The Day The Oldies Died

[rbrucecarter5]

Back to the topic..."Oldies" at 107.5 has been dead for years unfortunately, ever since the decision to dump that moniker & the KLDE calls. Even before then, it was a mediocre station

Amen to that - the problem was not the demographic, the problem was the playlist and the imaging. Done right, even younger demographics will discover that the music is fun to listen to!

 

[aunti-terrestrial]

Back to the topic..."Oldies" at 107.5 has been dead for years unfortunately, ever since the decision to dump that moniker & the KLDE calls. Even before then, it was a mediocre station

Amen to that - the problem was not the demographic, the problem was the playlist and the imaging. Done right, even younger demographics will discover that the music is fun to listen to!

Younger demographics have known for years. Every G and PG movie (outside of the Disney studio releases) in the last 30 years, it seems, has included some oldies in their soundtracks. The music was upbeat, the lyrics were clean, and the hooks were memorable. Best of all, grandparents, parents, and kids could enjoy it together. Kids know oldies!

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Younger demographics have known for years. Every G and PG movie (outside of the Disney studio releases) in the last 30 years, it seems, has included some oldies in their soundtracks. The music was upbeat, the lyrics were clean, and the hooks were memorable. Best of all, grandparents, parents, and kids could enjoy it together. Kids know oldies!

My daughter is an aspiring actress. I can tell you first hand that a lot of the kids in Hollywood - those who sing and those who don't - have a lot of oldies on their iPod and in their music collections. I know Beatles fans, Beach Boys fans, Elvis fans, and just about every other group you can mention, and a whole lot of them also know all of the early classic rock. I even know a couple of real classical music fans. All under 18! Or slightly over. Many of the musicians refer back to 50's, 60's, and 70's artists as their inspiration and idols. And state so publicly.

Yes, there is a market for oldies out there!

 

[snoman]

Scott Shannon's TRUE OLDIES format is great. I listen to it on WLS-FM 94.7 in Chicago from time-to-time. I also know that GAP Broadcasting in Tyler is using it on KDOK AM 1240 as well. The cluelessness of Cox in this market never ceases to amaze me. The fact that Cox does so well with KONO (Oldies/Classic Hits, which sounded COMPLETELY different that KHTC and now KGLK) and KISS (Active Rock) is just a mystery to me on why they won't try either on 107.5 or 106.9?!

I guess I hope 107.5 is so successful that they sink KKRW, and Clear Channel decides to move them into a format like KONO. However, I am sure it is wishful thinking on my part given the fact everyone is throwing the 35-64 demos under the bus these days. Even KODA playing Nickelback and 3 Doors Down is just a travesty.

Well, I am glad I do have Sirius/XM, where the Oldies and all the other music Houston Radio is missing, is not dead.

 

[downthedial]

Even KODA playing Nickelback and 3 Doors Down is just a travesty.

I know, snoman, Nickelback on SUNNY is sad isn't it? I scratch my head, sometimes.

The philosophy that the older demographic doesn't spend their money and thus, should not be blessed with the music of their generation may be true -- and needed -- but when the younger demographics are so weak for radio listenership, I must ask, "Why cater to them?"

The younger demo may be the "I Want It Now, Whether I Need It Or Not" generation, but the younger demographic is also the most fickle. The older demographic is comprised of people who still respect this business because commercial radio has been a part of their lives from the get-go. Today's kids, especially, have always had other "options." They don't like waiting on commercials and will switch to other stations to avoid them, if they're even listening at all. (This is a trend I've seen in the kids and young adults around my neighborhood.)

Most people I know in the 25-34 demo only listen to commercial radio at work. Most have satellite in their cars and exercise to their iPod playlists. They don't care, despite the fact I'm in that demo and DO.

I guess my point must be: What good is it to switch formats that cater to a vast population (I saw many young kids at the last Paul McCartney concert I attended) to formats that don't appeal but to the most unpredictable of generations? I don't think any answer will make sense to me. I'm happy for my XM on DirecTV and the soul of me that still respects and loves the radio biz hates admitting it.

 

[piggy]

Scott Shannon's TRUE OLDIES format is great. I listen to it on WLS-FM 94.7 in Chicago from time-to-time. I also know that GAP Broadcasting in Tyler is using it on KDOK AM 1240 as well.

Meanwhile in Washington, D.C.... this post on http://www.dcrtv.com

6/11 - A DCRTVer tells us that Scott Shannon announced on-air this afternoon that unless DC's 105.9, WJZW, gets "better support," his nationally-syndicated "True Oldies Channel" format "might have to make other arrangements" in the DC market. However, he added that there were no local options in the DC area for another station to take over the franchise. Shannon's comments were prompted by an oldies request from a listener in Fairfax. Citadel's WJZW has received anemic ratings with its 1960s/1970s-based pop oldies format since it dropped smooth jazz in February 2008....

 

[amfmsw]

Try a station with REAL variety, including, god forbid, do-wop! www.943wilw.com No 500 song rotation here!

 

[cyberdad]

Try a station with REAL variety, including, god forbid, do-wop! www.943wilw.com No 500 song rotation here!

Not bad, but needs a higher bitrate stream IMHO.

 

[bigtom101]

Try a station with REAL variety, including, god forbid, do-wop! www.943wilw.com No 500 song rotation here!

Oh noes, not doo wop! Hide the women & children!

Make sure to listen Saturday nights for Relics & Rarities with Dave the Rave ('nother Jersey guy)....lots of cool tunes, some right off the 45's!

 

[iused2bsomebody]

Someone in Houston should wake up and realize that there is a merket for Oldies. 1037 or Country Legands would both be good to try it. I realize that both are rimshots, but if you can turn a 2.5 in Houston with Oldies and your the only one. You can make some money.

 

[soundblast]

KONO in San Antonio has great numbers and is doing the same thing as KHITS but with jocks that had more energy and soulded happier than the KFITS staff

 

[snoman]

KONO in San Antonio has great numbers and is doing the same thing as KHITS but with jocks that had more energy and soulded happier than the KFITS staff

And they weren't as repetitive.

 

[JustPastBuffalo]

Oldies will rebound as Classic Hits featuring 60s, 70s and 80s. The music is just too good to not find a place on terrestrial radio. The format may be 45-64 intensive, but it still reaches people and hits them right in the heart. Buffalo had one of the original Classic Hits stations in America from 1986-89, WHTT Classic Hits 104.1. It morphed into an even more successful Oldies station, WHTT Oldies 104, which had a 13 year run, frequently #1 Persons 25-54 and 35-64 and always top 3 in the demos, even in a bad book. At present, there's no Classic Hits station in the Buffalo market. Stations skirt around the format, playing a smattering of 60s hits like "My Girl" and 70s hits like "Smoke From A Distant Fire" and 80s hits like "Jack & Dianne," but there's no Classic Hits station. Three ACs chasing Women 25-54, one killer Country station and one nationally known Classic rocker, a solid CHR, a heritage Urban and a lame Jack. There are tons of signals from Toronto, Canada. It's probably one of the most crowded FM bands in America. But no FM Classic Hits, no Oldies. All the sales gurus tell us that nobody buys 45-54, 45-64, but it's just a matter of time before somebody wakes up and smells the coffee. It'll be back in Houston, too.

 

[piggy]

All the sales gurus tell us that nobody buys 45-54, 45-64, but it's just a matter of time before somebody wakes up and smells the coffee. It'll be back in Houston, too.

There's no point in filling a format hole if nobody will buy the station. Even in the "good old days" you still had to pay the light bill.

 

[Mediafrog+]

There's no point in filling a format hole if nobody will buy the station. Even in the "good old days" you still had to pay the light bill.

Thank you, voice of reason. And not everyone in the target audience wants the format, anyway. Many are smack in the middle of the demographic but are tired of hearing all those old tunes, and have moved on. Fun to listen to once in a great while, but the genre has been played to death.

 

[poops]

There's no point in filling a format hole if nobody will buy the station. Even in the "good old days" you still had to pay the light bill.

Thank you, voice of reason. And not everyone in the target audience wants the format, anyway. Many are smack in the middle of the demographic but are tired of hearing all those old tunes, and have moved on. Fun to listen to once in a great while, but the genre has been played to death.

Maybe it's the same 200 song playlist that people are tired of hearing.

poops

 

[mrbeasley]

That's what it was for me. And, I don't think they even had 200 songs in the list. There was so much good stuff to be played,that,had they played it; I would have listened all the time.

I don't know who was making the programming decisions at the place. But, when I asked the local PD about it, one time; he told me that if it wasn't ever in the Billboard Top 20, it didn't get played. My question was "why". Why short-change the listener? In my humble (but accurate) opinion; having a larger playlist would keep the listeners listening longer, just to see if they might hear one of their old faves. I remember a lot of neat tunes, by name artisits, that never made the Billboard Top 20.

Seems like stations just play a sampling of a particluar kind of music just to say that they are an "oldies" or "legends" station, so people will listen. Then they leave them wanting; like a good con artist. After all, who really listens to the radio anyway? The housewife just has it on for a little while while she's busy doing housekeeeping, or running the kids to school. The worker just has it on while they're working at their desk. But, they aren't really "listening", in the true sense of the word. Or are they? I think some programmers might be very surprised. They want listener loyalty; but they, themselves, aren't true to their audience.

 

[poops]

That's what it was for me. And, I don't think they even had 200 songs in the list. There was so much good stuff to be played,that,had they played it; I would have listened all the time.

I don't know who was making the programming decisions at the place. But, when I asked the local PD about it, one time; he told me that if it wasn't ever in the Billboard Top 20, it didn't get played. My question was "why". Why short-change the listener? In my humble (but accurate) opinion; having a larger playlist would keep the listeners listening longer, just to see if they might hear one of their old faves. I remember a lot of neat tunes, by name artisits, that never made the Billboard Top 20.

Seems like stations just play a sampling of a particluar kind of music just to say that they are an "oldies" or "legends" station, so people will listen. Then they leave them wanting; like a good con artist. After all, who really listens to the radio anyway? The housewife just has it on for a little while while she's busy doing housekeeeping, or running the kids to school. The worker just has it on while they're working at their desk. But, they aren't really "listening", in the true sense of the word. Or are they? I think some programmers might be very surprised. They want listener loyalty; but they, themselves, aren't true to their audience.

Amen brother...

poops

 

[rbrucecarter5]

KONO in San Antonio has great numbers and is doing the same thing as KHITS but with jocks that had more energy and soulded happier than the KFITS staff

Thanks for the tip! KONO 860 comes in great in Cypress with a 3 foot loop, I only get minimal crosstalk from that stupid 850. Now if I can find a solution for the car, I'll be good. Wait - I've got satellite in the car, never mind.

One less listener to Houston radio. Multiply me by all the PO'd oldies fans, and I've met a BUNCH, and you have a lot of new satellite listeners.

 

[RADIOGM]

>KONO in San Antonio has great numbers and is doing the same thing as KHITS but with jocks that had more energy and soulded happier than the KFITS staff <

No, I don't think KONO