The playlist has changed with the times, but with specialty shows still around such as Bob Pantano's Sat Night Dance Party and Street Corner Sunday w/ Harvey Holiday is it just an often tweaked "Oldies 98.1"?
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Can 98.1 WOGL still technically be considered "Oldies 98.1"?
- Thread starter The Youngest Oldie
- Start date
They play some 60's and lots of 70's so yea they are still an Oldies station..They do play some 80's but not to much of it 65-70% of what they play is 70's music.So they are still Oldies 98.1 WOGL!!!They just don't say it...If a radio station went on the air today on the FM as an oldies station playing 50'S,60'S and 70'S it would wipe WOGL off the air there # would drop like a rock..
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imhomerjay
Guest
No, it wouldn't cause 98 to drop like a rock. The '80s are every bit as "old" as the "oldies" 98 was playing when they became WOGL.
imhomerjay said:
Yes, the math is correct. However, one factor forgotten here is that pop music of the 60s and 70s has a certain universal appeal that is lacking by the time you get to the more fragmented 80s. So, while 60s and 70s music is still featured in ad campaigns ad nauseum and it actually appeals to many who weren't even alive yet, 80s music becomes a bit riskier.
After all, based purely on math, many who were young during the 80s preferred Van Halen and Def Leppard while others were into Depeche Mode and the Cure while still others were fans of Culture Club and Wham. Very few liked all three types of 'popular' music back then. So it gets to be a bit of a minefield when 'oldies' stations start sneaking into the 80s.
One last thing: the Baby Boomer generation is special and is breaking the mold every day. And, this is particularly true when it comes to music. What is played on "oldies" stations is Boomer music. Unlike their parents music of Dino and Sinatra and Bing Crosby, the Boomer generation has so defined rock, pop and soul that you can't blindly slide the playlist forward in time based on what the calculator says.
So every time someone makes a comment about how "old" the music is, I feel the need to point out that THIS music is a little different than what "oldies" were to previous generations.
Seltzer said:
You missed my point, which was that this music isn't limited in appeal to the same folks who grew up with it when it was new. So much of it has become ingrained in pop culture that there are plenty of under 45s that listen to "oldies" as well. Same holds true for a lot of classic rock for that matter.
Here is a great example: even if you went to high school in 1984, how many kids did you know who were into The Doors? I can tell you that my typically suburban high school had plenty of them. By your reckoning, that could not be because they stopped making music in 1971, so anyone who likes the Doors must be at least 60 years old now. That's BS - and it's why this business of "oldies" don't sell to anyone under 55 is BS too.
Apologies if my post seems rude, but the argument is really boring - especially considering that PPM is proving me right on a daily basis. ;D
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imhomerjay
Guest
No argument that boomers are/will be different than the previous generation, but so, too, will each that follows. When generations “x” and “y” hit retirement age, patterns will change, for better or worse economically. In that same vein, what some “experts” predicted about the financial status of soon-to-retire (or recently retired) and their purchasing power is, at best, in a state of flux thanks to the economy. Of course, there’s also the question of how much receptiveness the age group will have to advertising messages, regardless of how quickly or slowly those nest eggs are replenished.
Details, details.
Moreover, just because tastes were somewhat more fractured 20-30 years ago doesn’t mean the audience in the demo sweet spot now hasn’t seen its tastes change, though it isn’t surprising some would keep pretending it does. After all, the almighty boomers are somehow so special and so unique as to be far better than anything that came before or will ever come after.
The question isn't whether an oldies format including the '60s is viable today, as it is. But '50s? Not so much. And, hard as it may be to believe, in another decade or so, the '60s element will be fading away too.
Some generations will always have those that are "into" music from before their birth, that's nothing new and not unique to the boomer era, either.
Details, details.
Moreover, just because tastes were somewhat more fractured 20-30 years ago doesn’t mean the audience in the demo sweet spot now hasn’t seen its tastes change, though it isn’t surprising some would keep pretending it does. After all, the almighty boomers are somehow so special and so unique as to be far better than anything that came before or will ever come after.
The question isn't whether an oldies format including the '60s is viable today, as it is. But '50s? Not so much. And, hard as it may be to believe, in another decade or so, the '60s element will be fading away too.
Some generations will always have those that are "into" music from before their birth, that's nothing new and not unique to the boomer era, either.
tommygraser said:
Paging the Old Gringo. Your witness. ;D
oldiesfan6479 said:
Such an oldies station would not compete directly with a classic hits station, which is what WOGL is. And the oldies station would get a large 12+ audience, but almost entirely made up of people 60 and over... which is a group that major advertisers don't waste a dollor on.
So the issue is not getting listeners, it is the revenue potential. With WOGL looking strong demographically, a station focused on 50's and 60's would not have a sales story to tell.
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imhomerjay
Guest
And I'm sure soon we'll hear the false arguments that the sales teams just need to be more creative in selling. Never mind that the national accounts won't be there, so even if you do manage to find some fertile ground in the local area (not terribly likely, but hey, maybe you can pull off a miracle there), where's the upside with virtually no money coming in from the major national brands?
Or maybe we'll hear the tired tale of radio caring about the bottom line, as if it hasn't been a business all along, and as if the rest of the business world hasn't changed in 40 years.
Or maybe we'll hear the tired tale of radio caring about the bottom line, as if it hasn't been a business all along, and as if the rest of the business world hasn't changed in 40 years.
I knew Eduardo would check in.."oldies" is a dirty word, right, david? Well nobody told Scott Shannon; his True Oldies Channel is kicking butt and gaining new affiliates every day. Good mix; a little more repitition than I'd like to see but lots of "OH WOW" rarities.
Waiting, david, fire away.........
oldies4ever ;D
Waiting, david, fire away.........
oldies4ever ;D
Technically, based on the old assumptions of what would be considered Oldies music (20+ year old music), WOGL can be considered to be an Oldies station, but they wisely are avoiding that title with the Classic Hits format. They play great music, my problem is their play list is too small (too much repetition for my ear), but apparently, most prefer that as their ratings are terrific. So WOGL and possibly CBS radio has found a way to make Oldies appeal to a younger demo which does mean spot revenue which a traditional Oldies format wouldn't get today. You can't argue with success. If I recall correctly, WOGL is #4 rated in Philly. Not bad at all for a station that plays music that is at least 30 years old since the 80's is where WOGL stops.
oldies4ever said:
That's why they took it off in several major markets, including DC? Or why in Chicago the demos are so old that WLS-FM is hovering around 15th in 25-54?
The format will work in small markets where ratings are less important and where there are few agency buys. But in any major market, any station that pulls predominantly 55+ and does not do well below that age will not make a profit.
Wil said:I'm had trouble coping when the music I listened to in my teens became "classic rock". Now I have to cope with the fact that it is considered "oldies".
Last year I saw an "antique car" license plate on a 240Z. When I was a kid those were for Model A Fords and cars like that.
DavidEduardo said:
Talk about negative spin! Here's the most recent 25-54 ranking of WLS-FM:
All dayparts - 13th (not bad considering that CBS' Fresh is 25th);
Cume - 9th;
Mornings - 16th (they just changed the am show to more music-intensive);
10a to 3p - 9th
Considering the sheer number of rated signals in the market and the low cost of operating this station, Citadel is doing VERY well with WLS-FM and they are quite profitable.
Can't speak for what's happening in Atlanta because I don't have the recent date. But don't pick on WLS-FM!
One thing I'd like to add is that my discussion of "baby boom" music in the context of "oldies" is basically limited to between roughly 1964 and 1979. Yes, a few older titles sprinkled in here and there can definitely enhance the experience. However (at the risk of sounding too much like 'Old Gringo'), too many 50s and early 60s titles certainly will decimate your younger demos.
The 'sweet spot' for this music (i.e. the period that can translate across age groups) is in that mid 60s through late 1970s. Once you get into the 80s, there was a lot more of a musical divergence and it gets tough to reconcile that music with the earlier top 40 hits. A few select 80s hits fit in with an 'oldies' format, but you really can't play much from that decade without deciding whether you prefer to go Lionel Ritchie/Chaka Khan (not to be confused with the eminently less talented Chaka Fattah)/MJ; Def Leppard/VH/southern rock; or Cure/Depeche Mode/Split Enz.
The 'sweet spot' for this music (i.e. the period that can translate across age groups) is in that mid 60s through late 1970s. Once you get into the 80s, there was a lot more of a musical divergence and it gets tough to reconcile that music with the earlier top 40 hits. A few select 80s hits fit in with an 'oldies' format, but you really can't play much from that decade without deciding whether you prefer to go Lionel Ritchie/Chaka Khan (not to be confused with the eminently less talented Chaka Fattah)/MJ; Def Leppard/VH/southern rock; or Cure/Depeche Mode/Split Enz.
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