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K-Earth Christmas Music: Too much easy listening stuf!

S

scooty430

I tend to tune in K-Earth around the holidays for what has been, usually, a pretty nice mix of Christmas tunes and regular oldies. This year, though, I am hearing a completely different mix. Kenny Loggins, for instance, right now. (I think it's him, anyway.) Air Supply. And a whole bunch of other easy listening tunes I don't even recognize.

What happened to Elvis, Jingle Bell Rock, Little Saint Nick.... This is what we tune to K-Earth for. Heck, even Boney M is fine. But if you want to hear "light" Christmas music, KOST has that department covered.

I hope they take these muzak songs out ASAP! Just do it like ya did last year!
 
Oh, but it IS still the same format. The rest of the playlist is still the same as its been for a few years.

Here's what we're getting:

Doors, Stones, Steppenwolf. Then.....a Barry Manilow Christmas song?

Stevie Wonder, Beatles, "Sugar Shack." Then.......Mannheim Steamroller's Carol of the Bells?

Supremes, "Low Rider," Brown Eyed Girl. Then......a holiday tune from Air Supply?


No Donde Esta Santa Claus, no Little Saint Nick, no Sinatra, no Gene Autry, no Run Run Rudolph..... KRTH used to play the best classic Christmas tunes. Now it's all cheese.


I wish I could pick up KOLA where I live....
 
scooty430 said:
Oh, but it IS still the same format. The rest of the playlist is still the same as its been for a few years.

Here's what we're getting:

Doors, Stones, Steppenwolf. Then.....a Barry Manilow Christmas song?

Stevie Wonder, Beatles, "Sugar Shack." Then.......Mannheim Steamroller's Carol of the Bells?

Supremes, "Low Rider," Brown Eyed Girl. Then......a holiday tune from Air Supply?


No Donde Esta Santa Claus, no Little Saint Nick, no Sinatra, no Gene Autry, no Run Run Rudolph..... KRTH used to play the best classic Christmas tunes. Now it's all cheese.


I wish I could pick up KOLA where I live....
Click to expand...

My guess would be that Jhani Kaye is programming the Christmas songs he's got research on from his years at KOST.
I've heard many of the Christmas-Oldies that KRTH used to play as well, so it looks like he's just adding newer Christmas songs to the mix.
 
You are probably right. Unfortunately, the new songs he's adding are too "KOST"-y and don't fit in with KRTH's format. It's like KLOS playing an LA Philharmonic rendition of "Joy to the World" after a couple Zeppelin tracks.

Had it on in the background yesterday for 5 or 6 hours while doing housework. The only "old" KRTH Christmas tunes played were "Jingle Bell Rock" and "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (twice.) During that span we heard Mannheim Steamroller three times, Carpenters twice, a really sappy Commodores song, Barry Manilow twice, and a few that I could not recognize, but were very easy-listening. A Jim Croce tune was perhaps the only new addition that fit.

I hope other people call and email in to complain. It's really god-awful, and I miss my Chipmunks. Where are the Chipmunks! :)

I wonder if he has an email address?
 
scooty430 said:
Heck, even Boney M is fine. But if you want to hear "light" Christmas music, KOST has that department covered.
Click to expand...

Funny you mention Boney M. I called the chick who comes on after the boring morning show on KOST and requested Boney M (since I get forced to listen to xMas at work). She said shes never heard of them and that they dont have "Marys Boy Child".
 
halloaaryn said:
scooty430 said:
Heck, even Boney M is fine. But if you want to hear "light" Christmas music, KOST has that department covered.
Click to expand...

Funny you mention Boney M. I called the chick who comes on after the boring morning show on KOST and requested Boney M (since I get forced to listen to xMas at work). She said shes never heard of them and that they dont have "Marys Boy Child".
Click to expand...

Actually I think they might play Boney M even though it's a little obscure for them.

There is no "chick" who comes on after the morning show regularly. You must have called last week when most of the staff was on vacation and since they only do the Christmas format for 6 weeks or so a year I doubt this weekender knew if they even play it let alone have it. Like all CC stations KOST uses Prophet and she could have easily looked it up in seconds. I've called and even stumped a full-timer asking for a Christmas song he was un-familiar with. That's something that can happen at any station. Not every jock is a musical encyclopedia. As for the morning show being boring, I'll bet you're a guy because they usually do okay with their target demo, females. The Mark & Kim show does exactly what it's supposed to do, and that doesn't mean doing a show like Stern, Bill Handel or any number of shows that may be more entertaining to you and me. Plus, they're a music intensive format and only have so much time to talk. Not defending them, but that's the format... Oh I know, you'll say you've heard better morning shows on AC stations in other cities, but they are successful...
 
[/quote]

My guess would be that Jhani Kaye is programming the Christmas songs he's got research on from his years at KOST.
I've heard many of the Christmas-Oldies that KRTH used to play as well, so it looks like he's just adding newer Christmas songs to the mix.
[/quote] I can't imagine him using research from KOST at K-Earth, unless changes are coming after Christmas.

Goodfellow
 
Funny you mention Boney M. I called the chick who comes on after the boring morning show on KOST and requested Boney M (since I get forced to listen to xMas at work). She said shes never heard of them and that they dont have "Marys Boy Child".


[/quote]

KRTH played the heck out of Boney M last year. I actually grew to like it, in a guilty pleasure kind of way. Haven't heard it once this year.

Anyhow, I'm not sure what listener is going to want to hear the Byrds, Otis Redding, Lynard Skynard, Mick Jagger, and then.... some Adult Contemporary Christmas tunes from KOST-FM. Seems like a very odd, misguided programming choice. You'd think if they wanted to go Adult Contemporary, they'd do it with the whole playlist. But.....they aren't.
 
scooty430 said:
I'm not sure what listener is going to want to hear the Byrds, Otis Redding, Lynard Skynard, Mick Jagger, and then.... some Adult Contemporary Christmas tunes from KOST-FM. Seems like a very odd, misguided programming choice. You'd think if they wanted to go Adult Contemporary, they'd do it with the whole playlist. But.....they aren't.
Click to expand...

Perhaps they think they can pull demos away from KOST? It's CBS, who knows what they're thinking, and really, who is making the decisions anyway. Doesn't Kaye actually take his marching orders from some CBS oldies guy in Denver and the Slayer Of Great Stations Maureen Lesourd?
 
Pulling listeners from KOST is probably exactly what they wish to do. Judging from their promos, I think they want to position themselves as an alternative for people who want to hear SOME Christmas music, but not hear it 24/7 for a month. So they figure, hey, let's play those KOST Xmas tunes every third or fourth song.

It wouldn't be a bad idea, IF, that is, K-Earth were an MOR / Easy Listening Station too. But it's an Oldies station, so I would think a KOST listener looking for her favorite non-hoiday KOST tunes would not be interested in K-Earth's normal playlist.

The other problem is that K-Earth has a longtime fanbase with very specific tastes, and a long sense of tradition. Think of all the soccer moms driving around expecting their kids to hear the Chipmunks and Snoopy's Red Baron, but instead hearing another sentimental Christmas ballad from Barry Manilow! "Change the channel, Mom!"

To alienate all those loyal fans just to boost your ratings for a few weeks is not such a great idea. Witness WCBSFM in New York.

The sad thing is now there is basically no outlet for those classic tunes. Instead, there are TWO stations playing Adult Contemporary Christmas, and NO stations playing Oldies Christmas. :(
 
scooty430 said:
Pulling listeners from KOST is probably exactly what they wish to do. Judging from their promos, I think they want to position themselves as an alternative for people who want to hear SOME Christmas music, but not hear it 24/7 for a month. So they figure, hey, let's play those KOST Xmas tunes every third or fourth song.

It wouldn't be a bad idea, IF, that is, K-Earth were an MOR / Easy Listening Station too. But it's an Oldies station, so I would think a KOST listener looking for her favorite non-hoiday KOST tunes would not be interested in K-Earth's normal playlist.

The other problem is that K-Earth has a longtime fanbase with very specific tastes, and a long sense of tradition. Think of all the soccer moms driving around expecting their kids to hear the Chipmunks and Snoopy's Red Baron, but instead hearing another sentimental Christmas ballad from Barry Manilow! "Change the channel, Mom!"

To alienate all those loyal fans just to boost your ratings for a few weeks is not such a great idea. Witness WCBSFM in New York.

The sad thing is now there is basically no outlet for those classic tunes. Instead, there are TWO stations playing Adult Contemporary Christmas, and NO stations playing Oldies Christmas. :(
Click to expand...
To reiterate my comment about format by committee under the Movin' Image thread. There are too many cooks and too few chefs today, as is evidence by the Christmas music all over the middle of the road policy at K-Earth. Listeners come to K-Earth for Classic Rock and Roll Christmas and they give them what they just pushed the button not to hear!

It amazes me that the weak programmers of the 70s and early 80s who didn't buck the system are now top programmers for the big players. You know who I mean! They got lousy ratings as PDs because they quit broadcasting and started narrow casting. They let the bias geek researchers take them down from 18 to 4 and 5 shares, but the losers felt good about it because they won the target demo, 4 or 5 years of young women.

And the big ratings dogs of that era who weren't happy until they were number one 12 to death, where are they now? Come on you know who I mean! Why aren't they running the "players"? Because these PDs might challenge the idea of consultants having to team up with competitors to win! That's because these rogue legends were used to the likes of Drew, Burkhardt and the Big Kahuna Mr. Drake that didn't have to consult with another consultant! Paul, Kent and Bill were Cowboys who'd rather fight than colaborate!

There are still a few great chefs out there, but the kitchen has been taken over by cooks, and I think the soup is getting spoiled!

Goodfellow
 
The Goodfellow said:
scooty430 said:
Pulling listeners from KOST is probably exactly what they wish to do. Judging from their promos, I think they want to position themselves as an alternative for people who want to hear SOME Christmas music, but not hear it 24/7 for a month. So they figure, hey, let's play those KOST Xmas tunes every third or fourth song.

It wouldn't be a bad idea, IF, that is, K-Earth were an MOR / Easy Listening Station too. But it's an Oldies station, so I would think a KOST listener looking for her favorite non-hoiday KOST tunes would not be interested in K-Earth's normal playlist.

The other problem is that K-Earth has a longtime fanbase with very specific tastes, and a long sense of tradition. Think of all the soccer moms driving around expecting their kids to hear the Chipmunks and Snoopy's Red Baron, but instead hearing another sentimental Christmas ballad from Barry Manilow! "Change the channel, Mom!"

To alienate all those loyal fans just to boost your ratings for a few weeks is not such a great idea. Witness WCBSFM in New York.

The sad thing is now there is basically no outlet for those classic tunes. Instead, there are TWO stations playing Adult Contemporary Christmas, and NO stations playing Oldies Christmas. :(
Click to expand...
To reiterate my comment about format by committee under the Movin' Image thread. There are too many cooks and too few chefs today, as is evidence by the Christmas music all over the middle of the road policy at K-Earth. Listeners come to K-Earth for Classic Rock and Roll Christmas and they give them what they just pushed the button not to hear!

It amazes me that the weak programmers of the 70s and early 80s who didn't buck the system are now top programmers for the big players. You know who I mean! They got lousy ratings as PDs because they quit broadcasting and started narrow casting. They let the bias geek researchers take them down from 18 to 4 and 5 shares, but the losers felt good about it because they won the target demo, 4 or 5 years of young women.

And the big ratings dogs of that era who weren't happy until they were number one 12 to death, where are they now? Come on you know who I mean! Why aren't they running the "players"? Because these PDs might challenge the idea of consultants having to team up with competitors to win! That's because these rogue legends were used to the likes of Drew, Burkhardt and the Big Kahuna Mr. Drake that didn't have to consult with another consultant! Paul, Kent and Bill were Cowboys who'd rather fight than colaborate!

There are still a few great chefs out there, but the kitchen has been taken over by cooks, and I think the soup is getting spoiled!

Goodfellow
Click to expand...

**stands up and applauds!!!***
 
john77 said:
The Goodfellow said:
scooty430 said:
Pulling listeners from KOST is probably exactly what they wish to do. Judging from their promos, I think they want to position themselves as an alternative for people who want to hear SOME Christmas music, but not hear it 24/7 for a month. So they figure, hey, let's play those KOST Xmas tunes every third or fourth song.

It wouldn't be a bad idea, IF, that is, K-Earth were an MOR / Easy Listening Station too. But it's an Oldies station, so I would think a KOST listener looking for her favorite non-hoiday KOST tunes would not be interested in K-Earth's normal playlist.

The other problem is that K-Earth has a longtime fanbase with very specific tastes, and a long sense of tradition. Think of all the soccer moms driving around expecting their kids to hear the Chipmunks and Snoopy's Red Baron, but instead hearing another sentimental Christmas ballad from Barry Manilow! "Change the channel, Mom!"

To alienate all those loyal fans just to boost your ratings for a few weeks is not such a great idea. Witness WCBSFM in New York.

The sad thing is now there is basically no outlet for those classic tunes. Instead, there are TWO stations playing Adult Contemporary Christmas, and NO stations playing Oldies Christmas. :(
Click to expand...
To reiterate my comment about format by committee under the Movin' Image thread. There are too many cooks and too few chefs today, as is evidence by the Christmas music all over the middle of the road policy at K-Earth. Listeners come to K-Earth for Classic Rock and Roll Christmas and they give them what they just pushed the button not to hear!

It amazes me that the weak programmers of the 70s and early 80s who didn't buck the system are now top programmers for the big players. You know who I mean! They got lousy ratings as PDs because they quit broadcasting and started narrow casting. They let the bias geek researchers take them down from 18 to 4 and 5 shares, but the losers felt good about it because they won the target demo, 4 or 5 years of young women.

And the big ratings dogs of that era who weren't happy until they were number one 12 to death, where are they now? Come on you know who I mean! Why aren't they running the "players"? Because these PDs might challenge the idea of consultants having to team up with competitors to win! That's because these rogue legends were used to the likes of Drew, Burkhardt and the Big Kahuna Mr. Drake that didn't have to consult with another consultant! Paul, Kent and Bill were Cowboys who'd rather fight than colaborate!

There are still a few great chefs out there, but the kitchen has been taken over by cooks, and I think the soup is getting spoiled!

Goodfellow
Click to expand...

**stands up and applauds!!!***
Click to expand...
Thank You John!

Goodfellow
 
To reiterate my comment about format by committee under the Movin' Image thread. There are too many cooks and too few chefs today, as is evidence by the Christmas music all over the middle of the road policy at K-Earth. Listeners come to K-Earth for Classic Rock and Roll Christmas and they give them what they just pushed the button not to hear!

It amazes me that the weak programmers of the 70s and early 80s who didn't buck the system are now top programmers for the big players. You know who I mean! They got lousy ratings as PDs because they quit broadcasting and started narrow casting. They let the bias geek researchers take them down from 18 to 4 and 5 shares, but the losers felt good about it because they won the target demo, 4 or 5 years of young women.

And the big ratings dogs of that era who weren't happy until they were number one 12 to death, where are they now? Come on you know who I mean! Why aren't they running the "players"? Because these PDs might challenge the idea of consultants having to team up with competitors to win! That's because these rogue legends were used to the likes of Drew, Burkhardt and the Big Kahuna Mr. Drake that didn't have to consult with another consultant! Paul, Kent and Bill were Cowboys who'd rather fight than colaborate!

There are still a few great chefs out there, but the kitchen has been taken over by cooks, and I think the soup is getting spoiled!

Goodfellow
[/quote]A couple of my "Boss" buddies have asked me to re post this. Maybe the Wall Street guys will see it Monday Morning. Hey SUITS, you can make more money with Cowboys than Yes Men! Look at who you put in charge of your millions. The battle cry of "but that is only 12 plus, what about 20 and a half year old women?" is the reason radio is where we are! Ask your Director of Programers about their ratings history! You know who I'm talking about! Time for a sit down!

Goodfellow
 
That once-great heritage oldies station is so lame.

They've forgotten who their audience is.

Worse yet, they don't even care about their audience.

They only want the younger listeners.

They gut anything before '65 then they can't even do that well. There still is a lot of music they could play from '65-75 but they're not content with that. They water the format down with 70s AC and soft rock.

K-Earth, anothe good reason to go to satellite.
 
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