An idea for this format...

[seatownmedia]

I have been thinking about this for awhile and I have an idea that may or may not be valuable.

First, I have almost 40 years of on-air and programming experience in a variety of formats. But that doesn't necessarily make me smart.

Let's go back to about 1985 and look at what so-called "oldies" stations were doing back then. It really is interesting to note that oldies stations then played a library of about 1957 to 1972. To compare this to today, that would be playing a list from about 1991 to 2005. What this does in both cases is smack dab a decent 25-54 audience. Yet, nobody really does this with the possible exception of the "Jack's, Bob's, etc.", however unfocused they are.

Why can't a station today position themselves as an "oldies" target format, (of course without using that dated term...what the new term is I'm not sure). Super focus on those years in the 90's and early 2000's. This is exactly what successful oldies stations were doing in 1985.

Some will argue that the music was not memorable or important, but that is completely subjective, and it really doesn't matter. What does matter is it music that these prime demos remember.

How this format is distributed within the categories of music would depend on the market. Some would lean pop/rock, others would lean pop/rhythmic. But the idea is to super focus an important period of time where listeners in prime demos were listening to the radio and loving every minute of it.

Am I crazy?

 

[TheBigA]

Am I crazy?

So go ahead and do it.

But I think it's already being done in certain genres.

 

[seatownmedia]

So go ahead and do it.

But I think it's already being done in certain genres.

I am sure it is being done in certain genres. But overall, I don't hear it. I hear the Jack/Bob stations and they can be fun until they play something that is not in my wheelhouse, and that is OK.

What I am talking about is a focused station playing hits for the 25-49 demo who don't like today's music. These stations rarely exist today. The closest may be a Hot AC that plays some currents and some titles that fall into this category. To me, that is a cop-out, but they would probably argue they need to be contemporary in combination with the 90's hits. And that is a fair argument. All I am saying is there are few stations focused on what was called "oldies" decades ago. As in 90's and early 2000's. As in an "oldies format" for 2019.

 

[PTBoardOp94]

That's kind of what the "Throwback Hip-Hop" stations that were hot for about 15 minutes in 2017 did.

 

[seatownmedia]

That's kind of what the "Throwback Hip-Hop" stations that were hot for about 15 minutes in 2017 did.

So, yes, "throwback" might be a term to describe what I am talking about. But it can expand from there...pop/rock vs rhythmic. Again, I don't hear this format anywhere today. The general concept of what oldies stations did a generation ago, is not happening today. I know things change, but perhaps there is a window for some super-focused targeted stations with this 1992-2004 era?

 

[TheBigA]

I know things change, but perhaps there is a window for some super-focused targeted stations with this 1992-2004 era?

We probably haven't discussed this in this context, but the music of the 60s was far more unified than it was in the 92-04 era. By the end of the 80s, the rise of rap and grunge really started to divide the rock audience, and ultimately led to the demise of music on MTV. So I'm not expecting the same reaction to music of that era as was experienced by the 60s oldies.

 

[gr8oldies]

Oldies stations were playing a 1955-1972 playlist from the 80s through around 2000. That turned out to be a problem.

Several genres were heard on top 40 radio in the 60s. Contemporary music divided 6 different ways in the 90s. You would likely not have Notorious B.I.G, Nirvana and Hanson on the same throwback station today and live past the first book

 

[seatownmedia]

Oldies stations were playing a 1955-1972 playlist from the 80s through around 2000. That turned out to be a problem.

Several genres were heard on top 40 radio in the 60s. Contemporary music divided 6 different ways in the 90s. You would likely not have Notorious B.I.G, Nirvana and Hanson on the same throwback station today and live past the first book

Yes, I agree. That is why I said, narrow it down to pop/rock or rhythmic. However, the division of contemporary music makes this format more difficult to execute today. That is indeed somewhat of a problem.

 

[TheBigA]

Yes, I agree. That is why I said, narrow it down to pop/rock or rhythmic. However, the division of contemporary music makes this format more difficult to execute today. That is indeed somewhat of a problem.

Where it works is with genres that remained consensus during that time, and one of the best examples is country. So right now, the 80s-90s country format is fairly popular in some markets. Not to the degree as the currents format, but it's working.

 

[seatownmedia]

Agreed.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Oldies stations were playing a 1955-1972 playlist from the 80s through around 2000. That turned out to be a problem.

Several genres were heard on top 40 radio in the 60s. Contemporary music divided 6 different ways in the 90s. You would likely not have Notorious B.I.G, Nirvana and Hanson on the same throwback station today and live past the first book

True I know KDAY Los Angeles does Classic Hip Hop from the the 1980's to 1990's though its oldies for rap fans though.

But for KRTH Los Angeles and WCBS-FM New York the Entercom owned oldies stations they are in the HotAC Direction for oldies from the 1980's up to the early 2000's is currently under consideration as a cutoff point for Classic Hits/Oldies stations to get the current target demos as it heads to the 2020's.