CBS-FM PD Brian Thomas To CBS/Tampa

[DToTheJ]

After a half-dozen years in New York, overseeing the reemergence of CBS-FM in 2007, among other events, WCBS-FM program director Brian Thomas will be assuming the VP of programming duties in Tampa Bay. I'm sure their version of CBS-FM in that market, Q105, will be in good hands.
http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=2452622

 

[disney fanatic]

Unless they should bring back Joe McCoy as PD and he should the reverb on, and play some more 50's that CBS-FM hasn't been done since 2005 prior to "Jack". "Fox Oldies" also plays much of the same stuff from the 50's pre-Beatles era just like CBS-FM.

 

[WNTIRadio]

All of those reasons you mention above are why "Jack" happened. Add to that Joel Hollander's lack of "radio vision" and that was the recipe for disaster. The really old music, dated sounding reverb and the like. Sure it's fun to listen to, and I even had the 'verb on my oldies station 1997-2000, but I wouldn't do it now in 2012. The person who grew up in the 50's and was in high school then is 70 now. Sorry, but out of demo for a lot of that music. A few of the timeless classics can slip though... Elvis, Chuck Berry... but that's about it.

The rest of the doo-wop 50's stuff sounds very dated when you put it next to music from the 80's.

Time marches on, and so does the format.

 

[reelyreal]

Congrats to Brian Thomas! He's such a great PD, and he's leaving some big shoes to fill. CBS-FM and WODS Boston are two of the best sounding classic hits stations anywhere. I wonder if he'll continue to be the classic hits format captain? It wasn't clear to me from that FMQB article.

 

[disney fanatic]

Or maybe you should up to the Hudson Valley and listen to "Fox Oldies", this should get your oldies fix and this would also fill the void from CBS-FM prior to "Jack". They got Van Ritschie, Bob O, Bob Corinsino and Joe Manglass, and it has music from the 50's, 60's and 70's, just like the way it sounded when it was heard on CBS-FM. That's not going to change, but "Fox Oldies" doesn't play 80's at all. That fits well from listeners who used to love and grew up with CBS-FM. If you want an oldies station in ths HV, "Fox Oldies" is the way to go.

 

[reelyreal]

Or maybe you should up to the Hudson Valley and listen to "Fox Oldies", this should get your oldies fix and this would also fill the void from CBS-FM prior to "Jack". They got Van Ritschie, Bob O, Bob Corinsino and Joe Manglass, and it has music from the 50's, 60's and 70's, just like the way it sounded when it was heard on CBS-FM. That's not going to change, but "Fox Oldies" doesn't play 80's at all. That fits well from listeners who used to love and grew up with CBS-FM. If you want an oldies station in ths HV, "Fox Oldies" is the way to go.

There are plenty of small market stations like that. It's not what I want, and it's not what the majority of listeners want. That's why CBS-FM has been consistently near the top of the ratings, and why WODS in Boston has been a very consistent performer. The playlist is more desirable, less stale, and more profitable.

 

[BruceS8852]

I certainly wish Brian Thomas well in his new position. He did a fine job in programming version 2 of WCBS-FM. Many of the Hall of Fame features were innovative and made me look forward to the bottom of the hour. My only complaint was that WCBS-FM played too many "burnouts". I hope the new program director will have a "Heart of Rock n Roll" show once a week featuring hits of the 1955-63 era. I understand all the demographic issues.

Bruce

 

[mary]

sad to see Brian go, but life is short and he should do what he wants. He brought back that station from the J word, I won't say it, its a curse. He did a Awesome job, and I knew him, I have spoke to him many times at WCBS stuff, when Brian could come My Best and Congrats to him, those stations are very lucky. I just hope the person filling his shoes, can do what he did and be as nice as he was. Brian, I hope I see you again I am sure Brian you could not make everyone happy, you did your BEST!!! and THANKS!!!

 

[disney fanatic]

If Joe McCoy should re-hire the station, he will still be a class act. Joe did a great job at CBS-FM back in the 80's and 90's when it was an oldies station playing song from the pre-Beatles era (1955-63) along with 60's and 70's songs. Look at the station that "Fox Oldies" in the Hudson Valley has brought to the table. They play the same amount of 50's songs that CBS-FM played, and of course, the lack of reverb. That right! CBS-FM had its reverb back when it was an oldies staton, but it needs to bring it back. I hope the station needs to cut back on the 80's and some 90's songs that are on that station. If Joe McCoy would bring it back as PD, they should calling it as "New York's Oldies Station" and maybe they should bring back the Frank Gari jingles, but hopefully it will still sounds better.

 

[Giacomo Siffredi]

If Joe McCoy should re-hire the station, he will still be a class act. Joe did a great job at CBS-FM back in the 80's and 90's when it was an oldies station playing song from the pre-Beatles era (1955-63) along with 60's and 70's songs. Look at the station that "Fox Oldies" in the Hudson Valley has brought to the table. They play the same amount of 50's songs that CBS-FM played, and of course, the lack of reverb. That right! CBS-FM had its reverb back when it was an oldies staton, but it needs to bring it back. I hope the station needs to cut back on the 80's and some 90's songs that are on that station. If Joe McCoy would bring it back as PD, they should calling it as "New York's Oldies Station" and maybe they should bring back the Frank Gari jingles, but hopefully it will still sounds better.

Okay, that's exactly what CBS Radio SHOULD NOT do. Why should CBS Radio change WCBS-FM New York when it is working so well right now? The station consistently is a billing and ratings winner. It is personality-rich and has a huge music library.

My only complaint with the station at the moment is that their regular playlist is a bit narrow and I feel they could expand it slightly by placing less frequently heard tracks into heavier rotation. But their Hall Of Fame segments and nighttime requests do help to resolve that issue.

This station has evolved through the decades. It is not 1972 anymore. It is not 1986 anymore. It is not 1995 anymore. By evolving, the brand has remained strong and CBS-FM is to New York City radio what the Empire State Building is to the Manhattan skyline.

To return it to its 1980s sound - while that was a good era for the station - would decimate its value both financially and ratings-wise. Radio stations have to attract - or at the very least not alienate - younger listeners. Many of my friends in their 20s comment how most 1950s doo-wop sounds dated and the same. I could almost guarantee they wouldn't listen to a station that placed it in heavy rotation. Of course, there are exceptions. But to be viable, a station can't program for the exception, they have to program for the rule.

 

[disney fanatic]

Thanks for the info, "Giacomo". If you look at the smaller market such as Poughkeepsie, WGNY's "Fox Oldies" has been on 98.9 for a year now, but this may filled the void. As you know, Poughkeepsie is about 75 miles north of the city. It has the best local talents including the morning man, Van Ritschie, Bob O doing the midday show along with the "All-Request Drive-Thru" show and then "Buffalo" Bob Corisino also doing afternoon drive and finally Joe Manglass doing evenings. Those were the best jocks of "Fox Oldies". We listened to in the van that afternoon while riding home from work, "Fox Oldies" play a heavy amount of 1955-63 pre-Beatles songs along with some doo-wop songs that "Fox Oldies" plays are also dated, but the main focus of "Fox Oldies" is playing 50's, 60's and even 70's music, just like the way CBS-FM used to be since it first went on the air back in 1972.

There were some smaller markets to fill the hole for some oldies stations. "Fox Oldies" never had a doo-wop show, but WKNY also has a doo-wop show on Saturdays from 4 PM until 6 PM with Warren Lawrence, I love the WKNY's doo-wop show so much and I like it. It sounded almost like the "Doo-Wop Shop". If CBS-FM needs a new PD, why not fix it and play the stuff that "Fox Oldies" in the Hudson Valley wants to play. If you break it, don't fix it! That's what CBS-FM needs to do, get better ratings, and earn your ad revenue. Get it right!

 

[WNTIRadio]

I think being #1 or #2 consistently means CBS-FM is doing well in ratings. Revenue too.

Sorry, but going back to doo-wop not playing anything past 1972 would spell the death of CBS-FM. Aging their audience into their 70's isn't going to do wonders for their ad buys. I know you may not be in your 70's and like that music, but you are only one person. There aren't that many of you to support such a station.

"Oldies" is now what Pop Standards was 15 years ago. A format that works on smaller market stations and AM stations. This is coming from someone who used to program an oldies station. But even in 2000, I could see the handwriting on the wall and started to filter in some 80's tunes that "fit" the format. Lighter pop stuff like the Go-Go's, Hall and Oates, Madonna, etc.

Let's do the math: Someone who was in high school and graduated in 1980 is now turning 50. Upper end of 25-54. Mid pack of 35-65. They started high school in 1976 and if they went to college, graduated in 1984. That puts 1980 about the center of their musical universe as far as the "music they grew up with" and "had the most impact and memories" attached. That's not to say they didn't listen before, but most people really form their musical habits in late middle school and mainly high school and college.

So what does music from 1958 mean to them? Nothing. What does music from 1963 mean to them (they were 1)? Nothing. The timeless classics from the Beatles, Stones, CSN, Temptations, Four Tops, Supremes aside, the rest of the one hit wonders and lesser hits aren't on their radar.

By your logic, we should also bring back black and white TV because the shows were better then. A lot of them were, at least they weren't reality shows, but a lot of them sucked more than anything on TV today. The ones that stood the test of time are still on TV. "My Mother the Car" isn't. If you examine the lineup of Nick at Nite or whatever they call it now, you'll see lots of shows from the 80's and 70's. Car 54 isn't on anymore. Neither is My 3 Sons or Leave it to Beaver. Why? Again, someone who watched Car 54 as a 25 year old is now 75-80.

 

[WNTIRadio]

I was thinking about this after I wrote the last post:

You talk about how CBS-FM was in 1972...

Well, today, they play music from 1980, to pick my center year from last post. That's 32 year old music.

In 1972, CBS-FM didn't play 32 year old music at all. In fact, if we go 32 years back from 1972 that lands us at 1940!!!! You didn't hear any Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Andrews Sisters, Cab Calloway or Benny Goodman on CBS-FM back then, did you? In 2012, CBS-FM also plays music from 45 years ago... 1967. In 1972, that would mean the "hits" from 1927!!!!!!!!!!! Al Jolson, anyone? Hell, that was the year "Talkies" were invented!!! Half the pop standards were yet to be written.

Putting it in that perspective, be glad that CBS-FM plays music from the 1960's at all. At least rock n' roll's enduring sound has helped the longevity of the music, as has bands such as the Beatles and Stones, whose music continues to be discovered today by younger kids and covered by bands over and over again.

And be VERY thankful you have a station to listen to like "Fox Oldies". Listen now, because chances are in 5 years it will sound very different than it does right now. Time marches on...

 

[DToTheJ]

... why "Jack" happened. Add to that Joel Hollander's lack of "radio vision" and that was the recipe for disaster...

Let's not forget Joel was responsible for "Free-FM" and giving David Lee Roth a radio show... Brian Thomas and Dan Mason both deserve credit for saving the CBS/New York cluster.

 

[scripps]

Doo wop music even sounded dated in the 60's.

 

[disney fanatic]

We're in a van with a radio on and listening to "Fox Oldies", and guess what they've played "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley, prior to that was the Dave Clark Five's "Bits & Pieces" and then after that, the Chordettes doing "Lollipop" and that was from around 1958, and was what CBS-FM used to play, and it was used in the film "Stand By Me". Right now, they're playing Tommy James & the Shondells "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Bird Dog" by the Everly Brothers. That's also a 50's song, and CBS-FM used to play that song, these songs that CBS-FM played is now on "Fox Oldies". Any thoughts on what CBS-FM needs to address? Now thay Brian Thomas left the station, and a new PD is waiting in the wings, this needs to be fix.

 

[reelyreal]

We're in a van with a radio on and listening to "Fox Oldies", and guess what they've played "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley, prior to that was the Dave Clark Five's "Bits & Pieces" and then after that, the Chordettes doing "Lollipop" and that was from around 1958, and was what CBS-FM used to play, and it was used in the film "Stand By Me". Right now, they're playing Tommy James & the Shondells "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Bird Dog" by the Everly Brothers. That's also a 50's song, and CBS-FM used to play that song, these songs that CBS-FM played is now on "Fox Oldies". Any thoughts on what CBS-FM needs to address? Now thay Brian Thomas left the station, and a new PD is waiting in the wings, this needs to be fix.

How do you fix something that isn't broken? CBS-FM is making more money than it used to, it's getting better ratings than it used to, it's BETTER. It just is. It's better. Do you remember what happened when CBS-FM sounded like it used to? Jack. That's what happened.

 

[mjb1124]

To be fair, CBS-FM didn't sound like what "disney fanatic" described in 2004-05 either. Back then, they had a decidedly narrow playlist of 60's and 70's hits. The station has made a comeback now thanks to more overall variety, the addition of the 80's, the PPM ratings methodology, and the fact that the format in general has gotten out of the lull it was in about 8 years ago. Plus, even then, flipping to Jack really wasn't a sensible decision.

But anyway, Brian Thomas definitely did great things for CBS-FM, and I wish him all the best in Tampa. Hopefully the new PD will keep things on the right track.

 

[mary]

DToTheJ your so right Brian saved wcbsfm!!! Maybe he was asked to go there to help those other stations!!! I sure will miss him, He was a PD but he came out at stuff when he could. I consider him as a friend!!! again, I hope he climbs the ladder of SUCCESS!!!

 

[WNTIRadio]

We're in a van with a radio on and listening to "Fox Oldies", and guess what they've played "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley, prior to that was the Dave Clark Five's "Bits & Pieces" and then after that, the Chordettes doing "Lollipop" and that was from around 1958, and was what CBS-FM used to play, and it was used in the film "Stand By Me". Right now, they're playing Tommy James & the Shondells "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Bird Dog" by the Everly Brothers. That's also a 50's song, and CBS-FM used to play that song, these songs that CBS-FM played is now on "Fox Oldies". Any thoughts on what CBS-FM needs to address? Now thay Brian Thomas left the station, and a new PD is waiting in the wings, this needs to be fix.

I don't know how I can spell it out any clearer. It's #2 in the ratings and does well in key demos. It has great personalities. It bills well. NOTHING is broken.

What you suggest would be the demise of CBS-FM. The stakes aren't high for Fox Oldies, and the market is smaller and different. There isn't $25 million on the line at Fox Oldies.

Fox gets a 3.2 in the last Poughkeepsie book, 12+. Not terrible, puts it #6 in the pack I think. Again, smaller market, less radio choices and also that's only the 12+ diary numbers, not the demographic breakouts. I'll bet that 55+ makes up more than half of their audience. Not going to sell in NYC.

If you like Fox Oldies, then listen to them. Nobody is forcing you to listen to CBS-FM. Or get Sirius and listen to the 50's on 5 and knock yourself out. But there is NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING broken at CBS-FM. It sounds better than it did for the few years pre-Jack, when it was stale and repetitive. Great features, broad playlist, and most importantly, gets GREAT ratings and BILLS WELL.