I hate to say it but it's true. Fortunately the iPod allows us to stock up on all our favorite oldies. We can make playlists that rival the very best oldies station you can find. Want to be surprised by what comes up next? Just hit shuffle. It works and it takes the frustration out of the format changes and long commercial breaks.
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Oldies=Dead format
- Thread starter Mike Sheridan
- Start date
Mike,
I'm waiting for PPM (the portable people meter) to hit the Carolinas. The oldies listening audience is grossly undereported in the diaries. The stations that switched from the format just didn't know how to sell the ads.
How do I know?
I worked for the telephone company for 15 years. As a telephone system designer/trainer I visited at least 50 companies large and small each year. The oldies stations were the only ones that the entire staff at most of these businesses could agree on. It blared through intercoms. Over production room floors. Behind bank teller lines. And was on music-on-hold systems everywhere.
And the listeners to stations like Magic 96, Oldies 100.7, and Oldies 93.fun were glued through the stopsets.
They never 'turned the dial' during the commercials.
A few garages may have listened to country stations. Some places listened to NPR. And around Elizabethtown, a bunch of businesses tuned to a long-gone beach music station.
But the Oldies Stations were everywhere. I mean at businesses everywhere.
More than the AC or Hot AC stations.
Fear not, Mike.
PPM will be the great equalizer.
PS: WNCT, an oldies station, is still the choice for most businesses Down East. And the ad dollars keep rolling in!
I'm waiting for PPM (the portable people meter) to hit the Carolinas. The oldies listening audience is grossly undereported in the diaries. The stations that switched from the format just didn't know how to sell the ads.
How do I know?
I worked for the telephone company for 15 years. As a telephone system designer/trainer I visited at least 50 companies large and small each year. The oldies stations were the only ones that the entire staff at most of these businesses could agree on. It blared through intercoms. Over production room floors. Behind bank teller lines. And was on music-on-hold systems everywhere.
And the listeners to stations like Magic 96, Oldies 100.7, and Oldies 93.fun were glued through the stopsets.
They never 'turned the dial' during the commercials.
A few garages may have listened to country stations. Some places listened to NPR. And around Elizabethtown, a bunch of businesses tuned to a long-gone beach music station.
But the Oldies Stations were everywhere. I mean at businesses everywhere.
More than the AC or Hot AC stations.
Fear not, Mike.
PPM will be the great equalizer.
PS: WNCT, an oldies station, is still the choice for most businesses Down East. And the ad dollars keep rolling in!
C
cspotrun
Guest
well said Todd, and you are correct PPM LOVES THIS FORMATbecause PEOPLE ARE LISTENING TO IT!
in reading posts over the years here, NO-FORMAT garners as much HATE as Oldies... for some reason people (under 30) seem threatened by it. hard to understand for a so called "Dead Format".....
in reading posts over the years here, NO-FORMAT garners as much HATE as Oldies... for some reason people (under 30) seem threatened by it. hard to understand for a so called "Dead Format".....
Good point guys. There are a huge number of Classic Hits "Oldies" listeners out there for a number of reasons. The boomers are a growing population, the have money to spend, and they are loyal to "their" music. A station that picks up this format and launches some promotional and marketing will have a huge return. A niche format such as this certainly has a place in today's radio. Look at the way PPM has been "kind" to this format in city after city across the country. Somebody needs to wake up and smell the revenue.
I'm not a fan of satellite feed, but Scott Shannon's True oldies Channel is really taking off; best selection of tunes, wide variety and its not the same old 750 "safe" songs. Plus good tidbits of info about the song/ artists between the tunes. This could help out , say a small am , and could either run 24/7 or drop in your own Live morning show, for example. Oldies dead??? Don't kid yourself. Folks over 55 still spend lots of $$$.....TOC is picking up more affiliates every day....
oldies4ever ;D
oldies4ever ;D
This format has been tweaked some over the years as many of us age, but can still be viable if it's done right, i have a friend
who just started at a "beach music/oldies" station and told me they have around 2,000 different titles, but said it could use
much more, i've listened to them online and they don't sound that bad, but you be the judge, just visit this website and give
them a try...www.coolbeach1053.com, it's WODR-FM that serves Whiteville, North Myrtle Beach and surrounding areas of
southeastern North Carolina.
who just started at a "beach music/oldies" station and told me they have around 2,000 different titles, but said it could use
much more, i've listened to them online and they don't sound that bad, but you be the judge, just visit this website and give
them a try...www.coolbeach1053.com, it's WODR-FM that serves Whiteville, North Myrtle Beach and surrounding areas of
southeastern North Carolina.
Our station (WRSG, 91.5, with two translators) features classic hits and more from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. most weekdays. We have the "Glenn Sauter" approach ("Hits of Yesteryear"), where we hit the biggies and feature a lot of "B" side material, keeping things fresh. If only the powers-that-be could allow for affordable streaming, plus not have onerous record-keeping. Our station doesn't have a full-time all-day staffer, just us volunteers. Don't forget that kids generally enjoy the Rolling Stones, certain Beatles songs, etc.
I'm a former DJ and have worked at several respected Oldies stations. You won't find anyone who is a bigger cheerleader for the format. I love to listen to it and I love to work it. I would like to point out however, that even though PPM loves Oldies, that doesn't necessarily mean more Oldies stations will pop up or at least no more will go away. It comes down to the fact that the agencies that buy time don't care about anyone over 50 basically-and as boomers age and the music ages, that is where the overwhelmingly portion of their audience lies.
Even worse when stations had the opportunity to really "seal the deal" during the format's heydays of the 90's, both local and national sales departments at most Oldies stations missed the opportunities to "sell" the buyers on the universality of the format. The music was featured prominently in television spots, movies and as pointed out, seemed to be the one station everyone at work really could agree upon. Missed opportunities to "sell" the music to the younger generations as well. Add to this the fact that the buyers at the ad agencies were almost always in their 30's or younger and really resisted a lot of buys.
As far as an IPOD replacing a fun, up-beat, music-driven Oldies station with live p-e-r-s-o-n-a-l-i-t-i-e-s who are entrenched in their communities, fun promotions and elements....well, you can replace the music but you can't generate the "feel" of the station or that community where you live. Unfortunately though, this is the world we now live in. Just my 2 cents worth.
Even worse when stations had the opportunity to really "seal the deal" during the format's heydays of the 90's, both local and national sales departments at most Oldies stations missed the opportunities to "sell" the buyers on the universality of the format. The music was featured prominently in television spots, movies and as pointed out, seemed to be the one station everyone at work really could agree upon. Missed opportunities to "sell" the music to the younger generations as well. Add to this the fact that the buyers at the ad agencies were almost always in their 30's or younger and really resisted a lot of buys.
As far as an IPOD replacing a fun, up-beat, music-driven Oldies station with live p-e-r-s-o-n-a-l-i-t-i-e-s who are entrenched in their communities, fun promotions and elements....well, you can replace the music but you can't generate the "feel" of the station or that community where you live. Unfortunately though, this is the world we now live in. Just my 2 cents worth.
M
MaskMan
Guest
I agree with pretty much all of the above! I think the PPM will be kind to Oldies formats and they ARE everywhere. I also know that what was said about ad agencies is 100% true! The buyers are all young and don't "get" Oldies music. Of course, they're only following the directives of the AE's and upper management at the agencies. They're the ones that discard the 45+ demographics completely. Especially during these economic times, that demographic is the only one with any money. I predict the smarter, more progressive agencies will soon lose their distaste for reaching older demographics. Someone is going to realize that those are the only people left with any money!
C
cspotrun
Guest
and may i add....with younger demo's leaving radio in droves- 35-54's are about the only ones left still listening to Radio..Atticus said:
if ad agencies ignore them they are not doing their clients and RADIO any good.
i think its time to give ad agencies the respect they deserve.... NONE.
In the past few month there have been more and more sales avails that are requesting data on the 35-54 demo. Seems some of the talk circulating about the boomers are starting to surface. An area motorcycle dealer recent sales avail was for men 35-54 with income levels of 50K+ . That makes lots of sense due to the cost of some of these motorcycles. Take a look at most of the expensive bikes that you pass or normally pass you on the highway and take a look at the riders. The Oldies/Classic Hits stations are certainly viable formats and done properly can produce big bucks.
Glad to see I started something here. My heart is with you guys but I have lost hope. Unless there are young sales guys who believe in the format and agencies who are willing to try something new instead of going after the 18-35's I stand by what I said.
While it's great to hear live personalities play the music we love, stations are cutting back. Most sound like nobody's home after morning drive. Weekends? Forget it. Shifts are longer, stopsets are longer, jock talk gets cut even more.
A song from 1965 is now 45 years old. Some of the "kids" seem to be happy to quite aggressively push this format right off the radio.
PPM won't help unless someone has the guts to put on an entertaining Oldies station and back it up with promotion to let people know it's there. By the way Billboards won't cut it. For the most part nobody notices them!
I'm tired of all the format changes, most stations seem to go from bad to worse.
While it's great to hear live personalities play the music we love, stations are cutting back. Most sound like nobody's home after morning drive. Weekends? Forget it. Shifts are longer, stopsets are longer, jock talk gets cut even more.
A song from 1965 is now 45 years old. Some of the "kids" seem to be happy to quite aggressively push this format right off the radio.
PPM won't help unless someone has the guts to put on an entertaining Oldies station and back it up with promotion to let people know it's there. By the way Billboards won't cut it. For the most part nobody notices them!
I'm tired of all the format changes, most stations seem to go from bad to worse.
You are so right, Mike, but as some of us in our 50's age, the "oldies" format we know will someday be the 80's, 90's and the first decade of the 21st century, but like you i still prefer the music of the 50's, 60's and 70's, and the younger listeners of
today need to understand what was music before they came along, not this "stuff" that is on today's radio, if you can call it
that!
today need to understand what was music before they came along, not this "stuff" that is on today's radio, if you can call it
that!
"PPM won't help unless someone has the guts to put on an entertaining Oldies station and back it up with promotion to let people know it's there. By the way Billboards won't cut it. For the most part nobody notices them"
Mike, broaden your scope of Oldies/Classic Hits stations. KRTH LA, CBS-FM NY, WRBQ Tampa...these stations
balooned in the PPM.
KONO is San Antonio, diary ratiings, just posted a 9.7!! These are all more traditional Classic Hit stations.
I'm surprised CBS hasn't swithched your old CLT station to Classic Hits??!!
Mike, broaden your scope of Oldies/Classic Hits stations. KRTH LA, CBS-FM NY, WRBQ Tampa...these stations
balooned in the PPM.
KONO is San Antonio, diary ratiings, just posted a 9.7!! These are all more traditional Classic Hit stations.
I'm surprised CBS hasn't swithched your old CLT station to Classic Hits??!!
surfdude said:
Keep in mind KRTH and WCBS-FM had been doing oldies since the early '70's going back is not like starting a new (?) oldies station. I forget when WRBQ started doing oldies but they are in a market where the available audience is older. Tampa even has a station that plays standards.
I hope their idea of an oldies station includes some music that hasn't been heard in awhile. There are plenty of hits of the '70's and '80's that fall into that category. I liked "Piano Man" but the A/C stations have and continue to badly burn that song to the point that it's a current that never went away.
Oldies/Classic hits is such a broad format, everyone has a little different idea of what it should be.
Best oldies format I heard lately was n Fuddruckers.
Christopher Chenn said:
We have a good one in our local BoJangles, minus the jocks of course! Nice variety of music.
WRBQ launched in 2002.
Mike Sheridan said:
I listen to them while I'm in the area...pretty good with the music. The high school football game broadcasts I heard were a hoot. "We couldn't hear ya. Make sure you point your microphone antenna towards us when we cut to ya."tothedj said:
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