Revisiting the Mike/Variety Hits Discussion

[radiolover78]

I have a feeling that there was more to be said in the Mike FM/VH discussion that was going on a few days.

From one of my old posts responding to classicradio's post from a few days ago:

> > All of what you're saying is fine- except, in most markets
>
> > in America, it's working and working well.
> >
>
> Man.... it's NOT working well in most markets. Mediocre at
> best.

Mr.West, where are you getting your information? Many Variety Hits stations are doing very well now. Your statement is simply incorrect.

Yes some markets its leading. But, dude, a jukebox
> on shuffle ain't what people wanna hear out of their radio.

Apparently, many people do enjoy hearing a "jukebox on shuffle" on the radio. I think it is better to say "a jukebox on shuffle ain't what I wanna hear out of the radio." I'm sure many people would back you up, but facts are facts.

> Variety, YES. Trust me on this, you're on the wrong train
> here. Look at the markets where it is a success... L.A.,
> for example. These days with the large hispanic population,
> almost NO traditional format works, so that left a big hole
> for VH.

(My words are without the arrows)
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[farid]

Re: Revisiting the Mike/Variety Hits Discussion *DELETED*

Post deleted by classicradionut

 

[OldiesCat]

Mike/Variety Hits

hey, cat- lay off. Curious why, if the rest of us need to get a life, what you're doing here.

Play nice or get lost.

> Anyone who read that mile-long thread and actually thinks
> there's more to be said needs to find other interests. I
> realize you're probably a teenager and suffer from the
> blight of posting on boards in markets you can't even hear
> but enough is enough. Are you under the tutelage of Mr
> Gallant?
>

 

[wizard_control]

Re: Mike/Variety Hits

Agreed, Farid veered this interesting topic off course.

RE: MikeFM, what the original poster brought up. It sounded fresh, new and
different on the first few listens, but now it is just "there" if you are looking for a decent song. Not a bad thing entirely - to have a radio station that gets some ears once in awhile, but nothing to hold on to for any long periods.

Maybe...maybe, good local talent will be able to be
clever, smart and entertaining on the radio waves.

Maybe. MikeFM/Variety Hits/Jack/etc. isn't the answer - it's just another excuse to implode a station and prepare it for the next phase. A weird kind of radio purgatory.


> hey, cat- lay off. Curious why, if the rest of us need to
> get a life, what you're doing here.
>
> Play nice or get lost.
>
> > Anyone who read that mile-long thread and actually thinks
> > there's more to be said needs to find other interests. I
> > realize you're probably a teenager and suffer from the
> > blight of posting on boards in markets you can't even hear
>
> > but enough is enough. Are you under the tutelage of Mr
> > Gallant?
> >
>

 

[OldiesCat]

Mike/Variety Hits

There's some misconception going around that Jack was designed to "save radio" or be the next re-invention of the wheel.

It was not- Variety Hits is a response to the growing dissatisfaction by radio listeners with narrowly-focused, repetitive playlists.

I remember when Oldies came into the fold in the late '80s- so many said things like "well, who wants to hear a bunch of music that's 30 years old all the time?". Jack isn't an excuse or some transition format- if it was, you would not see the dramatic results they're getting in many markets. Mike in Boston is one of the few that hasn't kicked in yet- every market is different and perhaps the size of the hole in Boston was overestimated.

>
> Maybe. MikeFM/Variety Hits/Jack/etc. isn't the answer -
> it's just another excuse to implode a station and prepare it
> for the next phase. A weird kind of radio purgatory.

 

[BRNout]

Re: Mike/Variety Hits

> Jack isn't an
> excuse or some transition format- if it was, you would not
> see the dramatic results they're getting in many markets.
> Mike in Boston is one of the few that hasn't kicked in yet-
> every market is different and perhaps the size of the hole
> in Boston was overestimated.

In the markets where "Jack" has had dramatic results, those results are almost instantaneous. Time will tell whether it catches on elsewhere over time, but early results would seem to indicate that it does not. If it starts slow, it seems to stay that way. Like in New York and Boston. In Toronto, it started off decently, went lukewarm and now is struggling.

Not a good omen for "Mike".

I think that your second statement about overestimating the size of the hole in Boston is right on. There really wasn't one. Entercom wanted to be first with the format and simply did it to beat Infinity to the punch. And, it's questionable whether Infinity would have done any better here.

Mike primarily plays rock-40 hits. And, there are plenty of alternate places to hear this music in Boston. Mix, WZLX, Magic, Oldies 103, etc. No, they are not all in one place, but they DO all have personalities and all get ratings. Mike does neither.

Personally, I think that the VH format may be great for smaller markets. But, aside from LA (which has been discussed to death), the larger ones don't seem interested.

In the case of Boston, it would appear that "Mike" is the answer to a question that no one asked.

 

[hellohello]

Re: Mike/Variety Hits as in New Coke vs. Classic Coke

This is an interesting take on the subject. Entercom did jump in head
first - but at what cost? Also, the STARZ format still being on the
internet - is this like "New Coke", when the late Roberto at Coca Cola
knew if people had a revolt over "New Coke" he could bring back the
"Classic Coke" - which he did, and they made 1 BILLION dollars more than the year before - they basically DOUBLED their revenue, if memory is intact.

So could Entercom bring back STARZ?
>
> I think that your second statement about overestimating the
> size of the hole in Boston is right on. There really wasn't
> one. Entercom wanted to be first with the format and simply
> did it to beat Infinity to the punch. And, it's
> questionable whether Infinity would have done any better
> here.
>
> Mike primarily plays rock-40 hits. And, there are plenty of
> alternate places to hear this music in Boston. Mix, WZLX,
> Magic, Oldies 103, etc. No, they are not all in one place,
> but they DO all have personalities and all get ratings.
> Mike does neither.
>
> Personally, I think that the VH format may be great for
> smaller markets. But, aside from LA (which has been
> discussed to death), the larger ones don't seem interested.
>
>
> In the case of Boston, it would appear that "Mike" is the
> answer to a question that no one asked.
>

 

[gcc83j]

Re: Mike/Variety Hits

> Mike primarily plays rock-40 hits. And, there are plenty of
> alternate places to hear this music in Boston. Mix, WZLX,
> Magic, Oldies 103, etc. No, they are not all in one place,
> but they DO all have personalities and all get ratings.
> Mike does neither.

In the end, doesn't it just come down to what you listen to radio
for? If you're an I-pod lover, no radio format is goint to win your
heart, even with no DJ chatter, not as long as there's always going
to be the periodic stop down for spots.

If you like personality radio, Mike probably is not going to satisfy
you, either. I think its "niche", if there really is one, is at-work
listening or simply that station you put on when you're doing stuff
around the house or whatever.

I think the format is not destined to be a big winner over time. Maybe
it's short term gains the company is after, with something else to
follow. Let's just wait and see what happens...

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Re: Mike/Variety Hits

> I remember when Oldies came into the fold in the late '80s-
> so many said things like "well, who wants to hear a bunch of
> music that's 30 years old all the time?".

Oldies stations actually started up in the early to mid-70's, playing music of the mid-50's to early 60's. They kind of faded in the late 70's after the "American Graffiti"/"Happy Days" nostalgia fad died, and for a while lot of Oldies stations were lower-powered AM's in the early 80's, but there was a big resurgence in the late 80's of full-power FM Oldies stations everywhere when they added 60's and early 70's to their playlists.

Jack, Mike, etc... is essentially an automated Oldies format for a younger generation than the traditional Oldies stations that the now middle-aged baby-boomer generation is used to (and who don't use the word "Oldie").