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Markets With A 50s/60s Oldies Station

gr8oldies said:
WDJO, Cincinnati, even with more 70s last I knew they still qualified
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I got the impression that the OP wants to make a list of stations that only play the original two decades, but I don't think adding stations which also play 70s is going to make his list too much longer.
 
If a song from the 50's is played on multi-decade oldies stations, it's going to be one that still has appeal to and known by younger generations, like one of Elvis Presley's big hits, or Fats Domino's 'Blueberry Hill'. Even hearing those on the radio today has a novelty song feel to it.
 
KilowattKat said:
Limiting this to 50's/60's only is a dead end. Now, a 50's to 80"'s format is more common, like MeTVmusic stations. Although a 50's tune is only played now and then.
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94.9 the Surf Myrtle Beach SC could be described this way. In fact, a lot of the recordings are newer even if the music sounds old. Sometimes the station plays brand new recordings. The format is called "Beach" but some songs considered "classic hits" are also played. Most artists are African-American but the DJs and the listeners are white.
 
What about the international market?

One of Florida shortwave station WRMI's transmitters (5050 and 9455 kHz depending on time) broadcasts a Boss Radio style oldies format called "Legends" that's hosted via live remotes by several jocks on a volunteer basis. What makes it most interesting is that listeners can use https://wrmilegends.com/pages/requests.php to make song requests from their large library, and unless a bunch of people are in the queue ahead of you, your request will usually play right away.

It's pretty fun to control an international shortwave station from your couch.

The online stream for the "Legends" transmitter is at https://streaming2.tux-support.com/8020/stream and the stream runs 24/7, even when 5050/9455 transmitter isn't on-air (requests are taken and processed by the automation 24/7).

Alternate stream for older hardware players that cannot support SSL: http://216.108.236.95:8020/
 
txchipk said:
Not sure there is anyone really playing the 50s anymore... there are a few that are 60s/70s like KAZG 1440/K224CJ 92.7 "Oldies 92.7" Phoenix. Even back in the day, in the 1990s, most stations classified as oldies stations then had jettisoned pre-Beatles music and were musically 60s/70s by the mid-1990s.
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92.5 WKCE - Knoxville, TN

92.5 WKCE is Mid Century Radio for Knoxville and The Smokies. We broadcast on 92.5 FM and 1180 AM
www.wkceradio.com www.wkceradio.com
 
AM-FM-DXer said:
I am trying to put together a list of top 100 markets with a 50s/60s Oldies station. Off the top of my head, only Milwaukee comes to mind (I know the station is somewhat of a rimshot, but it has good reception downtown). If anyone does not mind, can you add to my list? Thanks in advance.
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92.5 WKCE - Knoxville, TN

92.5 WKCE is Mid Century Radio for Knoxville and The Smokies. We broadcast on 92.5 FM and 1180 AM
www.wkceradio.com www.wkceradio.com
 
KilowattKat said:
KJAA Globe,AZ might be the only all 50's/60's oldies station this side of the Mississippi river. It's a hobby station for broadcaster Rollye James, playing music she loves and is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge regarding it It's a big part of her WGN talk show 10pm-1am CT also.

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I just tuned into their online stream (since there are too many miles and mountains between me and Globe). There is a girl group playing but definitely not 50's/60's. I did not recognize the song but it sounded Disco. The next song was "On Broadway" which is 60's so perhaps just an anomaly.

Thanks for the link!
 
KilowattKat said:
KJAA Globe,AZ might be the only all 50's/60's oldies station this side of the Mississippi river. It's a hobby station for broadcaster Rollye James, playing music she loves and is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge regarding it It's a big part of her WGN talk show 10pm-1am CT also.
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landtuna said:
I just tuned into their online stream (since there are too many miles and mountains between me and Globe). There is a girl group playing but definitely not 50's/60's. I did not recognize the song but it sounded Disco. The next song was "On Broadway" which is 60's so perhaps just an anomaly.
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As I recall, Rollye once said she didn't program past the 70s because she "hates rap". I don't think she has expressed a similar dislike for disco.

Fun fact as a sidebar: In addition to being a radio broadcaster herself, Rollye (using her real last name of Bornstein) did the "Vox Jox" column in Billboard for a few years in the mid-1980s after Claude Hall retired. I even dug up one of her columns via World Radio History with her picture attached to the column header.
 
K.M. Richards said:
As I recall, Rollye once said she didn't program past the 70s because she "hates rap". I don't think she has expressed a similar dislike for disco.

Fun fact as a sidebar: In addition to being a radio broadcaster herself, Rollye (using her real last name of Bornstein) did the "Vox Jox" column in Billboard for a few years in the mid-1980s after Claude Hall retired. I even dug up one of her columns via World Radio History with her picture attached to the column header.
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I was reading that back then. That's where I got my format change news.
 
K.M. Richards said:
As I recall, Rollye once said she didn't program past the 70s because she "hates rap". I don't think she has expressed a similar dislike for disco.

Fun fact as a sidebar: In addition to being a radio broadcaster herself, Rollye (using her real last name of Bornstein) did the "Vox Jox" column in Billboard for a few years in the mid-1980s after Claude Hall retired. I even dug up one of her columns via World Radio History with her picture attached to the column header.
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Wow, I can't believe how many songs are played that I've never heard before. Like a Walter Jackson song that only reached No. 93 on the Billboard pop chart. Yeah, I'm hearing some songs from the 70's, and some rather obscure stuff. But hey why not, KJAA is just a fun play thing, an AM/FM translator covering an area with about about 20,000 people. Like the slogan on the website says, "None of the hits, All of the time!"
 
Lebanon NH/Hanover NH/White River Junction VT just lost its long-running '60s/'70s oldies station (dropped '50s two years ago but still wouldn't play any '80s) WFYX Walpole NH and three translators this past Tuesday. In its place is a heavily soccer mom-skewing AC format called The Penguin -- lots of Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran type stuff with the occasional '80s hit (When Doves Cry, Like a Virgin, etc.), previously running on a pipsqueak AM and one translator. Both of those have been retained, which means identical programming on SIX frequencies within a 30-mile area! I IM'ed the station upon hearing the flip and was told the reason was purely financial. Advertisers want no part of geezer music even as part of a combination buy. Sign of the times.

This station had an unusually deep library -- among the songs I heard driving around last Sunday were "Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)" -- Jimmy Wakelin, "All I Need" -- Temptations, "Michael" -- Highwaymen and "Best Disco in Town" -- Ritchie Family. Except for the few '60s/'70s classic rock staples still hanging on at WHDQ Claremont, NH, this rids the local dial of all pop music from those two decades. There's a classic country station that still plays quite a few country hits from the '70s and a few from the '60s. Time marches on.
 
CTListener said:
I IM'ed the station upon hearing the flip and was told the reason was purely financial. Advertisers want no part of geezer music even as part of a combination buy.
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We've (@DavidEduardo, @TheBigA, @michael hagerty, etc.) been saying that all along here. I'm glad the station was so honest about it.

The situation is not going to improve from the POV of the remaining listeners who like that music.
 
yeoldeschool said:
Is 864 unique songs in 5 days good?
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From a programming standpoint, no. That's a very unfocused playlist.

From the standpoint of "keeping the 17 listeners who like this music happy" standpoint, probably.

But sooner or later, those 17 people will literally die off.
 


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