Oldies in Nashville

[Pinslasher]

Do you think Nashville could support another oldies station here in the Nashville market? I believe that it could as long as they have a PD who knows what he/she is doing and has good personalities (Coyote McCloud) who what about the music! I mean, I believe an oldies station could easily replace a station like V-102.5 whos ratings could use some help. (Oldies 102.5 Doesn't it sound good...lol)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE IN NAshvILLE RADIO WORLD

 

[radiofriend1]

no

oldies didn't work twice in nashville. and it's a fading format-why put a dud on AGAIN?????

 

[Pinslasher]

The ratings were great at WMAK and they just wanted to try something different and at WRQQ, it was just ran wrong in the first place, with people who didnt know what they were doing with an oldies format. Because, i do think it is harder programming and running an oldies format then it is running a rock format or country.

 

[PaulO]

The ratings were great at WMAK and they just wanted to try something different and at WRQQ, it was just ran wrong in the first place, with people who didnt know what they were doing with an oldies format. Because, i do think it is harder programming and running an oldies format then it is running a rock format or country.


According to:
hhttp://hdradio.com oldies will be on one of WRQQ's HD channels.

South Central didn't just decide to do something different. Their research at the time was telling them that the oldies format wasn't doing as well as it had been doing in the ast. They said something like this when they flipped the format.

 

[RadioWarrior]

There are plenty of sales reps who would LOVE to have WMAK's old ratings!

 

[radiofriend1]

it's clients they need............if their reps are good at selling 60+ god bless 'em

 

[jwk1979]

The main problems with the Oldies format is that most Oldies station play the same hand full of songs, repeatedly, instead of adding a little variety to the format. While I was Jackson, TN. in early December, I was listening to Cool 104.1, which runs an Oldies format, and I was surprised by what I heard. I heard songs that I hadn't heard in several years, songs that were only minor hits instead of huge hits and songs by classic Oldies performers that aren't normally played on a majority of Oldies stations. Where as, the Oldies station in Nashville were only playing songs that were HUGE hits or only two or three songs by a majority of the artists they played. You are aware the Temptations recorded other songs besides "My Girl", aren't you?

 

[ROCKO11]

I was off this board for a while, but let me tell you what is happening to my station, daytimer, WMRO-AM, Gallatin.

Over the past 13 years, I have programed the station late 50's, 60's and some early 70's, up until 2004. In 2004, Westwood One's Satellite Network Officials got with us affiliates and decided it was getting harder to sell national ads with music that gears to a 60 plus audience. It was realized that the ad agencies had been taken over by young 20 year olds who think that a station that calls itself "Oldies" does not have the listeners that are the "buying power" of America. They have been taught to go after that 25-54 demo.
Argue with me all you want, but this is what's happening. In 2004, Westwood One decided to change the approach of the Oldies Channel format to play hits from 1966 to 1984.

Westwood One has now sold it's 24/7 Digital Formats to Dial-Global, which it's parent company, Excelsior Radio Networks, maintains an office in Nashville, as well as in NYC and LA. From what I understand, Dial-Gobal plans this year to rename it's Oldies Channel format to something else.

As with our networks, locally it is getting harder and harder to sell ads with music that caters to a 60 plus crowd. They are now retiring, and not spending the money that the 35-55 crowd is.

Don't take me wrong, I don't hate the music of the 50's, & 60's, but personally, it's drug out too long, with the same old 400 tiltles playing over and over, not just in the Nashville Market with 96.3 and 97.1, but in other markets as well. I'm sick of Motown, the Beach Boys, etc.
It's not bad music, but over the past 25 years, the consultants and programmers have just wore out, and the numbers started to sink somewhat.

WMRO-AM remains with Dial-Globals Oldies Channel as for now (daytime only), but we are playing more 70's and 80's Pop (NOT CLASSIC ROCK) music, and less of the 60's music, although we (Dial-Global) haven't forgot this decade and still play those titles, from 1966-69.

At night, since we don't have much power and barely cover the city at night with the flea power we have, WMRO switches to Bright AC at night. We are Bright AC from 7 PM to 5 AM. Bright AC from Dial-Glaobal plays the current music (AC stuff) as well as Pop (NOT CLASSIC ROCK, AND NO RAP) from the 70's, 80's and 90's. It is something I'm beta testing at night right now. As I see the local business owners and managers are getting younger and younger (younger than me and I'm only 43), I feel it's time to move on and move up play more current pop/bubble gum hits, of the 70's & 80's now.

As time marches on, this station will probably move towards an AC/Gold format.

We have a 20 year contract with Dial-Global/Excelsior, and I plan to keep it that way, due to I'm a FIRM BELIVER in satellite programming. This gives me professional announcers, a professional team who helps the station in all areas of being local as well, and maintain a budget.

Well, I sign back off this board again.

Scott Bailey
WMRO-AM

 

[BigTimeEngineer]

Scott:

Please don't take this the wrong way, but you may be the only 43 year old listening to an AM station.

If you have a secret formula that will keep 25 year olds listening to the radio on either band, then patent it and sell it to the rest of us. (It certainly isn't the difference between Dial Global's Oldies Channel and Bright A/C. Dial Global is just one of a hundred networks, they're just concerned with total numbers and not the subject of AM v. FM.)

I haven't looked at WSM's (the AM) demographics recently, but I can't imagine there is anyone under 50 (probably 60) years young listening to any frequency that ends in a "0" (560, 650, 880, 1010, 1160, 1300, 1360, 1380, 1510, 1560, etc.) that plays music (or in Nashville, talk, too).

What I'm trying to get to here is why are you attempting to reinvent the wheel? If all that cume AM is 50 plus, then why would you try to program to people who simply don't listen to AM?

Again, if I'm missing something, please share. Thanks!

 

[RadioGaGa75]

The main problems with the Oldies format is that most Oldies station play the same hand full of songs, repeatedly, instead of adding a little variety to the format. While I was Jackson, TN. in early December, I was listening to Cool 104.1, which runs an Oldies format, and I was surprised by what I heard. I heard songs that I hadn't heard in several years, songs that were only minor hits instead of huge hits and songs by classic Oldies performers that aren't normally played on a majority of Oldies stations. Where as, the Oldies station in Nashville were only playing songs that were HUGE hits or only two or three songs by a majority of the artists they played. You are aware the Temptations recorded other songs besides "My Girl", aren't you?

You absolutely hit the nail on the head JWK1979. Aside from the demo skewing 55+, part of Fox 97's demise in Atlanta was its playing the same 300 songs over and over. It gets OLD really quickly! So much for the consultants.

I have to give props to the local Oldies station here in Northeast Georgia, WMJE "Magic 102.9." I have to commend them for playing a lot more variety within the 60's and 70's decades. I think it minimizes burnouts. Not every song an Oldies station plays has to be a mega-hit in its day IMO. They are also doing the smart thing by calling themselves something else beside "Oldies." I think it minimizes a preconceived barrier that a potential listener might have before ever sampling the station.

It's been kinda cool hearing songs that I rarely hear or hearing songs I've never heard before. Some of these "oldies" are "newies" to me.

 

[ROCKO11]

Hi to Big Time Engineer....

First of all, engineering is my first love of this business, my love of a Collins 20V transmitter with 4-400 tubes lighting up and watching those plates in the tubes glow a slight orange! I come from that era.

Anyway, I was asked to come back to this board to answer your question. In this day and time, it's getting harder and harder for a AM station to sell ads, as the younger demo is now in control of the businesses, and when I say this, I'm not speaking of listeners. In other words, in business, listeners don't matter, it sales and money. In a small town, us AM's don't have ratings, so we have to go another route to make sales, and since Arbitron ignors us, and the independent AM stations can not afford to buy the Arbitron book. As most of you know, sales and money pay the bills, not listeners, nor formats, especially on AM.

Example: A local bank has a female "marketing manager" that is 25 years old, in charge of how the bank spends thier advertising money in thier budget.
When your saleperson trys to sell ads to them, and you say that you
are an oldies station, you should see the expression on thier face! What
happens is that female "marketing manager" at the bank will buy news-
paper, and a few ads they can afford on the Nashville FM's and to hell
with the local AM station. We just went throught this problem here a
while back. This marketing manager injects her own music taste into
the whole advertising idea for the bank, and if your not playing to her demo, she doesn't want to buy ad from you. She tells you that they (The Bank) is after a younger crowd. Anybody over 55, they (the bank) could careless about.

"I won't say what bank this is to keep from embarrasment of the bank itself"

My observation is that people 55 and up are retiring, and these 20 and early 30 year olds that are running the businesses, be it owners, managers, marketing reps, etc. and they are dictating the buy power of suburban america.

 

[RadioGaGa75]

Unfortunately, you are right about that Rock011.

I am one of the few 31-year-olds in this world who realize that these 55-64 year olds are an extremely viable audience to target. Last time I checked, the baby-boomers are the ones who control 50% or better of the disposable income. Also, they do not have the mentality that the 70+ crowd who grew up during the Depression have. . .you know, be frugal with your money.


Kinda ironic too that this 25-year-old marketing manager wants to target "young people," yet she spends money in the newspaper. Since when did a lot of young people start reading the fishwrapper?

I think the best way for a small market radio station to thrive is to be located far enough from a major Metro area where most of the decision-makers are mom and pop, and you don't have the big out of town stations knocking on their doors. Even the younger people who run businesses and buy advertising have a better grasp on the community itself.

 

[OldiesCat]

The point many of you are missing is that right now, 55+ has zero, zip, no value to advertisers. Do they have disposable income? Sure. Are major advertisers (enough to help music stations targeting 55+ flourish on the revenue side) hungry for 55+ audience. Sorry, but the answer to that is a resounding "no!".

I love the dichotomy that goes on in radio. On one hand, radio owners and operators get accused of being "all bottom line", "money hungry", "it's all about the buck", yet just common sense would dictate that IF there really was that much revenue to be genrated targeting Oldies audiences 55+, those money grubbin' radio operators would be all over it.

You can't have it both ways, ladies and gentlemen. Radio operators definitely are focused on generating revenue- truly and seriously, if there was gold in them thar hills, these people would be flipping stations TO Oldies (no away from the format) left and right to capitalize on making all that green.

Your complaints should be directed at ADVERTISERS, not toward radio and it's owners & operators.

 

[radionekkid]

Your complaints should be directed at ADVERTISERS, not toward radio and it's owners & operators.

Best reply todate, and dead on accurate but still a sad state of affairs. The tail can't wag the dog.

 

[Tibbs4]

OC is right, but I still cannot believe NO ONE, especially the innovative AM radio owners haven't, even as a group,
taken their product to saavy marketers and developed a 45+ product geared toward advertisers looking for that
specific demo. I also understand the $$$ demo's, but on either side of that there is still A market that can be
profitable. Even if it's 1000's of AARP ads. It blows my mind that anyone believes once your 50 you never spend another
dollar on anything advertisable again. It is that age listener that still finds the validity of AM radio vs. the younger
demos that'll never even know AM exists. AM owners have been swimming upstream for decades, yet look at
Rock and Lash, they manage to survive despite the odds.

 

[CHRles]

OldiesCat is right on the money, pardon the pun.

I think the solution for a lot of markets is to take down some of these annoying Christian stations found between 88-92 FM on the dial. Why the "hell" does Nashville need so many of them? We even have one located at 93.7 and 94.1
Since the amount of "old people" is growing, there should be more stations catered to them. Since they're not as influenced by advertisements as younger demos the solution is simple - move the Oldies format, just like Classical and Jazz, to the non-commercial band. That way those stations will be doing a big service to the community, and will at least be reaching a lot more listeners than those stations where every other word is Jesus or the lord.

 

[radiofriend1]

OC is right, but I still cannot believe NO ONE, especially the innovative AM radio owners haven't, even as a group,
taken their product to saavy marketers and developed a 45+ product geared toward advertisers looking for that
specific demo. I also understand the $$$ demo's, but on either side of that there is still A market that can be
profitable. Even if it's 1000's of AARP ads. It blows my mind that anyone believes once your 50 you never spend another
dollar on anything advertisable again. It is that age listener that still finds the validity of AM radio vs. the younger
demos that'll never even know AM exists. AM owners have been swimming upstream for decades, yet look at
Rock and Lash, they manage to survive despite the odds.

they spend those $ on tv & newspaper----the latter stupidly, of course. aarp doesn't have thousands to spend every month on oldies stations
besides, aarp isn't welfare for oldies stations

 

[jefflaurence]

Okay this is gonna hurt me..but here goes..a song released in 1972 that was a hit and bought by a 15 year old then is THIRTY FIVE YEARS OLD...and that 15 year old is now..50!!! Do 50 year olds listen to the radio? Sure do. Do they listen to AM radio? Only if there were no FM oldies service available. Would they listen to oldies on AM radio..maybe if they had a working AM radio, and some patience to find one of the very few that play such music..Would they purchase and use Sirius or XM or buy and use an Ipod? Absolutely..Would they listen to this music on the internet? Absolutely.

(and keep in mind that this is based only on a 1972 control date..can you imagine how much more dramtically this would translate to 1958, or 1968?)

The 50 year old of 2007 is not the nearly elderly 50 year old of 1972...but the point is that true "oldies" formats on AM can't survive because of the lack of available intetrested listeners..it's just too narrow of an available audience. 60's and 70's rock hits on FM can continue for some time..partially because of that 50 year old core, and partially because the format exists in a viable and higher quality medium. And now there are so many other sources of audio entertainment. Therefore those that really want that kind of programming can get it from many many places, and would be a rare bird indeed that would seek this music out on AM radio.

Keeping and operating an AM radio station involves not only FCC licensing, but music licenses..and lots of expensive real estate. Tower maintenece, insurance, payroll (if any) satellite programming fees, dish and reciever costs..power, phone, engineering..Jeesh. A real expensive hobby. Many times far more profitable to rip-down the towers..bulldoze the building and sell the realestate to a developer and get out of town. Sure it's noble to keep and run a station, but at what cost?

It's like to going to a doctor..feeling perfecty healthy with 250 thousand dollars in your wallet and asking the MD to give you the worst headache and ulcer you've ever had in exchange for giving up the 250K.

Now ask ANY 15 year old..or for that matter any COLLEGE student about radio and you will get damn near a blank stare. They have more options, they hate disc jockies, they hate commercials, and they are used to paying for thier entertainment (i.e. sat or cable tv, movies on DVD, downloaded music, and Sirius or XM) and have no idea what free radio used to be..Why should they? It just doesn't matter to them. It's ancient history.

Sad?..yup. Fixable?..not likely.

 

[Nock]

To further back up your point. What was the number one cd last year? High School Musical (a Disney Product) Received absolutely no radio airplay but yet it topped the charts? Being the parent of a 13 and 15 year old, it is interesting to watch how they go about getting their music. Growing up in the northeast listening to some great radio back in a day, that is how I was exposed. My daughter, hears something on Disney channel, walks over to the computer and googles it, then hops on itunes and buys it? Ya oughta see the itunes bill every month in this house. Being in the mid 40's I still have some disposable income unfortunately I am not the one spending it.

Nock

 

[Tibbs4]

Maybe those AM Disney stations aren't such a great idea afterall, Nock!
I feel your pain. My kids laugh at the thought of EVER listening to something as
socially unacceptable as radio. Now that really hurts!