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Oldies=Dead format

Muzak is very cool, I'd love to work there! My one interview was a bit strange. It was in the technical department. They have commercials for the clients that most run at certain times and they are still playing music off CD using CD changers. There are mechanical problems etc. They department head I interviewed with had zero sense of humor and when I asked what he liked about his job he said "The autonomy." He also said that most people used his department as a stepping stone to get into the IT department.

The on line application asks what salary you want, (I never like those, I think salary is the last thing to ask about on either side). I checked one that was very low and I think that's why I finally got an interview after trying for so long.

I'll bet they didn't mention this in the interview: Muzak hasn't turned a profit in something like 12 years now. I think they were or are in Chapter 11. Too bad because it really is a cool looking place!
 
I predict the smarter, more progressive agencies will soon lose their distaste for reaching older demographics.
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It's not the agencies who decide what age group to reach, it's the client with the product to sell who makes that call. In cities where agency buys are dominant a station playing music for 60 year old listeners would fail because there is no demand for that demo.
 
The oldies audience is alive and well and spending money....Yeah 1965 was 45 years ago but the listener who could have been educated by and loved the music years after the actual release year of the song so the oldies audience is not quite as old in some cases...Also the same 300 songs over and over is running listeners away from oldies radio since they have so many other options for music...The lack of live jocks nighttime and on weekends dosen't help either...Oldies radio has a great opportunity to rekindle some of the magic it has lost with an audience but voice tracking and the same old same old programming during the week and on weekends ain't gonna do it..Let the jock be themselves, let themdo at least some of their own programming for their show and find some salespeople in the oldies demo or who have a passion for the music and oldies radio will be just fine.......
 
jimbo said:
I predict the smarter, more progressive agencies will soon lose their distaste for reaching older demographics.
Click to expand...

It's not the agencies who decide what age group to reach, it's the client with the product to sell who makes that call. In cities where agency buys are dominant a station playing music for 60 year old listeners would fail because there is no demand for that demo.
Click to expand...
so i guess there is no demand for business either... they should close their doors until people with the "Right" demo shows up with their "Special" kind of money...
 
allenv said:
The oldies audience is alive and well and spending money....
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Sure, they spend money - but only a small percentage of what the under 55 year old spends, as they look at retirement right up ahead. They are also very set in their ways of spending the small percentage of dollars they spend. There is so much information and research on this that anyone that disputes it is just in clear denial.
 
They may be set in their ways but there are a lot of struggling stations who could benefit from some of that
set in their ways money...Stations complain that they aren't making money but there is a pretty good sized audience with some dollars being very underserved or not served at all...
 
Let's face it you could have the greatest format ever but if you don't have a sales team that can sell it and build a lasting relationship with clients it doesn't matter..You also have to promote the station and give it some TLC...So many stations slap a format on do nothing to promote it and expect money to rain down from the heavens......
 
Man, that's the truth. It amazes me how they just figure people will "find" the station. Hell, people forget you're there after a while. It's just like any advertising - people need to be reminded. When they're selling advertising, you'd think they'd get it!
 
Classic hits vs. Oldies (from IR)

Classic hits adds 172 stations.

The oldies to classic hits evolution that gathered steam on stations like WOGL, Philadelphia in the early-mid part of the last decade is quantified in new Ten-Year Format Trends released by Inside Radio. After peaking at 816 outlets in 2004, oldies lost 172 stations over the ensuing six years and currently airs on 644 stations. Classic hits, meanwhile, picked up an identical number of stations and now airs on 401 signals, up from 229 in 2004.
 
Kabrich said:
allenv said:
The oldies audience is alive and well and spending money....
Click to expand...

Sure, they spend money - but only a small percentage of what the under 55 year old spends, as they look at retirement right up ahead. They are also very set in their ways of spending the small percentage of dollars they spend. There is so much information and research on this that anyone that disputes it is just in clear denial.
Click to expand...
this sounds like al gore's argument on "global warming"... discussion over huh? not quite..
this argument about 35-54's is like some kind of "mantra", and those who use it hope if it is said enough times it will be accepted- i guess you heard it enough to make a believer out of YOU.. from someone who has worked in this format for many years Money CAN be made on this MASS APPEAL format.
 
Kabrich said:
allenv said:
The oldies audience is alive and well and spending money....
Click to expand...

Sure, they spend money - but only a small percentage of what the under 55 year old spends, as they look at retirement right up ahead. They are also very set in their ways of spending the small percentage of dollars they spend. There is so much information and research on this that anyone that disputes it is just in clear denial.
Click to expand...

Clear denial??? The research you're referring to is old, pal. The generation prior to the Baby Boomers WAS pretty stodgy and set in their ways. Many of them lived during the Great Depression. The Baby Boomers, on the other hand, are a generation that doesn't want to get old, so they spend a lot more like the younger generations used to. They're the only ones with discretionary income right now. You see them at concerts, taking big vacations, developing expensive hobbies. Unfortunately, unless you've been living under a rock, you should know that young people are having problems finding jobs and they have NO MONEY. Many of them are moving back in with their Baby Boomer parents. So, manufacturers and other businesses need to get real about who they should be advertising to.
 
The Baby Boomers, on the other hand, are a generation that doesn't want to get old

Many people on these boards assume that Boomers want to hear OLD music. The majority don't want to hear Oldies or Classic Hits. They've moved on to other eras and genres: talk, country, AC, CHR, NPR.

Even in the core Oldies format demo, 45-64, a good Oldies station is only going to get about 10% of the listening in that group.
 
With resspect, Surf, Just wondering; Are YOU a boomer?

If not, please don't speak for my generation.

If so, NPR? I'm getting a rash just thiking about those begging losers. You omitted "the great american songbook; a much better era- (when MUSICC WAS MUSIC!) than "oldies."

I have cd's of Glenn Milleer, Harry James, and alot of others in my car. Thanks for listenin'!
 
I am a Boomer (1958). And, I've programmed three Oldies stations, two in NC and one in VA.

I'm just pointing out that all boomers don't listen to a steady diet of only old music. If that were the case, some kind of Oldies formatted radio would be number one in every market.
 
Agree with you there Surfdude. A good point and another indicator that Boomers don't want to be considered "old". Go to MerleFest and you'll see the Boomer crowd in mass. I suspect you'll find them at Blues and Jazz festivals, as well. I don't think they much like typical "pop" music, but they LOVE music. The current boom of Bluegrass and Roots music in our area has a lot to do with the Baby Boomer generation. They want to be hip, but they don't follow the "manufactured music" thing. They won't be dictated to about what their tastes are. Maybe this could mean some new and different formats on the horizon? Only if manufacturers and ad agencies value the demo. A couple of stations have flirted with jazz programs. What would happen if a station actually did jazz 24/7? What if a station played the more contemporary versions of Bluegrass? Take a look at the success of the Avett Brothers and Donna the Buffalo. Why not?
 
Oldies is a passion format....The listeners are passionate about the music.....They also tend to be more passionate about radio in general..Its not just background noise to the oldies listener......Oldies listeners tend to turn the dial when forcefed the same 250 songs over and over and then the format gets blamed when alot of times its the way the format is presented that kills it...
 
allenv said:
Oldies listeners tend to turn the dial when forcefed the same 250 songs over and over and then the format gets blamed when alot of times its the way the format is presented that kills it...
Click to expand...

THIS!!!

It's true for many formats, but ESPECIALLY for oldies!
 
eyewitness news said:
Latest PPM ratings show KONO in San Antonio and WMJI Cleveland in the top three 12 plus and 25-54

Oldies isn't dead, but bad oldies stations are.
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TRUE! and you will find that the stations in this format that are Successful have a large playlist filled with VARIETY from the 60's to the 70's. and have PERSONALITY AIR TALENT.
 
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