99.7 the point has several specialty shows....90s lunch hour, classic hits on saturday night and throwback 2k on sunday night. Most other stations in kc (I live here) have gotten rid of specialty shows except 94.9's 80s and 70s blocks (which neatly fit into the station), but shows like round trip with dave o (90s pop on chr) and most of krbz's specialty shows for alt have gone away. In omaha, their chr had a throwback lunch for 90s/00s hits and that went away. Are specialty shows not worth it for stations?
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Are specialty shows worth it for stations?
- Thread starter tall_guy1
- Start date
It depends. They can be promotable. They can be sellable. Or they can be a complete waste of time.
One of the main reasons for that kind of show was to enhance memorability in diary measurement. They are less important in PPM markets, and since most run evening and weekends, they are a tough sell.
Well, our local 80's station KRKE here in Albuquerque has a Saturday night show of forgotten 45's. That I am listening to right now. Songs that are not in regular rotation but very cool to hear some early MTV new wave that doesn't get played on the radio often.
I might want to check that out...I always like hearing hidden gems!
Good point. And there are local businesses that like to "own" a show, even if the logic of running ads only once a week at an off hour is faulty. But sometimes a big Monday-Friday buy can be sealed by "giving" a sponsorship to one of those weekend dark pits!
I’ve always thought most of the special programming is when listenership is lower (evenings) to try and give people a reason to listen when they otherwise might be watching tv or doing something else. Special programming from a local bar or club seems especially popular as there is some cross promotion at work.
Radio isn't like TV, or what used to be related to TV. Unless you're an NPR affiliate, there's very little chance of 'appointment listening' anymore. The only reason a station would broadcast from some nightclub; is if it doesn't cost the station a dime, and the club is willing to also pay to sponsor, or essentially purchase the airtime. Even then, the problem these days with such programming is popular music contains language that maybe/is unsuitable for broadcast. You don't want to risk some club DJ playing objectionable content on your station, out of your control. Juice isn't worth the squeeze.
If I want to watch show “x,” I’m not saying “Nope, not tonight, because some show playing things that aren’t normally played for a very good reason is on.” Radio isn’t going to compete on that playing field.
Exactly. We now live in an on-demand world. If I want something, I know where to get it NOW. I don't have to wait to hear my favorite song, and I don't have to wait to watch my favorite show. Radio lives in that same world. The specialty shows need to be available on the listeners' time schedule. Not what works for radio. This is why a lot of specialty shows now appear at station websites.
I’m trying to imagine the scene playing out in my home…sorry family, no picking something from Netflix or Disney Plus tonight because, hey, wow, a replay of American Top 40 from 1985 is on the classic hits station. Wonder if it’ll be Madonna on top this week.
There's always something enjoyable about hearing a song on the radio that you don't get from spotify or youtube or wherever.
The strange thing about this (and many) threads on this site; is how the subject speaks about the past like it's actually the present. Especially true when there's some assumption that teens only get exposed to new music from radio, or somehow they still walk around with a portable radio listening to Top40. More recently talking about TV shows of the distant past such as American Bandstand, like it was cancelled last year.
I'm no spring chicken either, but at least I'm aware about modern media consumption like smartphones, smart speakers, streaming, etc.
It's been a real eye-opener, that there are grown adults literally frozen in time. And when someone who lives in modern times tries to explain that radio doesn't work that way anymore, nor do people live that way anymore, it's like they've traveled in Doc Brown's DeLorean to the 21st Century, and are now looking forward to a trip back to 1983.
I'm no spring chicken either, but at least I'm aware about modern media consumption like smartphones, smart speakers, streaming, etc.
It's been a real eye-opener, that there are grown adults literally frozen in time. And when someone who lives in modern times tries to explain that radio doesn't work that way anymore, nor do people live that way anymore, it's like they've traveled in Doc Brown's DeLorean to the 21st Century, and are now looking forward to a trip back to 1983.
And, as I said, the reason radio had things like "60's at 6" or "All request lunchtime" and all the weekend stuff was to hint at more things to write in the diary. With no diaries in the 50 most important markets, that is no longer a ratings trick, and is now mostly employed to give a feel of variety and to encourage longer spans of listening... not to trick the memory into remembering a day or three later when the diary is filled in.
And, like restaurants, clubs are notorious no-pays. If they pay, and pay in advance, there might be some benefit if the content issue can be resolved. In most kinds of music, club selections that are not playable on the radio are way too common. And Lawrence Welk is a) deceased and b) did not do club dates.
Tell that to the teens and 18-24's.
Good example: When Christine McVie passed last November, as soon as I heard the news I wanted to listen to some of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs. I did not put the classic rock station on to see if they did anything... I went to my preferred on-demand streaming music source and picked my favorites and watched the videos.
I’ve actually had the same experience on a TV-related board of late, arguing about the relevancy (or lack thereof) of call letters and channel number branding, or if a TV station does something that isn’t a hackneyed rehash of WSVN, and on and on. Like referring to channel number logos unchanged in decades as “iconic” or a news theme which hasn’t been updated in 27 years as “untouchable or the city will riot if it’s replaced”. As if the world has seemingly remained stuck in 2003.
Nostalgia isn’t bad but that’s not what runs the industry.
Exceot there might be a huge outcry if not a riot if WPVI (6ABC) changed the Action News theme in Philadelphia Last time they tried to modernize it they reverted back to original theme within a few days.
That reminds me of one of my favorite quotes. It's from (gasp!) a car salesman.
I was trying to negotiate a better price on an "end of model year" car. The guy said, "I don't run a charity or a museum. I need to sell you that car, so I'll meet your price."
In radio, we can't even keep the old "models" until tomorrow. We sell it or lose it. Nothing we do has any more value than what is "on the floor" right now. People who listened to you for years but have heard bad music or boring talk or un-funny morning show jokes for a day or two may be gone forever.
Milk has a longer shelf life than radio.
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