I frequently listen to WMXJ Majic 102.7 while I'm surfing on the puter. In some respects it keeps me in touch with South Florida and Majic is still one of the few major FMs that still sounds overall like a traditional oldies station with some exceptions described below.
Majic, in my opinion just like so many of its' peers, finds itself in a dilemma. Those who really love oldies radio to include early 60s and some 50s can't be satisfied with the current format. Yet I understand too well that if you sound like your father's oldies station, it's a revenue buster. The reality is most advertisers will avoid you like the plague and the other reality is we live and die by good showing in some target in 25-54.
The other night as I was listening I heard Barry White sandwiched in between Sonny and Cher and Herman's Hermits. Oh and I've heard the same kind of programming elsewhere on these so called 60s/70s stations. But is this really effective in motivating younger demos to your station? My gut tells me no.
Oh yeah, I'm not in the business and all but without sounding like I'm Mr. Ego, the workings of radio have held my fascination and interest for over 4 decades. And I have a track record of being more right than wrong when it comes to the oldies format.
OK. With that said, I'll just offer some opinion here. First off, I like hearing the 3 artists I just mentioned. But my next birthday will bring me out of the cherished advertising demo. So what I may personally like may not be in their best interest. (Dear God, I still feel and act like I'm in my 30s...LOL) Seriously, I don't believe significant numbers of people who really love the 70s and we can include the disco era will tolerate listening to tons of 60s included as this just doesn't have any relevance for them.
One of the things I learned about programming music a long time ago from those in the know is that you have to have "consistancy in sound" - no matter what your format. You can't sound one way one minute and sound differently the next. Listeners get uncomfortable and they move on.
As I've listened to Majic over the last few months, I almost get the impression there are two different formats going on. A few times an hour with boring predictability (every 1/4 hour) a classic hits type song or disco hit will play amid all the mid 60s stuff. It just doesn't sound good.
Traditional oldies are gone and Majic has made what I think is a necessary move to rid itself of songs that sound way too old. But as the expression goes, they need to SHXX or get off the pot. There are tons of pop 70s songs that are not too hard or disco sounding that would be welcome to hear. If they doubled 70s from 3 an hour to let's say 6 and drop Pre-Beatles tunes completely as well as the overly syrupy ballads, they would truly be a 60s/70s station and I think their sound would be more uniform. It's not an easy thing to accomplish but the right selection of songs is key. For what it's worth, disco can be polorizing. There are lots of people who just hate that kind of music and I'd be more inclined to stick with safe songs and save disco for a 70s themed weekend. Just my opinion.
I'd like to see them add more requests to their Majic Cafe program. No slam to the current host but it's obvious Eric Brandon's personna is missed. He really owned middays on Majic and having a little more interraction with the callers could inject a little more excitement. Something is needed in that daypart.
I guess in sum here, I get the feeling Majic isn't sure what it wants to be. I'm aware that Bob Hamilton, the PD is conducting interviews with listeners to find out what they like/dislike about the station. I hope he gets some good feedback. I hope he reads this board too.
What I said here comes out of tons of love I have for the station. I've listened to them in some way or another since they flipped to oldies in the 80s. I do wish them well but they need to make some bold moves yesterday. Thanks for listening!
Majic, in my opinion just like so many of its' peers, finds itself in a dilemma. Those who really love oldies radio to include early 60s and some 50s can't be satisfied with the current format. Yet I understand too well that if you sound like your father's oldies station, it's a revenue buster. The reality is most advertisers will avoid you like the plague and the other reality is we live and die by good showing in some target in 25-54.
The other night as I was listening I heard Barry White sandwiched in between Sonny and Cher and Herman's Hermits. Oh and I've heard the same kind of programming elsewhere on these so called 60s/70s stations. But is this really effective in motivating younger demos to your station? My gut tells me no.
Oh yeah, I'm not in the business and all but without sounding like I'm Mr. Ego, the workings of radio have held my fascination and interest for over 4 decades. And I have a track record of being more right than wrong when it comes to the oldies format.
OK. With that said, I'll just offer some opinion here. First off, I like hearing the 3 artists I just mentioned. But my next birthday will bring me out of the cherished advertising demo. So what I may personally like may not be in their best interest. (Dear God, I still feel and act like I'm in my 30s...LOL) Seriously, I don't believe significant numbers of people who really love the 70s and we can include the disco era will tolerate listening to tons of 60s included as this just doesn't have any relevance for them.
One of the things I learned about programming music a long time ago from those in the know is that you have to have "consistancy in sound" - no matter what your format. You can't sound one way one minute and sound differently the next. Listeners get uncomfortable and they move on.
As I've listened to Majic over the last few months, I almost get the impression there are two different formats going on. A few times an hour with boring predictability (every 1/4 hour) a classic hits type song or disco hit will play amid all the mid 60s stuff. It just doesn't sound good.
Traditional oldies are gone and Majic has made what I think is a necessary move to rid itself of songs that sound way too old. But as the expression goes, they need to SHXX or get off the pot. There are tons of pop 70s songs that are not too hard or disco sounding that would be welcome to hear. If they doubled 70s from 3 an hour to let's say 6 and drop Pre-Beatles tunes completely as well as the overly syrupy ballads, they would truly be a 60s/70s station and I think their sound would be more uniform. It's not an easy thing to accomplish but the right selection of songs is key. For what it's worth, disco can be polorizing. There are lots of people who just hate that kind of music and I'd be more inclined to stick with safe songs and save disco for a 70s themed weekend. Just my opinion.
I'd like to see them add more requests to their Majic Cafe program. No slam to the current host but it's obvious Eric Brandon's personna is missed. He really owned middays on Majic and having a little more interraction with the callers could inject a little more excitement. Something is needed in that daypart.
I guess in sum here, I get the feeling Majic isn't sure what it wants to be. I'm aware that Bob Hamilton, the PD is conducting interviews with listeners to find out what they like/dislike about the station. I hope he gets some good feedback. I hope he reads this board too.
What I said here comes out of tons of love I have for the station. I've listened to them in some way or another since they flipped to oldies in the 80s. I do wish them well but they need to make some bold moves yesterday. Thanks for listening!
