SONGS YOU'D LOVE TO HEAR ON KRTH-FM!

[ValleyWatt]

I think KRTH has become boring and repetitive again. I hate the 80's stuff they've added and miss those fun hits from the 60's and 70's.

Here's a group of songs I would love to hear on KRTH in no particular order, ryhme or reason. Please add yours to the list!

Darlin' -- The Beach Boys
Get Down -- Gilbert O'Sullivan
Waterloo -- ABBA
Smoke from a Distant Fire -- Sanford Townsend Band
Don't Call Us, We'll Call you -- Sugarloaf
You Don't Have to be a Star -- Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr.
Gypsies, Tramps, & Thieves -- Cher
Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) -- Melanie
The Night Chicago Died -- Paper Lace
Rhinestone Cowboy -- Glen Campbell
You Make Me Feel Like Dancing -- Leo Sayer
65 Love Affair -- Paul Davis

 

[ercjncpr]

try satellite radio ;D

 

[angelbec]

I would love to hear songs from the'70's more. When Billy Preston died I called the station and asked them to play "Nothing from Nothing leaves nothing" The gentleman who answered the phone said that they didn't think that they had it .. but he would try and find it and play it. It's pretty much in the rotation now - but KRTH has to step it up and get back into the '70's.

 

[oldies76]

For KRTH to be the way, THEY USED TO BE, they need to check out WCBS 101.1 Classic Hits out of New York City. They have an ENORMOUS playlist, many times larger than KRTH's. They play TONS of 70's, some 60's and some nice 80's hits, not just "I Can Dream About You" or "Footloose" ..etc..

KRTH has made changes, but the playlist is still very limited and repetitive. KRTH used to play all those songs mentioned above, back when they had a huge playlist in the early to mid 1980's. They even had great and huge specialty weekends then, including all Los Angeles charted #1 songs from 1955 through 1984. "The Night Chicago Died" was one of them from 1974.

KRTH has improved of late, but still lacks the depth of other huge oldies/ classic hits stations around the country..especially WCBS.

In terms of songs I'd like to hear on KRTH....Way too many to mention, but more in-depth 70's would be nice and more bigger hits from the "early 80's"..say to 1985, mixed in with some 1960's, even some pre 1964's and 1955 to 1959, every so often. More specialty weekends, with songs outside of their normal playlist would be nice.

For example, there's a heck of a lot more to 1976, than just the overplayed....."Play that Funky Music".....
26 songs hit #1 in 1976 on the Hot 100 and we may only hearing just a small fraction of that on KRTH. And what about all the other songs, say that peaked at #2, 3, 10..etc..multiply that by all the years in the 70's and you've got hundreds of hits to choose from...in just the 1970's!! So there's huge opportunities here for KRTH to expand even more.

 

[davideduardo]

For KRTH to be the way, THEY USED TO BE, they need to check out WCBS 101.1 Classic Hits out of New York City. They have an ENORMOUS playlist, many times larger than KRTH's. They play TONS of 70's, some 60's and some nice 80's hits, not just "I Can Dream About You" or "Footloose" ..etc..

Ah, I love watching an urban legend being build. When you exclude specialty shows, the KRTH and WCBS lists are truly in the same vicinity.

 

[Carmine5]

Any music created during the Ford Administration should be destroyed.

C5

 

[oldies76]

In response to David Eduardo's quote...yes KRTH and WCBS do play similiar music, but WCBS's is alot more thorough in the 70's (especially late 70's) and plays more early 80's than KRTH would. Does KRTH play "Down Under" or "Rock the Casbah" or even "Come on Eileen" and "Billy Jean"?? No they don't. KRTH still focuses more on Motown, although not as much as, say 5-10 years ago. And KRTH plays more of the same 60's hits, over and over..on a daily basis, but just not as frequent as 10 years ago. These days..you won't hear "My Girl" 3 times a day on KRTH, but maybe once a day.

WCBS also has a top 20 countdown every Sunday night featuring "this week in a given year" based on the NYC WCBS charts.

Also nightly, they have a top 5 countdown, based on a year or a theme. Does KRTH do this??? NO

As far as these two stations are concerned....WCBS has a better and far more in-depth playlist than KRTH probably ever will, even though they are in similiar time periods. WCBS now, is what K-Earth 101 was like 22 to 25 years ago!

 

[XM RADIO]

Its hopeless, XM or Sirius is the cure,, With Cousin brucie on Sirius, he plays everything!! On XM 60s channel youve got Phlash Phelps in the morning, this guy plays over 18 songs an hour! Commercial free!! And the 60s channel on XM has Wolfman jack!!! And afternoons on Sirius totally 70s its JJ Walker aka Walker Child,,past cool DJ!! Much W I D E R playlist than terrstrial!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! One thing for sure CBS doesnt gaurantee KRTH will continue with the current format, XM and Sirius is not going to flip!!!!!!!!!!! After CBS flipped KFRC to Movin 99.7, that was it for me!!! After 2 years of comercial free radio, i tuned by KFRC 106.9 last week, 9 Commercials in a row!! keep it,,

 

[scooty430]

I want to hear......

"Good Timin" by Jimmy Jones
"Hound Dog" and other early Elvis
"Every Day" by Buddy Holly

In other words.....real oldies.

But let's get real. KRTH will continue to play the same songs over and over.

WCBS is much better, despite what DE says, and they have good specialty shows on Sunday night. But still....it's a lot of "Respect" and "Brown Eyed Girl."

Listen to WLNG online, out of Long Island. This station makes even XM look like a joke. Every song in the world. Every. Song. In. The. World. Any charting Top 100 song 1955 to the late 80's is fair game. Truly awesome.

 

[oldies76]

I'll have to try WLNG online. Just wish KRTH could do the same, but I guess they'll never do. By the way Scooty430, have you heard KRTH's 70's at 7?? I mean to hear "Low Rider" and "Viva Tirado"..etc..2-3 times every five days....obviously it's music only for the L.A. scene, never mind the hundreds of other 70's hits that charted on the Hot 100 in positions 1-10, from 1970 thru 1979. Very limited for sure.


Yes, WCBS is alot better, by far. Gonna tune in this Sunday night for the Top 20 for sure!! And they use the local NYC charts for this countdown too.

 

[davideduardo]

I want to hear......

"Good Timin" by Jimmy Jones
"Hound Dog" and other early Elvis
"Every Day" by Buddy Holly

A lot of people want to hear those songs. They are, for the most part, over 60. In markets where agency buys are critical, a station playing music for 60 year olds would fail miserably as there is no revenue for that demo. And younger listeners would not tolerate the music.

In other words.....real oldies.

Yeah, for really old people.

But let's get real. KRTH will continue to play the same songs over and over.

And when they grow too old demographically, they will get rid of the 60's stuff and play 70's. Over and over.

Listen to WLNG online, out of Long Island. This station makes even XM look like a joke. Every song in the world. Every. Song. In. The. World. Any charting Top 100 song 1955 to the late 80's is fair game. Truly awesome.

That is only possible where all revenue is local, in a very small market (The Hamptons / Riverhead is about 118,000) where the total market billing is about a quarter of what the 20th station in LA billed alone. Keep in mind, also, that 70% of the local listening in that market is NOT to local stations at all.

 

[oldies76]

David, do you think it's right for an oldies / classic hits station to play the same hit songs over and over and over again..on a daily basis?? or would you'd wanna expand your playlist to inlcude what WCBS or WLNG is playing?? Because, what I'm hearing on these two stations, especially WLNG is really what radio, should be and is all about.....pleasing your listeners with a HUGE playlist!! Maybe "oldies" appeal to the 60+ crowd, but I'm 40 and I enjoy listening to the hits of the first 50 years of rock and roll. And I'm sure I am not the only one that enjoys oldies at a younger age, than the 60 crowd. As I listen to WLNG for the 1st time (as I write), I'm hearing lots and lots of "LOST" oldies, songs that an ordinary oldies / classic hits station, like KRTH, would never play.

At least our generation has something incredible to listen to, whether on the dial or online. I'd hate to know what the people in their 60's (30-60 years from now) would listen to as oldies..."Lose Yourself" by Enimen??
Oldies from the 2000's...can't even fathom that!

 

[SJFAN]

It would be nice if KRTH would sound like KODJ in the early 1990s. KODJ had a great mix of 50s, 60s and 70s. KRTH is terrible. Even though young people don't want to hear 50s music many of these songs are classics. Young people will sit at Johney Rockets or Mels Diner and listen to 50s oldies. Why not on the radio?

KODJ was a great radio station until it becam the Arrow.

 

[XM RADIO]

What good is the music w/out the "RIGHT JOCK" ? @ Sirius today at noon California time Norm N Nite on Sirius Gold!!!!! Its an immpossible act to beat!!!!!!!!!!!!! This guy tells you things about the artist and the song, that terrestrial would never do, terrestrial is in too much of a hurry to play 2 songs and 9 commercials in a row!!!!!!!!! Sirius also has Cousin Brucie,, one of thee most Unique DJs still on!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[oldies76]

Why pay money on a monthly basis to enjoy this???? Radio is free and there are plenty of good stations online to listen to that far exceed KRTH's selection, like WLNG, WCBS & 105.1 out of Denver! Sure, a monthly bill has to be paid for internet access, but the internet is not only just for radio!

Yes, there were lots of huge hits from the 50's and 60's and the younger crowd may enjoy the Nostalgia of Johnny Rockets or Gunther Toody's, playing some of these songs on jukeboxes. I seriously doubt too, that these kids would even dare to complain to restaurant management to get rid of the "oldies" and to offer hits from "today" instead. Long live the 50's diner, even in replicated form!

 

[davideduardo]

David, do you think it's right for an oldies / classic hits station to play the same hit songs over and over and over again..on a daily basis??

Yes. The keyword is "hits" but you have to understand that oldies or classic hits stations do not play yesterday's hits, but, rather, those oldeis that are still hits today. That disqualifies 80% or more of all charting songs from an era.

or would you'd wanna expand your playlist to inlcude what WCBS or WLNG is playing??

I would disqualify WLNG as a small town station that owes its success to the fact it is part of the community. WCBS plays for New York, and KRTH for LA. Each market is ethnically different, and will have quite different playlists. It is very possible that KRTH has a lot of trouble finding broad appeal songs because so much of the market did not grow up here and much of it never heard American top 40 stations in any city, let alone in the US. NY has had a much more stabloe population, while LA 30 years or 40 years ago was a much smaller city.

Because, what I'm hearing on these two stations, especially WLNG is really what radio, should be and is all about.....pleasing your listeners with a HUGE playlist!!

Most listeners do not want big lists. They want to hear their favorite songs. In any form of oldies, a big list always loses to the shorter one that listners have approved. I did a classic rocker in a large market; we playd 500 songs. A competitor came on with about 1800 songs. After 6 months, they had a 1.8 and we continued with a 20 share and a cume of over 4 million. Short list of power hits wins.

Maybe "oldies" appeal to the 60+ crowd, but I'm 40 and I enjoy listening to the hits of the first 50 years of rock and roll. And I'm sure I am not the only one that enjoys oldies at a younger age, than the 60 crowd.

There are not enough of you to make a difference. The age of an oldies audience is dependent on the age range of the songs. Late 50's songs appeal to people over 60. Earlt 60s to 55+. Both groups are poison for sales. A late 60's to early 80's list, today, gets 35-54 and is very salable, even if there are many 55+ in the mix.

As I listen to WLNG for the 1st time (as I write), I'm hearing lots and lots of "LOST" oldies, songs that an ordinary oldies / classic hits station, like KRTH, would never play.

There is a reason. Most of us have learned by mistake and experience that such songs are killers. If we did not get fired, we fixed the problem by cutting the list and testing. Otherwise, we moved on and put that experience to work on our next gig.

I'd hate to know what the people in their 60's (30-60 years from now) would listen to as oldies..."Lose Yourself" by Enimen??
Oldies from the 2000's...can't even fathom that!
[/quote]

Radio can not serve 55+ because there is no sales opportunity. And... keep in mind rap and hip hop are over 20 years old... there is a rap oldies format!

 

[oldies76]

That's unfortunate that listeners prefer small lists. How many people complain that radio station playlists are too small and are repetitve?? Sure the average listener may not notice or may not have a huge interest in music to really care..but for a lot of listeners who grew up in the 50's through the 80's, really miss those "hits" that are not played anymore..seriously! What oldies / classic hits stations play today, is only a fraction of what really was out there, back in the day, in any given year.

A lot of listeners, know that "My Girl" was not the only big hit from 1965...they know that "Low Rider" was not the only song from the mid 70's, they know that "Brown-Eyed Girl" was not the only charted hit from the late 60's..most people know that and they get sick and tired of hearing the same oldies/hits over and over again.

Maybe these stations are not appealing to the older crowd..55+ anymore, they are probably appealing to the younger crowd, as an alternative to the current stuff that's out there and are probably making these younger folks think that these were the only big hits from the past (therefore they are the "oldies hits" of today). Remember..these young listeners were not alive in the 60's and 70's to fully appreciate what was really aired back then. How would they know???

It's the listeners who were alive back in the day, that want to hear bigger playlists and not the same stuff over and over again. They younger listeners could care less for the most part. They'll hear just the basics.

Thankfully, there are stations that are bucking the trend of small & repetitive playlists and as far as I can tell, WCBS is one of them!! WLNG is small market, as you say, but at least they are doing something different.

I mean...when was the last time you heard "Billy, Don't Be a Hero" on KRTH?? Not the best song in the world, but it was a #1 song in 1974 and WCBS played it a few days ago. It's not a song you'd hear everyday, but should be played..every once in a while (maybe inserted once a week).. KRTH can't even do that for any song outside their regular-limited playlist!

 

[davideduardo]

but for a lot of listeners who grew up in the 50's through the 80's, really miss those "hits" that are not played anymore..seriously! What oldies / classic hits stations play today, is only a fraction of what really was out there, back in the day, in any given year.

The issue is that most of those songs are not of interest to the vast and overwhelming majority of listener any more. In other words, while they want to hear Brown Eyed Girl, and often, they do not want to hear Yummy Yummy at all. Also remember that many songs that "charted" in the 60s were not hits but were on the lists due to things like free product, lies to the trades, etc.

most people know that and they get sick and tired of hearing the same oldies/hits over and over again.

But they don't want to hear most of the other songs. They want to hear their favorites. Which are the ones that get played.

It's the listeners who were alive back in the day, that want to hear bigger playlists and not the same stuff over and over again.

It is hard to come up with more than 400 to 500 songs in any market from the late 60s to the early 80's that one group, 35 to 54, all agree on. There are no other passable songs in any market.

I mean...when was the last time you heard "Billy, Don't Be a Hero"

I would either puke and tune out or tune out and then puke if I heard that one. Same with 90% of listeners. Ugggggghhhhh.

Playing a bad song has no excuese. That is why CBS really does no better, ratings wise, than KRTH in the sales demos.

 

[oldies76]

Yeah, "Billy Don't Be A Hero" is not the greatest song ever made, by any means. It did hit #1 though and WCBS did play it recently. Every so often, a station should go outside of the realm of their usual playlist and try something different, like KRTH, playing "Eres Tu".

Believe me, most people will want to hear the songs that are part of the playlists these days, but after a while, these same listeners will want something different. Maybe they'll welcome a slight change with the addition of songs or hits, usually not heard during the day. What's wrong with "Moonlight Feels Right" or "Welcome Back" or "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Suede?? Listeners always welcome a change, instead of the same ole thing every day.

I understand that KRTH ratings fell a bit back in the 1990's, due to over-repetition of Motown songs and mid-late 60's songs. People got tired of it, ratings fell and Jhani Kaye took over, added more 70's and..Whalaaa.. ratings are up again! KRTH is much better now than it was 10 years ago, by far!! But it has a ways to go to reach WCBS, especially relating to countdowns and themed weekends..so forth..

A station needs a bit of variety to make it exciting to the listeners...boringness will take them away..guaranteed!

 

[ValleyWatt]

Great responses, everyone! I should have added (when I started this thread) that a few years back I wrote to the then PD at KRTH criticizing the station for its lack of diverse oldies, and also pointed out the variety on WCBS-FM (I'm a former NY'r here in LA). I was surprised when the PD called me on my cell to discuss my strongly-worded letter. He sympathized with my observations, but pointed out that LA and NY are two vastly different radio markets, and since LA is a car culture we have a tendency to flip the radio dial more often. Therefore, he added, if KRTH played an obscure oldie, people would immediately tune out. We argued about his assessment, and the state of popular music, for a half-hour and I thanked him for calling me.

Again, I love all the responses, especially those who said a new (and presumably younger) generation of KRTH listeners is being deprived of some great oldies. KRTH should definitely put some more obscure hits into their rotation. For those of us (and there are many) who don't have satellite radio and don't always have the internet nearby, terrestrial radio is still our only choice. So why shouldn't the only oldies station in Los Angeles provide us with a greater variety of hits!