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Classic Hits vs. Classic Rock (what makes a good Classic Hits station)?

N

new_friends_gr

A few weeks ago, I posted a topic along these lines in the Variety Hits board. I should have posted it here, but another Radio-Info user, JohnJax, gave some good insights and I wanted to resurrect the topic in the appropriate board.

It seems like a lot of Classic Hits stations sound way too much like Classic Rock and don't have a good balance of pop, dance/disco, and soul among the rock music. There's certainly a lot more to '60s, '70s, and '80s music than rock. In your opinion, what makes a good Classic Hits station? I'd say if the station can provide a good balance among all those genres, it sounds really good.

My market of Grand Rapids is fortunate because it has such a good Classic Hits station (98.7/WFGR) - http://wfgr.com/
It plays a very good blend of music and even reaches into the early '90s a bit. For instance, just the other day I heard "Pump Up The Volume" by M/A/R/R/S (a late '80s dance hit) on this station. How many other Classic Hits stations play great songs like that? :D
 
Frankly, listening to most of the "Classic Hits" stations in the East Coast area, they're morphing into rock hybrids. They were in a disco phase, but are picking up the crossover tunes the "Classic Rock" stations are abandoning as too Top 40ish.

MY personal idea/concept of a good Classic Hits station includes the hit you mentioned and more from the 80's, but basically just a deeper library rotation. These 350 tunes are BURNED OUT and no wonder Pandora and others are embraced! Don't you idiot consultants get it yet. Take your testing and give it up. The Drake era was 1968! It's the Youtube era.

Yep, we'll see the very same defensive writings about Cume and hits and, oh STOP. Glen Campbell had hits, Carpenters had hits, Manilow had more than ONE hit, Ronnie Milsap, Elvis, even the Beatles and so many more QUANITFIED artists have all dissapeared from the air. I'm not talking about 'stiffs', but real hits and AC crossovers that would appeal to an Oldies/Classic audience.

It's time for the rise of Variety Hits, all very familiar, instantly recognizable tunes that haven't been played in decades. It's time for Radio to grow up and be as sophisticated as it's listeners. ESPECIALLY if you're an AM station...give them a reason to tune in...something no one else is offering anywhere else on the dial. And I don't mean playing Chrismas music starting October 31st!
 
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