Must-read Study

[CHRles]

I'm slightly entertained by the fact that in 8 pages of comments, no one has mentioned that this study was done by a consultant who came up with the Movin' format. When it was launched several years ago, it was attacked by a lot of radio people as being another example of short-term thinking. In LA, the format took a station that got about a 2 share when it was country down to a 1.4 as Movin'. Their attempt at relatable jock patter was to hire Rick Dees. Nice idea, but bad execution. How much relatable DJ patter did we hear during the rest of the day? Can't say...because they all sounded the same. The whole thing was such a success that the station's owner ultimately gave up on the frrequency. This is the guy who is criticizing what he hears on the radio.

Let's not make more out of this study than what it is. It's a sales pitch for what may be the next cookie cutter format from Alan Burns. He'll call it "You." The DJs come on and ask "How are you?" "What are you feeling?" "We're here for YOU." In fact, that'll be the format positioner. The stations will change their call letters to WYOU and WYOO. They'll play lots of songs about sharing and feelings. In fact they'll launch the new format with Morris Albert's huge hit, "Feelings." In keeping with Alan's views, they won't talk about celebrities. They'll talk about the music. Tell some stories about the songs. Because he thinks people listen to music radio to hear stories about songs. I'm obviously kidding here about this new format idea. But maybe I'm not.

This study is not about hiring more DJs and letting them say what they want. It doesn't say that anywhere, and it isn't in Alan's MO to hire lots of local talent. The main thrust is to stop talking about the station. I think that will happen as the PPM expands to more markets. No need to talk as much about the station when the measuring is done by PPM. That is really what this study is about. Preparing for life in the PPM world.

LOL, best post yet!

 

[goodhelp]

Great study, with the usual caveats about letting research run the radio ranch. Lots of interesting comments, some pithy, some not. Thought I'd move if forward by listing some historic "relatable jocks," and then a beginner's list of topics a talented dj could use for a "relatable moment." The bonus prize is a useful maxim my radio guru taught me.

Wolfman
Larry Lujack
Howard Stern
Dan Ingram
Cousin Brucie
Real Don Steele
Robert W. Morgan
B. Mitchell Reed
Shadoe Stevens
Steven Clean
Kevin Weatherly (KROQ,KAMP)

Some topics that relate to a Listeners' life (and some sources)

work: Dilbert
looking for love
did you "do the right thing today?"
giving back
how to save money
what does "fun" mean to you?
health tips, demo-specific
family dynamics: Ann Landers
benefits of technology
how we communicate
how we don't communicate
what's good about tv?
what's bad about tv?
word games
slow food
film themes, reviews
entertainment experiences
the new "American Way"
is "bigger" better?
are we "in this together?"
does the future belong to those who hear it coming?
etc.

If you have nothing (relatable) to say, don't say anything!

 

[TheBigA]

Thought I'd move if forward by listing some historic "relatable jocks,"

Wolfman
Larry Lujack
Howard Stern
Dan Ingram
Cousin Brucie
Real Don Steele
Robert W. Morgan
B. Mitchell Reed
Shadoe Stevens
Steven Clean
Kevin Weatherly (KROQ,KAMP)

Interesting list. Why is it when people list names of great jocks, they're always mostly from the 60s? Did radio die when it made the transition from AM to FM? Is that really what's happening now? My thought is that a lot more people could hear those flamethrower AM music stations than can hear the average FM. So when you were on LS or CFL, you covered 9 states. Not just nine miles. I think that can have an effect on the the size and majesty of what one hears. Which is why I think we need to look beyond this myth of local radio. It never existed, and it's not good for the industry.

 

[John FL]

In the late 60s and into the early 70s I joined what you might call a radio club. We were a small group who shared a love of radio and we were from different parts of the country. I recall my L.A. buds who were as passionate and totally obsessed with KHJ as I was with WABC.

We swapped tapes of our favorite stations with each other. As we hear so much about relevance, my friends on the west coast thought WABC was awful and thought the jocks were just not cool as the KHJ jocks. Simply put, they just couldn’t relate to the station as I could.

Much later on in life, I concluded that a WABC would never have worked in L.A. because the two cities were completely different and the stations were so much a part of the local lifestyle. With limited warm weather, artists such as the Beach Boys never had a #1 single on WABC. Yet, in many stations across the country, this happened many times. The stations at the time, depending on geography, were not cookie-cutter as they reflected localism from the style of the jocks, the jingles, the music and the promotions. Demos were different and WABC’s playlist reflected that where if you look at their music surveys that are still available online today, you will find that it was common that half the songs played were in the soul/Motown category.

This all reflected localism. At night, I was able to pull in stations from the Midwest but CKLW seemed to come in the best. I remember hearing lots of soul songs on CKLW that WABC did not play. I often heard songs on CKLW long before I heard them on ABC. But given they were in effect a major player in Detroit, that programming no doubt worked for them so they reflected the community served. This had little to do with the nighttime atmosphere that caused AM signals to bounce far and wide.

When I wound up in Florida by the late 70s, a station I so fondly recall is WHYI (Y-100). To this day, Bill Tanner, the PD, is among my top radio talents of all time. He programmed the station to reflect Miami and the South Florida lifestyle. At the time, I traveled several times a year between Miami and NYC and radio was noticeably different between the 2 markets. Mr. Tanner understood the importance of localism and I just consider him a genius because he served the local audience exceedingly well.

Localism has more challenges today because of internet streaming but it still exists as well it should. Today, the PD I revere the most is Brian Thomas of WCBS-FM. He has achieved huge success by understanding the uniqueness of the NYC market while balancing the sound so people virtually all over the world can enjoy it as well. This is a challenge but some understand full well how to position radio in changing times.

If you just look at the Greatest Hits/Classic Hits format CBS Radio does in the various cities across the country, you will find they all have noticeable differences that reflect the local community. I wouldn’t discount localism at all.

 

[TheBigA]

With limited warm weather, artists such as the Beach Boys never had a #1 single on WABC.

Absolutely not true. Read Rick Sklar's wonderful book, "Rockin' America." Rick was PD of WABC, and he lists all the songs that went to #1 on the station. Surfin' Safari went to #1 in 1962, Surfin' USA in 1963, Help Me Rhonda in 1965, Sloop John B in 1966, and of course Good Vibrations also in 1966.

Also, the Surfaris went to #1 with Wipe Out. Several other surf songs hit the top of the WABC survey.

I collect local Top 40 radio charts, which were printed weekly and available in local stores. If you look through the lists, you'll see that the majority of songs were played on all Top 40 stations around the country. Plus you had the rise of group PDs in the late 60s and early 70s, who created cookie cutter formats for their co-owned stations around the country. Rick himself was made group PD for ABC Radio.

 

[John FL]

The BigA, You have excellent taste in radio reading material. I have the book and will admit my copy is literally falling apart from use. The songs indicated in the book are the songs "that got the ratings." These are the very biggest hits from each year from their Top 100 lists. As was the case with WABC, the # of weeks the song stayed on the survey help boost chart position and it did not always mean the song was #1. Songs that were #2 or even #3 on weekly charts could outperform songs that were #1. It's just how they did their year end lists.

Over the years I have followed the famed dentist's interviews (the biggest WABC fan there ever was)and such and the Beach Boys non #1 chart position was often discussed. Yes, the majority of songs were played on lots of stations as at the time, we indeed have a national music. But there were differerences and that was a give-in. Peace.

 

[davideduardo]

The BigA, You have excellent taste in radio reading material. I have the book and will admit my copy is literally falling apart from use. The songs indicated in the book are the songs "that got the ratings." These are the very biggest hits from each year from their Top 100 lists. As was the case with WABC, the # of weeks the song stayed on the survey help boost chart position and it did not always mean the song was #1. Songs that were #2 or even #3 on weekly charts could outperform songs that were #1. It's just how they did their year end lists.

But...

There is a real warning that needs to be sounded.

Those charts were totally arbitrary. If there were, let's say, four or five categories for the whole top 40, it means airplay on #20 was probably the same as airplay for #30 and #4 was the same as #7....

Beyond that, the rotations were pretty much determined by the PD, using just sales of 45s and, maybe juke box play. The reality of the list was the reality of the station's needs. PDs balanced the chart based on need for up tempo vs. down tempo songs, as well as different styles, like British Invasion, Motown, etc.

Regional differences and station to station differences are as much based in the station's internal "feel" and philosophy as in any reality.

And that is without getting into the influence of the labels, which was enormous then.

 

[davideduardo]

When I wound up in Florida by the late 70s, a station I so fondly recall is WHYI (Y-100). To this day, Bill Tanner, the PD, is among my top radio talents of all time. He programmed the station to reflect Miami and the South Florida lifestyle. At the time, I traveled several times a year between Miami and NYC and radio was noticeably different between the 2 markets. Mr. Tanner understood the importance of localism and I just consider him a genius because he served the local audience exceedingly well.

I worked with Bill in the Y-100 years, as well as later in LA and totally agree. Bill believed in finding out what the local listener liked. Y 100 did callout in Miami starting around 1975 or 1976, and music tests were done way back then. I can still recall when Tanner and Jon Coleman computerized the callout using a state of the art S-100 bus Northstar computer.

If you just look at the Greatest Hits/Classic Hits format CBS Radio does in the various cities across the country, you will find they all have noticeable differences that reflect the local community. I wouldn’t discount localism at all.

Any station that does music testing... and even with cutbacks, this means anything in the top 100 and lots of them the biggest stations the top 200 markets... will have that local flavor anyway.