KRTH Playing More 1980s

[scooty430]

Looks like they are trying out more mid-1980s tunes, pushing the envelope:

Naked Eyes - Always Something There To Remind Me
Phil Collins - Another Day In Paradise
Bangels - Manic Monday
Steve Winwood - Higher Love
Joan Jett - I Love Rock and Roll
Billy Joel - It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out
Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time
Madonna - Crazy For You

I know they are chasing a younger demographic, and any kind of new song on KRTH is a plus to break the crushing monotony, but this is just one more example of multiple stations spinning the same songs. All of these songs can be heard, over and over, elsewhere on the dial, and are totally played out. KRTH, if it continues in this direction, will share even MORE songs with JACK, KOST, and KBIG.

Why not just accept demographic defeat and make KRTH a 50s to early 80s oldies station, with an older demo but lots of Geritol and Viagra ads, and make JACK the 80s focused oldies station? They own both stations, so what's the difference?!

Or better yet, realize that the old songs CAN be promoted to a new generation. Guitar Hero is evidence enough of that, as is the success of the Beatles inspired "Rain" or "Love."

 

[davideduardo]

Why not just accept demographic defeat and make KRTH a 50s to early 80s oldies station, with an older demo but lotsof Geritol and Viagra ads, and make JACK the 80s focused oldies station? They own both stations, so what's the difference?!

There is essentially no business for a 55+ radio audience. Unsalable in LA.

Or better yet, realize that the old songs CAN be promoted to a new generation. Guitar Hero is evidence enough of that, as is the success of the Beatles inspired "Rain" or "Love."

There is not one shard of evidence that you can geet more than a tiny number of people who did not "grow up" on a music style to like it... plus the style of KRTH, required for its core, is so un-hip, un-cool, un-in for a younger demo that it could never be done.

 

[scooty430]

So then why are there so many people who weren't even alive in the 60s and 70s who enjoy Abba through "Mama Mia" or AC/DC through Rock Band?

Agreed that K-Earth's retro sound is not cool to young people. But sometimes kitsch can get cool, and timeless things can endure. Look at In N Out Burger. 100 percent unchanged since 1948.

 

[OCradiodude]

Naked Eyes - Always Something There To Remind Me
Phil Collins - Another Day In Paradise
Bangels - Manic Monday
Steve Winwood - Higher Love
Joan Jett - I Love Rock and Roll
Billy Joel - It's Still Rock and Roll To Me
Diana Ross - I'm Coming Out
Cyndi Lauper - Time After Time
Madonna - Crazy For You

Not exactly bad choices to add. Going with Calguy on this one, I would go more of an 80s A/C route. Any idea if they are using the 7 inch single versions of these tunes or the album versions?

 

[michael hagerty]

Or better yet, realize that the old songs CAN be promoted to a new generation. Guitar Hero is evidence enough of that, as is the success of the Beatles inspired "Rain" or "Love."

There is not one shard of evidence that you can geet more than a tiny number of people who did not "grow up" on a music style to like it... plus the style of KRTH, required for its core, is so un-hip, un-cool, un-in for a younger demo that it could never be done.

I think it was Lee Iacocca around the time of the Mustang's introduction who said "You can sell an old man a young man's car, but you can never sell a young man an old man's car."

Works for radio, too. You've got a much better chance of a "traditional" oldies listener embracing newer music on K-EARTH than you do getting younger listeners to go for Ricky Nelson.

Plus, the songs Scooty430 cites make some sense: Steve Winwood, Billy Joel and Diana Ross are artists who have songs in the oldies format (Winwood's would be from the Spencer Davis Group)...the Naked Eyes record is a cover of the R.B. Greaves original from 1969, the Bangles record has the right feel, as does Joan Jett...and Phil Collins, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna need no introduction to any audience over 35.

---Michael Hagerty

 

[Zeb Norris]

Sorry Scooty, but wishing doesn't make it so.

 

[oldies76]

Why not just accept demographic defeat and make KRTH a 50s to early 80s oldies station, with an older demo but lots of Geritol and Viagra ads, and make JACK the 80s focused oldies station? They own both stations, so what's the difference?!

Or better yet, realize that the old songs CAN be promoted to a new generation. Guitar Hero is evidence enough of that, as is the success of the Beatles inspired "Rain" or "Love."

Makes more sense. A true oldies / Classic hits station would lean more to that.

All these 80's hits being played reminds me of the pre-Coffey K-Earth sound. So yes, mix them up with some late 50's, the60's, and 70's and the whole rock n' roll spectrum is covered.

 

[calguy]

Kind of wondering if these songs are being permanently added or not as this last weekend was a "Today's Oldies" weekend.
Could be testing them this way as well, Jhani Kaye is quite clever that way. Today's Oldies is the way KRTH labels them, they even have a jingle for it.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Michael Hagerty, point of correction on RB Greaves "Always Something There to Remind Me" Was not the original ... Written by the famous songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The first version I ever heard was Lou Johnson's (heard it on WIBG Philadelphia 1964) that version did not make the Top 40. I also heard the Sandie Shaw version in 1964. Dionne Warwick also recorded it... Shoot even I don't remember Greave's version of it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/(There's)_Always_Something_There_to_Remind_Me

 

[andreajesus]

And again, even for LONG-time stalwart KRTH (I listened to them when I was out in LA some years back....) as well as for oldies/classic hits stations in GENERAL, there HAS to be a re-definition of the terms "oldies/classic hits" based on the fact, if for nothing else, that a LOT of the original oldies audience from the 1970's and 80's (KRTH, KFRC, WCBS-FM, etc.) HAS either passed on or retired or just gotten out of the game altogether. In order for the format to survive (and this is probably obvious to MOST reading this thread), stations have to either give up or re-define the term "oldies" by bringing in the 80's stuff and at the same time, bringing in the younger audience. It's always been said that the typical demographic for an oldies station is 25-54 - and now the oldie stations are focused on bringing in the younger end of that demo. Perfect example - WCBS-FM's PD Brian Thomas - when the oldies format was re-launched on the station in July 2007, Thomas had the UNENVIABLE task of NOT ONLY bringing in the younger audience to keep the station viable, but to HOLD ON to at least a LARGE portion of the station's LEGACY audience (that is, those listeners who were there with the station since the 1970's and 80's) - I believe he has VERY SUCCESSFULLY done that - if you look at the station's latest PPM ratings, they are #2 with a 4.9 12-PLUS - numbers that have NOT been accomplished for this station since 1990-1991...

 

[davideduardo]

... there HAS to be a re-definition of the terms "oldies/classic hits"

The definitions used in the industry are clear: classic hits is 70's based and Oldies is 60's based. Each may play around the edges some, but the standard terms are and have been in place. The terms are used principally to assist time buyers in making buying decisions, so they are not necessarily used on the air any more than "Adult Hits" is used by Jack stations and the like.

In order for the format to survive (and this is probably obvious to MOST reading this thread), stations have to either give up or re-define the term "oldies" by bringing in the 80's stuff and at the same time, bringing in the younger audience.

The problem is that you are thinking that there is one format with two name variations, when it is the opposite.

It's always been said that the typical demographic for an oldies station is 25-54 - and now the oldie stations are focused on bringing in the younger end of that demo.

I've never considered an oldies station to be 25-54 and neither has the industry. They've always been some form of 35+. Oldies tends to be 45+ or 55+, while Classic Hits is mostly 35-64 today.

Oldies can't bring in younger demos, which is why many such stations have morphed into classic hits formats.

Perfect example - WCBS-FM's PD Brian Thomas - when the oldies format was re-launched on the station in July 2007, Thomas had the UNENVIABLE task of NOT ONLY bringing in the younger audience to keep the station viable, but to HOLD ON to at least a LARGE portion of the station's LEGACY audience (that is, those listeners who were there with the station since the 1970's and 80's) - I believe he has VERY SUCCESSFULLY done that - if you look at the station's latest PPM ratings, they are #2 with a 4.9 12-PLUS - numbers that have NOT been accomplished for this station since 1990-1991...

Pre-launch as a classic hits station there was a different ratings system, based on diaries. Since last year, we have had the PPM system, which even Arbitron prohibits its subscribers from comparing with the previously used system.

As an oldies station, CBS FM went out at 14th in 25-54 (last full book, Winter 2005) and in the last 3 books today (Feb, Mar, Apr) they have been 10th, 11th and 7th in the sales demo. Still, 50% of the CBS-FM audience is over 55.

 

[davideduardo]

Makes more sense. A true oldies / Classic hits station would lean more to that.

Jeeze. Classic hits is a different format from Oldies, and you are combining them again.

 

[oldies76]

Jeeze. Classic hits is a different format from Oldies, and you are combining them again.

Right, but where do you draw the line, if a station plays music from all four decades? Can go either way, I suppose, depending on the ratio of songs played from different eras.

 

[musicfan101]

So then why are there so many people who weren't even alive in the 60s and 70s who enjoy Abba through "Mama Mia" or AC/DC through Rock Band?

Agreed that K-Earth's retro sound is not cool to young people. But sometimes kitsch can get cool, and timeless things can endure. Look at In N Out Burger. 100 percent unchanged since 1948.

oh trust me...i am 18 years old, and ALL of my friends (hipster crowd) for some reason LOVE listening to k-earth 101...i dont know why?!? it is so random that they do, it wasnt that way before...

 

[davideduardo]

Jeeze. Classic hits is a different format from Oldies, and you are combining them again.

Right, but where do you draw the line, if a station plays music from all four decades? Can go either way, I suppose, depending on the ratio of songs played from different eras.

Classic hits is based in the 70's and Oldies based in the 60's. They may or may not play the fringes, but the key to the descriptors, which Arbitron and, thus, advertising buyers, use, is the concentration in a main decade.

Few stations play more than a cut or two from the 50's, so oldies is mostly 60s and some 70's, while Classic hits is mostly 70's with some 80's and a smattering of 60's in some cases.

The whole idea of the definitions or format names is to make it easier for time buyers who may be doing a campaign in 10, 20, even 50 markets or more to understand in general terms what they are buying... they don't care what the station calls itself on the air, or what its positioners say... they just want to understand the cross-market similarities.