Oldies "work" in PA. Why not Atlanta?

[HippieGuy]

The NYC/LI/NJ/CT metro area has several oldies and Nostalgia music stations. One of the most popular listened to Sirius/XM channels is, 'Seriously Sinatra', which plays 24/7 of Sintra and era-like standards.

I ALWAYS wondered why it won't work in Atlanta
???

 

[FredLeonard]

Not in PA, in Erie.

Second, this is a non-commercial station operated by a small Catholic college in a small market. This isn't a radio station. This is somebody's hobby (possibly some nun's hobby).

Most Oldies stations aren't oldies any more. They have morphed into "classic hits" and they certainly aren't playing music from the 60s. They play music people in the money demos remember and grew up with it. They stopped playing Baby Boomer music years ago.

Hippieguy, better recheck what's playing on New York stations today.

 

[michael hagerty]

The NYC/LI/NJ/CT metro area has several oldies and Nostalgia music stations. One of the most popular listened to Sirius/XM channels is, 'Seriously Sinatra', which plays 24/7 of Sintra and era-like standards.

I ALWAYS wondered why it won't work in Atlanta
???

Sirius/XM, which runs on subscription money and doesn't have to fight other stations in ratings, is no comparison to commercial stations that do.

In the New York metro, WCBS-FM (Classic Hits) and WAXO-FM (Classic Rock) are the only non-current music stations that show up in the ratings.

That said, a well-programmed Classic Hits, tailored to the local Atlanta audience, should be able to do well. Given that Atlanta's population is just over a quarter African-American and that two Urban ACs top the ratings, it's possible that it would be more of an R&B leaning mix than the typical Classic Hits station.

 

[michael hagerty]

Music form the 1960s is now close to 50 years old - that would be the equivalent of a station back in the 80s playing music from the 1930s

That statement has no meaning.

The music of the 60's (in addition to some from the late 50's, the 70's besides Disco and some from the early 80's) is unique in the history of music. The popularity, innovation, technology and presentation far exceeded that of any other period in recorded history. That music had an effect on the social fabric of most of the world unprecedented in history. There are many reasons this generation of music will live for a considerable time and why there is no comparison to music from earlier or later generations.

No...it has meaning. For while 60s music has more resonance with younger generations 50 years on than music of the 30s did in the 1980s, the bulk of the audience, then and now, is outside the demographic advertisers seek. There are not enough younger (and in this case we're talking 40-50 year olds) people who appreciate the music in large doses to produce salable ratings. Once outside the people who experienced it first-hand, 60s music's appeal is a mile wide, but only about a foot deep. That's an improvement over 30's music in the 80s, where it was a foot wide and an inch deep, but it's still not a business case.

 

[scripps]

No excuse not to have one in ATL. There is always an underperforming station that can pick up the format and run it on the cheap. Too many markets in the country now have classic hits stations at or near the top of the ratings.

 

[amlover]

First of all why does the music of the 60's,70's or even 80's need to be dated. It's all styled based. Good music is just good music PERIOD. I was in Home Depot yesterday and the music on the PA system was all 60's music. Why is that? Because it's good music that most everyone like's reguardless of age. You look at commercials on tv these days and a lot of music they use is from the 60's and 70's. Who are they aiming at?? The trouble with radio is that you have sales people who can't sell. True Oldies 106.7 had as much as a five share in book, I remember Shannon talking about it. I know if one of the translators just put True Oldies on it let it rip they would get better ratings than the crap that's on them now.

 

[FredLeonard]

First of all why does the music of the 60's,70's or even 80's need to be dated. It's all styled based. Good music is just good music PERIOD. I was in Home Depot yesterday and the music on the PA system was all 60's music. Why is that? Because it's good music that most everyone like's reguardless of age. You look at commercials on tv these days and a lot of music they use is from the 60's and 70's. Who are they aiming at?? The trouble with radio is that you have sales people who can't sell. True Oldies 106.7 had as much as a five share in book, I remember Shannon talking about it. I know if one of the translators just put True Oldies on it let it rip they would get better ratings than the crap that's on them now.

Classic hits is not Oldies. Oldies is not classic hits. Just as Oldies wasn't standards or nostalgia.

These are distinct formats. Each is generation or age cohort based.

People start paying attention to current popular music sometime in elementary school. They continue through high school, college and any single-dating years. People get married and start having families, they start listening to "the music you grew up with," "the music you sing along to." Whatever that was. They stay stuck in a musical time warp. Much the same applies to fashions and grooming styles.

A sure sign of old age is when somebody starts saying "that music is crap" and "my music is good." And wondering why radio stations don't play "good music" instead of all that crap. I'm a baby boomer and some of you are starting to sound like my grandparents. They didn't get Elvis, the Beatles or any top 40 and wondered why kids didn't appreciate Bing Crosby or Lawrence Welk.

Can Boomer music get ratings? Maybe, if the stations that used to run had kept at it. Radio stations can keep an audience but it's impossible any more to get an audience. But even if they can get "ratings," they won't get advertisers. They won't make money. You can't go to the bank with ratings. That's why standards died. And real oldies died. And talk is terminal. Elvis has left the building and Boomers have left the money demos.

Oldies are available online. Enjoy.

 

[briancraig]

The Hippie Radio in Nashville is on a small suburban signal that covers 1/3 of the market (at best).

Not saying they would be successful on a full market station, but their limited coverage area would certainly have a huge effect on ratings and billings.

 

[amlover]

First of all why does the music of the 60's,70's or even 80's need to be dated. It's all styled based. Good music is just good music PERIOD. I was in Home Depot yesterday and the music on the PA system was all 60's music. Why is that? Because it's good music that most everyone like's reguardless of age. You look at commercials on tv these days and a lot of music they use is from the 60's and 70's. Who are they aiming at?? The trouble with radio is that you have sales people who can't sell. True Oldies 106.7 had as much as a five share in book, I remember Shannon talking about it. I know if one of the translators just put True Oldies on it let it rip they would get better ratings than the crap that's on them now.

Yes they are online and elsewhere and we listen. I still say music should not be calendar based. I've given up on any station in Atlanta playing oldies/classic hits, I just like to bitch about it!

Classic hits is not Oldies. Oldies is not classic hits. Just as Oldies wasn't standards or nostalgia.

These are distinct formats. Each is generation or age cohort based.

People start paying attention to current popular music sometime in elementary school. They continue through high school, college and any single-dating years. People get married and start having families, they start listening to "the music you grew up with," "the music you sing along to." Whatever that was. They stay stuck in a musical time warp. Much the same applies to fashions and grooming styles.

A sure sign of old age is when somebody starts saying "that music is crap" and "my music is good." And wondering why radio stations don't play "good music" instead of all that crap. I'm a baby boomer and some of you are starting to sound like my grandparents. They didn't get Elvis, the Beatles or any top 40 and wondered why kids didn't appreciate Bing Crosby or Lawrence Welk.

Can Boomer music get ratings? Maybe, if the stations that used to run had kept at it. Radio stations can keep an audience but it's impossible any more to get an audience. But even if they can get "ratings," they won't get advertisers. They won't make money. You can't go to the bank with ratings. That's why standards died. And real oldies died. And talk is terminal. Elvis has left the building and Boomers have left the money demos.

Oldies are available online. Enjoy.

 

[atlantaboy]

Disco is excepted because it served primarily as dance/club music and had a very limited lifespan.

If you look at all genres of music today, I think that just as many artists were influenced by dance/club music of the 70s as were influenced by 60s/70s classic rock - and a lot of artists were influenced by 80s Pop, 90s Alternative, and 90s Hip-Hop - and I'm sure that in the upcoming years we'll hear about artists that were influenced by acts of the 2000s

I'm sure that 60s rock seemed extremely popular at the time, but a lot of that, I'm sure, had to do with the fact that there were so many baby-boomers coming of age as these bands were coming out

 

[JVR]

No excuse not to have one in ATL. There is always an underperforming station that can pick up the format and run it on the cheap. Too many markets in the country now have classic hits stations at or near the top of the ratings.

No excuse?? What about this- 1) ads AREN'T BEING SOLD ON CLASSIC HITS STATIONS LIKE THEY USED TO. 2) Atlanta is a young city. There's a reason why every single classic hits startup of the last 10-15 years hasn't lasted long term.


Roddy...I miss BRENT. He would've added so much intelligence to this conversation. Such a loss.

 

[atlantaboy]

Roddy...I miss BRENT. He would've added so much intelligence to this conversation. Such a loss.

That's really sad

 

[landtuna]

"Everywhere" is a big place. In the Top 15 markets that have Classic Hits stations, it's absolutely fading away. And one-tenth of the nation's population lives in the top two metro areas, New York and Los Angeles.

Noo Yawk is probably closer to the average demo of the country as a whole while El A is definitely not. What used to be white, middle-class no longer exists in most of El A and, as such, music tastes will change. The kids I grew up with, white, Hispanic or Black all listened to the same music and most of us still do (based on surveys taken at the past three high school reunions). Music has fragmented considerably since then though so I would not expect future polls to match those of the past.

In any event, those of us not living in Noo Yawk or El A probably don't gib a chit what they listen to as their days of influence on our music ended long ago.

And they'll be replaced by grown adults who don't agree with you that their oldies are crap.

I don't expect them to. I will just point out the difference in the generations and let them sweat the numbers for themselves.

All I know is Dick Clark is rolling over in his grave.

 

[landtuna]

Hippie Radio in Nashville:

2012. Billings $175,000 or about $15 k a month..

25-54 share last 3 months, #21.

Billing rank: 29th.

Given they've been on-air about one year now David would you say they are financially successful or not?

Are they growing?

 

[AlsoRan]

I can listen to all the oldies I want, any time I want. My personal collection is bigger than most radio stations and it plugs into this little hole in my car stereo. Radio stations are in business to make money, and if "oldies" aren't generating revenue, you won't find them. But the days are long gone when radio was the only option for music.

 

[JVR]

I can listen to all the oldies I want, any time I want. My personal collection is bigger than most radio stations and it plugs into this little hole in my car stereo. Radio stations are in business to make money, and if "oldies" aren't generating revenue, you won't find them. But the days are long gone when radio was the only option for music.

Amen to that! I was long suspicious of even Alt returning to radio, because a large percentage of their audiences have Unlimited Cellular plans with Spotify and XM accounts.

 

[chrocket87]

Roddy...I miss BRENT. He would've added so much intelligence to this conversation. Such a loss.

LOL I was wondering what happened to him.

 

[landtuna]

I'm with you on this boat, sort of.

Atlanta's just a different, bigger, and younger (I'm assuming) market. I think, if done well, we could have a successful classic hits station. But, it has not been enacted well. We had 106.7 until Cumulus took it over and messed around with it.

Atlanta's median age is 34 compared to the USA's 36. Phoenix is much younger at 30.7 - no doubt due to its much larger Hispanic population.

 

[JVR]

Roddy...I miss BRENT. He would've added so much intelligence to this conversation. Such a loss.

LOL I was wondering what happened to him.

I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps, GoodTimesandGreatOldies found that his grand scheme to pay BRENT to post oblivious pro-oldies junk didn't work and he stopped. Without BRENT, who knows, maybe we won't be able to hear Martha Reeves and the Vandellas on local radio ever again. This makes me so sad.

 

[landtuna]

Music form the 1960s is now close to 50 years old - that would be the equivalent of a station back in the 80s playing music from the 1930s

That statement has no meaning.

The music of the 60's (in addition to some from the late 50's, the 70's besides Disco and some from the early 80's) is unique in the history of music. The popularity, innovation, technology and presentation far exceeded that of any other period in recorded history. That music had an effect on the social fabric of most of the world unprecedented in history. There are many reasons this generation of music will live for a considerable time and why there is no comparison to music from earlier or later generations.

No...it has meaning. For while 60s music has more resonance with younger generations 50 years on than music of the 30s did in the 1980s, the bulk of the audience, then and now, is outside the demographic advertisers seek. There are not enough younger (and in this case we're talking 40-50 year olds) people who appreciate the music in large doses to produce salable ratings. Once outside the people who experienced it first-hand, 60s music's appeal is a mile wide, but only about a foot deep. That's an improvement over 30's music in the 80s, where it was a foot wide and an inch deep, but it's still not a business case.

I did not assume we were talking about advertisers - just that "30 years ago" meant something very different in the 60's than it did in the 90's.

Also not sure what you meant by "a mile wide but only a foot deep". I would have applied that statement to music of the 40's.