A question about the audience

[oldies76]

The future is now...

80s tracks played on KOOL-FM in Phoenix so far today:

Blondie: Call Me
Kool & The Gang: Celebration
Rick Springfield: Jesse's Girl
Starship: Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
Don Henley: Boys Of Summer
Michael Jackson: Beat It
Queen: Another One Bites The Dust
Police: Wrapped Around Your Finger
Hall & Oates: I Can't Go For That
Madonna: Holiday
Billy Joel: You May Be Right
Michael Jackson: The Way You Make Me Feel
Steve Winwood: While You See A Chance
Tears For Fears: Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Kenny Loggins: I'm Alright
Steve Winwood: Roll With It
Romantics: Talking In Your Sleep
Tom Petty: I Won't Back Down
Go-Gos: Our Lips Are Sealed
Billy Joel: It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
Bruce Springsteen: Hungry Heart
Hall & Oates: Maneater
Bon Jovi: Never Say Goodbye
George Benson: Turn Your Love Around
Phil Collins: Sussudio
Moody Blues: Your Wildest Dreams
Michael Jackson: Billie Jean
Human League: Don't You Want Me
REO Speedwagon: Keep On Loving You
Steve Winwood: Higher Love
Billy Joel: Tell Her About It
Madonna: Lucky Star
Rolling Stones: Start Me Up
Huey Lewis & The News: The Heart of Rock And Roll
Honeydrippers: Sea Of Love
Smokey Robinson: Cruisin'

Except for a few, most of these are played to death today already. Nothing surprising here. How many times must we hear "Boys of Summer" or "Your Wildest Dreams"?

What about 'West End Girls", "Take On Me", "Mr. Roboto", "One Thing Leads to Another" or "Major Tom"?? If a station is going to feature the 80's, then PLAY the 80's.

 

[michael hagerty]

I was reaching for a typical Madonna track and that one came to mind. You can replace it with "Material Girl" or"Holiday" or "Like a Virgin" if you desire. I have a feeling they're all going to be classic hits radio staples well into the 2020s.

The future is now...

80s tracks played on KOOL-FM in Phoenix so far today:

Blondie: Call Me
Kool & The Gang: Celebration
Rick Springfield: Jesse's Girl
Starship: Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
Don Henley: Boys Of Summer
Michael Jackson: Beat It
Queen: Another One Bites The Dust
Police: Wrapped Around Your Finger
Hall & Oates: I Can't Go For That
Madonna: Holiday
Billy Joel: You May Be Right
Michael Jackson: The Way You Make Me Feel
Steve Winwood: While You See A Chance
Tears For Fears: Everybody Wants To Rule The World
Kenny Loggins: I'm Alright
Steve Winwood: Roll With It
Romantics: Talking In Your Sleep
Tom Petty: I Won't Back Down
Go-Gos: Our Lips Are Sealed
Billy Joel: It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
Bruce Springsteen: Hungry Heart
Hall & Oates: Maneater
Bon Jovi: Never Say Goodbye
George Benson: Turn Your Love Around
Phil Collins: Sussudio
Moody Blues: Your Wildest Dreams
Michael Jackson: Billie Jean
Human League: Don't You Want Me
REO Speedwagon: Keep On Loving You
Steve Winwood: Higher Love
Billy Joel: Tell Her About It
Madonna: Lucky Star
Rolling Stones: Start Me Up
Huey Lewis & The News: The Heart of Rock And Roll
Honeydrippers: Sea Of Love
Smokey Robinson: Cruisin'

Except for a few, most of these are played to death today already. Nothing surprising here. How many times must we hear "Boys of Summer" or "Your Wildest Dreams"?

At most, once every three weeks if you listen normally.

What about 'West End Girls", "Take On Me", "Mr. Roboto", "One Thing Leads to Another" or "Major Tom"??

Because they didn't play those between midnight and 5PM today doesn't mean they don't play them, Oldies.

 

[CTListener]

I just checked WDRC-FM's '80s songs from noon to midnight. Forty-three '80s titles were played. Number of duplicates from Michael's list: 6. That's right, six.

Among the songs played were:

They Don't Know -- Tracey Ullman
I Keep Forgettin' -- Michael McDonald
Freeze Frame -- J. Geils Band
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic -- Police
Listen to Your Heart -- Roxette
In My House -- Mary Jane Girls
Kiss On My List -- Huey Lewis
Addicted to Love -- Robert Palmer
So Emotional -- Whitney Houston
Let's Go Crazy -- Prince
Africa -- Toto
One More Night -- Phil Collins
Let the Music Play -- Shannon
Uptown Girl -- Billy Joel
Walk Like an Egyptian -- Bangles
Like a Prayer -- Madonna
Somebody's Baby -- Jackson Browne
Do You Believe in Love -- Huey Lewis
If You Don't Know Me By Now -- Simply Red
(I Just) Died in Your Arms -- Cutting Crew
Heaven is a Place on Earth -- Belinda Carlisle
Waiting for a Girl Like You -- Foreigner
De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da -- Police
Danger Zone -- Kenny Loggins

In time, I'm sure several of these songs will "test out" of the playlist (My money is on the Tracey Ullman tune and the Police ditty with the TV commercial tie-in.), but for now the '80s appears to be a definite growth area for classic hits radio.

 

[firepoint525]

I was reaching for a typical Madonna track and that one came to mind. You can replace it with "Material Girl" or"Holiday" or "Like a Virgin" if you desire. I have a feeling they're all going to be classic hits radio staples well into the 2020s.

No, thanks. You can keep all of those. They have all been burned way beyond recognition. "Into the Groove," since it was not a single, may actually stand up a little better than some of those other tired retreads. Not that I ever really understood the appeal of Madonna anyway. :

 

[CTListener]

I was reaching for a typical Madonna track and that one came to mind. You can replace it with "Material Girl" or"Holiday" or "Like a Virgin" if you desire. I have a feeling they're all going to be classic hits radio staples well into the 2020s.

No, thanks. You can keep all of those. They have all been burned way beyond recognition. "Into the Groove," since it was not a single, may actually stand up a little better than some of those other tired retreads. Not that I ever really understood the appeal of Madonna anyway. :

How can they be burned when classic hits stations have just started playing them? You hardly heard '80s Madonna hits on the radio at all through most of the '00s; they were too old for CHR and too recent for oldies/classic hits. Of course, your bias shows in your last sentence. I find a lot of her '80s output fun to listen to, very well produced and killer hooks everywhere. But then, although I'm in my late 50s, I'm a fan of just about all pop/rock/soul from the '50s to the late '80s; the rise of hip-hop was the "one step too far" moment for me.

 

[Biondi4Mayor]

Sort of on the theme of 80's entering the format:

I've been listening to nights on KRTH with Christina Kelly. First off, she seems like a very good jock - women on Classic Hits are strangely rare, so it's a nice change. The music is the best overall, still good 60's -80's content with some that I don't normally hear elsewhere. i.e.. "I'm You're Puppet".

HOWEVER, starting this week, Christina has been introducing any 80's song with a tagline like, "Here's another from the 80's" or "Here's a 1980's hit on KRTH". This sounds so ridiculous, it is obvious she is being force-fed through cue cards. There is no need to PUSH the 80's, just play the 80's. Overall, KRTH's balance is among the best highly-corporate classic hits stations. It isn't too disco/r&b, but it isn't too "white-bread" classic rock - which is the reason I no longer listen to local radio aside from news.

Just an observation.

Honestly, on-air talent sounds so ridiculous nation-wide with such manufactured speeches. I'm so glad I found online-only sources where the DJ's connect with the listener enough to be entertaining, but not enough to be overbearing.

 

[firepoint525]

I was reaching for a typical Madonna track and that one came to mind. You can replace it with "Material Girl" or"Holiday" or "Like a Virgin" if you desire. I have a feeling they're all going to be classic hits radio staples well into the 2020s.

No, thanks. You can keep all of those. They have all been burned way beyond recognition. "Into the Groove," since it was not a single, may actually stand up a little better than some of those other tired retreads. Not that I ever really understood the appeal of Madonna anyway. :

How can they be burned when classic hits stations have just started playing them? You hardly heard '80s Madonna hits on the radio at all through most of the '00s; they were too old for CHR and too recent for oldies/classic hits. Of course, your bias shows in your last sentence. I find a lot of her '80s output fun to listen to, very well produced and killer hooks everywhere. But then, although I'm in my late 50s, I'm a fan of just about all pop/rock/soul from the '50s to the late '80s; the rise of hip-hop was the "one step too far" moment for me.

They were burned by CHR back in the day. This is why many Madonna hits ("La Isla Bonita," "Who's That Girl," "Causing a Commotion," "Justify My Love") you STILL won't hear. Most of us got our fill of her way back then. :

 

[CTListener]

I was reaching for a typical Madonna track and that one came to mind. You can replace it with "Material Girl" or"Holiday" or "Like a Virgin" if you desire. I have a feeling they're all going to be classic hits radio staples well into the 2020s.

No, thanks. You can keep all of those. They have all been burned way beyond recognition. "Into the Groove," since it was not a single, may actually stand up a little better than some of those other tired retreads. Not that I ever really understood the appeal of Madonna anyway. :

How can they be burned when classic hits stations have just started playing them? You hardly heard '80s Madonna hits on the radio at all through most of the '00s; they were too old for CHR and too recent for oldies/classic hits. Of course, your bias shows in your last sentence. I find a lot of her '80s output fun to listen to, very well produced and killer hooks everywhere. But then, although I'm in my late 50s, I'm a fan of just about all pop/rock/soul from the '50s to the late '80s; the rise of hip-hop was the "one step too far" moment for me.

They were burned by CHR back in the day. This is why many Madonna hits ("La Isla Bonita," "Who's That Girl," "Causing a Commotion," "Justify My Love") you STILL won't hear. Most of us got our fill of her way back then. :

Don't ALL hits get burned by CHR when they're current? Not sure that's a valid argument. I think your not liking Madonna's music in general is weighing into this too much. And yes, DRC-FM is playing "La Isla Bonita" and "Causing a Commotion," too.

 

[firepoint525]

Don't ALL hits get burned by CHR when they're current? Not sure that's a valid argument. I think your not liking Madonna's music in general is weighing into this too much. And yes, DRC-FM is playing "La Isla Bonita" and "Causing a Commotion," too.

Just because classic hits is not playing them (yet) does not mean that they are not getting played elsewhere, like AC, for instance.

And it IS a valid argument, otherwise classic hits would be chomping at the bit to play "We Are the World," "You Light Up My Life," and "Macarena." Those were burned back in the day, to the point that NO ONE wants to hear them anymore!

No, I don't particularly like Madonna. Wasn't her audience mostly "wannabes," the 12-year-old girls of the '80s? I was never a 12-year-old in the '80s, and certainly never a girl!

One Madonna song that I kinda like is "This Used to Be My Playground," but I haven't heard that one on the radio in a while, either. Of course, it helps (with me) that she didn't use some contrived controversy to sell that one! :

 

[firepoint525]

HOWEVER, starting this week, Christina has been introducing any 80's song with a tagline like, "Here's another from the 80's" or "Here's a 1980's hit on KRTH". This sounds so ridiculous, it is obvious she is being force-fed through cue cards. There is no need to PUSH the 80's, just play the 80's. Overall, KRTH's balance is among the best highly-corporate classic hits stations. It isn't too disco/r&b, but it isn't too "white-bread" classic rock - which is the reason I no longer listen to local radio aside from news.

Agreed, there is no need to single out tuneage from the '80s, and doing so might actually be a tune-out factor, especially for fans of the older music. Then there is the issue that I have heard mentioned of NOT mentioning what year any given song was a hit, because you do NOT want to remind people of how old that they are getting! Just play the tunes and let them relive their "golden years."

Hopefully, this ridiculous practice that you just mentioned here will be short-lived. At any rate, you can call or email the station to complain about it. No other station that I know of does anything like that. We had an '80s station here in Nashville back in the early 2000s, and even they didn't do that. Of course, nearly everything that they were playing at the time was from the '80s anyway, so "playing it up" would have just been redundant. :

 

[deltas69]

Looks like a good spot to get feedback...I re-calibrated some pc settings..added a dedicated audio card would like some comments on sound quality, content..etc..vintage spot breaks on the 20's, Fab4Play and Beatle Break at 7pm..the Top 8 songs on 4/19/66 at 8pm on the "BIG 8"..last nights 4 hour show..Thanks... http://www.livestream.com/chucksroc...7667&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb

 

[michael hagerty]

And it IS a valid argument, otherwise classic hits would be chomping at the bit to play "We Are the World," "You Light Up My Life," and "Macarena." Those were burned back in the day, to the point that NO ONE wants to hear them anymore!

No, I don't particularly like Madonna. Wasn't her audience mostly "wannabes," the 12-year-old girls of the '80s? I was never a 12-year-old in the '80s, and certainly never a girl!

Those three examples of songs have a lot more working against them than burnout when they were new. All three are extremely dated...more artifact than oldie.

As for Madonna, if you stopped paying attention at or before "Material Girl", then that assessment of her popularity, while still a bit too narrow, is close. But from "Crazy For You" on, Madonna began to be taken seriously by teens and young adults of both genders. There aren't and weren't enough 12-year old girl wannabes to sell at the levels she sold. The "wannabe" thing lasted a year, tops. Then the boppers were on to safer acts.

She jumped the shark with "Sex" (the book, album and video), but by that point she was 7 years past that old image anyway.

 

[michael hagerty]

At Half Price Books in Phoenix. They're playing a mix of 60s oldies over the loudspeaker.

Place is packed. Ages 15 to 75.

Brown Eyed Girl just came on.

No groans, no frowns. Lotsa smiles. People tapping their feet and nodding their head as they browse.

 

[oldies76]

At Half Price Books in Phoenix. They're playing a mix of 60s oldies over the loudspeaker.

Place is packed. Ages 15 to 75.

Brown Eyed Girl just came on.

No groans, no frowns. Lotsa smiles. People tapping their feet and nodding their head as they browse.

"Brown Eyed Girl" and what else? Are the songs similiar to classic hits radio (the same ole) or are you hearing songs that are rarely played on the radio?

It also demonstrates that 60's music still has mass appeal, even in places where many people of all ages congregate.

 

[TheBigA]

It also demonstrates that 60's music still has mass appeal, even in places where many people of all ages congregate.

Nope, it demonstrates that the owner likes that kind of music. That's about it.

 

[oldies76]

It also demonstrates that 60's music still has mass appeal, even in places where many people of all ages congregate.

Nope, it demonstrates that the owner likes that kind of music. That's about it.

True, but if business is being generated by teens and people under 40 in a place where 60's music is being played, then there must be appeal, otherwise they would walk out and say, "what kind of music is this, never heard this before". Would this owner (or any for that matter) have played 1930's music in the same bookstore in 1983?

60's music still has appeal today! It's rock and roll and it still sounds great in 2013.

 

[SolidGold16]

True, but if business is being generated by teens and people under 40 in a place where 60's music is being played, then there must be appeal, otherwise they would walk out and say, "what kind of music is this, never heard this before". Would this owner (or any for that matter) have played 1930's music in the same bookstore in 1983?

60's music still has appeal today! It's rock and roll and it still sounds great in 2013.

Exactly, Oldies. I can name two places near me that play nothing but 60s oldies plus a very small amount of 70s:

One is the Superior Grocery store chain. Their clients are 90% ethnic, mostly Mexican. I shop there occasionally, they have great prices on produce, especially. I'm always amazed when I'm there and I see people singing along to some of the songs. I never noticed anyone mutter about the "bad music". It's obvious people like it. They've been playing this genre of music since they opened.

Another one is the Super King Grocery Stores. Their clients are a big mix of ethnics from all over the world: Russian, Armenian, Chinese, Mexican, etc. I hear non-stop 60s and 70s oldies - and nothing but that, when I'm there. Once again, it appears that people like this music. Who knew? /Sarc

The sixties and seventies live on, even if radio is abandoning us. It's no loss to me, since I have found other ways to get what I want to hear. I suppose that stations like KOLA suddenly think we've stopped buying anything and aged us out. That's their loss. I'm pretty much tuning out, forever. C'est la vie.

 

[davideduardo]

True, but if business is being generated by teens and people under 40 in a place where 60's music is being played, then there must be appeal, otherwise they would walk out and say, "what kind of music is this, never heard this before". Would this owner (or any for that matter) have played 1930's music in the same bookstore in 1983?

60's music still has appeal today! It's rock and roll and it still sounds great in 2013.

You are over analyzing this.

It's simple. Oldies tend to be cheerful, bright and positive and create a happy shopping environment. That's why some fast food franchises recommend that kind of station for in-store listening.

THink of the alternatives, and how polarizing they might be.

Hip Hop? Polarizing.
CHR? Less appealing to the over-40 group... some songs negative.
Country? Polarizing.
A/C? Less "fun" as a sales environment, but comes close.

So, because most people have heard at least some of the songs, and many like them, oldies is a nice background sound at retail.

But... when we tune in a radio station, we want all songs that we love. When we go to a store, we simply expect not to hear music that annoys us.

 

[TheBigA]

Would this owner (or any for that matter) have played 1930's music in the same bookstore in 1983?

Why not? It wasn't unusual to go into a bookstore in a college town in the 80s and hear Duke Ellington. In fact, some bookstores play music originally written in the 18th century. We call it classical music. The Mexican restaurant I go to plays Mexican music. Personally, I don't care for it, but the owners enjoy it. So the customers put up with it.

 

[davideduardo]

One is the Superior Grocery store chain. Their clients are 90% ethnic, mostly Mexican.

So oldies is a good option. It is not polarizing, and many of the 60's songs were hits in Mexico, either in English or as covers in Spanish. Maybe it's not the favorite music, but it does not drive the customers batty.

I suppose that stations like KOLA suddenly think we've stopped buying anything and aged us out.

The stations think no such thing. It's the more sophisticated advertisers, who know that the return on investment in making sales to older listeners is poor and who, thus, do not buy advertising on stations that appeal to the geezer demos.