KCKC FM - Large Playlist Success ?

[davideduardo]

That would be the tail wagging the dog. Stations are not compensated to be in any of the airplay panels, so the only reason to stay is prestige. And prestige doesn't pay the bills.

Being on the significant two "panels" does help get good new release service, promotional items, occasional "drops" from artists, concert sponsorships and the like. It even helps to get permissions and releases to use clips for TV ads or photos for billboards and the like.

 

[Kelly A]

No, we were both right. The majority are from the 70s-80s but they mainly only get 1-3 spins a week.

Let's go to the tape: "Most of KCKC's spins are 1978 to 1992 songs, and it is 85% gold. A few currents and recurrents, but very focused on the 80's for the gold, although there is a bit of the rest of the 90's but very little from the 2000's except the few currents."

And BigA pointed out (via Mediabase); "Those 70s and 80s songs get on average 1 spin a week. The newer songs get from 4 to 17 spins a week."

Seems like your ratio is reversed.

The later a song is, the more they spin it, but there are less songs on the playlist from later on. An interesting strategy, though I'm guessing they're forced to spin the currents that much to stay on the ac panel.

AC stations face a similar challenge to Pop, in that there just isn't much in the way of wide appeal new music available. If you aren't getting any current hits, all you have are recurrent's.

 

[tall_guy1]

Let's go to the tape: "Most of KCKC's spins are 1978 to 1992 songs, and it is 85% gold. A few currents and recurrents, but very focused on the 80's for the gold, although there is a bit of the rest of the 90's but very little from the 2000's except the few currents."

And BigA pointed out (via Mediabase); "Those 70s and 80s songs get on average 1 spin a week. The newer songs get from 4 to 17 spins a week."

Seems like your ratio is reversed.

AC stations face a similar challenge to Pop, in that there just isn't much in the way of wide appeal new music available. If you aren't getting any current hits, all you have are recurrent's.

I don't see how we're in disagreement about the top part. That's what I meant. For the currents, I was simply observing what I was seeing and how the spin amount might be a part of being a part of the ac panel.

 

[seatownmedia]

Interesting thread. I personally enjoy hundreds of mid-chart records that get no airplay today. Some were really good. A lot of times the record companies bailed on these. If you want to explore, just go online and and explore the charts, especially songs that peaked number 15-25. Amazing songs that never hit top 10.

 

[davideduardo]

No, we were both right. The majority are from the 70s-80s but they mainly o||||||||||||||||||jh< ´hgdfsa>ly get 1-3 spins a week. The later a song is, the more they spin it, but there are less songs on the playlist from later on. An interesting strategy, though I'm guessing they're forced to spin the currents that much to stay on the ac panel.

There are "panels" for gold only formats, too. But to be classified as CHR or Churban you have to have a certain number of currents and rotate them a certain number of times a week.

If you play contemporary/pop/light rock/crossover music, you can be CHR, Churban, Hot AC or AC. How many currents you play and how often makes a lot of the difference, but so does the average age of what is played each hour.

BDS and MediaBase have breakout reports for many formats, even ones like Adult Hits, Country, Adult R&B, Adult Top 40, Dance, AC, Hot AC, Regional Mexican, Latin Pop, AC in Spanish, Latin Rhythmic, Hip-Hop, Mainstream R&B, Classic Hits, Mainstream Top 40, Classic Country, and more.

Each station's weekly plays are analyzed and that determines which format category, if any, a station belongs in.

For many stations that don't get any benefit from record company relationships, it does not matter which panel Mediabase or BDS puts them on. Stations subscribe to one or the other to monitory airplay on certain stations they like to observe, just like we used to subscribe to FMQB, Hamilton, Gavin, Walrus!, R&R, BRE, Hits, Hitmakers, Network 40, The Hard Report and the like to see who was playing what.

 

[awsherrill]

Is this that little LPFM on 101.5? We vacationed about a quarter of a mile from their site. Very eclectic mix of old and new rock with generic liner-voicetracks. Seemed like more of a hobby station than a serious part of the community.

Would this be WHDZ Buxton? It is actually a full-service noncom FM, although they are currently running at a power level that might as well be LPFM.

WPNC is a class-A FM on 95.9 in Plymouth NC, about 60 or so miles from the coast.

 

[CTListener]

Interesting thread. I personally enjoy hundreds of mid-chart records that get no airplay today. Some were really good. A lot of times the record companies bailed on these. If you want to explore, just go online and and explore the charts, especially songs that peaked number 15-25. Amazing songs that never hit top 10.

Still happening today on country radio. Labels decide that a song is never going to be a huge hit, so they stop pushing for spins and move on to the next single, or drop the artist from the roster. Listening to the songs involved, it's hard to say why they stiffed, or why they weren't given a chance to catch on instead of being cast aside while still climbing the charts. There was just a certain "something" missing, which is why it's always been true that no song is ever a guaranteed smash hit on release.

 

[vchimpanzee]

vchimpanzee says: No, it's a full-power small town FM.

Know the call letters & city?

It was mentioned above. WPNC, Plymouth.

Well, someone else responded. Class A, the person said, but that's not LFPM.

 

[davideduardo]

Still happening today on country radio. Labels decide that a song is never going to be a huge hit, so they stop pushing for spins and move on to the next single, or drop the artist from the roster. Listening to the songs involved, it's hard to say why they stiffed, or why they weren't given a chance to catch on instead of being cast aside while still climbing the charts. There was just a certain "something" missing, which is why it's always been true that no song is ever a guaranteed smash hit on release.

I've been at many stations where a current was working for us but where the label wanted us to dump it to add a new release. A station can make a variety of decisions ranging from waiting on the new song to adding it but not reducing play on the solid performer to moving the strong song to recurrent.

Often, a complication will be that an artist that is "big" has a lot of gold you want to play while having several currents and recurrents keeps the gold from rotating right. Well reasoned audience based decisions are not always what the label wants. At a major station, labels will push but know when to back off before relationships are damaged.

 

[seatownmedia]

Absolutely correct. Labels only care about their latest release. They couldn’t care less about your recurrent plays. With them it was always about the next potential hit. And guess what? That was the perfect thing to do! Once a song is a hit they can wash their hands of it and focus on the next one.

 

[davideduardo]

Absolutely correct. Labels only care about their latest release. They couldn’t care less about your recurrent plays. With them it was always about the next potential hit. And guess what? That was the perfect thing to do! Once a song is a hit they can wash their hands of it and focus on the next one.

We could do a whole thread about reasons record promoters used to try to push a song, particularly if you thought the song sounded, looked and smelled like a stiff.

My "favorite" is, "they told me my job is on the line if I don't bring this song home..."

I'd usually respond, "well, call over to Sony. Their guy told me the same thing yesterday about another song I won't be playing, so you can probably get his job."

 

[seatownmedia]

Or, and this one always floored me…”we really need your add and we can help you with your next promotion”. Payola light. Not direct, but pretty much the same thing. This was definitely a real thing in the 90’s and perhaps beyond.

 

[Kelly A]

Or, and this one always floored me…”we really need your add and we can help you with your next promotion”. Payola light. Not direct, but pretty much the same thing. This was definitely a real thing in the 90’s and perhaps beyond.

And that big screen TV they 'loaned' you was great around Superbowl.

 

[seatownmedia]

Never did that extreme, but I am certain many of my of my colleagues did. But I loved a nice dinner out. Big difference…I think.

 

[Kent]

Never did that extreme, but I am certain many of my of my colleagues did. But I loved a nice dinner out. Big difference…I think.

Most of the stations where I worked were in too small of markets to get much help from the record labels, though I worked for a small market cluster that had a AAA. That station tended to get better promotional material and gave away bigger prizes than the other stations in the cluster. I don’t know that it was getting support from the labels and/or independent promoters, but AAA had fewer reporters than most formats. That labels and indies might’ve worked with that station would seem to make sense to me.

Like you, I occasionally got a meal comped by establishments for mentioning something going on at their locations. It generally wasn’t something agreed to upfront, but I knew who listened and figured out who was likely to offer me a favor if I mentioned their place on-air.

 

[seatownmedia]

Yes, but I was referring to the record company picking up the dinner bill. Usually with dinner and cocktails the bill got me and the apd about 200 bucks and that was in the 90’s. Today equivalent to $400. Money was been thrown around by record labels in this era.

 

[Kelly A]

Yes, but I was referring to the record company picking up the dinner bill. Usually with dinner and cocktails the bill got me and the apd about 200 bucks and that was in the 90’s. Today equivalent to $400. Money was been thrown around by record labels in this era.

The company I work for have a limit to what vendors can spend on meals to employees.

 

[michael hagerty]

The company I work for have a limit to what vendors can spend on meals to employees.

That’s become common in the last couple of decades with the companies I’ve worked for.

I had some nice record company expense account meals in the 70s, but nothing extravagant. More important guys at bigger stations (again, pretty much anybody else) may have gotten more.

The biggest tab I ever saw a record guy pick up was at the 1977 Gavin convention in Monterey, when the Columbia guy took 20 of us to dinner at the Sardine Factory. (I’m pretty sure I was only there because I was chatting with KFRC’s music director when the rep walked up with the invite).

I’m guessing $35 a head including alcohol (I may be guessing low). For 21 people…$735, which is $3,593.87 in today’s money. Plus tip.

Which is why they carried American Express cards.

 

[awsherrill]

Years ago I worked at a Midwest CHR. At one point the entire staff (engineering included) was issued very nice varsity-style wool jackets, complete with station logo on the back and embroidered name on the front. These were heavy jackets, very warm and perfect for fending off Plains winter weather. It was my understanding that they were paid for by one of the record reps.

I still have mine, although it is the worse for (lots of) wear.

 

[seatownmedia]

Then there was a record promoter that used my name as a business expense for dinner when I wasn’t even there, just he and his wife. That didn’t go over well with me and needless to say he didn’t get many more adds from my station.