Fall part 2 ratings for market #33

[Mike Sheridan]

Allow me to join the discussion or butt-in, depending on your perspective. As the midday guy on a radio station that transitioned from Oldies to Classic Hits to Gold based AC over the last three years, I can appreciate the points of view in this thread.

The "problem" with Oldies isn't the format in and of itself, it's the presentation. If a station is doing the bells, gongs and whistles routine and living in the past, it's destined to bleed out. If the station has a contemporary, "living in the now" presentation, it can succeed.

Personally, I'm not fond of the word "Oldies" as a format description. I know the word translates well with listeners, a soft blanket that covers all categories, but I prefer "Classic Hits" as a format description.


Classic Hits can't help but incorporate format compatible music from the 80's and maybe even the early 90's. And why not! It is, afterall, 2008! Some U2 hits are 22 years old... The Clash's "Rock the Casbah," (or, "robbin' the cashbox" according to dyslexic lyrics fans) reeks of 60's Kinks-Yardbirds influence is also 25 years old. They're Classics. Arguably, they're Oldies.... for a new generation.

The difficulty in getting Elvis to work with U2, and the Supremes to work with Bonnie Raitt and all these great songs to work together lies in properly constructing the music rotations, positioning the station on a promotional level and shaping the jock presentations. Not easy, but that's where a good program director and a great airstaff come into play.

Hey Jim welcome South!

XM (60's on 6) does the the gong thing and I love it. The standard high energy '60's presentation. It lends excitement to the format. The key is they don't overdo it.

I'd maybe go as far as the early '80's. Not much of the '90's would fit. I agree with you in principal though, oldies is anything that isn't new anymore. in 1968 anything from 1967 was an oldie!

You're right the mix is important when trying to do multiple decades. It's easy to do and a human can do it better than Selector.

 

[thatwasradio]

I gotta' tell you, the best Oldies format that I have heard in quite a long time was during a two-week stay at a hotel in Gastonia this past December. I listened to all the AM & FM stations the first three days, then happened upon the local government access channel on the Gastonia TV Cable line-up, channel 11 or 15 or something like that. IT IS AWESOME!!! They are using some kind of program that segues the songs, so it's not a CD player or MP3 player of sort, with no announcers and no spots or announcements, and it is the kind of Oldies I could listen to consistently for 12 days, I heard no repeats within a 6-day period, and all the selections were hits.
The best thing was, I didn't have to sit through and '80's or early nineties song to hear the 60's and 50's songs, it was all Platters, Fats Domino, The Beatles, Bill Haley, Danny & The Juniors, Elvis, The Monkees, Everly Brothers, Shirelles, Chubby Checker, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, etc., the really good Oldies stuff, and I didn't hear a friggin' Beatles or Rolling Stones song every hour!
I don't know what system they are using or who selects the songs, but if that format were on broadcast radio, I would listen every day.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

You sound like an old codger like me! I'd probably like it too.

There are a lot of pre-Beatles hits that never get played anymore.

The current generation seems to be working very hard to bury this music. It's not their style at all. With so many stations I think there should be enough room for more than just mainstream formats. I'm not even talking about just oldies now. There is so much music out there that is never heard on the radio.

My kids for example enjoy stuff from Broadway shows, Electronica, Jazz and music from Japan. They are not hearing it on the radio but rather from the internet or their friends. If radio is looking for a new format for HD2 they could do one of these and the kids would eat it up!

Mike

 

[Radknowski]

Tell you what, gentlemen... it's only a matter of time before some hip hop artist samples Alvin Cash & The Crawlers' "Twine Time" or Wilson Pickett's "99 and a Half Won't Do." two of the funkiest old-skool R&B songs ever.

Here's what tunage is playing at the Radknowski listening post in beautiful downtown South Buffalo while I'm editing this post:

Tell It Like It Is -Aaron
99 and a Half Won't Do -Wilson Pickett

Only The Lonely -Roy
You're Only Lonely -JD Souther

Shake Me Wake Me (When It's Over)
Nothin' But A Heartache -Flirtations

Be cool. Stay warm, Charlotte!

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Tell you what, gentlemen... it's only a matter of time before some hip hop artist samples Alvin Cash & The Crawlers' "Twine Time" or Wilson Pickett's "99 and a Half Won't Do." two of the funkiest old-skool R&B songs ever.

Here's what tunage is playing at the Radknowski listening post in beautiful downtown South Buffalo while I'm editing this post:

Tell It Like It Is -Aaron
99 and a Half Won't Do -Wilson Pickett

Only The Lonely -Roy
You're Only Lonely -JD Souther

Shake Me Wake Me (When It's Over)
Nothin' But A Heartache -Flirtations

Be cool. Stay warm, Charlotte!

Back when I was working at K-104.7 the station on the other side of the hall CHR Kiss 95.1 was playing a song that had a loop of Bobby Vinton's "Mr Lonely" sped up it sounded like the chipmunks! I thought it was both funny and repulsive at the same time!

Hey great tunes on "Radio Radknowski"!

Where is South Buffalo? I used to live in Blasdell.

 

[jefflaurence]

AwWWW..MAN! "Nothing But A Heartache" was one of the MOST processed records I ever saw..it started, and the VU meter stayed at 100% and shuttered..not moving a quarter of an inch..it was SO compressed..What a great song...and LOUD. (It would even make WJJL loud Rad)

If "oldies" is such a rotten format explain to me why nearly 70 percent of national TV ads use them as signature songs..and they aren't bringing out just hits..there are a lot of "Oh Wows" on national TV campaigns. I still am perplexed as to why KB's experiment with retro radio didn't fly. Is WBT doing music agin? They were an important part of my listening in Florida on Sunday nights. Could a redeux of Big WAYS work again?

The over 55 group has a bundle to spend, and they are not as set in thier ways as previous generations of 55 plus folks were. You should see thier high dollar RVs!! They are a group that has grown up making desicions based on advertising, and will try new things, if for no other reason to reatin a little youth. There is a giant vein of cash out here, and why the twinks who work in modern day ad agencies don't want any of it escapes me.

 

[yugoidar]

Jeff, 'BT is running an oldies show on Saturday nights from 9-12 with ex-Magic 96.1 jock Boomer hosting.

 

[Call Me Sherlock]

I agree, Jeff, with your point about the "oldies" audience. As I stated in an earlier post, I'm not convinced that the 50+ oldies listeners are not a viable audience for advertisers.

I live in an 55+ active adult community where folks spend money on faux painted walls, custom made draperies, plantation blinds, expensive landscaping, all manner of upgrades in their homes and most are driving late model cars. (Not me, I was in radio!)

And a good many still love their oldies!

Speaking of heavily processed tunes...how 'bout "Go All The Way" by The Raspberries?

 

[thatwasradio]

Yes, Sherlock! "Go All The Way" by The Raspberries was one I was going to comment on, but you beat me to it. That was the first record I can remember hearing with heavy compression, especially on that lead guitar, it was, and still is AWESOME, the compression MADE that song. I remember the first time I heard it, I was fascinated by how they got the reverb of the lead guitar so LOUD in the gaps on the echo but not during the play, it had to be an LA-3 or 4 with some other processing added to it.
Another that stood out was Steve Miller's vocals on almost all his Capitol songs, they compressed and expanded his voice so heavily that his breath was always so prevalent and loud on those songs, especially "Jet Airliner" and "Rockin' Me", but they sounded great.

 

[eggman961]

I saw some car ad the other night on TV that used Andy Kim's "Rock Me Gently" on it. I bet that makes him one happy puppy.



Eggman

 

[nextline]

processed songs? "Go Now" by the Moody Blues comes to mind. Lead vocal is almost square waves.

 

[Call Me Sherlock]

You're right! It might have been the lousy London Records pressing (bakelite?), but that one bordered on distortion!

 

[haze1268]

Good Lord guys....what ARE these songs you are talking about? Are you all old?

KIDDING!!! I know SOME of these you are talking about....
more importantly, you all crack me up and make me smile. We are all in this together for one reason and one reason only....the love of music.
woohoooo!

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Good Lord guys....what ARE these songs you are talking about? Are you all old?

KIDDING!!! I know SOME of these you are talking about....
more importantly, you all crack me up and make me smile. We are all in this together for one reason and one reason only....the love of music.
woohoooo!

Holly needs to be sent to "Oldies School". Darn Kids! ;D

It's funny Holly I was just thinking about your story of how you got interested in radio.

You're right, the love of music was a big factor for me. As a kid I dragged the radio with me everywhere. Growing up listening to WKBW Buffalo was like a 24 hour party!

When I worked at WBT the PD Dave Bishop said he went hunting for oldies in NYC with Dick Bartley. He said it was impossible to find a copy of "Go Now" that wasn't distorted! I still love that song though.

 

[eggman961]

So the book is in for Charlotte...and the Beat rockets to a 3.1.


Way to go!



E

(yes, I know. Get over it, Egg.)

 

[Mike Sheridan]

So the book is in for Charlotte...and the Beat rockets to a 3.1.


Way to go!



E

(yes, I know. Get over it, Egg.)

Not at all Egg, you have a right to gloat. I know quite a few kids that who listened to Magic and wondered why they killed it. Believe it or not they didn't like the change.

 

[haze1268]

Egg, gloating or not...is anyone REALLY surprised? come on. My three kids could run that station better.

 

[eggman961]

I just wonder who precisely was the one who decided to pull the plug and give Charlotte its fourth hip hop station. And thought that would rake in the cash.

Perhaps what they should've thought about was the fact that practically NONE of the Magic sales staff listened to the station, understood the demographic or the format, or knew how to sell it. Might have saved me from being out of a job for a year and a lot of people a lot of time.

But hey. I'm just sayin.

E

 

[fortmill]

I just wonder who precisely was the one who decided to pull the plug and give Charlotte its fourth hip hop station. And thought that would rake in the cash.

Perhaps what they should've thought about was the fact that practically NONE of the Magic sales staff listened to the station, understood the demographic or the format, or knew how to sell it. Might have saved me from being out of a job for a year and a lot of people a lot of time.

But hey. I'm just sayin.

E

I'm trying to figure which stations are the four hip-hop stations---Power and Beat, true--but where are the others? Kiss?---not really. Anyway, I'm surprised no one has mentioned how the expansion of the market has changed the rankings of the stations. The country stations are obviously up, reflecting the addition of the more rural areas. Power and Beat down--not surprising in the new market. Radio One's class A's, not helped by the larger geographic area. A little shocked that WBT didn't go down, considering coverage issues, but I guess the right-wing talk still plays well in the more rural areas. I hear Kiss being played a lot in several of new counties, so them holding up is no surprise. K and Lite did ok, but shouldn't they have done better with their Christmas music? Of course, V seems to be the big ratings story---wasn't this their best rating ever?

 

[Dirty Diana]

V 101.9 at #1 is no surprise at all. They've been quietly kicking butt over the last 3 years or so. Steve Harvey is a force to be reckoned with. Along with Michael Basden in the afternoon they have an excellent 1-2 punch.
The biggest surprise are the two stations near the bottom that are showing steady growth---Spanish and Gospel!! (I'll have to confirm this) but i believe those two formats are doing the same in Atlanta too.

I have said before that i enjoy The BEAT. But, it might be wise to consider a FLIP. Go straight Top 40 and go head to head with KISS. But then again maybe they know (if they researched it) those rhythmic formats typically do not win. They usually just flounder between 6th and 12th place. Kinda like KTU in New York, it's like a gnat that Z100 just swats away. It will never beat them. And the BEAT will never beat KISS or Power.