Stew is pretty awesome. I think he’s the best personality there.
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Kevin & Sluggo Cut At KLOS
- Thread starter lanceventa
- Start date
Not really. It tells you the audience is there for the music.
30 years ago this winter, when I was in Phoenix, John Sebastian took over KSLX, a classic rock station. It had a 2.2.
John did what John did in those days, fired the jocks that didn't fit and told the ones he kept to shut up and play the music.
A year later, he had a 5.1.
I believe he also cut the playlist from about 750 songs to around 450. In other words, the audience isn't just there for the music; it's there for its favorite songs.
(Disclaimer: I consider Sebastian a friend. You may take my post as biased if you'd like, but I tend to think his record speaks for itself.)
John's a friend of mine, as well. And you're right---the KSLX library was cut, in terms of number of tracks, but expanded in terms of tempo and texture. It became a lot more accessible to more listeners (this was following KSLX's attempt to super-serve a male audience---"The FM means "For Men......Dammit!").
John has walked around for 45 years with the tag "the guy who killed KHJ." The fact is that his first full book at KHJ was an improvement from the one before it and a number the station hadn't seen in a year.
And set KHJ aside and John has improved the ratings of every station he's ever programmed.
My only criticism of John, and I've told him this to his face, is that he doesn't have a second act. At some point, the audience needs content folded back into the mix or the TSL grows shorter.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
You two are doing a great job in explaining why The Eighties Channel™ has no air personalities other than weekend nights for Flashback Weekend. 😆
We see this everywhere. The way people use radio has changed, and it's because of the availability of online music sevices.
There was a comment on the Seattle board that radio shouldn't try to be an online music service. First of all, it can't, because online music services are interactive. But as far as presentation, if radio can provide free music with minimal interruptions, it will attract a large audience. We see that every day.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
And therein lies the argument in favor of the "consensus hits" model. If the listeners can't directly control what we play, they can fallback to knowing that at least some of their favorites will.
What do you mean by texture?
America vs. AC/DC. McCartney vs. Motley Crue.
Or, "since we don't play what you like, you can just like what we play".
As Mike Tyson said, “If you don’t like it, change the station”
No need to get angry KMR, it was just a throwaway observation line, mainly agreeing that radio superserves almost nobody, it isn't designed for that.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
I just thought that was more of a Howard Cogan type of line and not befitting you.
It wasn't designed to be all things to all people. When it tried to do that, back in the full-service AM days, it led to format specialization.
We're in a time when if people want an all-Taylor format, or an all-Morgan format, there's one available. And the music industry isn't helping. They're just releasing more and more music, which throws more wood on the fire.
Fortunately there are more people who aren't that particular about the music they listen to. For them, radio is sufficient.
Regarding KLOS, the local hosts weren't seen as "value added." Kevin & Sluggo weren't augmenting the music.
I am pretty sure I said that in my post.
You are right, Howard is a pro who makes me LOL many times and makes himself $$ doing it. I am an amateur, throwing one-liners around radio chat boards. But I am flattered that you made the connection.
I'm agreeing with you. Hard as that may be to believe.
The alternatives don't "superserve" either. They're all DIY radio.
Please explain this line. Are you saying 450 is a good number for the playlist, but the titles need to be rotated more? Or are you saying something other than classic rock needs to be on air to keep it interesting?
Neither. I’m saying that—-in 1995—I told John that historically, after hitting a big number at his previous stations—-John changed nothing.
And as the novelty of less talk and more music wore off, with no new content from the talent (who largely were reading the shortest liner cards known to man), people listened for shorter periods. Shares went down and that was that.
That is essentially what happened at KSLX.
What any programmer will say is that the "right" number of songs is the one determined by music testing.
In LA, the KRTH tests obviously show far less songs than the CBS-FM tests in New York do. So is one of them right and one wrong?
No, both are right because each market is different, whether it be on median age, ethnicity or listening habits earlier in their life. And the current coemption and the songs they play or may have "played out" is also a determining factor.
Separately, "rotated more" is confusing. Does it mean songs should be rotated in out of play, resting in between? Or does it mean that the frequency of play (the real radio meaning of "rotation") should be changed.... with some songs played more and others played less.
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