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So,...What Would You call It?

S

Scooter Lesley

Guest
Every time a topic surfaces, regarding 80's music, it tends to be met by the opinions of the alleged learn-id. The truth is, for the GSP market, it was only tried once, and that failed, due to shear incompetence. So,...if you had to start one,....a 90's format, what would you call it. There are several different pathways to journey,....but since it bears the need of discussion,....let's have at it!
 
A 90's format? I wouldn't even give it a thought. I'd call it a non-starter.
 
Well,...first off, we would all like to thank Beantown Randall for his extremely well-thought-out comments,....but we won't! Those that were 16, in 1993, are now 38, and many are drawing a paycheck. Not a bad advertising target. A full decade of interesting songs, many holding the "Oh Wow"/"Back In The Day" factor;
when you were 16-17-Graduated-Started College-First Apartment-That Beach Trip-The New Car......a Certain Conquest.......Hmmmmmmmm?
 
Hi Scooter,

In my opinion, doing an all-90s format would be next to impossible. In the first part of that decade (1990-1995), CHR radio was dying as the format became so niched that much of the former audience had left the format and was listening to other formats (Country, Oldies and AC for the older adults, Hip-Hop/Rap, Dance, and the various forms of Rock for teens and younger adults). The format during those years was in trouble when the M Street Journal had stated at the end of 1991 that 250 former CHR stations had left the format that year.

The former WANS was one of those casualties. (Yes, I know they went bankrupt and had to be sold off, but even before the end, WANS was leaning toward Hot AC). WBBO tried for several years, but never had any decent ratings or enough promotional dollars during their lifespan to make it work, despite undergoing several tweaks. There is one exception...just before the station was sold to Benchmark, WBBO started to lean toward Modern Rock, when the ratings had actually started to tread up, IIRC. Too bad Benchmark killed it, but that's another topic. It wasn't until then-owner Keymarket flipped WFBC-FM back to CHR several months later that the market had the format again. (I say back, since, prior to 1984, WFBC-FM was an Top 40 station, but one that leaned toward AC at that time.) This time, it was tried with a more diverse playlist, which helped paved the way for their massive success for the rest of the 90s.

Anyway, IMHO, it would be very difficult to do an All-90s Classic Hits-type format. The only attempt, thus far, was a few years ago in Sacramento, CA. While the music mix was on-target for a mainstream Top 40 station that played 90s Hits, the ratings never panned out and they wound up changing format within a year's time. The company formally known as Clear Channel had tried a "Gen-X" format (focusing from the late 80s to the early 2000s) in several markets, but that has also failed. AFAIK, there is one station in Green Bay, WI called KZRadio (WKZG, heard at www.mykzradio.com) that is making an attempt to mix both 80s and 90s Pop Hits. That would be the type of format that I would love to try if I had to do a Gold-based format.

Robyn
 
I would like to thank RW for a good post. Yes, there were a lot of failures listed. Most of them can be traced back to the age-old problem of incompetent Corp ownership; the blind, attempting to lead the bland. My former GM, Nicholas T. Frangias, sold WANS to Kent Burkhart for somewhere around $7.1--7.6 Million.
Nick had done his time, made his money, and wanted to retire. Kent Burkhart, on the other hand, took a Nick-made, license to print money, and drove it in the ground, like a cheap fence post! I made real good money then, thanks Nick! It is here that you can fill-in your Burkhart stories, where ever necessary.

No,...a 90's format is certainly possible, even if it ain't me, as PD. You just have to approach it as a retro-AOR, and stay away from all the CHR Horse Manure that the labels were pimpin', during that time. Following the whims of the labels, as a reporting station, has cause many cancers.
 
Scooter Lesley said:
No,...a 90's format is certainly possible, even if it ain't me, as PD. You just have to approach it as a retro-AOR, and stay away from all the CHR Horse Manure that the labels were pimpin', during that time. Following the whims of the labels, as a reporting station, has cause many cancers.
Click to expand...

In other words, don't play anything anyone was actually listening to, just a bunch of (as you'd probably put it) obb-skewww tracks for hipster never-weres...
 
Scooter Lesley said:
I would like to thank RW for a good post. Yes, there were a lot of failures listed. Most of them can be traced back to the age-old problem of incompetent Corp ownership; the blind, attempting to lead the bland. My former GM, Nicholas T. Frangias, sold WANS to Kent Burkhart for somewhere around $7.1--7.6 Million.
Nick had done his time, made his money, and wanted to retire. Kent Burkhart, on the other hand, took a Nick-made, license to print money, and drove it in the ground, like a cheap fence post! I made real good money then, thanks Nick! It is here that you can fill-in your Burkhart stories, where ever necessary.

No,...a 90's format is certainly possible, even if it ain't me, as PD. You just have to approach it as a retro-AOR, and stay away from all the CHR Horse Manure that the labels were pimpin', during that time. Following the whims of the labels, as a reporting station, has cause many cancers.
Click to expand...

The label cancers were at an all time high in the 90's. RCA asking stations to drop Guano Apes and use that slot for a new Foo Fighters record comes to mind. I don't think that move single handedly prevented the 'Apes from stardom, but what a disgusting thing to do. I believe that "offer" included a promotion of some sort as well. I don't remember the Foo record, but it stiffed. Soundscan didn't prove much in favor of the Foo's either, proving that a label push and music awards does not equal a money maker. Nothing against the Foo's, that's just one example.

The 90's also saw the transformation of the indie record companies representing stations. It was bad enough that they had to "call in" all adds before the stations could add a record to get paid (and ahem, set aside promotional dollars), but then the evil GM's got involved. Clusters started putting those funds in the revenue pool to help the bottom line. Of course, the highest bidding indie got the representation, which reversed the role of who's working for who. I remember hearing the words, "what do you mean you only have one add this week? Our agreement was for you to average at least three per week to make this work."

The result? The listener, the up and coming artist and the entire industry suffered. I absolutely agree that a 90's format could work but I seriously doubt we'll ever see it. It would require originality, and originality doesn't test well! I learned that from this crazy guy I met at Park Central. This guy would spend hours of his own time teaching me about the business and it's history. I can't remember his name though, maybe the original poster of this topic knows who I'm talking about? I remember him never pulling his music ahead of time, he always waited until the song had about :20 left and then he'd scramble for the next disc and get it cued up at the very last second. I've spoken in front of 14,000 people, seen combat first hand in Desert Storm, but the most nerve racking thing I've ever seen is this dude do an air shift! haha
 
Well,...gents/gals, Smack Taylor has entered the building, and I couldn't be happier to see such, +plus glad my bladder was empty, before I began reading.
For those that do not know, to me, Smack Taylor, honed his craft years ago, and became the most dangerous on-air to have ever keyed a mic, and drew a check for it. My own solidified, finger pointed, example of Air Talent. If any of you Pencilnecks out there are tired of piddly-little A-cup size ratings, hire him, before I return to the business, and beat you to it. You have been warned, and remember, per Chuck Norris,...The Eyes Of The Ranger Are Uhhhh-Pon You........
 
Scooter....if you were as brilliant as you often advise us you are, you wouldn't be typing the phrase "before I return to the business". If I ever choose to return to the business, I pray that I find myself "across the street" from you.

As for "well thought-out comments", I don't need to discuss programming philosophy with you. You would argue the validity of 2 + 2 = 4. Unlike you, I don't spend hours upon hours constructing insipid forum posts designed to demean those who disagree.

Anyone who would consider hiring you should take a peek at your narcissistic ramblings here. It's quite the insight.
 
Someone must have done a 90s format because doesn't Sirius have one? I know that's different because it's paid for directly, but still, there had to be a strategy.

As for the other decades, I have heard the 60s through the 80s in restaurants and it sounds like they play just about everything. And o me all those decades sounded pretty good. Not what I would choose in any of the decades, but pretty close.
 
Well,...Pirate Johnny, you've gotta patch over one eye, and can't see outta the other one. Let's hope that you can listen, and if I can get JeffM to sit his drinkbox down long enough, he might learn a little something too. However, the smaller stool is for Beantown Randall, as he deserves a good thwarting, just for giggles.
Boys,...being White, I can only assume that the Urbans are running correctly, and since SSL & ESC seem to still be making a little money, I'll pass there, but the rest rolling around in the little wicker basket of worry, ain't billing anywhere near what they did, and the sales managers are getting beat on like a Drag Queen, at a Tractor Pull. No, I won't re-enter the business, until I finish writing my book, but if I ever do, y'all will be the first to know it. "Across The Street" from me is a nervous time, and Across the Ring from me....you will last about as long as a Popcorn Fart......Just ask around.
 
Scooter - give it a rest. We all know your posts are nothing more than compensation for a lack of product in the nether region. As for challenging me, I haven't lost a hand-throwing session since the 2nd grade when I was sucker-punched by a fourth-grader. For context, NASA was, still, landing astronauts on the moon back then.

Check your self-aggrandization at the door and show some respect for others.
 
This thread needs some fiber, as it is all clogged-up! So, moving along, one of the stronger points of the early 90's was the war between Hair Bands, and the Seattle Grunge movement. Some of the bands outta that extreme left corner were Awwwwwwwww-ful, but their records sold. You gotta look at that with a clear-eyed chronicle of understanding. Also, there are alotta bands that swung then, and are still in business; Cheap Trick comes to mind. As for CHR, I couldn't tell you. The format has been polluted with Rap, just as long as AC has been drug down by worthless, label driven, Country-crossover records. The decade did have its %percentage of sewage.
 
...and Ladies & Gents, that last post was brought to you by JethroM, King of the little weenie one-liners. As usual, pointless as a bowling ball. Now, back on the Topic: I enjoy a lot of bands, that have been branded...."Hair Bands". There is some very thick talent, but they often receive disrespect, from the struggling to be hip. For me, one of the understandings that I had to learn about, and was quite surprised about, is their core followings, and the loyalty therein. I don't really label KISS, but that fan base is uncountable! Both Poison, and Motley Crue have big ones too. With all that said, there is a built-in audience, especially where that has been denied any airplay. In the late 80's, WCKN(later WROQ), ran a show named "Metal Shop"; sold out avails for most of its nearly nine years on the station, before being canceled by a Boob PD, that didn't like it, only a few years later to add "House Of Hair". Hmmmmmmmmm?
 
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Well,...if you will glance at the last post, behold, and as I said before, JethroM, king of the little weenie one-liners! If anyone give a rat's, the book that I am writing (over half finished) is about Pro Wrestling, a business that I worked inside of for seven years. Now, for JethroM, and any unsuspecting Consultant, eating for free, off of any station's restaurant trade, getting out of the local PD's car.....No, that is not a brown cloud, but yet....the joy-stick controlled, Scooter Lesley Programmed,...DOOKIE DRONE! Running will not help you because I can Seeeeeeeeeeee You!
 
Well, you probably know a hell of a lot more about rasslin' than radio, Skippy. As for the rest, you've been dumping dookie on everybody for as long as you've been posting, so yaaaawwwwn...
 
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