A small market station with a big market sound.

[soundblast]

Form the mid 70's to the mid 89's there was a station in Fredrick Maryland WZYQ z104 that has a big market sound but the thing that made it really special however was the passion and high energy level of the jocks and other programming. This station radiated an energy and good feeling like radio stations should. The only thing close to it today would be Machine Gun Kelly on KRTH Los Angeles.

Are there many oldies stations that have this kind of passion and energy that can be felt by the listener, I would be especial interested if can tell me of such a station I could listen to online.

 

[billyg]

KLUV in Dallas has a DJ by the name of "Tom Kent" who puts on a upbeat show, sometimes he reminds me of an early 80's CHR jock with his energetic approach.

I wish more oldies/classic hits stations would hire night "screamers" in the style of Shotgun Kelly, Captain Whammo and "Boogie Man" Lester Micheals, who was a legendary Oklahoma City jock in the 70's and early 80's and later on KOMA-AM/FM in the early 90's. Too many oldies jocks are too laid back and relaxed now.

 

[soundblast]

Where has Boogie Man Lester Micheals been all these years? What is he doing now?

 

[billyg]

Where has Boogie Man Lester Micheals been all these years? What is he doing now?

He's doing mornings for KMGZ "Magic 95" in Lawton Ok.
http://www.kmgz.com/

 

[Oldbones]

I wish more oldies/classic hits stations would hire night "screamers" in the style of Shotgun Kelly, Captain Whammo and "Boogie Man" Lester Micheals, who was a legendary Oklahoma City jock in the 70's and early 80's and later on KOMA-AM/FM in the early 90's. Too many oldies jocks are too laid back and relaxed now.

There's the key to a 1 share. Most oldies listeners want to be yelled at on-air about as much as they want to hear commercials for zit cream.
The successful oldies station realizes that they need to be a contemporary radio station, just one that plays old songs. What was cool 40 years ago doesn't fly today.

 

[TheFonz]

I wish more oldies/classic hits stations would hire night "screamers" in the style of Shotgun Kelly, Captain Whammo and "Boogie Man" Lester Micheals, who was a legendary Oklahoma City jock in the 70's and early 80's and later on KOMA-AM/FM in the early 90's. Too many oldies jocks are too laid back and relaxed now.

There's the key to a 1 share. Most oldies listeners want to be yelled at on-air about as much as they want to hear commercials for zit cream.
The successful oldies station realizes that they need to be a contemporary radio station, just one that plays old songs. What was cool 40 years ago doesn't fly today.

What Oldbones is trying to say , billyg, is that terrestrial radio isn't trying to program to YOU. It's trying to manufacture a younger audience. Try satellite radio.

 

[billyg]

What Oldbones is trying to say , billyg, is that terrestrial radio isn't trying to program to YOU. It's trying to manufacture a younger audience. Try satellite radio.

They haven't programmed for me since...about 1995.

A 70's style screamer jock would might on a weekend show, but thats it!

 

[Don62]

I wish more oldies/classic hits stations would hire night "screamers" in the style of Shotgun Kelly, Captain Whammo and "Boogie Man" Lester Micheals, who was a legendary Oklahoma City jock in the 70's and early 80's and later on KOMA-AM/FM in the early 90's. Too many oldies jocks are too laid back and relaxed now.

There's the key to a 1 share. Most oldies listeners want to be yelled at on-air about as much as they want to hear commercials for zit cream.
The successful oldies station realizes that they need to be a contemporary radio station, just one that plays old songs. What was cool 40 years ago doesn't fly today.

What Oldbones is trying to say , billyg, is that terrestrial radio isn't trying to program to YOU. It's trying to manufacture a younger audience. Try satellite radio.

Nice way to run a business... Chase off your loyal customers and go after fleeting ones.

Radio deserves what's happening today. Only the wrong people are getting laid off.

 

[Oldbones]

What Oldbones is trying to say , billyg, is that terrestrial radio isn't trying to program to YOU. It's trying to manufacture a younger audience. Try satellite radio.

No, what Oldbones was trying to say is now that I'm an adult, I want a station that treats me like one. I'm not stuck in 1965, I don't want a station that is either.
Excuse me while I put on my Nehru jacket & pop a bottle of Boone's Farm.

The future of satellite radio looks a lot bleaker than terrestrial radio's. I'd advise against buying the lifetime subscription.

 

[TheFonz]

What Oldbones is trying to say , billyg, is that terrestrial radio isn't trying to program to YOU. It's trying to manufacture a younger audience. Try satellite radio.

No, what Oldbones was trying to say is now that I'm an adult I want a station that treats me like one. I'm not stuck in 1965 and I don't want a station that is, either.

Then why not just buy a few CDs?

 

[davideduardo]

Nice way to run a business... Chase off your loyal customers and go after fleeting ones.

Radio has what is sometimes called a bimodal marketing model. The consumers are not the customers and the customers are not the consumers. Radio's customers are advertisers, but they don't actually use the product. Consumers, or listeners, do.

Radio stations actually sell or rent access to the users to the customers. And if nobody wants access to the consumers, or listeners, then the radio station has to change programming.

Listeners over 55 are of limited or no appeal to advertisers, particularly in the larger markets. So stations with significant 55 and over appeal find themselves of limited interest to advertisers, and eventually have to change format.

No matter how loyal the senior listener is, they bring no benefit to a commercial radio station.

 

[landtuna]

Listeners over 55 are of limited or no appeal to advertisers, particularly in the larger markets. So stations with significant 55 and over appeal find themselves of limited interest to advertisers, and eventually have to change format.

No matter how loyal the senior listener is, they bring no benefit to a commercial radio station.

I know we've been over this road before but....

Listeners my age (mid-60's) were probably the biggest audience (in terms of listening population) back in the day. And I'd bet we still make up a significant portion of people still listening to radio.

If I were in the radio business I'd be very worried that, among other concerns, I have now 'ignored' my most loyal listener group and the ones who grew up with radio and have supported it the majority of their lives.

What does this say 10-15-20 years from now when the old audience is gone (literally) and the new potential audience never had an association with radio as their parents and grandparents? Also consider that, by then, new technologies will probably exist (mobile internet) that make OTA radio as ancient a technology as crystal sets.

 

[Don62]

Listeners over 55 are of limited or no appeal to advertisers, particularly in the larger markets. So stations with significant 55 and over appeal find themselves of limited interest to advertisers, and eventually have to change format.

No matter how loyal the senior listener is, they bring no benefit to a commercial radio station.

I know we've been over this road before but....

Listeners my age (mid-60's) were probably the biggest audience (in terms of listening population) back in the day. And I'd bet we still make up a significant portion of people still listening to radio.

If I were in the radio business I'd be very worried that, among other concerns, I have now 'ignored' my most loyal listener group and the ones who grew up with radio and have supported it the majority of their lives.

What does this say 10-15-20 years from now when the old audience is gone (literally) and the new potential audience never had an association with radio as their parents and grandparents? Also consider that, by then, new technologies will probably exist (mobile internet) that make OTA radio as ancient a technology as crystal sets.

What's even more frightening is that radio's managers don't even appear interested in this group, and indeed seem like they want to chase away this loyal group.
There's little proactive thinking in this industry, judging by the product offered.
it's like they think the status quo is perfect and they're "too big to fail."

 

[KyDXIn]

What does this say 10-15-20 years from now when the old audience is gone (literally) and the new potential audience never had an association with radio as their parents and grandparents? Also consider that, by then, new technologies will probably exist (mobile internet) that make OTA radio as ancient a technology as crystal sets.

What's even more frightening is that radio's managers don't even appear interested in this group, and indeed seem like they want to chase away this loyal group.
There's little proactive thinking in this industry, judging by the product offered.
it's like they think the status quo is perfect and they're "too big to fail."

And listener's my age (early 40s) are getting fed-up with the duplication of the same old freak-shows on AM, and the cookie-cutter formats on FM. In Louisville, the newest and biggest growing station is "Country Legends", a format that hasn't been heard in this area since they were on the first time. I think this shows that original or unique programming would help keep listeners. As technology advances, I will not be tied to traditional radio. If I can find programming that entertains me, I will find it. Currently I listen to the smooth Jazz station from Dayton online, and I listen to yesterdayusa.com for old time radio programming. I'd rather listen online that to repeats of Art Bell's show from 1992 as Clearchannel broadcasts on Saturday nights!

 

[davideduardo]

What's even more frightening is that radio's managers don't even appear interested in this group, and indeed seem like they want to chase away this loyal group.

This is quite true. Listeners in the senior group and in the geezer demos are not salable to advertisers in most save the smaller and, perhaps, rural markets. Ad agencies have no budgets for over-55 because their clients don't specify those groups as a target they want.

In other words, going after 55 and over listeners is a nice way to get to bankruptcy fast.

There's little proactive thinking in this industry, judging by the product offered.
it's like they think the status quo is perfect and they're "too big to fail."

There is not anything proactive being done where all the activity in the world will not change the fact that advertisers don't get suitable ROIs from older audience groups and thus, have no interest. No amount of salesmanship will convince P&G or Coke to go after a segment they know is not profitable to advertise to.

 

[radioman148]

KLUV in Dallas has a DJ by the name of "Tom Kent" who puts on a upbeat show, sometimes he reminds me of an early 80's CHR jock with his energetic approach.

I wish more oldies/classic hits stations would hire night "screamers" in the style of Shotgun Kelly, Captain Whammo and "Boogie Man" Lester Micheals, who was a legendary Oklahoma City jock in the 70's and early 80's and later on KOMA-AM/FM in the early 90's. Too many oldies jocks are too laid back and relaxed now.

Anyone heard anything about "Captain Whammo" (Jim Channell)?" I know he got into religion for awhile, but I haven't heard anything about him in years.

 

[radioray]

http://rockradioscrapbook.ca/whammo.html

 

[radioman148]

http://rockradioscrapbook.ca/whammo.html

Thanks radioray.

 

[johnbasalla]

For those who believe that the over 55 year-old audience is an underserved demo ripe for commercial exploitation and a legitmate source for a good quantity of sales, it seems that you need to take that belief, along with facts and figures, to the advertisers who buy radio. One big argument in favor of the +55 demo is the fact that this is the huge baby-boom generation, and there are a lot of them out there, and thanks to better health care, they're going to be around longer then their forebearers. Another is that if you have a multitude of stations going after the same demo/audience, then they most likely won't all be winners. Also, the more you slice the same pie, the smaller it gets for everyone, so a different business model may be in order.

 

[TheFonz]

In other words, going after 55 and over listeners is a nice way to get to bankruptcy fast.

For radio, maybe. But not for advertisers. In today's economy, this is the group that actually has some money in their pockets. Apparently advertisers are too dumb to figure that out. Or radio is too dumb to be able to convince advertisers of that.