• 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

Oldies by any other name...

S

Spackler

Recently, WALY in Altoona stopped using "Good Times, Great Oldies" as their positioner, in favor of "3 Decades of WALY Music". As a positioner, "Good Times, Great Oldies" is pretty descriptive and accurate of the station. "WALY Music" doesn't seem to describe anything, and an explanation could be rather circular:

"What's WALY Music?"
"The music they play on WALY."
"What music do they play on WALY?"
"WALY Music."

They must have had a good reason to change it, and I guess it was probably due to a perceived negative connotation of the term "Oldies". I know the format has taken a hit in a lot of medium and large markets across the country, and many have changed formats.

I don't listen much, because I'm not in that demo, but WALY has always been very successful, and continues to sound great. I would think that just eliminating the term "oldies" while still actually playing oldies wouldn't really make much difference, so why make a change? I'm curious to see if anybody thinks that the perception of that station will change by dropping the use of that word.
 
call it what you want...it is what it is


> Recently, WALY in Altoona stopped using "Good Times, Great
> Oldies" as their positioner, in favor of "3 Decades of WALY
> Music". As a positioner, "Good Times, Great Oldies" is
> pretty descriptive and accurate of the station. "WALY Music"
> doesn't seem to describe anything, and an explanation could
> be rather circular:
>
> "What's WALY Music?"
> "The music they play on WALY."
> "What music do they play on WALY?"
> "WALY Music."
>
> They must have had a good reason to change it, and I guess
> it was probably due to a perceived negative connotation of
> the term "Oldies". I know the format has taken a hit in a
> lot of medium and large markets across the country, and many
> have changed formats.
>
> I don't listen much, because I'm not in that demo, but WALY
> has always been very successful, and continues to sound
> great. I would think that just eliminating the term "oldies"
> while still actually playing oldies wouldn't really make
> much difference, so why make a change? I'm curious to see if
> anybody thinks that the perception of that station will
> change by dropping the use of that word.
>
 
A couple possibilities:

--They just got sick of the damn positioner. I worked there briefly 13 years ago and they had the same positioner then. And probably long before that.

--Or, like you say, maybe younger baby boomers don't like to think of the music of their youth as "oldies."

"WALY Music" is kind of weird, though.

> call it what you want...it is what it is
>
>
> > Recently, WALY in Altoona stopped using "Good Times, Great
>
> > Oldies" as their positioner, in favor of "3 Decades of
> WALY
> > Music". As a positioner, "Good Times, Great Oldies" is
> > pretty descriptive and accurate of the station. "WALY
> Music"
> > doesn't seem to describe anything, and an explanation
> could
> > be rather circular:
> >
> > "What's WALY Music?"
> > "The music they play on WALY."
> > "What music do they play on WALY?"
> > "WALY Music."
> >
> > They must have had a good reason to change it, and I guess
>
> > it was probably due to a perceived negative connotation of
>
> > the term "Oldies". I know the format has taken a hit in a
> > lot of medium and large markets across the country, and
> many
> > have changed formats.
> >
> > I don't listen much, because I'm not in that demo, but
> WALY
> > has always been very successful, and continues to sound
> > great. I would think that just eliminating the term
> "oldies"
> > while still actually playing oldies wouldn't really make
> > much difference, so why make a change? I'm curious to see
> if
> > anybody thinks that the perception of that station will
> > change by dropping the use of that word.
> >
>
 
> Recently, WALY in Altoona stopped using "Good Times, Great
> Oldies" as their positioner, in favor of "3 Decades of WALY
> Music". As a positioner, "Good Times, Great Oldies" is
> pretty descriptive and accurate of the station. "WALY Music"
> doesn't seem to describe anything, and an explanation could
> be rather circular:
>
> "What's WALY Music?"
> "The music they play on WALY."
> "What music do they play on WALY?"
> "WALY Music."

Just from listening to WALY and seeing this move, I would venture a guess that WALY is slowly planning an evolution away from what is perceived as traditional OLDIES. I have heard a much greater emphasis on the 70's and even some 80's tunes creeping into the mix. Besides that, the term OLDIES can have a negative connotation depending on who you are reaching out for. Your typical baby-boomer thinks of oldies as taking them BACK TO THE DAY...as in I REMEMBER WHEN...anyone much younger than that and all they hear is the word OLD!

When we see oldies outlets fail in New York and larger areas, it is a signal that the format is definately not as viable as it once was, at least not in its current form. Heck, listen to a syndicated show like SUPERGOLD these days and you rarely even hear stuff from the late 50's and the 60's. Its pretty much an all 70's party.

The format must change to keep up with the fact that its core audience is aging and its time to attract new younger listeners. Heck...who knows...if the audience erodes too much...maybe WALY music will be JACK MUSIC???


I have no facts on that...just speculation. But as we have already seen, many oldies outlets go Jack when they dismantle. It could just be a really bad positioner too. But I will agree with you...I don't think that WALY MUSIC describes very much at all.

Hitman
 
Your post makes no sense. How would you know what a baby boomer perceives as an OLDIE if you are not old? That's like trying to describe what it feels like to be a black man when you're white.

OLDIES are old songs. Songs that take us back to simpler times. Like the time I met my wife or maybe the time I had my first child.

Is there a time frame that passes before a certain decade of music becomes OLDIES? About 20 years? 25?

I think when an OLDIE becomes "super" old, it becomes a CLASSIC. Some OLDIES were and always will be CLASSICS.

And I disagree the term "OLDIES" has a negative connotation.

Before you go off explaining what baby boomers think about older music, BECOME OLDER FIRST.

By your description, all of Princes album's from 1978 all the way up through about "Purple Rain" are oldies. Hardly true, they're CLASSICS!


> Just from listening to WALY and seeing this move, I would
> venture a guess that WALY is slowly planning an evolution
> away from what is perceived as traditional OLDIES. I have
> heard a much greater emphasis on the 70's and even some 80's
> tunes creeping into the mix. Besides that, the term OLDIES
> can have a negative connotation depending on who you are
> reaching out for. Your typical baby-boomer thinks of oldies
> as taking them BACK TO THE DAY...as in I REMEMBER
> WHEN...anyone much younger than that and all they hear is
> the word OLD!
>
> When we see oldies outlets fail in New York and larger
> areas, it is a signal that the format is definately not as
> viable as it once was, at least not in its current form.
> Heck, listen to a syndicated show like SUPERGOLD these days
> and you rarely even hear stuff from the late 50's and the
> 60's. Its pretty much an all 70's party.
>
> The format must change to keep up with the fact that its
> core audience is aging and its time to attract new younger
> listeners. Heck...who knows...if the audience erodes too
> much...maybe WALY music will be JACK MUSIC???
>
>
> I have no facts on that...just speculation. But as we have
> already seen, many oldies outlets go Jack when they
> dismantle. It could just be a really bad positioner too.
> But I will agree with you...I don't think that WALY MUSIC
> describes very much at all.
>
> Hitman
>
 
>
> Before you go off explaining what baby boomers think about
> older music, BECOME OLDER FIRST.
>
And when you were my age, I bet you walked ten miles to school in the snow right? Have you ever met some of the consultants in this industry. You may be surprised by some of their ages. Many of those firms have people younger than me calling the shots at stations across the country. Age does not make one wise....COMMON SENSE AND LEARNING FROM ONE'S EXPERIENCES DOES! There are twenty somethings programming radios stations across this country playing music they were not even alive when it was released doing just fine. I do not subscribe to a belief that one's age automatically gives them a certain degree of intelligence over others.

> By your description, all of Princes album's from 1978 all
> the way up through about "Purple Rain" are oldies. Hardly
> true, they're CLASSICS!

Well actually yes...while you and I would most likely not consider Prince an OLDIE...technically it IS! Hell, technically any of the GOLD that radio stations spin from the 80's-90's are considered OLDIES in the radio sense.

Vast research has been done into this and many solid articles have been written in the trades by the likes of some of the best consultants out there in the industry. The very core of OLDIES stations IS changing. As their core audience grows older and other demos become more attractive, the music drifts from the 50's to early 70's to the late 60's, the 70's and even early 80's. The fact is a child of the disco era or from the 80's does not think highly of the word OLDIES. To them, OLDIES means The Drifters, The Coasters, Frankie Valley, Jerry Lee Lewis and all the stuff their parents listened to. (Most of which IS great music by the way and I own a lot of the stuff myself)

Why do you think oldies outlets are falling like dominos across the country in favor of Jack-FM? When oldies dies in a city like New York with MILLIONS of people, that screams to me that the format is definately going through a "flux" if you will and that change is coming.

Heck, I personally think the handle GOOD TIMES GREAT OLDIES...is a wonderful handle for a station like WALY as it is....but if the station must change or evolve...will it still fit? That remains to be seen. Obviously the folks at Forever do not think so. I am sure they carefully thought it out before they killed the handle. Why not ask them if they feel OLDIES was a negative-ism or why they changed it if my theory seems so unacceptable.
 
where you miss the boat is looking at radio from a radio standpoint...if you think like a listener and you like a song, you don't care if it is from the 40's...nor do you say "hey honey did you just notice that they played a re-current followed by a power gold and then two 90's regular gold?" It's the same with talk...if they care what you're talking about, it's not talking, if you have nothing to say for them, they think "the station talks all the time"

> >
> > Before you go off explaining what baby boomers think about
>
> > older music, BECOME OLDER FIRST.
> >
> And when you were my age, I bet you walked ten miles to
> school in the snow right? Have you ever met some of the
> consultants in this industry. You may be surprised by some
> of their ages. Many of those firms have people younger than
> me calling the shots at stations across the country. Age
> does not make one wise....COMMON SENSE AND LEARNING FROM
> ONE'S EXPERIENCES DOES! There are twenty somethings
> programming radios stations across this country playing
> music they were not even alive when it was released doing
> just fine. I do not subscribe to a belief that one's age
> automatically gives them a certain degree of intelligence
> over others.
>
> > By your description, all of Princes album's from 1978 all
> > the way up through about "Purple Rain" are oldies. Hardly
>
> > true, they're CLASSICS!
>
> Well actually yes...while you and I would most likely not
> consider Prince an OLDIE...technically it IS! Hell,
> technically any of the GOLD that radio stations spin from
> the 80's-90's are considered OLDIES in the radio sense.
>
> Vast research has been done into this and many solid
> articles have been written in the trades by the likes of
> some of the best consultants out there in the industry. The
> very core of OLDIES stations IS changing. As their core
> audience grows older and other demos become more attractive,
> the music drifts from the 50's to early 70's to the late
> 60's, the 70's and even early 80's. The fact is a child of
> the disco era or from the 80's does not think highly of the
> word OLDIES. To them, OLDIES means The Drifters, The
> Coasters, Frankie Valley, Jerry Lee Lewis and all the stuff
> their parents listened to. (Most of which IS great music by
> the way and I own a lot of the stuff myself)
>
> Why do you think oldies outlets are falling like dominos
> across the country in favor of Jack-FM? When oldies dies in
> a city like New York with MILLIONS of people, that screams
> to me that the format is definately going through a "flux"
> if you will and that change is coming.
>
> Heck, I personally think the handle GOOD TIMES GREAT
> OLDIES...is a wonderful handle for a station like WALY as it
> is....but if the station must change or evolve...will it
> still fit? That remains to be seen. Obviously the folks at
> Forever do not think so. I am sure they carefully thought
> it out before they killed the handle. Why not ask them if
> they feel OLDIES was a negative-ism or why they changed it
> if my theory seems so unacceptable.
>
 
> > Before you go off explaining what baby boomers think about older music, BECOME OLDER FIRST.

Uh, no son, you misinterpreted what I said. You spoke about what baby boomers think. And you cannot possibly know what baby boomers think about having never been one. Like I said, it's like trying to explain what it's like to be a black man when you're a white man. You can only rely on your data and your articles, you have no real life experience.

That's why I said, before you go off explaining what baby boomers think, become one first.

> And when you were my age, I bet you walked ten miles to
> school in the snow right?

Well, if YOU were still going to school in your thirties (you are in your thirties, correct?) and it wasn't some degree of higher education, then I'm really going to wonder about your intellectual ability. No son, when I was the age you are now, I had a wife, a job, and one kid on the way. I also owned a house, land and two cars, a cat, a dog and I think we had a really annoying bird at the time. The wife's idea...glad that damned bird is gone.

No, I've never walked 10 miles in the snow to go to school. Although, later in life, I had to walk across campus in the snow to attend classes to complete my degrees. By then we could afford coats, hats and BOOTS!
 
>
> > And when you were my age, I bet you walked ten miles to
> > school in the snow right?
>
> Well, if YOU were still going to school in your thirties
> (you are in your thirties, correct?) and it wasn't some
> degree of higher education, then I'm really going to wonder
> about your intellectual ability. No son, when I was the age
> you are now, I had a wife, a job, and one kid on the way. I
> also owned a house, land and two cars, a cat, a dog and I
> think we had a really annoying bird at the time. The wife's
> idea...glad that damned bird is gone.
>
> No, I've never walked 10 miles in the snow to go to school.
> Although, later in life, I had to walk across campus in the
> snow to attend classes to complete my degrees. By then we
> could afford coats, hats and BOOTS!
>

Gotta admit...you made me laugh on that one! OK...hopefully I am not still walking to school in the snow at my age, but you got what I was after! Good one!

You are right, I am not a baby boomer and I guess I cannot speak for them more than you can speak for what is in my head either, but I can comment on what data shows and the data I have read agrees with my stance on this.

But speaking from my heart...I think WALY should kept the Good Times, Great Oldies positioner. Having used it for soooooo long, it is imprinted in the heads of everyone. Even those who don't listen know the slogan stands for WALY. Unless they change format, I think the handle would continue to be viable, but obviously someone felt differently on that.

Anyway, do not be surprised to see the station make more of a move "forward" on music. I am only basing that off of what Oldies Outlets across the country seem to be doing.
 
> where you miss the boat is looking at radio from a radio
> standpoint...if you think like a listener and you like a
> song, you don't care if it is from the 40's...nor do you say
> "hey honey did you just notice that they played a re-current
> followed by a power gold and then two 90's regular gold?"
> It's the same with talk...if they care what you're talking
> about, it's not talking, if you have nothing to say for
> them, they think "the station talks all the time"
>
Agreed to a point. I do think sometimes we radio folk, myself included tend to OVERTHINK things and I will be one to admit I can get wrapped up in my data and my articles, etc.

I really like your comment on talk. I attended a wonderful conference hosted by Dan O'Day (the consultant who HATES consultants...or so he says) and that was one of his very big points when talking about radio personalities and what they say over the mic. He has written some excellent reading materials on the subject also. If you every get a chance to see him in person, I highly recommend his seminars. I learned a lot.

Hitman
 
> I really like your comment on talk. I attended a wonderful
> conference hosted by Dan O'Day (the consultant who HATES
> consultants...or so he says) and that was one of his very
> big points when talking about radio personalities and what
> they say over the mic. He has written some excellent
> reading materials on the subject also. If you every get a
> chance to see him in person, I highly recommend his
> seminars. I learned a lot.
>
> Hitman
>

O'Day is great. He has a free programming email newsletter and a sales newsletter and both are worth subscribing to.
 
> Gotta admit...you made me laugh on that one! OK...hopefully
> I am not still walking to school in the snow at my age, but
> you got what I was after! Good one!

Thank you, thank you very much...at least the damned bird was good for a laugh since it was never good for anything else.

> But speaking from my heart...I think WALY should kept the
> Good Times, Great Oldies positioner. Having used it for
> soooooo long, it is imprinted in the heads of everyone.

I agree with you on this one. I've heard it for so long, I think I can speak for people my age that we are not as susceptable to change as many may think. We tend to be set in our ways and we like things to stay as familiar as possible. Change, in general, throws us off our routines.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom