Adding more variety to CHR playlists

[radiohost40]

All the CHR stations I listen to have limited playlists and don't play many songs before 2006. And some songs get over 70 spins a week. I know that type of approach works, but what would happen if a CHR station expanded its playlist to include a few more songs that top the charts in other formats like Urban and maybe current AAA songs? And maybe add a few top-40 songs from 1990-2000? The songs would be added in throughout the day and wouldn't take away from the station's overall sound as a "hit music channel." For instance, maybe two of these songs each hour.

 

[spongebag7890]

All the CHR stations I listen to have limited playlists and don't play many songs before 2006. And some songs get over 70 spins a week. I know that type of approach works, but what would happen if a CHR station expanded its playlist to include a few more songs that top the charts in other formats like Urban and maybe current AAA songs? And maybe add a few top-40 songs from 1990-2000? The songs would be added in throughout the day and wouldn't take away from the station's overall sound as a "hit music channel." For instance, maybe two of these songs each hour.

BRING BACK SUMMER 2004! ;D

 

[XCountry285]

Another station that has some weird variety is WAEB Allentown B104 wow they play like Beyonce then theyll play Phill Collins then they'll play Daughtry or something it's really messed up. They claim to be a CHR but they sound more of an Adult Top 40 or Hot A/C it makes no sense. Honestly.

 

[mistermicrophone]

Another station that has some weird variety is WAEB Allentown B104 wow they play like Beyonce then theyll play Phill Collins then they'll play Daughtry or something it's really messed up. They claim to be a CHR but they sound more of an Adult Top 40 or Hot A/C it makes no sense. Honestly.

No two CHR's should sound alike, anyway...nor two Rock, Country, AC, etc. While every station is trying to accomplish the same thing (increased revenue and ratings), the way it happens is different from station to station. Things like market size, competition, heritage (yours or your competitors), etc. are all factors that need to be considered.

 

[JeremyAndrews]

Some of the unusual songs (for CHR anyway) WXSS Milwaukee was pumping out back in 2002:

Sarah McLaughlan - Ice Cream
Bush - Glycerine
Safri Duo - Played-A-Live
Tonic - You Wanted More (smaller hit then If You Could Only See)
Tantric - Mourning
Kosheen - Hide U
Vertical Horizon - Best I Ever Head (smaller hit then Everything You Want and You're A God)
The Gufs - Smile (Milwaukee band)
The Strokes - Last Nite
DNA - Tom's Diner
System Of A Down - Aerials
Candlebox - Far Behind
The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
Live - Lightning Crashes
Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
Jimmy Fallon - Idiot Boyfriend (I don't think any other CHR other then that I have heard played this. It was in heavy rotation on WXSS)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (I remember being on the city bus when I first heard them play this. I almost wet my pants)
Bob Schnider - Big Blue Sea (I think this is the reason they have this guy's CD at the public library here. Never heard of him anywhere else)
Dave Matthews Band (every DMB song you could think of)
Kottonmouth Kings - Positive Vibes (Edited up version) (They played this a lot around the 1 year anniversary of 9-11)
Aerosmith - Angel (they played this adn a lot of other Aerosmith songs a lot over the years)

All of this and pretty much all the rest of the rock was whiped off the playlist in early 2003. They started slowly going back to Mainstream CHR. Now its just a typical CHR.

 

[TheMusicMan]

Didn't WXSS play some other 90's rock? STP, Pearl Jam, etc?

 

[JeremyAndrews]

Didn't WXSS play some other 90's rock? STP, Pearl Jam, etc?

Yep. Lots of it from what I remember.

 

[jcolletta275]

The problem is when a station sounds like a mix between AC and CHR in the same daypart. Dayparting can be done quite effectively (just look at WKFR in Battle Creek, which not too long ago wasn't exactly the prime example of how to make it work well; they've really changed for the better in the last couple of years)... Adult CHR in the morning for the grown-ups and the kids, AC/Hot AC for the office crowd during the day and purebred CHR at night for the school crowd.

When you're transitioning from an 80's hit that you'd hear on a major-market AC station into a current at all hours of the day, however (which WKFR used to do and other stations around it continue to do), then it sounds like utter crap. To quote Ron Burgundy, "That's bush. That's bush league."

 

[spongebag7890]

Some of the unusual songs (for CHR anyway) WXSS Milwaukee was pumping out back in 2002:

Sarah McLaughlan - Ice Cream
Bush - Glycerine
Safri Duo - Played-A-Live
Tonic - You Wanted More (smaller hit then If You Could Only See)
Tantric - Mourning
Kosheen - Hide U
Vertical Horizon - Best I Ever Head (smaller hit then Everything You Want and You're A God)
The Gufs - Smile (Milwaukee band)
The Strokes - Last Nite
DNA - Tom's Diner
System Of A Down - Aerials
Candlebox - Far Behind
The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
Live - Lightning Crashes
Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
Jimmy Fallon - Idiot Boyfriend (I don't think any other CHR other then that I have heard played this. It was in heavy rotation on WXSS)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (I remember being on the city bus when I first heard them play this. I almost wet my pants)
Bob Schnider - Big Blue Sea (I think this is the reason they have this guy's CD at the public library here. Never heard of him anywhere else)
Dave Matthews Band (every DMB song you could think of)
Kottonmouth Kings - Positive Vibes (Edited up version) (They played this a lot around the 1 year anniversary of 9-11)
Aerosmith - Angel (they played this adn a lot of other Aerosmith songs a lot over the years)

All of this and pretty much all the rest of the rock was whiped off the playlist in early 2003. They started slowly going back to Mainstream CHR. Now its just a typical CHR.

That is because 2002 was a Hot AC year.

 

[network]

Some of the unusual songs (for CHR anyway) WXSS Milwaukee was pumping out back in 2002:

Sarah McLaughlan - Ice Cream
Bush - Glycerine
Safri Duo - Played-A-Live
Tonic - You Wanted More (smaller hit then If You Could Only See)
Tantric - Mourning
Kosheen - Hide U
Vertical Horizon - Best I Ever Head (smaller hit then Everything You Want and You're A God)
The Gufs - Smile (Milwaukee band)
The Strokes - Last Nite
DNA - Tom's Diner
System Of A Down - Aerials
Candlebox - Far Behind
The Verve - Bitter Sweet Symphony
Live - Lightning Crashes
Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
Jimmy Fallon - Idiot Boyfriend (I don't think any other CHR other then that I have heard played this. It was in heavy rotation on WXSS)
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (I remember being on the city bus when I first heard them play this. I almost wet my pants)
Bob Schnider - Big Blue Sea (I think this is the reason they have this guy's CD at the public library here. Never heard of him anywhere else)
Dave Matthews Band (every DMB song you could think of)
Kottonmouth Kings - Positive Vibes (Edited up version) (They played this a lot around the 1 year anniversary of 9-11)
Aerosmith - Angel (they played this adn a lot of other Aerosmith songs a lot over the years)

All of this and pretty much all the rest of the rock was whiped off the playlist in early 2003. They started slowly going back to Mainstream CHR. Now its just a typical CHR.

There is no such thing as a blanket "mainstream CHR." Aerosmith and DMB test very, very well with women. There's also nothing "unusual" about Bush, Tonic, Candlebox, The Verve and Live getting spins on CHR (especially the latter 2).

 

[CHR_FAN_TX]

My local CHR 106.1 KISS FM in Dallas has a lot better variety than it has had over the past years. They were really heavy on Rhythmic but now to me they seem well balanced than any other big market CHR. This is their current playlist according to their website

1. TIMBALAND Give It To Me f/Furtado\Timber

2. GYM CLASS HEROS Cupid's Chokehold

3. PINK U + Ur Hand

4. RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS Face Down

5. AVRIL LAVIGNE Girlfriend

6. BABY BOY The Way I Live

7. FERGIE Glamorous

8. AKON Don't Matter

9. MAROON 5 Makes Me Wonder

10. 30 SECONDS TO MARS The Kill

11. GWEN STEFANI The Sweet Escape

12. NICKLEBACK If Everyone Cared

13. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE Summer Love

14. MIMS This Is Why I'm Hot

15. DIDDY Last Night (f/Keyshia Cole)

16. CARRIE UNDERWOOD Before He Cheats

17. PAULA DEANDA Walk Away (Remember Me) f/Dey

18. NELLY FURTADO Say It Right

19. OMARION Ice Box (f/Timbaland)

20. HELLOGOODBYE Here (In Your Arms)

21. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE My Love f/T.I.

22. AKON I Wanna Love You f/Snoop Dogg

23. DAUGHTRY Home

24. NELLY FURTADO Promiscuous

25. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE What Goes Around Comes Around

26. KELLY CLARKSON Never Again

27. SHOP BOYZ Party Like A Rock Star

28. ROBIN THICKE Lost Without U

29. YUNG JOC It's Going Down

30. PUSSYCAT DOLLS Buttons


They also go back to the 90's once or twice an hour..They play Goo Goo Dolls, Sir-mix-a-lot....Edwin McCain...Matchbox 20...Lit...Lil Troy......etc.