KRTH 2013 Labor Day Countdown

[Thomps2525]

Today, just before ending his airshift and turning things over to Sky Walker, Charlie Tuna thanked Sky for being the "tech guy" who got the computer system running again after it broke down to the high number of votes being tabulated. Uh, Charlie? Does that mean that all the votes were tabulated and not just a representative sample?

The Doors' Light My Fire has almost always been in the top ten. This year it's #193. Apparently the fire has gone out.

 

[oldies76]

Good countdown so far, but I am noticing something rather interesting.

About two 60's songs per hour and never back to back. This has been consistent since the special began yesterday at noon.

 

[Thomps2525]

Could it be that the fans of 1960s music have (a) gotten tired of KRTH playing the same songs over and over and over, (b) quit listening to KRTH when 1980s songs were added to the playlist, (c) switched their listening to other stations, (d) started to die off, or (e) just didn't bother to vote this year...or is there some other reason that would explain the dearth of '60s songs relative to previous countdowns? The decision by KOLA to drop all '60s hits is starting to look very wise. The decade is dead---the '70s are what's happenin' now. It's time to break out the bell-bottoms and disco balls and Betamax VCRs, go streaking, call our good buddies on our CB radio, listen to our Saturday Night Fever album, and put our pet rocks and Farrah Fawcett-Majors posters back on display!

 

[michael hagerty]

Could it be that the fans of 1960s music have (a) gotten tired of KRTH playing the same songs over and over and over, (b) quit listening to KRTH when 1980s songs were added to the playlist, (c) switched their listening to other stations, (d) started to die off, or (e) just didn't bother to vote this year...or is there some other reason that would explain the dearth of '60s songs relative to previous countdowns? The decision by KOLA to drop all '60s hits is starting to look very wise. The decade is dead---the '70s are what's happenin' now. It's time to break out the bell-bottoms and disco balls and Betamax VCRs, go streaking, call our good buddies on our CB radio, listen to our Saturday Night Fever album, and put our pet rocks and Farrah Fawcett-Majors posters back on display!

I think you've covered it.

 

[Thomps2525]

Perennial favorites Yesterday, Satisfaction, Light My Fire, Stairway To Heaven and Hey Jude didn't even make the top 20 this year. The top ten on this year's KRTH Top 500 are, in order, Billie Jean, Grease, Sister Golden Hair, Don't Stop Believing, Margaritaville, Old Time Rock & Roll, Brown Eyed Girl (Gak!!!), Brick House, Joy To The World and My Life. I thought American Pie would be number one---it was #14. Only one 1960s song in the top ten...and it's the most overplayed burned-out song in history. Go figure! As for Elvis Presley: "We hardly knew ye."

 

[krth101]

Have followed the countdown and the comments here with great interest. I am not as much surprised at the relatively few 60s songs, but the number of records that made the survey that to my knowledge have ever been played previously on KRTH. This countdown is probably indicative of the direction rick thomas will be taking the station. After this weekend, im wondering if this countdown was actually voted on by the KRTH listeners. The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if this was carefully crafted and simply the new pds way to move the station away from the 60s and much deeper into the 80s

 

[oldies76]

Have followed the countdown and the comments here with great interest. I am not as much surprised at the relatively few 60s songs, but the number of records that made the survey that to my knowledge have ever been played previously on KRTH. This countdown is probably indicative of the direction rick thomas will be taking the station. After this weekend, im wondering if this countdown was actually voted on by the KRTH listeners. The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if this was carefully crafted and simply the new pds way to move the station away from the 60s and much deeper into the 80s

Frankly who cares anymore...I'm listening to the special that KRTH did and the #1 songs back over Labor Day weekend in 1985.

http://crl.ucsd.edu/~buff/music/krth/index.php

Anything else is inferior. "My Life" #1?? Wow and unbelievable.
It is what it is, I suppose.....now back to the #1's. WOGL comes in second.

 

[Thomps2525]

KRTH's Top 500 list is now online at

http://kearth101.cbslocal.com/k-ear...abor-day-interactive-countdown-top-500-songs/

but there are a lot of errors: "BeeGee's" and "Billy Joey" and "Bob Segar" and "Best Of Burden" and wrong years for several songs---Tracks Of My Tears, Good Vibrations and When A Man Loves A Woman are all shown as 1967, Night Moves is shown as 317, and If You Don't Know Me By Now has "Bruno Mars" instead of a year!

And only two pre-1964 songs made the list, Louie Louie and Do You Love Me. No Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Jerry Lee Lewis, Frankie Avalon, Connie Francis, Chubby Checker, Bobby Vee, Bobby Vinton, Bobby Rydell, Bobby Darin, Buddy Holly, Brenda Lee, Ray Charles, Gene Pitney, Ritchie Valens, Jimmie Rodgers, Crests, Drifters, Platters, Everly Brothers---are we to believe that this was an accurate countdown and included every vote and none of those artists' songs had enough votes to make the Top 500? I is skeptical! I is very skeptical!

 

[oldies76]

KRTH's Top 500 list is now online at

http://kearth101.cbslocal.com/k-ear...abor-day-interactive-countdown-top-500-songs/

but there are a lot of errors: "BeeGee's" and "Billy Joey" and "Bob Segar" and "Best Of Burden" and wrong years for several songs---Tracks Of My Tears, Good Vibrations and When A Man Loves A Woman are all shown as 1967, Night Moves is shown as 317, and If You Don't Know Me By Now has "Bruno Mars" instead of a year!

And only two pre-1964 songs made the list!

The way you wrote a previous post, made it sound like "My Life" was #1, actually I'll take "Billie Jean" anytime! Yes, the list has tons of typos..."Oh What A Night (December 1962)" is one of them. Lots of songs with the wrong years too....Jeez, who typed this nonsense??

 

[Thomps2525]

When I listed the top ten "in order," I meant from #1 to #10, not #10 to #1....although the list is probably just as sucky in either order. Based on the relatively low number of 1960s songs on the countdown, I have a feeling that KRTH will soon follow KOLA in going to a 1970s-80s-90s format. Then we can start hoping that somebody will start a new oldies station that plays 1950s-60s. He'd have the format all to himself and, I hope, attract enough listeners to show David and Michael (and the advertisers) that the older songs do still have fans.

 

[oldies76]

Also check out WCBS's top 500:

http://wcbsfm.cbslocal.com/2013/09/01/cbs-fms-complete-top-500-labor-day-weekend-countdown-for-2013/

and look what's #1

 

[Thomps2525]

I saw only two pre-1964 songs on the 'CBS list, Do You Love Me and Stand By Me. All the aforementioned artists that were missing from the KRTH countdown are also missing from the 'CBS countdown. Now I'm really skeptical that these lists are accurate. All the Elvis Presley fans have died? Nobody likes any songs from the 1950s, the early '60s, the '90s or 2000s? Nobody likes instrumentals? Come on!

 

[davideduardo]

Based on the relatively low number of 1960s songs on the countdown, I have a feeling that KRTH will soon follow KOLA in going to a 1970s-80s-90s format.

They have to do something. The book that is out today is even worse than the prior books in 25-54.

Then we can start hoping that somebody will start a new oldies station that plays 1950s-60s. .

Maybe Sol Levine can do that (again) on an AM for a season or two. There is no way that any owner of an FM in LA can do an old oldies format in a market where so much business is transactional and excludes 55+ totally.

 

[calguy]

All one needs to do is read the press release announcing the hiring of a new APD fro KRTH. He's a PD from San Diego who is adept at converting a station from oldies to classic hits, though it already seems like they are transitioning to that...

 

[oldies76]

They have to do something. The book that is out today is even worse than the prior books in 25-54.



Maybe Sol Levine can do that (again) on an AM for a season or two. There is no way that any owner of an FM in LA can do an old oldies format in a market where so much business is transactional and excludes 55+ totally.

Well then, possibly an AM based out in the Mojave desert (and there's a few I believe that play oldies, hopefully David can list a few here) will have to be relyed upon to host a top 500 countdown and then maybe, just maybe RRewind will get his wish of mostly pre-64's on a countdown. Lol!

 

[oldies76]

All one needs to do is read the press release announcing the hiring of a new APD fro KRTH. He's a PD from San Diego who is adept at converting a station from oldies to classic hits, though it already seems like they are transitioning to that...

I believe you're right....today's playlist shows only two 1960's songs played per hour, mirroring the top 500 countdown over the weekend.

 

[davideduardo]

All one needs to do is read the press release announcing the hiring of a new APD fro KRTH. He's a PD from San Diego who is adept at converting a station from oldies to classic hits, though it already seems like they are transitioning to that...

KRTH has been classic hits for many years. The definition of "Classic Hits" is 70's based pop hits with early to mid 80's and a smattering of late 60's" and that is what is not working for KRTH today.

 

[semoochie]

KRTH has been classic hits for many years. The definition of "Classic Hits" is 70's based pop hits with early to mid 80's and a smattering of late 60's" and that is what is not working for KRTH today.

It seems like when I was there in Spring '12, they were still playing every other song from the 60s.

 

[davideduardo]

It seems like when I was there in Spring '12, they were still playing every other song from the 60s.

Mostly late 60's. They have been, technically, classic hits since before Jhani Kaye arrived. They began adding early 80's around 2007 and cutting back on the earlier 60's until they all disappeared.

 

[Thomps2525]

Occasionally KRTH still plays Tequila, a number-one hit from 1958; La Bamba (#22, 1958); Shout (#47, 1959; #94, 1962); Do You Love Me (#3, 1962; #11, 1988); Stand By Me (#4, 1961; #9, 1986); and, very rarely, an Elvis Presley song such as Don't Be Cruel or Jailhouse Rock. Who came up with the idea of "classic hits"? What prevents pre-1964 songs from being classic hits? On the other hand, can we foresee a time when all the 1990s-early 2000s rap and hip-hop hits will be considered classic hits?