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Ballads

G

GeneSavage

I realize this is less of an issue these days when so few ballads are being released to radio, but for those ballads that DO hit the charts and / or for ACs mixing in slow songs from yesteryear:

What sort of limitations (if any) do you put on how frequently ballads can play in a typical hour?

Due to circumstances (somewhat) beyond my control, my playlist is currently VERY ballad-heavy... and I've been trying various separations to try to keep the station from sounding like a 45 RPM record played at 33 & 1/3 RPM.

Have the attitudes on ballad separation on the radio changed since the 70s, 80s, etc.? (I assume the answer is yes, but how was it done in "ye olden radio station?")

Thanks for all facts, history, opinion, and insight!
 
NightAire said:
I realize this is less of an issue these days when so few ballads are being released to radio, but for those ballads that DO hit the charts and / or for ACs mixing in slow songs from yesteryear:

What sort of limitations (if any) do you put on how frequently ballads can play in a typical hour?

Due to circumstances (somewhat) beyond my control, my playlist is currently VERY ballad-heavy... and I've been trying various separations to try to keep the station from sounding like a 45 RPM record played at 33 & 1/3 RPM.

Have the attitudes on ballad separation on the radio changed since the 70s, 80s, etc.? (I assume the answer is yes, but how was it done in "ye olden radio station?")

Thanks for all facts, history, opinion, and insight!
Click to expand...

When I was programming in the 70s, it was:

NEVER two ballads back-to-back, even in AC.

In Top 40, three ballads an hour max, hopefully evenly spaced about 20 minutes apart. For stations targeting teens, fewer and further.

In AC, I'd go as high as 6, preferably only 4 or 5, but it depended on how ballad-heavy the currents were.

I moved to TV about the same time that AC became "Continuous Soft Hits" and the ballad quotient went way up.
 
In a PPM world, it's all about tempo. Even the ballads need tempo, and some producers are smart enough to know this.

Is it just coincidence that CC is slowly eliminating the Lite format? I think not.
 
TheBigA said:
In a PPM world, it's all about tempo. Even the ballads need tempo, and some producers are smart enough to know this.

Is it just coincidence that CC is slowly eliminating the Lite format? I think not.
Click to expand...

In addition, I think this has to do with how we consume music today. Tiny earbuds, tiny computer and tablet speakers, even smaller speakers on smartphones, compact docking units...

Most of the devices preferred today for music listening have the fidelity of a tin can and string telephone. They play ultra-compressed 128 kbs MP3s ripped from CD that are so clipped the waveform looks like a square wave.

Ballads don't sound good that way; the ones recorded today sound like a singing ferret caught in an electric fence.

So there are few hits, and a descending spiral of fewer and fewer ballad-like productions. Even record companies, the source of the core definition for "stupid", realize that the money is not in ballads.

Barry Manilow and the Carpenters, anyone?
 
A few more ballads are sneaking thru. Bruno Mars and Rihanna are examples. I do like the retro sound that is on the charts now. very 70 early 80's (daft punk, mars, thicke) kinda takes us back to the sounds of y100 & I95 Mr. David. :)

Earth wind and fire has a new single. Sadly it won't cross over because of the groups age, and does not fit in with todays CHR.Plus many would not know them. One could only wish :(
 
musiconradio.com, I wasn't meaning to criticize your punctuation; I was responding to The BigA's comment, "Depends on the format."

I think you and I both agree that while ballads are and have been scarce on CHR in recent years, they ARE out there and charting now.

That is all.

This thread has given me some good info, though. It seems 3 to 1 is the minimum ratio of uptempo to ballads on an AC, while a CHR should go 4 to 1 or even more.

I appreciate all the replies!!
 
I agree that in part it does depend on the format. On my 80s format station, I try to limit ballads to one per hour.

R
 
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