs. So perhaps if WLS incorporates more classic rock (as The River has in Atlanta) it will survive,
 
K.M. Richards said:
I have also said that 80's popularity among younger demos will increase that decade's viability for longer than most people outside the business believe.
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Why? Because it's more "fun" or more "meaningful" or "melodic"? All a matter of opinion. I find '60s and '70s music, especially the r&b and rock of those decades, much better for long-term listening than the synth-heavy ditties of the '80s. And no decade's ephemera are likely to remain relevant to listeners far removed from that decade no matter their tune, beat or lyrics.
 
CTListener said:
All a matter of opinion. I find '60s and '70s music, especially the r&b and rock of those decades, much better for long-term listening than the synth-heavy ditties of the '80s.
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And I would be the last person on earth to say that you aren't entitled to an opinion and that you shouldn't make listening choices based on your opinion and tastes.

But your opinion remains contrary to what we are seeing ... and programming to.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
I also suspect a lot of younger demos strongly dislike the Rhythmic/Rap/Hip-Hop triumvirate that has had a stranglehold on contemporary radio since the 1990s. Perhaps 80s music is their escape from that.
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Country music has benefited from that, too, and it's still evolving, unlike '80s pop, which is a museum piece, albeit an amusing one.
 
TheBigA said:
People who are in their 30s now like classic rock. To them, it's not their parent's music. They have a connection to those songs. So perhaps if WLS incorporates more classic rock (as The River has in Atlanta) it will survive,
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That does factor into The Eighties Channel™, because my philosophy is to "play the hits" even if that means mixing genres. We do play more rock titles than the average 80's-based CH station, and if over time those dominate in the airplay monitors, I can adjust accordingly. The format may well be more Classic Rock ten years from now ... I won't make a prediction but I am definitely open to that and willing to adapt to meet the listeners' expectations.
 
TheBigA said:
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.
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I'd play Morgan Wallen and Shaboozey on CHR, Hot AC, and AC stations because they are proven by research to be solid crossover hits. Those formats play current music and are female targeted formats.
 
A lot of 80’s Madonna on today on 94-7 WLS-FM! 11 songs between 00:55 and 21:40 (12:55 am and 9:55 pm) according to onlineradiobox.com.

Throughout the day (some songs more than once) they played Material Girl, Like a Prayer, Vogue, Holiday, Like a Virgin, Material Girl (again), Like a Prayer (2nd time), Into the Groove, Holiday (2nd time), Material Girl (2nd time), and Like a Prayer (3rd time). Not complaining bit seems a little repetitive - or maybe this is normal now.
 


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