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A little story about Variety...

R

radioelizabeth

Guest
I think the hope often times on these boards is for a very specific fine tuned variety of music. Yet, really...in order to have a successful variety format, you've got to have a successful collection of a variety of hits.

I doubt the CCM format can boast that kind of volume...but still, we CAN get variety. It depends where we are looking for it...

Variety comes in the form of cds, ipods and the like. We get that option when we pay the price. Purchase the music and make a playlist. Program your own block.

Just last night, I spent some time listening to individual cuts from cds that spanned over the last 10 years...

From George Michael to Eric Clapton, Jon Secada to Journey, Billy Holiday, Van Morrison, FFH, John Michael Montgomery, Stone Temple Pilots, Jennifer Knapp, Sting, Smalltown Poets, Matthew Sweet, Counting Crows, Switchfoot, etc...etc... etc... what a crazy collection. I even added some of my newer music to the list... The Afters, Betsy Walker, and oh how I wish I had bought the Buble single by now.

I listened to 3 hours of singles and thought... "This is a great block of music!" Of course, I am very well aware that although MY choice of variety included everthing from "Black" to "One" to "Fernando" to "Fly Me To The Moon"...it wouldn't include someone else's choice songs...because its not RADIO...it's a personal cd collection.

Although, I probably will use it for atmosphere the next time I throw a party.

:)
e<P ID="signature">______________
RADIOELIZABETH
Pleasant, Passionate, Persuasive
www.radioelizabeth.com</P>
 
I'll post this here too.....

Variety cannot attract BROAD appeal. People say they want variety - but they really don't. They want the best songs. Plus, what may be variety to you may NOT be variety to someone else.

The mainstream stations who say: "We're Variety" or "The Best Mix" are really playing considerably less songs than most Christian stations play. It's all about packaging.

The new Jack formats are probably some of the most tested and researched stations around now...they're really NOT playing whatever they want or the MOST variety. It's the image and packaging of the concept within the parameters of a very small playlist.
 
> Variety cannot attract BROAD appeal. People say they want
> variety - but they really don't. They want the best songs.
> Plus, what may be variety to you may NOT be variety to
> someone else.

Wast it E Karl who referred to it as "the 'v' word" and suggested it be as banned from the air as the "f" word due to its complete lack of an agreed-upon meaning?



> The new Jack formats are probably some of the most tested
> and researched stations around now...

People keep saying that, but I've yet to find a single person who can tell me how enough songs got tested locally to yield a 1200-2000 song library. TSL is short, suggesting many of the songs are nowhere as near as strong as one would want....I just don't know. (Yes, I'm saying I'm ignorant. :) )
 
>
> The new Jack formats are probably some of the most tested
> and researched stations around now...they're really NOT
> playing whatever they want or the MOST variety. It's the
> image and packaging of the concept within the parameters of
> a very small playlist.
>

And may I add doing very very well in the ratings -we have one here and it's taken a little time but it has a very good book this time. Back to programming school for some -variety works. If it works in secular radio, it would work in Christian but then it wouldn't be "safe".
 
> If it works in secular radio, it would work in
> Christian but then it wouldn't be "safe".


That's just not true -- there is no base of fairly familiar music from which to work. Twenty or thirty years from now, things might be different...but I still doubt it.
 
> > If it works in secular radio, it would work in
> > Christian but then it wouldn't be "safe".
>
>
> That's just not true -- there is no base of fairly familiar
> music from which to work. Twenty or thirty years from now,
> things might be different...but I still doubt it.
>

Well, you don't seem to understand how these new variety stations work. They don't play old music (some may be mixed in) its the formats they are mixing together and Christian music has plenty of formats, you just don't hear them if you listen to just an A/C station. Check out R&R - there is no reason you can't mix A/C, CHR, Urban,Rhythmic and some lite rock - if that were done more men would listen. A/C tends to be geared to women.
 
Re: TESTING THE THEORY

whatzthat wrote:
"there is no reason you can't mix A/C, CHR, Urban,Rhythmic and some lite rock -if that were done more men would listen. A/C tends to be geared to women."


Ok... let's put this theory to the test. Here's an hour, what does the clock look like? Let's get specific and define Currents, Recurrents, Golds, Tempos, Artist Sep, etc... You've got to program the quarter hours and include any stop downs. I'm guessing you can average 11-12 songs an hour. Let's see what one hour looks like and if it would increase CUME or TSL of both men and women:

12:00 TOH
SONG
SONG
SONG
SONG
12:15 STOPSET
SONG
SONG
SONG
SONG
12:45 STOPSET
SONG
SONG
SONG
1:00 TOH


Use whatever chart or source you want. If you can't clearly define one quarter hour to represent the overall sound of the station, then there is a problem.

Also, include the # of songs in the library so a sense of rotation can be grasped. How many in each category, etc.

remember...the test is for a CCM Variety Station similiar to a Jack. (of course, also keep in mind...Jack is not spinning tons of currents) Or perhaps, the goal is just to blend the tempo and sound... we will see...

<P ID="signature">______________
RADIOELIZABETH
Pleasant, Passionate, Persuasive
www.radioelizabeth.com</P>
 
Re: TESTING THE THEORY

> 12:00 TOH
> SONG "Unchanging One" by Todd Agnew
> SONG "You Don't Know" Kiki Sheard
> SONG "The One Thing" Paul Coleman
> SONG "The Real Party" Mary Mary
> 12:15 STOPSET
> SONG "Adore You" Andy Chrisman
> SONG "Who Am I" Point of Grace
> SONG "God Loves A Broken Heart" Jon Gibson
> SONG "Gone" Toby Mac
> 12:45 STOPSET
> SONG Afters "You"
> SONG "Stomp" Kirk Franklin
> SONG "Look What You've Done" Tree 63
> 1:00 TOH
>
> A blend of A/C, CHR, Urban & mild Rhythmic and an oldie equaling variety - something you don't find in Christian Radio
 
Re: TESTING THE THEORY

again,

please edit above to include categories, tempos, seps, number in library, etc. .

A list of 11-12 songs won't be enough to present an accurate program clock.

e<P ID="signature">______________
RADIOELIZABETH
Pleasant, Passionate, Persuasive
www.radioelizabeth.com</P>
 
Re: TESTING THE THEORY

> again,
>
> please edit above to include categories, tempos, seps,
> number in library, etc. .
>
> A list of 11-12 songs won't be enough to present an accurate
> program clock.
>
> e
>
He asked me for a sample list. I gave it - At least a library of over 700 songs.
Why don't you look at arbritron and see the new (variety) format they have come up with a pretty large playlist. Tempos don't matter because a sweeper or mic break is thrown in between everything now on most stations.You might get to hear two songs without a sweeper on some stations)
I included inspo/AC/Urban/gospel, lite rock & Rhythmic. I'm not doing an entire playlist on this forum, I don't have a scheduler on this computer.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by whatzthat on 06/26/05 07:29 PM.</FONT></P>
 
Re: TESTING THE THEORY

Who is "he"? I'm not suggesting you schedule or post an entire playlist. I'm asking that you prove your theory.

You said : "There is no reason..." and suggested a CCM station programmed with CHR, Urban, AC, and Hot AC, etc. Your theory was that a station as this would attract more men.


I'm asking to back that up. With a detailed sample hour, and with the projection of where your CUME and TSL will increase. Will you gain men and lose women? Will you gain men and keep the women?

You are suggesting a 700 song library of mixed CCM? Are you saying you won't put them into any category? Or separate based on tempo, mood, artist, or such? Will you sort by Gold, Recurrent, Current, etc?

You said tempo and mood don't matter because of a sweeper or stop down between songs? And that some songs will have no imaging between? Is this part of the programming strategy or simply a "copy-cat Jack" theory?

It's not too difficult to show 11-12 songs WITH their respective assignments.
And show evidence that such a clock would in fact increase listenership with your male listeners.

If instead, you can show consistant successful results...that would be cool too.



e
<P ID="signature">______________
RADIOELIZABETH
Pleasant, Passionate, Persuasive
www.radioelizabeth.com</P>
 
Re: TESTING THE THEORY

radioelizabeth, you have too much free time!
 
Re: REPLY

speakup wrote:
"radioelizabeth, you have too much free time!"

A totally incorrect statement and assumption.

When someone posts on a board how "easy" or "simple" it is to program a certain format or station, I'd like to see something more than the opinion or idea.

If the the theory can't be tested or challenged, how do we as programmers grow?

Often times, its in fleshing these ideas out we discover whether or not there is any substance to them.

Some of us never do any research, never read any trades, never participate in any any dialogue. Others lurk, hoping for some quality posts.

Plus, I'd hardly call honing my skills and assisting in the growth of other broadcasters "too much free time" anyway.


e
<P ID="signature">______________
RADIOELIZABETH
Pleasant, Passionate, Persuasive
www.radioelizabeth.com</P><P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by radioelizabeth on 06/26/05 11:25 PM.</FONT></P>
 
> Well, you don't seem to understand how these new variety
> stations work.

Gee, really? Huh...I thought maybe I did...

...although I still really don't (it's some of the imaging that I just don't understand). But, for the purpose of this discussion, let's just kinda think I might.



> They don't play old music (some may be mixed in)

I think I've listened to something like seven of them, but I don't really remember. I pulled monitors on four or five of them about a month ago, and their 1100-1900 song playlists were overwhelmingly made up of gold. As a matter of fact, at the core, "variety" stations have much in common with 80's stations.

It's actually currents that may be mixed in...only a handful, as a matter of fact.



> its the formats they are mixing together

Uh, no. Not at all. The entire library is made up of songs that all had some connection to pop. Now, let me qualify that a bit -- formats haven't always been so niched or quite so segmented.

Journey, The Gap Band, Rush, Air Supply, Chic, The Eagles, Prince, Billy Squier, The Little River Band, Psychadelic Furs, KC & the Sunshine Band, Duran Duran, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson, Molly Hatchet, Boyz II Men, Chicago, Donna Summer, Bruce Hornsby, Def Leppard, Devo, Kenny Rogers, Teena Marie, The Cars, Carl Carlton, Foreigner, Captain & Tennile, Blue Oyster Cult, Lionel Richie, Bob Seger, Janet Jackson, Steely Dan, Richard Marx, The Police, Mariah Carey, Hall & Oates, REM, Kansas, Barry Manilow, Van Halen, Elton John, New Edition, Boston, Culture Club, REO SPeedwagon, Doug E Fresh, The Clash, The Bee Gees, Pink Floyd, NSYNC, James Taylor, Ratt, ABC, ELO, and Earth, Wind, & Fire...growing up, all those and more either were pop or might as well have been. However, "variety" stations don't even really go that broad -- they don't really mix together different formats much at all. Like I said, they have a lot in common with 80's stations...and the stations you'd hear in the 80's.



> ...there is no reason you can't mix A/C, CHR, Urban,Rhythmic and
> some lite rock - if that were done more men would listen. A/C tends
> to be geared to women.

Strangely (for your argument), so do all the formats you list!

By the way, I'd really like to see you take up Elizabeth's challenge, too.
 
Re: REPLY

> speakup wrote:
> "radioelizabeth, you have too much free time!"
>
> A totally incorrect statement and assumption.


Oh, it's okay, Elizabeth..."you have too much free time" is really just netspeak for "ya flat out whupped me, but I'll never admit it!" :)
 
I'm talking about the variety stations named after people - I don't think there are seven of them, I could be wrong - Bob FM, Jack FM, Donna FM in Belgium. The we play anything stations - the one I hear is not an oldies station.
About Elizabeth's challenge, I did the best I could without a music scheduler and that's the best I can do. I don't carry one around with me.
 
Re: TESTING THE THEORY

I just found out a Christian friend of mine committed suicide - the theory is the last thing I am thinking about right now. I'm completely blown away. I'll discuss it later when my head & eyes are clear. Thanks for understanding.
 
"A mile wide but an inch deep"

> Well, you don't seem to understand how these new variety
> stations work. They don't play old music (some may be mixed
> in) its the formats they are mixing together and Christian
> music has plenty of formats, you just don't hear them if you
> listen to just an A/C station. Check out R&R - there is no
> reason you can't mix A/C, CHR, Urban,Rhythmic and some lite
> rock - if that were done more men would listen. A/C tends to
> be geared to women.

Someone on the Variety Hits board had that line about the Jack-FM craze and it's entirely true.

Every song on the Varety Hits stations is a huge hit. It's just playing a classic rock hit next to a R&B hit next to an AC hit that's new. There's about a 30 year span in the library, but it's not deep - it's all #1 hit singles. The only reason it works is the audience knows every single song.

The audience perceives that the station goes deep because they're going wide.

You already know the pitfalls of going deep (noone recognizes album cuts). The question to ask about CCM is do you have the library to go wide?<P ID="signature">______________
...co-moderator of the Satellite Radio, Phoenix, and San Diego boards...</P>
 
> I'm talking about the variety stations named after people -
> I don't think there are seven of them, I could be wrong -
> Bob FM, Jack FM, Donna FM in Belgium. The we play anything
> stations...

Uh, yeah...I think you'll want to learn a little bit more about them first.
 
whatzthat wrote:
"About Elizabeth's challenge, I did the best I could without a music scheduler and that's the best I can do. I don't carry one around with me."

You don't need a music schedule for it. You just need to know your music. The 11-12 songs you chose to schedule that hour. How do they relate to your overall library? ( I think you said 700 songs? ) Or even how you format the hour (let's not even put songs in yet...is that easier?)

Anyone can pull 12 songs they know and list them in a row in an order that seems great for that hour. But that is still just a list. It wouldn't reflect your overall station sound without the details of the song's category and position within the library. And the quarter hour ought to be representative of your entire library/mood/tempo/station. How do you accomplish that with your list?

I honestly do not see CCM could justify a "variety format" station with the limited # of familiar hits available. You said there was no reason we couldn't. That we could follow the charts and it could be done...show me that is more than opinion.

-e<P ID="signature">______________
RADIOELIZABETH
Pleasant, Passionate, Persuasive
www.radioelizabeth.com</P>
 
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