"Kickstart My Heart" and "Mama Said Knock You Out" were released in 1989 and 1990, respectively, and were hits at Top 40. They're fair game. Whichever genres one may want to put songs into now, if they were Pop hits during the "Classic Hits" window, and they test well now, WOGL can play them. Current market conditions or simple resistance to change may have been preventing WOGL from doing so, but it looks like that time has finally passed.
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"Lovefool" on WOGL
- Thread starter radiodx10
- Start date
"Kickstart My Heart" and "Mama Said Knock You Out" were released in 1989 and 1990, respectively, and were hits at Top 40. They're fair game. Whichever genres one may want to put songs into now, if they were Pop hits during the "Classic Hits" window, and they test well now, WOGL can play them. Current market conditions or simple resistance to change may have been preventing WOGL from doing so, but it looks like that time has finally passed.
For Motley Crue, at least, no, that time will never pass, except for "Home Sweet Home" and "Smokin' in the Boy's Room".
For Guns N' Roses, "Patience" and "Sweet Child O' Mine".
For Quiet Riot, I don't think they EVER qualified for "classic hits".
Looks like it passed whether you like it or not.
I'm wagering many a listener can be glad those tastes are not ruling the programming decisions.
So a station takes about 20 years to weed out the 50's and 60's, takes another 5-7 to eliminate most of the 70's (after the 60's were canned) and yet within 3-5 years, all of a sudden, we are hearing mostly 80's and 90's. Honestly, WOGL is jumping the gun too fast.
Is this a "learning experience" not to take so long to appeal to your current demographics or are they trying something new? It just seems that several classic hits stations really wanted to hang on with the much older music as long as they possibly could, and then, poof....it's all gone.
Is this a "learning experience" not to take so long to appeal to your current demographics or are they trying something new? It just seems that several classic hits stations really wanted to hang on with the much older music as long as they possibly could, and then, poof....it's all gone.
It's from 1983, it definitely a classic. Harder rock, yes, but still a hit.
It was on top 40 back then as much as "Billie Jean" and "Islands in the Stream"
What they did before isn't really relevant. You follow the audience you want to deliver and do what is appropriate to attract them.
No, those two were much bigger hits. What reached the top 40 is irrelevant.
It makes no sense that songs that rock that hard still appeal to the same people who want those other 80s hits.
I would have said the opposite. If those songs weren't there and someone said they should be, I mean, then I would have said the above.
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It most certainly does. Not all people are pigeonholed into narrow categories.
For my personal tastes (whatever little they're worth), the Twister Sister and Quiet Riot hits (I always get them mixed up) have the fun sing-along party vibe that should be the "center lane" at a Classic Hits station. And they're not really that much heavier than something like "You Give Love A Bad Name" either. Other songs listed here like "Lovefool", "Tubthumping", "All Star", "This Is How We Do It", "The Sign", and "Wannabe" have that upbeat sing-along quality as well. "Killing Me Softly" is a '70s cover, and the Aerosmith and Cranberries ballads don't sound out of place next to other similar fare from the '80s. The rap songs might be pushing it, especially "Mama Said Knock You Out", but if the target audience likes those songs then I suppose they're fair game.
I would have said no to Twisted Sister at one time but when their biggest hit is the theme song to a prank show with an elderly cast, I guess it works. For what you're describing, everything seems as you described it, except Quiet Riot. I can't see them being anything other than too extreme.
Just to clarify, I wouldn't want a classic hits station, period. I'm not entirely happy with what the two oldies stations where I live are doing. Too much 80s, for one thing, and few of the 80s songs are what I consider good. One of the stations actually plays Kiss, which reminds me an oldies station around here played both Kiss and Sinatra.
If I was in Philly I'd be demanding bring back WHAT and keep that one show on WPHT and by the way, get off my lawn!
These songs and more are already being played on most classic hits stations. WCBS 101 in NY, WOMC in Detroit and KLUV in Dallas are all playing or have played Motley Crue and a lot of the other artists that I mentioned. WOGL is the only station that has been slower to the table. I am not sure why that is...but I think all of these songs will test well. When the ratings are out next month and you see a huge uptick, that would mean Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Poison, Tone Loc, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, RHCP, Guns N Roses, Young MC and Depeche Mode are what the listeners want to hear.
I actually like the move to a more variety 80s. If they say they play the most 80s, then they should show this and by the new music they are.
I am just wondering, how long until the 70s are are no longer. I am saying the shelf life is about 2 years, but I could be wrong.
I actually like the move to a more variety 80s. If they say they play the most 80s, then they should show this and by the new music they are.
I am just wondering, how long until the 70s are are no longer. I am saying the shelf life is about 2 years, but I could be wrong.
The typical complaint about any classic-based station is the music becomes stale after a while. So if you shake things up to play other songs the demo will know, they're less likely to tune out.
I agree with you TheBigA, but if the above is the case, then why don't change up their playlist more frequently. It seems they only change it once, maybe twice at most per year. WOGL the past two years has changed it twice. I think, they should update this quarterly.
Music testing is done in larger markets twice a year at major gold based stations.
So the changes of played and not played titles will likely happen shortly after each music test.
Of course, some stations cycle the weakest songs in and out of play, so from week to week the songs may appear... or not. But everything done in the periods between tests is just mechanics. The only exceptions might be in the case of the passing of an artist being marked by play of ordinarily not played cuts, or the removal of an artist or song due to some kind of public image issue. In PPM markets, if the station watches the moment by moment tune-out and finds a song gets heavy tune out, it may be eliminated in between tests.
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