• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

FULL SERVICE MOR

To the folks who a few weeks back asked about Dial Global's adult standards stations....there are at least 2 who stream: I think it's WGL in Ft. Wayne, Indiana and an FM in Cambridge, Ohio.

Sorry I didn't catch your posts earlier...as I rarely check this board (maybe I should more often!).

If you go to radio-locator.com and type in the markets...you'll be able to track the stations down and links to their websites & streaming.

Happy 2012!
 
Radio 25 said:
I mentioned before how I miss the MOR stations of the 60's and 70's.
There have been some excellent posts about the local news elements, local community involvement, broadcasts of local sports and featuring the right mix of music for the demo.

My question is how good is the Dial Global "Adult Standards" format? There are no local stations featuring the Dial Global format. I have only heard them On Line and I have not been that impressed. However, I have not heard them during the day and would be interested in your in put.
Click to expand...
It varies. I only listen during the day because the nighttime signal isn't too good where I live, plus they have lots of sports.

Sometimes it sounds like they're going full-blown AC. Other times there are plenty of real standards by Tony Bennett, Perry Como and Nat King Cole that they have to make a decision to play (and for that I'm grateful), because the songs sound so off-the-wall the way the format has evolved.
 
I haven't read every single post in this thread but here is my take on a 21st Century Full Service station. I think it could still work. You'll get the folks who are tired of being bombarded with all news, political yakkity-yak, or the same songs over and over and over again. It might be more successful in smaller markets, but I believe that if programmed properly it would also be viable in larger markets as well. The important thing is to keep it LOCAL.

First you have to update your definition of "MOR". Today, "Middle Of The Road" would probably be equivalent to a Soft AC format - stuff that's going to be inoffensive and familiar to most people. Forget the Adult Standards stuff, since your target demo (most likely 25-54) thinks of that as their grandparents' music. Just use any Soft AC playlist, and since you're only going to be playing 7 or 8 songs an hour tops, you'll have plenty of variety.

Otherwise keep it similar to the FS stations of yore. Lots of local news and information, community events, local sports, and community involvement. One other thing I'd change, though, is to put it on an FM signal. Much as I hate to say it, most people under 40 don't even know what AM radio is! (Or they equate it with the aforementioned grandparents' music and political yakkity-yak.)
 
boppinvinnieb said:
I haven't read every single post in this thread but here is my take on a 21st Century Full Service station. I think it could still work. You'll get the folks who are tired of being bombarded with all news, political yakkity-yak, or the same songs over and over and over again. It might be more successful in smaller markets, but I believe that if programmed properly it would also be viable in larger markets as well. The important thing is to keep it LOCAL.

First you have to update your definition of "MOR". Today, "Middle Of The Road" would probably be equivalent to a Soft AC format - stuff that's going to be inoffensive and familiar to most people. Forget the Adult Standards stuff, since your target demo (most likely 25-54) thinks of that as their grandparents' music. Just use any Soft AC playlist, and since you're only going to be playing 7 or 8 songs an hour tops, you'll have plenty of variety.
Click to expand...
I like the idea of 'keeping it local.' I also think that 'middle-of-the-road' needs to not only be resurrected for today, but also redefined. While I agree soft AC could and should be part of the music mix, so should artists like what I'll call 'modern-day crooners/croonettes' (i.e. Harry Connick, Jr., Michael Buble, Diana Krall, etc.). I'd suggest not being afraid to feature more obscure music by artists that the audience can relate to. I might also suggest offering an 'artist of the day' as a noon-time feature.

Otherwise keep it similar to the FS stations of yore. Lots of local news and information, community events, local sports, and community involvement. One other thing I'd change, though, is to put it on an FM signal. Much as I hate to say it, most people under 40 don't even know what AM radio is! (Or they equate it with the aforementioned grandparents' music and political yakkity-yak.)
Click to expand...
I wouldn't write off AM as dead....yet. WROW has done respectably well since it has gone MOR almost two years ago. I'm sure there are other examples as well. I question if a major FM is willing to take a chance on something like this.
 
MOR has gone the wasy of "Adult-Standards." This happened many yrs ago. The only truly full-service stations are either small market operations or news/talk stations.
 
WITY 980 Danville, IL, is probably the best example of full service MOR I can think of. Lots of full-service elements - lots of farm programming, news, talk, even some religion. The music is local during the day on weekdays and comes from Dial Global at other times. They also stream at wityradio.com.

The last vestige of full-service MOR in the Detroit area disappeared when WAAM 1600 in Ann Arbor (which also had what was then Westwood One Standards on weekends) got rid of the few records it played during afternoon drive when it went full-time Talk several years ago.

Speaking of which, there are more America's Best Music affiliates that stream than you might think. Here's a partial list of some of the ones I've found: WNZZ Montgomery, AL; KKJL San Luis Obispo, CA; WMPX/WMRX Midland, MI; KODL The Dalles, OR; KHAR Anchorage, AK; WSEG Savannah, GA; KABI Abilene, KS. I'm sure there are many, many more. FYI, WGL scrapped the music for six hours of talk during the day on weekdays (three hours of Dave Ramsey and three of a local host), so there is no music there from 12 noon to 6 pm weekdays.

I can think of some other good examples of full service radio, but none of them are MOR in format. The one I listen to locally is AC, and a pretty schizophrenic and aggressive AC at that. And yes, it's a small-town station (Adrian, Michigan).
 
Up until maybe 2005 or so, the local radio station (FM 102.3 WSUS Franklin, NJ) could have been considered a "full service AC station". News at the top and bottom of the hour in the morning, noon, 4PM, 5PM, and 6PM, as well as a few TOH morning news updates during the weekend. There was high school sports coverage weekends, and up until about a year ago they had "Lost Pet Reports".

Unfortunately Clear Channel has destroyed the station. 5AM-2PM are live, but the rest of the day is automated and news is confined to quick 2-3 minute updates in the morning. Previously they were a solid five minutes or so. The format was typical AC, which was obviously much softer even just ten years ago.
 
Late to the party, but here's the key point:

MOR worked when it did because it was aimed at the heart of the 25-54 demographic. Which is 39 and a half. It got some younger listeners and some older, but basically, it was radio for 40 year olds. And that's how it made money.

No different today. 25-54 is where the money is. But now, your 40 year old was born in 1973 instead of 1923.

Even if you could find a music mix that would be different from existing rock and AC formats, you're talking about introducing levels of news, personality and other non-music elements that this generation simply has no point of reference for.
 
Two problems: It would take committed management who believed in the format/station and money to staff it right. At least 5 DJ's and 5 news people at the bare minimum. Sales people would have to know how to sell time without ratings at first. They would have to know how to sell to the 40+ age group.

You have to face facts the average 60 year old grew up on rock and roll not the typical MOR fare. Let me add that I am 60 and personally I would love it! I was fortunate once to work at one of the better MOR stations. It was great, I regret leaving.
 
Mike Sheridan said:
Two problems: It would take committed management who believed in the format/station and money to staff it right. At least 5 DJ's and 5 news people at the bare minimum. Sales people would have to know how to sell time without ratings at first. They would have to know how to sell to the 40+ age group.

You have to face facts the average 60 year old grew up on rock and roll not the typical MOR fare. Let me add that I am 60 and personally I would love it! I was fortunate once to work at one of the better MOR stations. It was great, I regret leaving.
Click to expand...

All of which are great suggestions for surviving in an upper-demo niche format...and all easier said than done.

What's missing in the equation is that MOR radio at its peak thrived because it super-served adults in their peak earning years. It was exactly the same demo advertisers want today: 25-54.

If you're targeting 60 year olds, you're aiming both too old and too young: Too old to have the appeal that made MOR what it was and too young to reach the people who were the core audience of the format at its peak.

I'd love to see a contemporary full-service personality MOR aimed at today's 40 year old, but as I said above, there is no point of reference for those adults when it comes to the reduced level of music and increased personality, news, sports and other elements.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom