Whew. I check back in after a couple of days of intermittently listening to CBS-FM on-line and find that the flame-throwers are still at it in NYC.
Let's look at a few of the realities of the CBS-FM switch:
1. If they get a 3.0 share 12+, they will outperform Jack's best numbers by a bunch. I find it hard to believe that the new format won't attract 3% of the people listening to the radio at any given time. CBS-FM has unique product because they are playing music unavailable elsewhere, better targeted to 40-49 year-olds than any other NYC station, with an energy unavailable on other stations targeting that age group.
2. They share less music with other stations than Jack did. They will have better TSL than Jack because they don't have as many train-wreck transitions, and the music has a more consistant "feel" than Jack ever did.
3. Songs that haven't been played in two years don't qualify as "burned to a crisp". They qualify as "missed".
4. Playing a lot of '50s on CBS-FM would be analagous to playing The Ames Brothers and/or Benny Goodman on WABC in 1970. There was a significant shift in music in the '60s that began with the Beatles. There are some timeless classics from the '50s - like "Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochran - that fit in any era. Doo-Wop doesn't meet that criteria. In fact, Doo-Wop is a genre almost separate from '50s Rock 'N Roll that is more closely aligned with The Ames Brothers than "Summertime Blues". Even in the '50s, there was a difference between "pop" and "rock". People who liked Little Richard thought that Pat Boone remakes were pap. A lot of white kids didn't realize that Little Richard existed, and that Pat Boone was a real innovator. Remember, "race music" wasn't available everywhere.
5. "Album Cuts" are not anathema to a hit music station. Look at the surveys from WABC in 1970. Even they listed "album cuts" that were played on their air. A hit is a hit, no matter what the source. A hit is a song that the audience wants to hear, and that fits the "sound" of that radio station. I think that CBS-FM is doing a pretty good job of selecting hits from a broad era of music that appeals to a broader audience than the "old" CBS-FM.
6. Jocks are not "clutter" if they're adding live - and lively - entertainment and/or information to a radio show. Jock who are capable of creating a relationship with listeners will create better TSL, and better results for advertisers.
There are lots of challenges coming up for CBS-FM that could add urine to their punch bowl. When commercials start, the number of units & length of stopsets could annoy listeners. Tightening down the playlist too much, and not taking advantage of 20 years of hits to maintain a variety of music that fits the "sound" of the radio station would be a mistake in my opinion.
On the plus side, CBS-FM has taken dead aim at 39-49, and I think they serve that audience better than any other station in the market. If 10% of that audience agrees with me, they would be a huge winner in NYC.
Whew! That turned into a rant, huh? I'll check back next weekend to see how crispy I am after the flamers get through.
Let's look at a few of the realities of the CBS-FM switch:
1. If they get a 3.0 share 12+, they will outperform Jack's best numbers by a bunch. I find it hard to believe that the new format won't attract 3% of the people listening to the radio at any given time. CBS-FM has unique product because they are playing music unavailable elsewhere, better targeted to 40-49 year-olds than any other NYC station, with an energy unavailable on other stations targeting that age group.
2. They share less music with other stations than Jack did. They will have better TSL than Jack because they don't have as many train-wreck transitions, and the music has a more consistant "feel" than Jack ever did.
3. Songs that haven't been played in two years don't qualify as "burned to a crisp". They qualify as "missed".
4. Playing a lot of '50s on CBS-FM would be analagous to playing The Ames Brothers and/or Benny Goodman on WABC in 1970. There was a significant shift in music in the '60s that began with the Beatles. There are some timeless classics from the '50s - like "Summertime Blues" by Eddie Cochran - that fit in any era. Doo-Wop doesn't meet that criteria. In fact, Doo-Wop is a genre almost separate from '50s Rock 'N Roll that is more closely aligned with The Ames Brothers than "Summertime Blues". Even in the '50s, there was a difference between "pop" and "rock". People who liked Little Richard thought that Pat Boone remakes were pap. A lot of white kids didn't realize that Little Richard existed, and that Pat Boone was a real innovator. Remember, "race music" wasn't available everywhere.
5. "Album Cuts" are not anathema to a hit music station. Look at the surveys from WABC in 1970. Even they listed "album cuts" that were played on their air. A hit is a hit, no matter what the source. A hit is a song that the audience wants to hear, and that fits the "sound" of that radio station. I think that CBS-FM is doing a pretty good job of selecting hits from a broad era of music that appeals to a broader audience than the "old" CBS-FM.
6. Jocks are not "clutter" if they're adding live - and lively - entertainment and/or information to a radio show. Jock who are capable of creating a relationship with listeners will create better TSL, and better results for advertisers.
There are lots of challenges coming up for CBS-FM that could add urine to their punch bowl. When commercials start, the number of units & length of stopsets could annoy listeners. Tightening down the playlist too much, and not taking advantage of 20 years of hits to maintain a variety of music that fits the "sound" of the radio station would be a mistake in my opinion.
On the plus side, CBS-FM has taken dead aim at 39-49, and I think they serve that audience better than any other station in the market. If 10% of that audience agrees with me, they would be a huge winner in NYC.
Whew! That turned into a rant, huh? I'll check back next weekend to see how crispy I am after the flamers get through.