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K-Earth 101 Totally 80's Labor Day Weekend

End of the world radio rewind and oldies 76. They just played young Mc
Bust a move during the 9 o'clock hour. During Gary Brians show. KRTH is on 80's. Steroids this weekend
 
I don't object to KRTH playing 1970s-80s instead of 1950s-60s. Formats have to evolve. What I object to is the dinky 300-song playlist and the large number of songs that are played three or four times a day, every day. The 1980s weekend is a pleasant surprise and I hope all the songs being played will remain on the everyday playlist. Today KRTH has played, in addition to the usual burned-out hits, Tenderness, The Promise, Word Up, Mickey, In A Big Country, Bust A Move, Karma Chameleon, I Ran So Far Away, Rock This Town, Edge Of Seventeen, Safety Dance, Taco Ockerse's remake of Harry Richman's 1930 number-one hit Puttin' On The Ritz, and the Vapors' Turning Japanese (which was based on an old joke about why Japanese men have narrow eyes and round mouths---a joke I'd be too embarrassed to repeat here). KRTH this weekend is reminiscent of the old HitRadio 93 KKHR. I hope the success of this weekend will convince management that KRTH can be successful without playing Hotel California and I Melt With You a hundred times a week.
 
If you listen quite carefully you might notice that is not the only thing missing. Seems a few long time Weekenders are no longer working there as well!

I was told some dj's. Did not like the direction KRTH, was going. Did they quit?. I know skywalker is there, has been for awhile now.
 
End of the world radio rewind and oldies 76. They just played young Mc
Bust a move during the 9 o'clock hour. During Gary Brians show. KRTH is on 80's. Steroids this weekend

Yeah, I noticed that too! Actually this 80's weekend is much improved over the garbage weekends they usually throw out. I'll give them credit for this Labor Day. But nothing will ever exceed the Number One Music Weekend that KRTH used to play over Labor Day, back in the "totally" 80's. Just got done with 1965 and calling it a night. Will continue tomorrow, one of the best specialties ever!

http://buff.ucsd.edu/music/krth/
 
Not sure why they are playing "Heart of Glass", "One Way or Another" and "Old Time Rock and Roll" all from 1979 during an 80's weekend. Heck, maybe they just might play an Eagles song........"I Can't Tell You Why" from early 1980.

Or they might just slip in "Hotel....." claiming it was HEARD in the 80's.
 
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I was told some dj's. Did not like the direction KRTH, was going.

I'd have to agree with those DJ's. KRTH has really taken off with the music adjustments they've made only since last Labor Day when Rick dismantled the place. To go from a mainly 60's and 70's based station (and we know how long they've been that way, since the early 90's) to suddenly nearly all 80's, is too dramatic of a change in such a short period of time. I believe the 80's should have been introduced more gradually, just as the 60's leaving gradually. The 70's should stay. It was too abrupt of a changeover last year and now with KRTH playing many burnt songs 3-5 times a day today, I can understand why several DJ's are unhappy in that direction. KRTH was never this way before, it's a heritage station and that's something that should never be messed with, no matter what the needs are. KRTH was unique in nature and now it's just like any other classic hits station out there.....generic. I don't blame them. I'd bet Brian Beirne would disapprove as well.
 
In April 2013, KOLA in Riverside/San Bernardino dropped all the 1964-69 hits that were still on the playlist and went to a format of 1970s-80s-90s classic hits. Unlike most classic-hits stations, KOLA includes AC artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Sarah McLachlan, Shania Twain and Melissa Etheridge as well as the disco hits of the '70s. In the most recent Nielsen Audio ratings, KOLA was number one. On the other hand, KRTH went to number one in the Los Angeles ratings two months ago with a 300-song playlist and many songs airing three or four times a day. Are the L.A. and Riverside/San Bernardino markets dramatically different? I wonder if KOLA's playlist would work on KRTH...and vice-versa.

The airstaff list on KRTH's website still has all the same names as last month: Gary Bryan & Lisa Stanley, Jim Carson, Shotgun Tom Kelly, Christina Kelley, Dave Mason, Charlie Tuna, Sylvia Aimerito, Bruce Chandler, Dave Randall, Christian Wheel and Sky Walker. Which DJs have supposedly quit?
 
It was too abrupt of a changeover last year and now with KRTH playing many burnt songs 3-5 times a day today, I can understand why several DJ's are unhappy in that direction. KRTH was never this way before, it's a heritage station and that's something that should never be messed with, no matter what the needs are. KRTH was unique in nature and now it's just like any other classic hits station out there.....generic. I don't blame them.

Heritage is of zero value if your last book was bad and your trending is downward-leaning. And you can only retain your heritage if today's programming is as good as it was in the past.

Listeners care about what is on the air right now. Not what the station played 10, 20, 30 years ago.

And the "messing" pulled a demographically dieing station from a downward spiral to a position of market leadership in 35-54.

In 25-54, KRTH was 10th to 12th last fall. It is third now. It is also tied with KOST for the 35-54 end of the audience, making it pretty much a "must buy" while it was a "buy around" station in the past.
 
Wow, this totally 80s weekend is being done the right way, nice that k earth gets it, gotta super serve 35-45 and they are doing it very well. They don't care that Grandpa doesn't like it, no advertisers want him any way.

K earth sounds even better than cbs fm this weekend, there is no doubt that if you look at the ppm real time results, this is the most listened to radio station in so cal this weekend.
 
I was told some dj's. Did not like the direction KRTH, was going.

I wish I had a buck for every jock who did not like the music they had to play.
 
"Heritage is of zero value." I agree. That is why the former legendary Color Radio Channel 98 is now carrying CBS network sports programming and the KHJ "Boss Jocks" are Jaime Piña, Alberto Murillo, Carlos Madriz and Ruben Mirando.

In contrast to KRTH's '80s weekend, KSWD "The Sound" is playing all '60s and '70s. It's nice to know that not every station has abandoned the '60s.

http://thesoundla.com/
 
David, one of my columns for LARadio.com detailed how KHJ morning man Robert W. Morgan locked himself in the studio one day in 1972 and played Donny Osmond's Puppy Love over and over and over in an effort to make the "teenyboppers" so sick of it that they'd never again want to hear it and he'd never again have to play it. You can collect your dollar from Morgan's estate. :)
 
I e-mailed a radio insider to ask if he had heard anything about any of KRTH's DJs quitting. My journalistic sense of integrity precludes me from naming him, but his one-word reply was "Puhleeeze..."

Today KRTH is playing a lot of the songs that were played yesterday. *Sigh* But there are still a few surprises, such as Tempted by Squeeze and On The Dark Side by John Cafferty. Hmmm...what are the chances of a Los Angeles station switching to an all-1980s format? David?
 
Wow, this totally 80s weekend is being done the right way, nice that k earth gets it, gotta super serve 35-45 and they are doing it very well. They don't care that Grandpa doesn't like it, no advertisers want him any way.

K earth sounds even better than cbs fm this weekend, there is no doubt that if you look at the ppm real time results, this is the most listened to radio station in so cal this weekend.

KRTH is doing a good weekend, I agree. And yes, they are sounding better than CBS-FM "this weekend" because for one, CBS is not even doing a special this year, so it's a special vs. generic programming. Specials usually win out for their uniqueness and variety. WOGL and KOOL Phoenix have the best specials though this weekend. WOGL, all #1 songs from 1960 to 1989 and Phoenix a top 500, based on chart performance, not just listener votes.

http://wogl.cbslocal.com/

http://kool.cbslocal.com/
 
Heritage is of zero value if your last book was bad and your trending is downward-leaning. And you can only retain your heritage if today's programming is as good as it was in the past.

Listeners care about what is on the air right now. Not what the station played 10, 20, 30 years ago.

KRTH's programming was good in those days too, except when Coffey nearly took it underwater. You may just not remember.
 
KOOL just played Sundown and Love Will Keep Us Together, two mid-'70s number-one hits that KRTH quit playing many years ago. But hey, maybe those songs don't "test well" with Los Angeles listeners. And remember, just because they were hits then doesn't mean that they're hits now. And KRTH is #3 with men in the 25-to-34 age group and ranks #4 in billing. See? I've learned some things from the radio professionals. :)
 
I e-mailed a radio insider to ask if he had heard anything about any of KRTH's DJs quitting. My journalistic sense of integrity precludes me from naming him, but his one-word reply was "Puhleeeze..."
Nobody is quitting, that is silly. I just can't post who was let go , On Air last week. I guess we call it exiting...
 
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