KRTH 101 Classic Hits

[RIN3GUY]

First, regarding calling The Eagles "the most popular American band in history" --- I don't know. I hate things like that, because, fact is you need the RIAA to be keeping track, and while the Eagles are among the high rankers, many, many popular groups spanning the 1950's-1980's went unaudited by the RIAA. So, really beyond Elvis and The Beatles, it gets fishy. The Eagles are definitely popular, but I don't know about "most popular".

Great point, Biondi. Although the Eagles did sell more LPs, they were not even among the top 10 acts of the 1970s on the singles chart, during the time when singles sales were peaking. Whitburn ranks them at #13, below even Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond. The Eagles don't even make Whitburn's list of the Top 100 artists from 1955-2002. They place somewhere in between Patti Page and Helen Reddy.

And as far as singles sales for American bands go, the Eagles are WAY behind several other U.S. acts: Three Dog Night, Chicago, the Jackson 5 and the Carpenters all have them beat, with the Carpenters on top. Whitburn gives them 1104, 1310, 1480, 1551 & 1644 points, respectively. Just switch Chicago & the Jackson 5 & that's my order of faves too. No disrespect to the Eagles, but I'd just as soon hear Shaun Cassidy or the Partridge Family.

 

[semoochie]

Success of the Eagles' Greatest Hits album has been ongoing. It took nearly 40 years to get to that point.

 

[Biondi4Mayor]

There is still a major problem. All the testing in the world, is clearly not representing the area accurately.

As John Cleese said in Monty Python's Cheese Shop sketch:

"Explain the logic underlying that conclusion, please."

The "logic" is that Mr. Gleason seems to be under the assumption that the songs KRTH is playing is not representative of the Hispanic population that consists of a huge percentage of the LA market.

"All the testing in the world" - you've both acknowledged Jhani's work, so we know he's testing, but something's off.

And again, either the testing has proved inadequate, or the testing is accurate, just disputed by some.

 

[Biondi4Mayor]

Success of the Eagles' Greatest Hits album has been ongoing. It took nearly 40 years to get to that point.

Right, but we're pointing to the fact that not all artists during those same 40 years have been evaluated and the audited by the RIAA, therefore, a real comparison cannot be made.

 

[davideduardo]

The "logic" is that Mr. Gleason seems to be under the assumption that the songs KRTH is playing is not representative of the Hispanic population that consists of a huge percentage of the LA market.

LA is 44% Hispanic, but in 18-49 (which is becoming, just like TV, The sales demo) the market is over 50% Hispanic. It's 12% Asian, 8% Black and about 10% of other origin born outside the US (Persian, Russian, etc). That means that a Classic Hits station has to form an alliance of non-Hispanic whites (30% or less of the market) and Hispanics to be successful.

I'm fairly familiar with the English language CHR / Top 40 songs that Hispanics like (as earlier posts should prove) and I can say "fer sure" that many of the tunes 76 has listed are not very appealing to Hispanics.

This may also explain why the Spanish language Classic Hits station, despite only covering 60% of the market, beats KRTH fairly regularly in 25-54.

 

[Biondi4Mayor]

The "logic" is that Mr. Gleason seems to be under the assumption that the songs KRTH is playing is not representative of the Hispanic population that consists of a huge percentage of the LA market.

LA is 44% Hispanic, but in 18-49 (which is becoming, just like TV, The sales demo) the market is over 50% Hispanic. It's 12% Asian, 8% Black and about 10% of other origin born outside the US (Persian, Russian, etc). That means that a Classic Hits station has to form an alliance of non-Hispanic whites (30% or less of the market) and Hispanics to be successful.

I'm fairly familiar with the English language CHR / Top 40 songs that Hispanics like (as earlier posts should prove) and I can say "fer sure" that many of the tunes 76 has listed are not very appealing to Hispanics.

Those tunes weren't meant to be representative. It seems you don't feel the playlist is good enough. Now, we know you've said that sooner or later "all songs get tested" so what's the problem? Where is testing failing this station?

 

[oldies76]

It seems you don't feel the playlist is good enough.

Well heck, I know where a good playlist exists right now, I mean right this very minute...

http://wcbsfm.cbslocal.com/

The good ole Sunday Night Countdown!! I know David and Michael will cringe, but it's all "stiffs" til midnight EST! Actually, there are all hits from March 1973 and March 1983 tonight!!

 

[michael hagerty]

First, regarding calling The Eagles "the most popular American band in history" --- I don't know. I hate things like that, because, fact is you need the RIAA to be keeping track, and while the Eagles are among the high rankers, many, many popular groups spanning the 1950's-1980's went unaudited by the RIAA. So, really beyond Elvis and The Beatles, it gets fishy. The Eagles are definitely popular, but I don't know about "most popular".

Great point, Biondi. Although the Eagles did sell more LPs, they were not even among the top 10 acts of the 1970s on the singles chart, during the time when singles sales were peaking. Whitburn ranks them at #13, below even Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond. The Eagles don't even make Whitburn's list of the Top 100 artists from 1955-2002. They place somewhere in between Patti Page and Helen Reddy.

And as far as singles sales for American bands go, the Eagles are WAY behind several other U.S. acts: Three Dog Night, Chicago, the Jackson 5 and the Carpenters all have them beat, with the Carpenters on top. Whitburn gives them 1104, 1310, 1480, 1551 & 1644 points, respectively. Just switch Chicago & the Jackson 5 & that's my order of faves too. No disrespect to the Eagles, but I'd just as soon hear Shaun Cassidy or the Partridge Family.

Singles sales peaked in 1974. The Eagles didn't really hit their stride until 1975 and tended to sell albums.

 

[michael hagerty]

Success of the Eagles' Greatest Hits album has been ongoing. It took nearly 40 years to get to that point.

Suggesting that the music within has continued to be popular. I believe it closed out the decade after its release at 10 million copies. 42 million in 40 years in a remarkable achievement for one album..and it's a greatest hits package.

 

[michael hagerty]

There is still a major problem. All the testing in the world, is clearly not representing the area accurately.

As John Cleese said in Monty Python's Cheese Shop sketch:

"Explain the logic underlying that conclusion, please."

The "logic" is that Mr. Gleason seems to be under the assumption that the songs KRTH is playing is not representative of the Hispanic population that consists of a huge percentage of the LA market.

"All the testing in the world" - you've both acknowledged Jhani's work, so we know he's testing, but something's off.

And again, either the testing has proved inadequate, or the testing is accurate, just disputed by some.

Mr. Gleason's observations concerned a list of 7 songs. Not played in a row, not powers, just 7 of the 800 or so songs KRTH plays. That list is not indicative of a problem in testing, or as I suspected when I mistook it for a sequence of songs, implementation.

Even if all this were what I had mistakenly thought it was, to say that it was either accurate testing or inaccurate testing is like looking at a car crash and saying either the drivers wanted to wreck or the engineers don't know how to design traffic lights without considering the third and far more likely cause: Driver error.

 

[michael hagerty]

And before we get lost in a debate over The Eagles' sales, let's remember what it was in response to:

We want to have the possibility of having a day without hearing a single Eagles song..

A radio station is a great big garden hose. Everyone can drink from it, and for free. But only one thing comes out of the hose at a time. To make it possible for you to have a day without hearing a single Eagles (or anybody else) song, you have to reduce or eliminate the possibility of anyone else hearing one. And those songs are popular today with that station's listeners.

 

[oldies76]

Mr. Gleason's observations concerned a list of 7 songs. Not played in a row, not powers, just 7 of the 800 or so songs KRTH plays.

Would you consider these seven songs (and the other lists that I posted) to be included in the core 800 songs? Or do you consider these to be "extras" that KRTH is playing due to a weekend feature? Or the one extra song per hour (as an example) we've been discussing?

 

[oldies76]

To make it possible for you to have a day without hearing a single Eagles (or anybody else) song, you have to reduce or eliminate the possibility of anyone else hearing one. And those songs are popular today with that station's listeners.

True, but we can reduce the frequency of some of those Eagles hits being aired. We don't need to play "Take It Easy" every day....maybe 2-3 times a week.

 

[michael hagerty]

Mr. Gleason's observations concerned a list of 7 songs. Not played in a row, not powers, just 7 of the 800 or so songs KRTH plays.

Would you consider these seven songs (and the other lists that I posted) to be included in the core 800 songs? Or do you consider these to be "extras" that KRTH is playing due to a weekend feature? Or the one extra song per hour (as an example) we've been discussing?

I don't know, Oldies. I haven't had time to follow through with the close look at KRTH's music I started a few weeks ago, so how they're playing those songs isn't something I can answer.

 

[michael hagerty]

To make it possible for you to have a day without hearing a single Eagles (or anybody else) song, you have to reduce or eliminate the possibility of anyone else hearing one. And those songs are popular today with that station's listeners.

True, but we can reduce the frequency of some of those Eagles hits being aired. We don't need to play "Take It Easy" every day....maybe 2-3 times a week.

But if you're the typical listener, and you like "Take It Easy" you might not hear it as often as you like.

Playing it one-third as often (assuming it is in fact played daily) might take exposure for the typical listener from once every three weeks to once every nine. And then the perception is "They used to play my favorite Eagles song once in a while. Now I never hear it."