I've listened off & on in the car throughout the day & what I'm hearing sounds a lot more like a typical "classic hits" format. I'm hearing a LOT more 60s, more early 70s, the disco & obscure stuff seems mostly gone and the 80s stuff I have heard are either 70s artists with 80s hits or remakes of 70s or 60s songs.
The one exception was at lunch when their "class Reunion" was for the class of '83 so they were all-80s noon to one.
Somebody took that format & retooled with the tried-and-true evergreen hits. They're now playing a lot more of what you would expect from a 60s - 70s station. It's less interesting, but I bet a lot more pleasant for their target audience.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out, because we now have four stations in the Tulsa area competing for the affections of the 45 to 54 yr olds with similar (but not identical) playlists: 94.1 The Sound, Star 103.3, Kool 106.1, & Tulsa's 1270 KRVT. Each puts their own spin on it, but all 4 stations' audiences, I suspect, would look remarkably similar.
Do all 4 thrive as people not only seek out comfort food in this economy but also comfort music, or does somebody (or a couple of somebodies, or several somebodies) have to move a little or a lot to carve out their own niche?
I heard a friend's sister say the other day: "when Kool 106 stopped playing 60s, I had to go to classic country!" That means this audience has splintered to the four winds: KBEZ, K95, KMOD, Big Country 99.5, Star, KRMG, KFAQ, & KRVT.
Can Kool 106 pull them back? Or is it too late?
MY GUESS: The oldies audience seems very emotionally invested in "their" music & "their" stations, & Kool 106 "betrayed" that trust. Even with advertising campaigns, I suspect at this late date it will be tough to get the audience back, at least not for quite a few books. It may hurt the other three a bit, but I don't know how easy it will be to sell "the station that sold out before." As memories fade, it should become easier, but I wouldn't count on that happening this year.
MY UNREQUESTED OPINION: They would have had a better chance by moving forward into a late 70s to early 90s format IF they had programmed the hits instead of the bizarre mix of one hit wonders and "bubbling under" 80s tracks they had been programming. At that point you've got a younger target audience (35 to 44), and the audience is nearly unduplicated (as KBEZ & Mix 96 seem to be moving a little forward in time now).
However, if your station is bleeding money, it's easier to sell the owners a proven 60s - 70s format than an unproven 80s format. In fact, the owners can easily point to failed 80s stations around the nation, and successful 60s - 70s stations in this market.
If it was your money on the line, which way would YOU go?
*sigh*
P.S. - tulsaradiorookie: although I agree with your humor, with 99% of us being in the biz in one form or another, we don't count. It's like advertising a radio station on All Access. ;D