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Oldies 107.9 now b107-9
- Thread starter Radioma18
- Start date
Well, there's something that should have happened when Saga took over back in 2003. The only big problem with this station (other than its Delaware-only signal) is that its name never fit the product. You can't call a station "oldies" and expect it to work while playing no Elvis, no Lion Sleeps Tonight, no Chuck Berry, no Buddy Holly, etc etc. When you say "oldies", that is the expectation, along with the Beatles, Beach Boys, etc. And don't tell me how 25-54 listeners don't like those kinds of 50's-style tunes...I have two years of music research that says otherwise. And so does Steve Goldstein. By the time Bill Shannon was allowed to start implementing something that approximated "oldies", the die had already been cast.This seems an appropriate time to say this again: the fact is, it became fashionable with the 30-something empty suits in the offices of ad agencies to diss the format without any reason other than their own ego-driven disdain for the product. This spread to the sales offices of corporate radio, which will time and again bend over and grab its collective ankles at the drop of a pin. Unfortunately for WODB, its usually sensible upper management decided to follow the big boys at CBS down the road to Hell. There's nothing wrong with "oldies" or its ability to get 25-54 listeners. The only problem is in the relatively empty skulls of the people who are leading this industry down the drain...and those who blindly follow them to their peril.
If I look at WODB's website music monitor from the last 24 hours I definitely see pre-Beatles stuff represented, including Elvis' "Return to Sender" and "Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens. But have they formerly played stuff like, for example, the late-70's "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry (as they did at 4pm today)? Of course, we don't know whether or not the mix will be similar a few months from now.Also, this is the first time I've heard a station use, "Classic Top 40". Anyone else?
Inventor 989: Couldn't have said it better myself. If you don't understand why the oldies format is going away, re-read Inventor 989's post. Read it until it is burned into your brain! It is exactly why the oldies format is going away. The ad agency idiots think everyone over 45 is dead (or should be, from a marketer's perspective), and the radio station managements don't want to take the time (or are just plain afraid) to try and re-educate the college trained bozos at the agencies about the spending power, disposable income and lifestyle of today's baby boomers. Ooops, I'm sorry. That would require them to actually "sell" their product. Most A.E.'s these days are simply "order takers". And, most station managers are required to be too closely focused on "hitting their numbers" tocare.
Nu Roo: In early 2003, we played everything from late 50s to late 70s...Jailhouse Rock in same hour as Play That Funky Music, etc. In mid-2003, we were given the edict to drop pre-64 entirely, and drop post 74 entirely, except for 70s at 7. We remained in that mode, despite research that said otherwise, until my successor came in. You all can track the Arbitrons as well as I can. The station nosedived from a 3+ to below a 2...and still hasn't come up for air. That didn't all happen because of CCU's blocking tactics...although it didn't help to have 93.3 and 1230 playing an oldies based list.
Thanks for the clarifications. Just about everything you said in your original post was dead-on, as usual. One question, though: Most people seem to talk about Boomers of all ages as a homogenous group, and you seemed to be doing the same (unless you were just avoiding getting bogged down in qualifiers and details). Didn't your research show any significant rift in musical taste between the earliest boomers and those born later? I don't have the research as you do, of course, but is a younger Boomer who was 8 or 10 during the Beatles invasion necessarily going to like Jailhouse Rock or the Everly Brothers? Or might they even have a strong DIS-like for the pre-64 stuff (and some of the later throwbacks)?EDIT: Looking back at your post, I see you just spoke of 25-54's (the proverbial "family reunion" ), didn't use the word "Boomer". But I still bet there's a significant older-vs-younger Boomer issue for oldies.Inventor989 said:Nu Roo: In early 2003, we played everything from late 50s to late 70s...Jailhouse Rock in same hour as Play That Funky Music, etc. In mid-2003, we were given the edict to drop pre-64 entirely, and drop post 74 entirely, except for 70s at 7. We remained in that mode, despite research that said otherwise, until my successor came in. You all can track the Arbitrons as well as I can. The station nosedived from a 3+ to below a 2...and still hasn't come up for air. That didn't all happen because of CCU's blocking tactics...although it didn't help to have 93.3 and 1230 playing an oldies based list.
The numbers would probably be higher than 107.9...(remember the old WCOL-FM as a standalone oldies station topped out at around a 6.4 share!) But, it wouldn't matter. Evenif it could get COL type numbers, the agencies still wouldn't buy the station sufficientlyto make the kinds of financial numbers they'd want.Radioma18 said:How do you think 93.3 would do with there good signal if they went to oldies from the late 50's to the early 70's? Would there ratings improve?
Sounds like the Saga takeover and its subsequent layoffs is giving the station an identity crisis. I also find something else appalling even before the nickname change..the website's audiostream page asking you to type in a zip code. If you live in Dayton,Cincinnatti or anywhere else outside of metro Columbus,you are denied unless if you type in a Columbus zip code. Bad move 'ODB! Also,likening the station with the former WBNS-FM oldies format just won't work...Don't even think about trying to liken it with WCOL's first attempt at oldies in the early 90s....it's not an option.
This has been discussed with other internet streams before. There are a lot of factors that go into a move like this. Cost of streaming is expensive so restricting to people in the market is one reason. They are probably playing the local commercials on the internet stream as well, contracts with VO talent has a little bit of play in this decision too.majicjim said:Sounds like the Saga takeover and its subsequent layoffs is giving the station an identity crisis. I also find something else appalling even before the nickname change..the website's audiostream page asking you to type in a zip code. If you live in Dayton,Cincinnatti or anywhere else outside of metro Columbus,you are denied unless if you type in a Columbus zip code. Bad move 'ODB!
The station was already oldies before Saga acquired it over three years ago.majicjim said:Sounds like the Saga takeover and its subsequent layoffs is giving the station an identity crisis.
The research we did in 2003 and 2004 looked at 40-54 adults exclusively. As you'd expect, the younger folks had less tolerance for the older music, but there were always a group of consistently strong pre-1964 songs, usually about 25-30 tunes strong enough to justify play.
What I find interesting is that 93.3 is already an Oldies station. Although I don't live in Columbus, I visit frequently, and I have NEVER heard them play a current. The problem with 93.3 is that they are poorly promoted and poorly executed. The station is just plain BOOOORING. If they would infuse some show-business elements and put on some jocks that don't sound like they OD's on Valium, I think you'd see a rise in the ratings.
93.3's job is to reduce WSNY's market share and make it tougher for WODB to gain a foothold. It's a blocking move against Saga, period. Why do you think they brought Steve Cherry back? Rather than find a niche for something new and different to build market share, they use a perfectly good signal as a stick to poke at their most serious competitor.
Ouch. Nice lecture from someone not within the walls of ODB. How about the double ratings in the last two books? But that's ok...keep dredging your b.s., and I'll keep putting revenue on the books for my dear friend Bill...who, by the way, is busting his hump to bring that signal back to life. [EDIT=Inflamatory comment]
Methinks either 1) you don't like me, you really don't like me (to paraphrase Sally Field) or 2) you didn't get what I was saying. I was referring to 93.3 and Clear Channel's strategy in my last post, not WODB.And, BTW, I still have my door key to the building. Bill and I are friends and I still occasionally do work for WSNY.radiogal03 said:Ouch. Nice lecture from someone not within the walls of ODB. How about the double ratings in the last two books? But that's ok...keep dredging your b.s., and I'll keep putting revenue on the books for my dear friend Bill...who, by the way, is busting his hump to bring that signal back to life. [EDIT=Inflamatory comment]
Inventor989 said:The research we did in 2003 and 2004 looked at 40-54 adults exclusively. As you'd expect, the younger folks had less tolerance for the older music, but there were always a group of consistently strong pre-1964 songs, usually about 25-30 tunes strong enough to justify play.
And, it's those songs that should be consistantly played on oldies stations...even the ones
who are trying to move forward in their years. They could be given "light" play, thus
satisfying the older folks who miss the tunes, while not being so overplayed as to annoy
the younger demo.
It's all in how you schedule them. Just my thoughts.
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