AC No Joy For WJYE

[Element9]

Shows you just how far off base Joy may be and just how bad the Hot Adult Contemporary format is. Joy isn't the station I'd choose to listen to, but for a few days this week there was no choice. "Joy" was the station chosen by a conference center staff employee for background music in the lounge and dining facility. We heard disjointed music sets and songs that had dissonant telephone line quality backsells that could have broken a suspected terrorist at Gitmo. The kicker came at lunch when a 35+ female co-worker offered, "What is this crap?" So is there any surprise that Joy is trending down and tied with Jack for 5th place Women 25-54? Guess there's no surprise that Kiss and Star are handily beating the station formerly known as W-J-Y-E. What's more, even when the Women 25-54 shares for Joy and Jack are combined, the total does not surpass the shares for WYRK in this demo. WYRK, Country, today's AC?

 

[chas108]

WYRK, today's "AC"...yep. And to a great extent, today's Top 40...a parallel universe to Mainstream Top 40 rather than a fringe format. As reflected by its ratings.

Mainstream Top 40 is now a 25-54 Female format. Country has been a 25-54 Persons winner for many years.

The "dissonant telephone line quality backsells" are the new thing in song ID...one of the soft AC's here in Pittsburgh has done it for two years. I hate it more than I can adequately describe here. AC is dying and it's going to take strong, relevant, relatable personalities to fix it...if indeed it can be fixed at all. HAC will survive as a Top 40 alternative with a bit more mature flavor.

There's some great stuff on the R-I main site about AC's future - if it has one at all - from Sean Ross and Jerry Del Colliano - a rare free peek into Jerry's now-$100/year subscription head.

 

[Nick Gerard]

While I have no opinion on the status of AC radio, as a country radio partisan I'm guessin' that the excellent quality of country music of the last few years has at least something to do with the format's success.

The Nashville music machine "gets" the concept of releasing simply great songs. If you've ever heard Keith Urban's "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" or Lady Antebellum's "I Run To You" you'll know what I mean. The fact that many country hits are now crossing over isn't my point. Even those country hits which don't cross over have real mass appeal and I feel they are attracting new country fans. Much of the music is simply hi-energy fun music like Luke Bryan's current "Country Girl Shake It For Me" or Thompson Square's "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not."

I haven't heard too much of WYRK, but someone's hard work and programming expertise is keeping that station at the top. We all know that doesn't happen on its own, even if you are playing the right songs. They deserve a lot of credit. Smoothing the way is that they have excellent music to work with.

Nick Seneca

 

[bbb]

I haven't listened in a while, but there are two things that annoy the heck out of me with this station.

One is that Delilah tries to pretend like she is local. It's most ridiculous when the "live" version tries to blend with the local version in mid-sentence and it's like two different people.

The 2nd thing is what element said - We heard disjointed music sets and songs that had dissonant telephone line quality backsells that could have broken a suspected terrorist at Gitmo........They made some kind of commitment to make sure that they tell the name of the song every time (which I really like), but then they have it sound so horrible, like it's a can and a shoestring and it's being drowned out by the end of the song, and is said in such an annoying voice, that I still miss the name of the song usually (except, of course, if I know the song already and then it comes thru loud and clear).

 

[chas108]

While I have no opinion on the status of AC radio, as a country radio partisan I'm guessin' that the excellent quality of country music of the last few years has at least something to do with the format's success.

The Nashville music machine "gets" the concept of releasing simply great songs. If you've ever heard Keith Urban's "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" or Lady Antebellum's "I Run To You" you'll know what I mean. The fact that many country hits are now crossing over isn't my point. Even those country hits which don't cross over have real mass appeal and I feel they are attracting new country fans. Much of the music is simply hi-energy fun music like Luke Bryan's current "Country Girl Shake It For Me" or Thompson Square's "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not."

I haven't heard too much of WYRK, but someone's hard work and programming expertise is keeping that station at the top. We all know that doesn't happen on its own, even if you are playing the right songs. They deserve a lot of credit. Smoothing the way is that they have excellent music to work with.

Nick Seneca

There's some great goings-on in Country, that's for sure. And whether or not a song crosses over is no longer a determining factor, the way it was 30 years ago. Garth Brooks never crossed over...at least not to Top 40, AC maybe once. Yet he sold over 100 million albums in just over a decade.

Country often takes pot-shots for being pedestrian or catering to the lowest common denominator, but so did many of the now-revered classic hits from the first 30 years of the Rock era. Current music often goes unappreciated in its time, at least by critics. Just ask Rolling Stone about Led Zeppelin.

Where Country excels is in its ability to celebrate the ordinary...sure many of the themes are well-worn but these same themes are where ordinary people live and work, have babies and make whoopie, laugh and cry and sing...believing at the other end of the microphone is a person who understands what it is to pay the bills and hope there's a few bucks left over to take the family to Friendly's on Friday for Fribbles.

There are people who don't understand Taylor Swift...arguably the Biggest Star On The Planet right now. She's not a great vocalist or interpretive singer. But her ability to relate to her audience - as a normal person who got realllly fortunate - draws you right in if you let it. She makes an emotional connection with her fans, which is why she has so many of them. It's a quality Garth displayed in concert as well.

Another factor that may work to Country's benefit is the proliferation of hit songs featuring Classic Rock-style riffs and licks. While Mainstream Rock is dying, Classic Rock's appeal seems as strong as ever and its influence in Country should be no surprise. Plus Jason Aldean's current song "Dirt Road Anthem" works in hip-hop vocal elements courtesy of Colt Ford, and manages to make it work. Meanwhile, American Idol winner Scotty McCreery gives the Traditional side a good kick with his debut "I Love You This Big".

As I type this, Alan Jackson and George Strait have great new releases. Shania Twain just released her first new music in six years and it's being learned that her handling back-in-the-day was more Mutt than Shania...Today truly is Her Day, and I'd expect to see her more accessible to radio and the public this time around. Lady Antebellum - whose "Need You Now" not only was the best selling album of 2010 but also cleaned up at the GRAMMYs - has an outstanding new song "Just A Kiss" and a new album in September. And so on and so on and scooby dooby dooby...

There's something here for all ages to get excited about. As Nick stated, this is a great time for Country.

 

[GeorgeKramer]

That's why I think either 1230 AM, 1330 AM or 1340 AM should consider a flip to all country.

That format can sell in this market. Maybe 1330 AM would be the best based on the station's location in Springville.

 

[Philip_Airtime]

George, George, George. Really? Country on 1230? They did that before Dick Greene took over. IT DIDN'T WORK! It's AM radio. Except for standards, music is not a viable format for an AM radio station in 2011. 1330AM? Who cares. It's a small rim shot signal in Springville, NY. They could play Chinese gong music and get just as much of an audience as they're getting now with whatever they're doing (classic hits, I think). And I doubt Greene would make a change to WLVL 1340 where his "hometown" radio concept has a better chance of working in a small city like Lockport.

 

[chas108]

George, George, George. Really? Country on 1230? They did that before Dick Greene took over. IT DIDN'T WORK! It's AM radio. Except for standards, music is not a viable format for an AM radio station in 2011. 1330AM? Who cares. It's a small rim shot signal in Springville, NY. They could play Chinese gong music and get just as much of an audience as they're getting now with whatever they're doing (classic hits, I think). And I doubt Greene would make a change to WLVL 1340 where his "hometown" radio concept has a better chance of working in a small city like Lockport.

George, I respectfully disagree...classic country might play on some AM's but not a current-based format. My old station WWVA's been N/T for over a decade. WSM-AM gets away with it because it's well branded and has both personality and stationality. Both were/are classic country.