Does anyone besides me think AC today is a joke?

[oldies76]

Radio is not programmable to individuals. Understand? So I can't play certain songs for certain people, and certain songs for others. It's the same songs to all people.

Are you understanding me so far? OK.

What that means is I can't play a song that 10% of the people like. I can't play a song that 90% of the people hate. I can't do that. I can't do it even if I personally love the song. Even if it was my wedding song and my personal all time favorite.

Do you understand this? OK

So what that means is if I play a song that 90% of the people hate, then those people may turn the radio off. If they turn the radio off, I may lose my job.

Understand? We're talking about my job.

So it becomes a gamble every time I play a song. It's a roll of the dice. Play two low ranked songs together, and that's twice as much reason to tune out.

Do you understand that part?

So what I'm saying is I don't program to individuals. Individuals have the opportunity to listen to their personal songs any time they want by either downloading them, streaming them, or buying them. That way, they can enjoy them in the privacy of their own home without bothering anyone else.

In the meantime, we play the songs that a majority of the people like. We play them a lot. We keep testing them to be sure the majority of the people STILL like them. And the best news is that if we do our job right, we end up with a radio station that appears at the top of the ratings. And last time I checked, the stations I'm responsible for ARE in fact doing great, regardless of what you think.

And that's really all I care about.

Sure I understand. I've understood for years. It's just not the way I would program a classic hits station. What works for your market will not work in others. You should already "understand" my preferences for classic hits by now.

 

[semoochie]

Sure I understand. I've understood for years. It's just not the way I would program a classic hits station. What works for your market will not work in others. You should already "understand" my preferences for classic hits by now.

Actually, that statement is backwards. What works in other markets(by default)won't work in LA or anywhere else where a competitive situation exists. I just had a thought: Let's say that your favorite radio station, in an attempt to serve as many as possible, played a big hit on format, twice an hour but in Spanish. Remember, these are big hits and every song is someone's favorite. How would you respond?

 

[Peter Pan]

They DON'T WANT 55+ listeners! They hurt their ability to sell the station to advertisers! That 35-year-olds know who Garth Brooks is is irrelevant. All that matters is that they're listening to the country music of the current decade. If the station starts playing Garth and Alan Jackson and Mark Chesnutt and Patty Loveless just because some of those 35-year-olds say they remember and like that music from their childhood, the station will start attracting the geezers that it and its advertisers DO ... NOT ... WANT ... LISTENING.

Oh, yeah? Well, the country station in my hometown still plays Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Shania Twain, etc. mixed in with the newer artists and this station is doing just fine.

 

[Bob Eubanks]

Sure I understand. I've understood for years. It's just not the way I would program a classic hits station. What works for your market will not work in others. You should already "understand" my preferences for classic hits by now.

So is it fair to ask why you would program a station to fail? I mean, if it's a hobby, and losing money makes no difference, sure. Or if it's in a market where, realistically, it makes no difference, how the station is programmed. But in a major market, would you actually go against proven--time and again--principles to satisfy your own tastes?

 

[oldies76]

I just had a thought: Let's say that your favorite radio station, in an attempt to serve as many as possible, played a big hit on format, twice an hour but in Spanish. Remember, these are big hits and every song is someone's favorite. How would you respond?

U.S. classic hits stations generally don't play Spanish music mixed with it's regular songs, so that would not be a problem anyways. But if it did, unless it was some artist I recognized from the new wave period (Leo Dan or Tormenta), I'd probably tune out. I would expect U.S. classic hits, the many hundreds I enjoy hearing.

If anything you'd most likely hear "Eres Tu", which would not cause tune out, for those who like that song.

Good question.

 

[oldies76]

So is it fair to ask why you would program a station to fail? I mean, if it's a hobby, and losing money makes no difference, sure. Or if it's in a market where, realistically, it makes no difference, how the station is programmed. But in a major market, would you actually go against proven--time and again--principles to satisfy your own tastes?

I've always said satisfy your audiences. This includes playing the big hits (like we already hear, but not as frequent) and mix them up a little with other good songs to add more of a selection to the otherwise, daily standard routine. And this really should occur during radio's "downtime", generally late evenings or weekends. That's why I sent you that list to show you what a themed weekend would have, of course, adjusted to today's target audiences.

I'm not against playing the hits we all hear, not at all. I just like to spruce things up a bit to eliminate the monotonous sound, otherwise heard on many stations today. That's where my 1-2 other good songs per hour come in. If done right, I believe it can work, in any market. We already see it with WOGL and countless small markets. Why does L.A. always seem to be an exception? It was not that way before, referencing that link I sent you.

I would never want a station to fail, but I believe a station can satisfy all, if done correctly, the masses on one end and some variety and special weekend programming on the other, during non peak.

 

[TheBigA]

I would never want a station to fail, but I believe a station can satisfy all, if done correctly, the masses on one end and some variety and special weekend programming on the other, during non peak.

They're satisfying all right now. That's why they're consistently among the most listened-to stations in their towns.

The stations you prefer are the ones that don't satisfy all. They satisfy you.

 

[Unregistered]

They DON'T WANT 55+ listeners! They hurt their ability to sell the station to advertisers!

That's clearly age discrimination! Shame on the radio industry for supporting that!

 

[davideduardo]

That's clearly age discrimination! Shame on the radio industry for supporting that!

It's not radio... it is America's advertisers whose marketing plans do no include targeting their radio advertising at anyone over 55.

The advertisers tell their agencies and the agencies do not buy against 55 and over.

You can not force advertisers to spend money reaching a group where there is no profit for them. And you can not ask radio stations to program for seniors if there is no ad money to be had to pay the expenses and stay on the air.

 

[davideduardo]

If anything you'd most likely hear "Eres Tu", which would not cause tune out, for those who like that song.

Yeah, both of us. Nobody else.

 

[Unregistered]

It's not radio... it is America's advertisers whose marketing plans do no include targeting their radio advertising at anyone over 55.

LOL! How come TV advertises to over 55? If TV can do it, then radio can do it too.

 

[davideduardo]

We already see it with WOGL and countless small markets. Why does L.A. always seem to be an exception? I

Philly has a rather stable population, and appears to thus have a consensus feel that goes back many decades.

LA has little consensus, due to the mobility of the population and a huge ethnic and immigrant population that is around 70% of the total market.

Very few people move into Philly. The ones who are there share lots in common with everyone else. Nearly everyone in LA is from somewhere else, and they have little in common. So there are few consensus songs.

Two markets, two very different shared musical experiences.

 

[Han Solo]

That's clearly age discrimination! Shame on the radio industry for supporting that!

I second that!

 

[Peter Pan]

That's clearly age discrimination! Shame on the radio industry for supporting that!

Amen! I second that!

 

[TheBigA]

LOL! How come TV advertises to over 55? If TV can do it, then radio can do it too.

Actually broadcast TV doesn't aim at over 55 either. For the same reason.

Cable TV has advertising, but it also gets money from cable subscribers. If over 55s would pay a subscription fee for radio, you'd find more stations aiming at them.

 

[Unregistered]

Actually broadcast TV doesn't aim at over 55 either. For the same reason.

Oh, yeah? Well, the commercials I see when I watch NBC Nightly News suggest otherwise. Viagra, Cialis, drug ads for Baby Boomers aches and pains.

 

[Leia Durane]

Oh, yeah? Well, the commercials I see when I watch NBC Nightly News suggest otherwise. Viagra, Cialis, drug ads for Baby Boomers aches and pains.

I second that. I'm a retired housewife. I quite often watch programs on the Hallmark Channel. You can tell by the advertising that it's aiming at women, specifically 40+ women.

 

[Han Solo]

I second that. I'm a retired housewife. I quite often watch programs on the Hallmark Channel. You can tell by the advertising that it's aiming at women, specifically 40+ women.

Exactly! You can tell by the advertising during certain programs who the audience is. For instance, I'm in my 20's and I watch the superhero and sci-fi shows on the CW. The advertising during those shows is clearly aimed at teens and young adults like me.

 

[TheBigA]

Oh, yeah? Well, the commercials I see when I watch NBC Nightly News suggest otherwise. Viagra, Cialis, drug ads for Baby Boomers aches and pains.

The news programming is the exception. All news and news/talk radio stations also target older listeners. So there are LOTS of radio stations for older people.

But entertainment is aimed at younger folks. Why do you think NBC got rid of Jay Leno?

 

[Unregistered]

But entertainment is aimed at younger folks. Why do you think NBC got rid of Jay Leno?

First, Leno wasn't fired. He decided to retire.

Second, entertainment is not exclusively aimed at young folks. On a national touring level, it’s easy to see that most of the acts out there, making rounds, aren’t targeted towards today’s youth. Legacy acts such as The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, etc. are the ones drawing the heaviest crowds.