I have been thinking of a plausible reason why the Dial Global and ABC Adult Standards satellite networks have gotten less Big Band-ish and more Soft AC-ish. They're trying to make the format suitable for FM airplay. When Dial Global Adult Standards was AM Only, it was because the music was suitable for AM, not FM, airplay. Artists included Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Billy Eckstine, Vera Lynn, Les Brown, and other artists who recorded mono, not stereo, music. To make the original AM Only format suitable for FM airplay, they needed to alter the playlist to include Anne Murray, Neil Diamond, Melissa Manchester, Carly Simon, Captain and Tenille, Barry Manilow, the Carpenters, and other old-fashioned Soft AC artists. Even though the current Dial Global format plays Patti Page, Perry Como, Brook Benton, and Dinah Washington, they only play those artists once in a blue moon and you still have to sit through those Soft AC tunes.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
Making Adult Standards suitable for FM airplay
- Thread starter IBadget1
- Start date
Ivan Badget said:
If mono (or low fidelity) is the reason, they aren't looking very hard. You can almost always find a stereo version of the really popular songs. People like Glenn Gray, the BBC Big Band, Billy May, etc. all recorded the songs in stereo. Some are great recordings. Benny Goodman recorded in stereo well into the 1950's. So did Dorsey. There is a ton of well-recorded material that was done in the 50's 60's and beyond. Even some of the "remastered" originals have been helped a lot.
Ivan, the reason Dial Global, MOYL and the others started adding the 70s MOR cuts to their mix was a misguided attempt to bring in younger listeners. The fidelity of the recording was not the issue they faced getting FM stations to sign up. It was that many GMs and owners felt that their AMs needed help and looked at a format that while it skewed older, might bring in cash.
Our sales department at WAVZ/New Haven use to think that our demos were "65 to Death" with MOYL...and that was in 1983! Remember that perception is reality.
As we see the contemporary standards format blossom with new artists adding great product to the mix, we are seeing the baby boomer rediscovering the music and looking for a local outlet.
CJ
Our sales department at WAVZ/New Haven use to think that our demos were "65 to Death" with MOYL...and that was in 1983! Remember that perception is reality.
As we see the contemporary standards format blossom with new artists adding great product to the mix, we are seeing the baby boomer rediscovering the music and looking for a local outlet.
CJ
Jack Garrett said:
The saddest thing about Adult Standards is the pigeon-holing of it as a 65+ or a "boomer" format by smug radio execs who think they have it all figured out as to who listens to what and why (or won't make a move without a nod from a consultant).
I know women in their 20's and 30's who regularly listen to Sinatra and the younger crooners. They enjoy and collect instrumental Latin music such as Bossa Nova and artists like Carlos Antonio Jobim. They consider the music "classy" and a refreshing change from Hot AC or Top 40.
Adding 70's MOR to capture a younger audience is beyond stupid and corrupts the purity of the format. I'm convinced that there is a younger audience for Standards as it is, particularly among females. It just takes a brave station manager or PD to put it on FM and tap into that audience.
C5
"It just takes a brave station manager or PD to put it on FM and tap into that audience."
Amen, brother...of course contacting me would help too. :
While I didn't mention them, the younger folks are coming to the format, too. There are more lounge clubs popping up all the time on the coasts and cities all over. (Hip Kitty Jazz & Fondue in Claremont comes to mind as does The Metropolian Room on 20th Street in Manhattan).
Radio management tends to act like lemmings at times. Watch what's happening with Smooth Jazz right now. WQCD bails on the format and a number of other SJ stations around the country follow shortly thereafter. Of course, none of the others probably took into account that Emmis had watered down their station in NYC again and again to the point that it was Lite/Easy/AC/dance/chill/Smooth Jazz instead of what the listener was looking for (and the station promoted): Smooth Jazz.
Easy rule of thumb: If you what you are playing is not unique to your station, you will lose everytime.
CJ
www.thepenthouseradio.com
Amen, brother...of course contacting me would help too. :
While I didn't mention them, the younger folks are coming to the format, too. There are more lounge clubs popping up all the time on the coasts and cities all over. (Hip Kitty Jazz & Fondue in Claremont comes to mind as does The Metropolian Room on 20th Street in Manhattan).
Radio management tends to act like lemmings at times. Watch what's happening with Smooth Jazz right now. WQCD bails on the format and a number of other SJ stations around the country follow shortly thereafter. Of course, none of the others probably took into account that Emmis had watered down their station in NYC again and again to the point that it was Lite/Easy/AC/dance/chill/Smooth Jazz instead of what the listener was looking for (and the station promoted): Smooth Jazz.
Easy rule of thumb: If you what you are playing is not unique to your station, you will lose everytime.
CJ
www.thepenthouseradio.com
F
Famous56guy
Guest
The 70's MOR cuts are tolerable compared to the 80's and 90's soft AC that both Timeless and Dial Global play.
Carmine5 said:
We don’t play any of the soft rock stuff from the 70’s or 80’s like you’ll hear on Timeless Classics, etc. Ours is pretty strictly a jazzy Adult Standards format with a few occasional diversions into country or folk from the same era. In our most recent county wide ratings, we did surprisingly well with 12+. It surprised even me.
We also get calls and emails from kids, so I suspect that at least a few are listening. Where we don't do well is with people in their 30's. For the most part, they do not listen. Over 50, the ratings are substantial, but that is no surprise. We are non-commercial so you won't find it on the public Arbitron "Top Line" ratings. NCE's are not shown. It's something about the Emperor's new clothes....
Chuck, Arbitron keeps saying that NCE stations will show in the full ratings...really soon now. We have a client who owns an LPFM that is on four translators in market 18 and gets his ratings info through RRC (www.rrconline.org) at a MUCH lower rate than our commercial stations.
I'm sure that ARB is not combining your translators into the ratings, but looking at the topline numbers for Fall 2007 in Longview - your station had AQH of 300 people and a cume of 6800 - TSL of 5.6 hours.
I'm sure that ARB is not combining your translators into the ratings, but looking at the topline numbers for Fall 2007 in Longview - your station had AQH of 300 people and a cume of 6800 - TSL of 5.6 hours.
Jack Garrett said:
I'm aware of the ratings. We subscribe to RRC, which costs about 10% of what a commercial station pays. The down side is we get the information two or three weeks later and we don't get detailed info on other stations, just ours.
RRC also provide us with Gregg County ratings for our station. Although the numbers don't go up, the share does. We aren't receivable in a large geographical area of the surveyed metro. Where we can be received, it seems we have a loyal following.
That loyal following is more important to a non-comm than a 10 share!
I forgot to mention that the ratings don't take into account the county we are actually located in. It isn't rated, so presumably a few people listen to our station in our home county as well.
Whatever they ratings say, I don't think that Arbitron is all that important to a Standards station. It is a niche format that delivers a niche market. There are quite a few stations in my area that aren't even rated, including one that is 65,000 watts with a huge footprint. They seem to be keeping the electric bill paid. They just have to be marketed differently.
Whatever they ratings say, I don't think that Arbitron is all that important to a Standards station. It is a niche format that delivers a niche market. There are quite a few stations in my area that aren't even rated, including one that is 65,000 watts with a huge footprint. They seem to be keeping the electric bill paid. They just have to be marketed differently.
Jack Garrett said:
Absolutely! This is why KBRV-FM in Los Angeles sank in ratings and was eventually sold (this past week) to Bonneville. First; no market, no matter how large, needs 4 stations playing Urban and the same playlist. Second; there was nothing unique about KBRV (its imaging, attitude, air talent, promotions, etc.) to entice an audience to continue listening.
As for mixing formats to entice new, maybe younger, listeners: here's a cautionary tale.
A few years ago, the then General Manager of KKJZ, a heritage Jazz station, decided to mix a little Smooth Jazz into their traditional Jazz playlist in an attempt to capture some of the KTWV Smooth Jazz crowd. The result was a disaster. Not only did KKJZ not gain Smooth Jazz listeners but they began losing their core audience, in addition to suffering some bad press and their lowest fundraising revenues ever. The GM was fired.
It would be great if KBRV would flip to Standards but the rumor is that it will go Talk/News to compete with KFI and KFWB.
C5
...which brings us back to D'OH!
While I don't really care what happens with Bonneville, making that station another news/talker (even if it is on FM) in LA is a dumb move. Don't forget KABC is in the mix, too.
It would make more sense to cover the country market - hell, Saul Levine is pulling a 1.4 (12+*) with KKGO - anyone with a promotional budget and a full market signal could cover that easily.
Since we are in the Adult Standards section of R-I, let me see that 100.3 would be a great home for Brad Chamber's The Standard format. I'd love to see "Martini In The Morning" on in Southern California with a decent stick.
CJ
Or, of course, they could call us...thepenthouseradio.com.
(*12+ numbers are meaningless)
While I don't really care what happens with Bonneville, making that station another news/talker (even if it is on FM) in LA is a dumb move. Don't forget KABC is in the mix, too.
It would make more sense to cover the country market - hell, Saul Levine is pulling a 1.4 (12+*) with KKGO - anyone with a promotional budget and a full market signal could cover that easily.
Since we are in the Adult Standards section of R-I, let me see that 100.3 would be a great home for Brad Chamber's The Standard format. I'd love to see "Martini In The Morning" on in Southern California with a decent stick.
CJ
Or, of course, they could call us...thepenthouseradio.com.
(*12+ numbers are meaningless)
I spoke to him a week or so ago and his company is offering his contemporary standards format to all takers. If I remember correctly, when he worked for Clear Channel he was involved with the launch of several HD stations (and was - of course - programmer and host on Fabulous 570 and later 690 in LA). The Martini In The Morning website is the result of CC dumping the format completely.
- Status