How much of each decade would you play an hour on AC?

[carolinaradio]

The recent articles about AC's and currents then AC and 70s got me thinking about this....how would you break the traditional AC format down an hour? I would do (assuming 12 songs were played an hour):

1 current
3 00s/recurrent
2 90s
4 80s
2 70s

No 60s. If there were more than 12 songs, I would throw in another 00s or 70s song in.

 

[firepoint525]

Mix 92.9 still occasionally plays "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles, and Ben E. King's version of "Stand By Me." But that is probably due to both of them enjoying a resurgence during the '80s. Other Beatles songs that I have heard them play include "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Let It Be." And they still play Van Morrison's "Brown-Eyed Girl." And will they ever quit playing Louis Armstrong's "Wonderful World"? It's worth noting that they added a few such oldies to their playlist after their sister station (formerly oldies) went "Jack."

 

[RDO]

I would cut back on the 70's to only 1 every other hour. Otherwise it looks good. Maybe add in one more 90s.

 

[radiolives]

That looks real good. I would maybe play 3 90s, not sure where I would take a song out from tho. I would probably mix it up the number of songs from each decades every hour. Such as 2 00s/recurrents, 4 90s, 3 80s, 1 70s, 2 currents for example. Then next hour change it up again but would not go past 2 for currents as I wouldn't want my AC going to much into the Hot AC format.

 

[carolinaradio]

I don't know about more than 3 90s songs on AC. It's such a hard decade to find music from, and not that important to the format- I wouldn't put much focus on it. There isn't the selection with 90s like there is with 70s, 80s, 00s.

As for 70s, most successful AC stations (WLIT, WBEB, KOST, KODA, maybe WLTW) play a couple an hour, sometimes more. Maybe I would do 2 one hour, 1 the next with alternating. Those songs may be older, but still test well with the AC audience. It's a nice supplement.

 

[atlantaboy]

I don't know about more than 3 90s songs on AC. It's such a hard decade to find music from

Lol why do you keep saying that? Do you mean a hard decade to find SOFT music from? (Just wondering...)

 

[radiolives]

I don't know about more than 3 90s songs on AC. It's such a hard decade to find music from

Lol why do you keep saying that? Do you mean a hard decade to find SOFT music from? (Just wondering...)

I would throw in some Edwin McCain, Hootie And The Blowfish, Seal, etc. Can't think off the top of my head.

 

[carolinaradio]

I don't know about more than 3 90s songs on AC. It's such a hard decade to find music from

Lol why do you keep saying that? Do you mean a hard decade to find SOFT music from? (Just wondering...)

It's a difficult era to find music for the AC format from. It's not just me, read around on this site. 90s were pretty fragmented and there aren't a lot of mainstream/pop songs that must do well with AC. The 90s songs seem to be the most worn on the AC format - we've been hearing the same ones forever, surely there are more that could be staples...

 

[radiolives]

Why was the 90s decade so bad for AC music?

 

[carolinaradio]

Why was the 90s decade so bad for AC music?

There were just a lot of varied musical styles - hip hop, grunge/alternative, post-grunge (there were some rock acts like Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls who had some material good for AC)....not a lot of just upbeat pop songs. They weren't non-existent, but just not as many as in the 80s and 00s. There WERE songs for AC in the 90s (Celine Dion was huge, Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, etc) but those songs haven't really held up well....too sleepy for today I guess. I received a music test a while back testing different 90s songs, stating they were trying different songs for the format but were having difficulties finding "new" ones.

 

[atlantaboy]

I don't know about more than 3 90s songs on AC. It's such a hard decade to find music from

Lol why do you keep saying that? Do you mean a hard decade to find SOFT music from? (Just wondering...)

It's a difficult era to find music for the AC format from. It's not just me, read around on this site. 90s were pretty fragmented and there aren't a lot of mainstream/pop songs that must do well with AC. The 90s songs seem to be the most worn on the AC format - we've been hearing the same ones forever, surely there are more that could be staples...

I think that's cause most big 90s songs are still big staples on Hot AC (it doesn't make sense to have two stations both playing Matchbox 20, Goo Goo Dolls, Natalie Imbruglia, Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, etc.) - and I think most current AC listeners came of age well before the post-grunge era anyway

Once Hot AC drops all the 90s stuff (in ten years I guess), I'm sure it'll make it's way over to AC

 

[radiolives]

Why was the 90s decade so bad for AC music?

There were just a lot of varied musical styles - hip hop, grunge/alternative, post-grunge (there were some rock acts like Matchbox 20 and Goo Goo Dolls who had some material good for AC)....not a lot of just upbeat pop songs. They weren't non-existent, but just not as many as in the 80s and 00s. There WERE songs for AC in the 90s (Celine Dion was huge, Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, etc) but those songs haven't really held up well....too sleepy for today I guess. I received a music test a while back testing different 90s songs, stating they were trying different songs for the format but were having difficulties finding "new" ones.

I remember one Celine Dion song being popular and that was her song from the movie "Titanic". Today that song isn't even played on AC from the stations I have heard. That must be one of those too sleepy songs. My opinion I think that song would fit fine right now. It more soft rock sounding then a few songs currently played on today's AC stations.

 

[adam502002]

I don't know about more than 3 90s songs on AC. It's such a hard decade to find music from

Lol why do you keep saying that? Do you mean a hard decade to find SOFT music from? (Just wondering...)

It's a difficult era to find music for the AC format from. It's not just me, read around on this site. 90s were pretty fragmented and there aren't a lot of mainstream/pop songs that must do well with AC. The 90s songs seem to be the most worn on the AC format - we've been hearing the same ones forever, surely there are more that could be staples...

I think that's cause most big 90s songs are still big staples on Hot AC (it doesn't make sense to have two stations both playing Matchbox 20, Goo Goo Dolls, Natalie Imbruglia, Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms, etc.) - and I think most current AC listeners came of age well before the post-grunge era anyway

Once Hot AC drops all the 90s stuff (in ten years I guess), I'm sure it'll make it's way over to AC

I think it's fine that two stations play SOME of the same songs...It is the differences between the stations that separate the format. I think AC and Hot AC should share these big 90's acts (like MB20, Goo Goo, Gin Blossoms, etc). Most Hot AC's lean so current that those songs are in a very low rotation (unfortunately) and I think there is an audience that would love to hear those great hits without Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas mixed in all the time.

Also think about the difference between Hot AC and Top 40...they share several songs and there is (and in my opinion there should be more of) a difference between the two formats.

 

[carolinaradio]

I can think of these 90s songs that are on both a lot of AC and Hot AC stations

Alanis Morissette - "Ironic"
Matchbox 20 - "3AM", Push", "If You're Gone" (that may be 2000)
Goo Goo Dolls - "Iris", "Slide", "Name"
Natalie Imbruglia - "Torn"
Sugar Ray - "Every Morning", "Fly"
Spin Doctors - "Two Princes"
Blues Traveler - "Runaround"

I'm sure there are more, just going by my market and surrounding - we don't have a hot AC anywhere around here...

 

[Tom Wells]

I find this topic hilarious.
By the time one has become an adult, I would expect such a limited format to have become stunningly boring.
I better just keep my mouth shut. :

 

[atlantaboy]

Also think about the difference between Hot AC and Top 40...they share several songs and there is (and in my opinion there should be more of) a difference between the two formats.

Good point - I guess what I meant was that ACs can't completely adopt the 90s pop/alternative sound yet, cause so many Hot ACs still own that sound - in other words, it's not that there isn't enough material from the 90s - it's that IMO if ACs play too much 90s/early 00s pop/alternative stuff, they'll start to sound too much like the HACs they're partially competing with

 

[adam502002]

Also think about the difference between Hot AC and Top 40...they share several songs and there is (and in my opinion there should be more of) a difference between the two formats.

Good point - I guess what I meant was that ACs can't completely adopt the 90s pop/alternative sound yet, cause so many Hot ACs still own that sound - in other words, it's not that there isn't enough material from the 90s - it's that IMO if ACs play too much 90s/early 00s pop/alternative stuff, they'll start to sound too much like the HACs they're partially competing with

I agree with you, too. I think AC's should keep their hands on the material, but be careful with how much it is played. In the Hot AC forum, there is a thread discussing how the 80s should be beginning to be worked out of the Hot AC format and leaving it to the AC station. I feel like that ties into what this topic has became, too.


It also depends on your market...an AC station IMO should own more of the 90's stuff IF the Hot AC in the market leans very current and doesn't provide the outlet for very much 90s music. I don't like the idea of stations "leaning" too much, but it can help to position a station in a market to provide a venue, if you will, for certain titles.

 

[the golden boy]

I can think of these 90s songs that are on both a lot of AC and Hot AC stations

Alanis Morissette - "Ironic"
Matchbox 20 - "3AM", Push", "If You're Gone" (that may be 2000)
Goo Goo Dolls - "Iris", "Slide", "Name"
Natalie Imbruglia - "Torn"
Sugar Ray - "Every Morning", "Fly"
Spin Doctors - "Two Princes"
Blues Traveler - "Runaround"

I'm sure there are more, just going by my market and surrounding - we don't have a hot AC anywhere around here...

All the songs you listed are played on the AC and the Jack station here (we don't have a hot AC).

 

[adam502002]

I can think of these 90s songs that are on both a lot of AC and Hot AC stations

Alanis Morissette - "Ironic"
Matchbox 20 - "3AM", Push", "If You're Gone" (that may be 2000)
Goo Goo Dolls - "Iris", "Slide", "Name"
Natalie Imbruglia - "Torn"
Sugar Ray - "Every Morning", "Fly"
Spin Doctors - "Two Princes"
Blues Traveler - "Runaround"

I'm sure there are more, just going by my market and surrounding - we don't have a hot AC anywhere around here...

All the songs you listed are played on the AC and the Jack station here (we don't have a hot AC).

Yeah...I work at a Hot AC - all of those get an occasional spin here too. Like I said before though, Hot AC has became very current in the past couple years...you don't hear those every day on the station.

 

[carolinaradio]

Yeah, a lot of Hot AC's have almost morphed in to Adult Top 40's recently.

Keep in mind, too, that a lot of smaller and medium sized markets (I can think of Charlotte, Raleigh, Jacksonville, Nashville immediately off hand) don't have a Hot AC. My market doesn't and both AC stations are very limited with the 90s.