L.A./Riverside-San Bernardino Arbitron Radio Ratings: May 2013

[Thomps2525]

David, I wasn't suggesting a 1950s-60s-70s oldies format for KRTH or KTWV. I imagine that KRTH will add more 1980s-90s hits---the "brighter" ones, as you call them---and I imagine that KTWV will move more toward Hot AC. But I do think that Los Angeles should have a station that plays those years. There probably won't be such a station though.

Maybe johndavis thinks that today's radio listeners want to hear only the songs that they remember from their childhood and teen years. Today's 45-year-old did not grow up in the 1950s-60s-70s (and you can't say I'm not good at math!) but does that mean he wouldn't want to hear songs from those years? I like a lot of the 1920s-30s-40s songs---not that any oldies stations play them, of course, but Sirius XM's 1940s channel plays all three of those decades. It's fun to discover songs that came out before I was born. I would imagine most people would feel the same way. Yeah, a 45-year-old grew up with Rick James and the Gap Band but let him listen to the greatest-hits CDs of Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke and I bet he'll like those artists too.

 

[AM FM listener]

Does that answer my question? Are you implying that a 45-year-old would not want to hear Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Chuck Berry, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Al Green, Miracles, Drifters, Impressions, Supremes, Temptations and Four Tops?

I would say no. I think new hit music is most important to someone when they are 12-30 years old. If one is 45 today, their favorite hit music was from 1980-1998. Of the artists you mentioned, only Marvin Gaye was still putting out new hits after 1980 (e.g., "Sexual Healing").

 

[oldies76]

00-09 may be the worst decade in hit music.

2000-2001 were ok, 2002-2009 (especially '03, '04, '05, 06) were mostly terrible. Have you managed to look at the number one singles for these years? Almost all hard-core rap (Stand Up, Lose Yourself, 21 Questions, In Da Club, Shake Your Tailfeather (whatever the heck that means...), Gold Digger, Bump Bump Bump, Grillz, Ridin', Money Maker, Soldier Boy (Crank That)... 100 bucks KRTH will never play those!

Glad that "era" is over.

I'll take 2011-2013 anytime over the last decade. (Gotye, Bruno Mars, Robin Thicke, Of Monsters and Men, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, Adele...etc..)

 

[jonbruce]

The absolute best 2011-13...add train and elli goulding to the list, and I am 67.

 

[K6JHU]

"I like a lot of the 1920s-30s-40s songs---not that any oldies stations play them, of course, but Sirius XM's 1940s channel plays all three of those decades." Add, with Jonathan Schwatrz's show, the channel also covers decdes from the 40's through current (Adele, Diana Krall, Cleo Lane). that prbably makes the channel the widest of any station on the air as far as time period covered (except amybe classical).

 

[board_manager]

Some content has been relocated to Off the Air:

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=236010.msg2127784#msg2127784

 

[Wildstyle K]

00-09 may be the worst decade in hit music.

2000-2001 were ok, 2002-2009 (especially '03, '04, '05, 06) were mostly terrible. Have you managed to look at the number one singles for these years? Almost all hard-core rap (Stand Up, Lose Yourself, 21 Questions, In Da Club, Shake Your Tailfeather (whatever the heck that means...), Gold Digger, Bump Bump Bump, Grillz, Ridin', Money Maker, Soldier Boy (Crank That)... 100 bucks KRTH will never play those!

Glad that "era" is over.

I'll take 2011-2013 anytime over the last decade. (Gotye, Bruno Mars, Robin Thicke, Of Monsters and Men, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, Adele...etc..)

Glad someone else gets it.

Although I..... um, ok never mind.

 

[Wildstyle K]

...But it wasn't so much about the genre that dominated the charts throughout the 00's. It has more to do with the quality of the content. Producers, dj's, and musicians who know music know what I mean.

"Lose yourself" was a well done track. Wasn't near my top favorites list, but lyrically and production-wise it was well done. "21 questions" may not have been a masterpiece but I'd also include that in the more quality side of music, being that the lyrics were thoughtfully arranged and put together to deliver a clear positive message in addition to the well done instrumental production.

But with the 2011-2013 comparison I could see how the earlier 00's tunes look bad. Even today's "turnt up" trap music is better than much of the mid 00's dirty south "crunk" stuff.

I will admit that I'm glad the reggaeton movement of the mid 00's did temporarily break up some of the monotony.

 

[hm insulators]

He tried a Saturday show on KWKW which did not work, and was then on a station in ABQ, which went from showing something in Arbitron to showing nothing at all.

It's not supposed to work that way.

 

[johndavis]

Maybe johndavis thinks that today's radio listeners want to hear only the songs that they remember from their childhood and teen years. Today's 45-year-old did not grow up in the 1950s-60s-70s (and you can't say I'm not good at math!) but does that mean he wouldn't want to hear songs from those years? I like a lot of the 1920s-30s-40s songs---not that any oldies stations play them, of course, but Sirius XM's 1940s channel plays all three of those decades. It's fun to discover songs that came out before I was born. I would imagine most people would feel the same way. Yeah, a 45-year-old grew up with Rick James and the Gap Band but let him listen to the greatest-hits CDs of Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke and I bet he'll like those artists too.

While you can anecdotally find someone under the age of 60 who tunes in 40's on 4, generally speaking, people stay within their comfort zone of what they grew up with. I heard a lot of non-pop music growing up because my father listened to old jazz and classical and my mother listened to Music Of Your Life, and while I appreciate those songs, it's not what I'm looking for when I turn on the radio.

Fantasize about a station with a playlist so huge that a song plays no more than once a day, and I'll smack you in the face with reality: I've worked for those stations. They fail. One station that I worked at became known as "10 in a row that you don't know." For all the buzz about "discovering" music and "curating" here's the rub: there aren't enough people in a city who want to be taken on a "musical journey" to pay the bills. Reality: play the songs your audience wants and expects you to play and they'll listen longer. Try to "educate" them and "broaden their horizons" and they'll go searching for the songs they know and love.

If you sit down 100 people in a room and ask them what they want, the first thing they'll tell you is they want more variety and less of the same old songs. Then they'll tell you to quit playing "weird" songs. Ask them what's weird, and they'll tell you it's something they don't know. Your job is to manage that contradiction: variety without going outside of their personal musical reference. Radio's job is to hold up a mirror and give the listener a station that reflects their tastes.

 

[Thomps2525]

"Weird" songs are songs we don't know? For those of us who grew up in the 1960s-70s with such legendary top-40 stations as KHJ, KFWB, KRLA, KFRC, KOMA, WLS, WCFL, WFIL, WABC, WRKO and hundreds of others, every song we heard was new the first time we heard it. Yeah, I'm stating the obvious here...but did any of us in the '60s-70s consider as "weird" any song we didn't know? So why, if we heard unfamiliar '60s-70s songs on an oldies station today, would we consider them to be "weird"? I don't really think we would.*

(*Opposing viewpoints are welcomed, as long as nobody brings up Chick-A-Boom, I Love Onions, Tennessee Birdwalk or Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep. )

 

[oldies76]

If you sit down 100 people in a room and ask them what they want, the first thing they'll tell you is they want more variety and less of the same old songs. Then they'll tell you to quit playing "weird" songs. Ask them what's weird, and they'll tell you it's something they don't know. Your job is to manage that contradiction: variety without going outside of their personal musical reference. Radio's job is to hold up a mirror and give the listener a station that reflects their tastes.

More variety and less of the same ole means featuring songs that have not played in a long time, or lost hits. Tone down "Old Time Rock & Roll" and "Night Moves" and add "Fire Lake" and "Shakedown", for example.

You will never know all their tastes. Every person listening to your station has his / her own personal favorites, many of which are never aired. Just a fact of life......

Ask any random person on the street what their top 5 personal classics are of all time and most likely you'll get some songs that have never aired on KRTH or KOLA in years.

 

[Thomps2525]

Mister oldies76 is trying to say that he's upset that no stations today ever play his favorite song, Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep.

I had some ideas about what KRTH could do to get listeners to tune in for more than 15 minutes at a time...and it fits quite well with the concept of "more variety and less of the same old songs." Hurry and go read what I wrote at the bottom of page 14 here:

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=234327.130

 

[oldies76]

Mister oldies76 is trying to say that he's upset that no stations today ever play his favorite song, Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep.

I had some ideas about what KRTH could do to get listeners to tune in for more than 15 minutes at a time...and it fits quite well with the concept of "more variety and less of the same old songs." Hurry and go read what I wrote at the bottom of page 14 here:

http://radiodiscussions.com/smf/index.php?topic=234327.130

Well I guess if it reached #20 in 1971, it would qualify as a lost hit, to be played once every six months at 345am?? Frankly, never heard of that song.

 

[johndavis]

"Weird" songs are songs we don't know?

Spend some time listening to listeners. They'll say things you don't expect. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cringe, you'll learn.

 

[36james]

When do the ratings get relased,this afternoon
for the june ratings?

 

[davideduardo]

When do the ratings get relased,this afternoon
for the june ratings?

Next week Tuesday at Noon, PST.

 

[36james]

I'm ahead of myself, this wek, just wondering what the new program director will do when the ratings for KTWV and KRTH, are relased? I imagine he's waiting to see the most up to date ratings, to figure out the direction of the 2 stations

 

[radioresearcher]

I'm ahead of myself, this wek, just wondering what the new program director will do when the ratings for KTWV and KRTH, are relased? I imagine he's waiting to see the most up to date ratings, to figure out the direction of the 2 stations

The ratings haven't changed much. The stations both are among the lowest rated Mt. Wilson signals 25-54.

 

[radio-darn]

I'm ahead of myself, this wek, just wondering what the new program director will do when the ratings for KTWV and KRTH, are relased? I imagine he's waiting to see the most up to date ratings, to figure out the direction of the 2 stations

If they brought in Rick Thomas, they knew which way they were going before in arrived in town.