Stuck In The 70's

[Robert Bass]

Alright boys and girls, since I am on vacation this week I think I’ll stir up some trouble!

In the past four books I have seen, the 25 – 34 demo appears to be on shaky ground. Percentage of weekly cume in that demo is in the single digits (think LOW single digits). The demos between 35 and 54 are still very respectable. Obviously the 25 – 34 demo percentage needs to rise, but my question is how likely is that to happen if the station remains stuck in the 70’s? I’m not sure that’s possible, and I feel as if at the sake of maintaining appeal to the older demos comes at the expense of the younger, future listeners. I suspect the low percentages in that demo are an obvious indication.

Is it realistically possible to maintain an appeal to the younger 25 - 34 folks, while spinning music that predates most of them?

I say it’s unlikely…

R

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

This may take a while, but work with me...

Trends tend to resurrect every 20 years. Look at fashion. When did bell bottoms and raggedy clothing come back? The 90s. When were they here? 70s. When did spiky hair and friggin VANS come back? The "oughts". When were they here? 80s.

Music? Disco and funk made a resurgence in the late 90s and is fading now, but it works with the point. Think about 80s music, and where in the world can we hear that crap (HINT: we joked about on the DFW PRIDE post)... MOViN.

That demo is loyal to one thing -- themselves. Their iPods, their CD collection and anything they can download. If 70s music wants to hit that area, they need out of the box marketing and um, what is that thing that this stupid @$$ market has seemed to forget about.. oh yeah, JOCKS with charisma and genius to reach out to the kids while embracing the music their parents enjoyed.

It's a difficult bridge, but possible. IDEAS: use the station's Web site for downloadables, marketing the "bridge of the gap" and other ideas that I will keep to myself because I ain't getting paid what those quacks are at C(ant) B(roadcast) S(???) and CUME-less.

Thoughts from our distinguished guests? ???

 

[BossJock1947]

Alright boys and girls, since I am on vacation this week I think I’ll stir up some trouble!

In the past four books I have seen, the 25 – 34 demo appears to be on shaky ground. Percentage of weekly cume in that demo is in the single digits (think LOW single digits). The demos between 35 and 54 are still very respectable. Obviously the 25 – 34 demo percentage needs to rise, but my question is how likely is that to happen if the station remains stuck in the 70’s? I’m not sure that’s possible, and I feel as if at the sake of maintaining appeal to the older demos comes at the expense of the younger, future listeners. I suspect the low percentages in that demo are an obvious indication.

Is it realistically possible to maintain an appeal to the younger 25 - 34 folks, while spinning music that predates most of them?

I say it’s unlikely…

R

I also agree with you Robert...Today there is this popular notion among the oldies programmers and consultants that you can talk about American Idol, Britney Spears all day long and never mention the word "oldies" or any date references to remind the listeners.

You can talk "Current Events" all day but when you play Wild Thing or I'm a believer or Rightious Bros those 35 and under go bye bye.

Now of course there are PD's and Jocks with HUGE egos that think JUST their "Talent" and HIP delivery/content will bring in 25-34 year olds. To a certain point perhaps Oh sure you might bring in a few with contest/promotions otherwise you're just pissing in the wind.

 

[KPLEXCOMPLEX]

Robert:
Music ever since World War 1 has seemed to change in the middle of the decade. For example ( all years approx) 1915- Tin pan alley.1925- Jazz,1935-big Band/swing 1945- Bee Bop 1955- Rockabilly/Birth of rock and Roll, 1965 British invasion.1975-disco. 1985 -dance/rap.1995 Hip hop
The music of the 70's is finr now but like KLUV is must evolve as your audience ages for that music, and not a PD only wants to hear playlist. KEOM ,should keep its 70's but move it up to 1985, to include Micheal Jackson's super hits, The Footloose Soundtrack,Top Gun Soundtrack, Gap Band, Rick James, and the The Boss Bruce Springsteen among many. You will still retain your dedicated audience but attract new ones as well. The announcers need to develop adlibing,and cease the stuffiness of "<announcers name> with this announcement". Just say who you are and read the promo/psa,then intro the traffic without the "thank yous' then announce the song. Talk after every two at least and be conversational.Use your imagery for the rest. This formula can only help KEOM grow.

 

[Robert Bass]

Gracias guys for your comments! Keep ‘em coming.

I guess what puzzles me the most, is teasing that “while it seems an addition of 80’s music to our All 70’s format could be in order, staying with All 70’s is the right thing to do at this time.” That’s the same ole story I’ve heard in the past year. OK so what does that mean? Either we should or should not add them? In the fall of 2003, I suggested an addition of 80’s music that sounds similar to the 70’s. For example:

Let Me Love You Tonight – Pure Prairie League
Cool Night – Paul Davis
Never Knew Love Like This Before – Stephanie Mills

And so on….

The response was “Maybe in a few years”. It’s been a ton of maybes and we’re not quite ready for that yet type responses ever since.

R

 

[KPLEXCOMPLEX]

It's time to be firm,use the information here and give Dr. Griffin a cut off year-1985 thats 22 years ago ( hard to believe!) Thats a whole generation right there.

 

[stinker]

Robert...(trouble-maker)

just how many songs are in the KEOM playlist?

does this list change for weekends??

Many songs are simply "left behind" if they didn't make the top ten...

very unfair..

Maybe reaching for more of these "left behind" hits would be refreshing...

the songs you listed and others like 'em.... aint nothing wrong with them, either.

 

[MikeShannon914]

I may be one of the few listeners who remembers KEOM when it was married to Michael Bolton. It was a VERY light AC in the late 80s and early 90s before the 70s format kicked in. Some of the music choices were just plain AWFUL. Not that it was much different than what KVIL and Lite 97.9 were doing then, but dose after dose of Whitney, Bolton, etc got old very quickly. So Dr. Griffin DOES have it in him to approve a format change, but he seems so wrapped up in what he "PERCEIVES" as the preference of the moms and dads of MISD students now, that he's not willing to change anymore. Look at it this way: back in 1995, a 15-year old student would likely have parents who were born around 1950-60...and those parents went to high school and college in the 70s, and that 70s music would perhaps have a lot of nostalgic value to those parents...THEN, in 1995.

Using the same example, 2007 puts the parents of a 15-yr old as being born around 1962-72. Their generation craves the 80s. Maybe Dr. Griffin doesn't think there's enough "innocent" songs from the 80s to develop a format around, but that's what I would imagine "TODAY'S" parents would want to hear, should they want to hear oldies. The 80s is what will generate those nostalgic feelings for today's parents.

And, as someone else pointed out, even KLUV has slowly "updated" their oldies over the years. After the first few years (1981-85) doing basic AC Gold, they went to oldies in late 1985. (Hubcap would dispute me on this if he were still around, but I was working there in 1985 and remember LOTS of 70s and some 80s AC then....Eberhart was there at the same time...he can tell you too.) After they bought KXOL-1360's record collection at auction at the end of 1985, they went strictly 50s and 60s oldies thereafter, with select 70s as well, and rode that well into the 90s. In 1998, they spun off the 50s stuff to KLUV-1190, and made KLUV-FM into 1963-73 oldies. Later, a few 80s were added, and now, it's nothing to hear "Power of Love" (Huey Lewis, 1985) in regular rotation. If you don't "age" the oldies as time goes, you'll outlive your listeners' interest. And with the little-by-little reeling back of the harder edge 70s stuff at KEOM, you're limiting your playlist again...AND striking out the songs with cusswords limits it even further. You're left with a lot of bland, overplayed songs that you don't have a choice but to keep playing, given the constraints of the good Doctor, so you'll have some semblance of variety and not come off as a 300-song playlist kind of station.

Why not invite John Summers over sometime and have him sip apple juice with Dr. Griffin and let him explain why KEOM has to evolve.

And Robert, please don't take this personally. I know you're doing everything you can, and you've done a great job with what you have to work with. But I also know you're an 80s person yourself, and could put together something very interesting with that decade if given the chance! I just hope you'll get that opportunity.

 

[Robert Bass]

Robert...(trouble-maker)

just how many songs are in the KEOM playlist?

does this list change for weekends??

Many songs are simply "left behind" if they didn't make the top ten...

very unfair..

Maybe reaching for more of these "left behind" hits would be refreshing...

the songs you listed and others like 'em.... aint nothing wrong with them, either.

Yes, yes… Troublemaker is one of my nicknames. I can’t help it! ;D

The number of active songs varies anywhere from 500 – 700 at any given time. I periodically move songs in and out of rotation to allow some resting time. The list of active songs is the same, for all 7 days of the week.

Chart peak position is not the only factor that determines what makes it to the playlist, and there are active songs that didn’t even crack the #15 position. I even have some in rotation that didn’t make the Top 40 at all. That’s to help with the “lost hits” approach.

R

 

[Robert Bass]

And Robert, please don't take this personally. I know you're doing everything you can, and you've done a great job with what you have to work with. But I also know you're an 80s person yourself, and could put together something very interesting with that decade if given the chance! I just hope you'll get that opportunity.

Thanks Mike!

I would guess an All 80’s format is something that might happen within another 15 years or so. Right now I’d love to do some sort of 70’s & 80’s blend to help retain the older demos while increasing appeal to the younger ones, as some of you have already suggested.

R

 

[TheLaffer]

I may be one of the few listeners who remembers KEOM when it was married to Michael Bolton. It was a VERY light AC in the late 80s and early 90s before the 70s format kicked in. Some of the music choices were just plain AWFUL. Not that it was much different than what KVIL and Lite 97.9 were doing then, but dose after dose of Whitney, Bolton, etc got old very quickly. So Dr. Griffin DOES have it in him to approve a format change, but he seems so wrapped up in what he "PERCEIVES" as the preference of the moms and dads of MISD students now, that he's not willing to change anymore. Look at it this way: back in 1995, a 15-year old student would likely have parents who were born around 1950-60...and those parents went to high school and college in the 70s, and that 70s music would perhaps have a lot of nostalgic value to those parents...THEN, in 1995.

Using the same example, 2007 puts the parents of a 15-yr old as being born around 1962-72. Their generation craves the 80s. Maybe Dr. Griffin doesn't think there's enough "innocent" songs from the 80s to develop a format around, but that's what I would imagine "TODAY'S" parents would want to hear, should they want to hear oldies. The 80s is what will generate those nostalgic feelings for today's parents.

And, as someone else pointed out, even KLUV has slowly "updated" their oldies over the years. After the first few years (1981-85) doing basic AC Gold, they went to oldies in late 1985. (Hubcap would dispute me on this if he were still around, but I was working there in 1985 and remember LOTS of 70s and some 80s AC then....Eberhart was there at the same time...he can tell you too.) After they bought KXOL-1360's record collection at auction at the end of 1985, they went strictly 50s and 60s oldies thereafter, with select 70s as well, and rode that well into the 90s. In 1998, they spun off the 50s stuff to KLUV-1190, and made KLUV-FM into 1963-73 oldies. Later, a few 80s were added, and now, it's nothing to hear "Power of Love" (Huey Lewis, 1985) in regular rotation. If you don't "age" the oldies as time goes, you'll outlive your listeners' interest. And with the little-by-little reeling back of the harder edge 70s stuff at KEOM, you're limiting your playlist again...AND striking out the songs with cusswords limits it even further. You're left with a lot of bland, overplayed songs that you don't have a choice but to keep playing, given the constraints of the good Doctor, so you'll have some semblance of variety and not come off as a 300-song playlist kind of station.

Why not invite John Summers over sometime and have him sip apple juice with Dr. Griffin and let him explain why KEOM has to evolve.

And Robert, please don't take this personally. I know you're doing everything you can, and you've done a great job with what you have to work with. But I also know you're an 80s person yourself, and could put together something very interesting with that decade if given the chance! I just hope you'll get that opportunity.

I listened to KLUV for several hours tonight and didn't hear one 80's. Heard a few Rock 70's. When are they playing the 80's songs??? Maybe the old fogees "in the know" at KLUV can enlighten us. Naw... radio-info is just a bunch of un-employed troublemakers. They wouldn't dare waste there time.

I listened to KVIL this afternoon, just what are they AC? Hot AC? I mean i must have heard three down songs in a row that i couldn't name! Kinda had the Seatlle grunge depressing sound. Come on! Where's the KVIL of FUN UPTEMPO FAMILIAR MUSIC?????

Does ANYONE have any suggestions on what to do with the Bone???? I'm really getting depressed having to put up with the Right Wing Rednecks Walton and Johnson and NO music in the morning!!!!!

Come on People!!!!! I miss the MERGE and the old Jesse the Diva show on the Edge!!!!!

 

[Robert Bass]

I listened to KLUV for several hours tonight and didn't hear one 80's. Heard a few Rock 70's. When are they playing the 80's songs??? Maybe the old fogees "in the know" at KLUV can enlighten us. Naw... radio-info is just a bunch of un-employed troublemakers. They wouldn't dare waste there time.

It is infrequent, but if you scan KLUV's playlists over at yes.com, you'll see a few 80's songs pop up here and there.

R

 

[VERITAS DE VOCE]

Robert, this is serious...

Have you considered inviting several of us poster boys to a round table discussion? No, I am not pining for a dinner or anything, but you have a lot of passionate people in this blog, and you, sir, are sitting on a goldmine (I think we all agree with that).

You could make a difference. You are already trying. If not in person, make a post that reads, "BRAINSTORMING KEOM" and use that with your influentials.

Just a thought, but the 70s and 80s have enough classics to provide PLENTY of rotations and requests.

Peace.

 

[KPLEXCOMPLEX]

awww the "roundtable" what a concept! Sir Robert of KEOM, Duke of Voice and K of Complex. hmmm..:

 

[tgibs]

I don't visit here very often (I know this is an old thread), but as the parent of a North Mesquite High School student, I wouldn't mind writing Dr. Griffin a letter to request an update of the playlist. He wants to play what the parents want to hear (I think). Hey, even KAAM is playing songs from the 80s now (heard Toto just the other day). And y'all, don't be so hard on the kids working at KEOM--they're doing the best they can with the announcements.

 

[Travis1960]

Don't ruin a good station. Keep it all '70s.

 

[Robert Bass]

Don't ruin a good station. Keep it all '70s.

I guess there’s no easy way to address the reality of where KEOM needs to go, and I suspect what I am about to tell the all-70’s fans, will probably be a little upsetting.

This has to be looked at from a ratings / audience growth standpoint. A number of the recent Arbitron estimates have consistently shown the audience is getting older. While the 35 – 54 demos are still good, the 18 – 34 demos are not.

Like every other station in this market, KEOM wants to see audience growth. The 18 – 34 demographic is essentially KEOM’s long term future audience. As it stands now, the estimates are clearly showing that the 18 – 34 demographic is underserved by the all-70’s format.

Why is this happening? It’s very simple. Listeners of most oldies formats want music from their youth. A potential KEOM listener, whom is 25 today, would have been 5 in 1987. 1970’s music is not the music of his/her youth, because he/she wasn’t even alive in the 1970’s.

Those types of listeners are going to KLUV, Sat Radio, I-pods and so on, for their 1980’s fix. Failure of KEOM to evolve to those demos, risks the long term success of KEOM’s listening audience.

R

 

[317C50KW]

I agree that KEOM needs some updating. Pop music as I know it and liked it ended about 1985-6 for me
(which means I'm way past 50).

But think of the doctors and dentists offices that use KEOM as their modern day KOAX and KMEZ. These people want something consistent and KEOM picks up where the beautiful music FM's of yesterday left off.

There's minimal interuption, even with the cooking tips and other things we rib Robert about. It's more family friendly than KLTY and KLUV combined.

I had major heart surgery in March, therefore I go to cardiac rehab 3 times a week at an area hospital.
We're serenaded by KEOM, it's on all the time.

There's no experience like walking that treadmill to Muskrat Love or doing the bike to the Night Chicago Died!

 

[Robert Bass]

Muskrat Love? Ouch! We haven't played that one in years.

Don't worry, there is a ton of "beautiful" 80s hits that will blend quite nieely with the 70's. The Docs and Dentists will still be able to keep KEOM on. Oh, on an unrelated note, I hate dentisits ;D

R

 

[jrc1971]

Something else to be considered here: KEOM is MISD-owned, unlike the other stations up and down the dial. MISD has never been famous for "rocking the boat" on ANYthing(in a lot of ways that's actually a good thing). One would have to assume that would also include their radio station. I'm quite sure Dr. Griffin has a lot of clout within the district, as he's been there for like a hundred years(Lord, I apologize for that), but the "powers-that-be" in the Mesquite School District don't even let the toilet paper brand be changed without school board approval....and Dr. Griffin never struck me as someone who would budge too much on anything. Now, if Mr. Wolfe was still around....