The new krth

[davideduardo]

So if testing on hundreds of additional songs beyond KRTH's 600 or so that they already play, that would make the testing total about 1000-1200 songs each session? And say 100 people are at a testing session, how many of those must pass a song for it to air on KRTH?

The number of people in a test is not relevant. It's more about the percentages and totally about the distribution of scores.

In other words, what is the range of most of the scores? It's not that there are songs that 30% of people love and 70% hate. It's more like there are songs that a few people like, some are neutral, and quite a few are at least moderately negative. So the score range for most respondents might be from 65 down to 40. In other words, a song with little interest, and considerable negatives.

In most cases, a station's research company will do things like cluster analysis, too. So a song has to perform well against the total group of respondents, as well as (to create examples) the younger part of the test, the older part, the men, the women, and maybe those who are members of important ethnic groups who like the format or station.

And you do realize that between 1968 and 1987, there are 2918 songs that charted in the top 20 positions, plus many album only tracks that have aired. Using these numbers, around 20% of those charted singles are being aired today (if KRTH has a 600 song playlist).

And, don't you think that all those other 2300 songs have been tested over the many years of KRtH's existence? Obviously, many songs were eliminated years and years ago. But the ones that might fit, as well as newer songs, are tested many times before being discarded as "impossible" tunes.

8 of every 10 hits from the 1968-1987 period are NOT being aired today. That's actually very discouraging.

It is what it is. That's the extent of consensus hits today.

I would be content with at least 50%.

I only wish we could buy you a radio station so you could prove to yourself that playing deep libraries will bankrupt you almost immediately in any rated market.

 

[mighty met]

I've checked out KRTH a bit this weekend, mostly out of curiosity.

Wow, talk about redundant adds to the playlist.

Here's some of the 80s tunes now heard on KRTH. (Mostly 80s, some 70s)

Holiday by Madonna (can be heard on JACK, 92.3, probably somewhere else)
Misunderstanding by Genesis (JACK, Sound, KLOS)
Let's Go by the Cars (JACK, Sound, KLOS)
Just What I Needed by the Cars (Jack, Sound, KLOS)
Dirty Laundry by Don Henley (Jack, KLOS, Sound)
One Thing Leads to Another by The Fixx (JACK, KLOS, Sound)
Take On Me by Aha (JACK)
Call Me by Blondie (JACK, KLOS, Sound)
We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions by Queen (JACK, KLOS, Sound
Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen (JACK, KLOS, Sound)
Beast of Burden by The Stones (JACK, KLOS, Sound)
You Aint Seen Nothin' Yet by BTO (JACK, KLOS, Sound)
Always Something There To Remind Me by Naked Eyes (JACK)
Faith - George Michael (JACK, probably other stations)
Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics (JACK)
Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas (JACK, KLOS, and Sound)
Don't Bring Me Down by ELO (JACK, KLOS, and Sound)
Free Fallin' by Tom Petty (JACK, KLOS, and Sound)
Come On Eileen by Dexy's Midnight Runners (JACK)
Jack and Diane - John Cougar (JACK, KLOS, Sound, and probably 1000 others...)

These songs are not just songs you can hear all over the dial, they are among the most burned out classic rock and 80s pop tunes out there.

They've also bumped up the already overplayed Fleetwood Mac, Eagles, and Doors tunes.

Really, really boring. At least prior to this, KRTH burned out its own list of 60s and early 70s tunes, but they were at least unique and largely unheard elsewhere. And their late 70s adds were also fairly unique (Abba, Bee Gees...) As someone smack dab in their "target demo," and a longtime KRTH fan to boot, I'm seriously unimpressed. Kaye was better at adding a "dab" of 80s and keeping the KRTH sound.

This is frankly a waste of radio dial space - to basically compile a bunch of tunes already being aired elsewhere. Sad.

 

[oldies76]

Hate to say this MightyMet, some of those 80's tunes are actually really good.

"One Thing Leads To Another" and "Take On Me" are actually some of my favorites from the 80's. But yes, they are burning out some songs and the listeners will eventually take notice. Remember the Coffey era? The station seems to be heading a bit in that direction with the playlist reduction that RRewind mentioned a few posts back. When Jay Coffey was PD, before Jhani Kaye, KRTH reportedly had less than 400 songs in it's rotation, for several years. There were complaints and articles about this before 2005 and in the 1990's.

Overall KRTH has good music, but they seem to be heading into a KOLA type presentation.

 

[oldies76]

I only wish we could buy you a radio station so you could prove to yourself that playing deep libraries will bankrupt you almost immediately in any rated market.

Many AM and FM stations in smaller markets have larger, deeper playlists than KRTH's. I'll gladly take your offer. If played at the right time, most of those 2900 songs can be played at some time or another. Play the power hits, mix in a few lost hits, have great specialty weekends and viola!

 

[mighty met]

Hate to say this MightyMet, some of those 80's tunes are actually really good.

"One Thing Leads To Another" and "Take On Me" are actually some of my favorites from the 80's. But yes, they are burning out some songs and the listeners will eventually take notice. Remember the Coffey era? The station seems to be heading a bit in that direction with the playlist reduction that RRewind mentioned a few posts back. When Jay Coffey was PD, before Jhani Kaye, KRTH reportedly had less than 400 songs in it's rotation, for several years. There were complaints and articles about this before 2005 and in the 1990's.

Overall KRTH has good music, but they seem to be heading into a KOLA type presentation.

Oh, I agree. I bought the Fixx "Reach the Beach" album in 1983 along with almost every song I listed above, and the Take On Me song still reminds me of the MTV golden age. I own every Queen album, every Fleetwood Mac album...bought 'em all when they came out on vinyl. If I were in one of these "survey" rooms, I would give all those songs thumbs up. Most people would. Hence the problem.

My issue is other stations in LA are already playing those songs, and they have all been in near constant rotation for 30 or 40 years. There is no reason for KRTH to start playing these songs. The result is that when you punch around the dial in your car, you can't find anything to listen to. Every station is playing the same songs, all of which you became sick of sometime in late 1988.

In fact, when I drive with other people in the car, pretty much everyone agrees, "Let's just turn it off. Radio is torture!" I myself will sometimes just drive in silence if I don't have any CDs with me. Every day I pledge to get XM in the car (already have it at home.)

It's also a bummer to lose the local flavor KRTH had: Beach Boys songs, the "KRTH" sung jingle that recalls KHJ....

 

[davideduardo]

Many AM and FM stations in smaller markets have larger, deeper playlists than KRTH's. I'll gladly take your offer. If played at the right time, most of those 2900 songs can be played at some time or another. Play the power hits, mix in a few lost hits, have great specialty weekends and viola!

... that's why I said "rated markets".

 

[CTListener]

Many AM and FM stations in smaller markets have larger, deeper playlists than KRTH's. I'll gladly take your offer. If played at the right time, most of those 2900 songs can be played at some time or another. Play the power hits, mix in a few lost hits, have great specialty weekends and viola!

Less viola!

 

[oldies76]

Zorba the Greek (Herb Alpert) played this morning at 8:29, drive time. Interesting!

Viola!

 

[Thomps2525]

Less viola! More cowbell! (CT, I know you were expecting me to say that.) MightyMet is mighty correct: KRTH no longer sounds like a southern California station. Instead, it sounds like a blend of KIIS, KLOS and KHHT. When Art Laboe was programming KRLA in the 1990s, KRLA played a lot of songs (e.g., Chris Montez, Keith Colley, Ron Holden, Brenton Wood, Moments, Olympics, Coasters, Elgins, Brenda & the Tabulations) that couldn't be heard on any other local station. After KRLA switched to talk and KCBS-FM became Jack-FM, KRTH was the only station that played the Beach Boys, Lovin' Spoonful, Four Seasons, and Mamas & Papas, other than the short-lived Oldies 1260/540. Those artists are now off the playlist and the KRTH of 2013 plays nothing that isn't also being played on other local stations. KRTH no longer sounds unique. It would be nice if another station would switch to a 1954-79 oldies format. Such a station would have little competition...and would also have a lot of former KRTH listeners.

 

[Thomps2525]

Ooohh, here is a big surprise! Every day I check KRTH's playlist ( http://kearth101.cbslocal.com/playlist/ ) to see if there are any "new" songs that I don't have on my list...and looky what was played at 3:27 pm. today:

Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison

KRTH has dropped most of the 1960s songs, so when the heck are they ever going to drop that one?

 

[oldies76]

In 20 years, if KRTH is still around, and while they are playing the Greatest Hits of All-Time (meaning 1990 - 2013 hits) they will go back to their "roots" and play the Greatest Oldie of All-Time: 1967's "Brown Eyed Girl"

And the listeners of 2033 will say: "Geez, when was did this old song come out, when my great grandma was alive?"

 

[Thomps2525]

Today I did my bestest at trying to update the playlist of the "new" KRTH. Most of the 1960s songs are now gone and the list includes the 1970s-80s songs that Rick Thomas has been gradually adding since July. I will continue to update it as the playlist grows...which I hope it does. Hurry and go look!

http://xmfan.com/viewtopic.php?t=120994&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=105

 

[oldies76]

You list looks good, except some of the years are off. For Example "Show and Tell" is number one in early 1974, not 1973. Unless you are using the debut date, but then it wasn't #1 yet.

But it looks good. So how many songs are in the KRTH playlist now?? Is it being reduced?

 

[Robert Bass]

You list looks good, except some of the years are off. For Example "Show and Tell" is number one in early 1974, not 1973. Unless you are using the debut date, but then it wasn't #1 yet.

Correct, the hit year was 1974.

R

 

[krth101]

Is nothing sacred? They've even changed the legendary KRTH *logo on the website. "and the hits just keep on coming".

 

[oldies76]

"Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin was played last night at 9:16pm
"I Want Candy" by Bow Bow Bow at 8:18pm
"Together" by Tierra at 8:52pm

The magical...."viola" has worked, at least for one night.

 

[LKellerIII]

In 20 years, if KRTH is still around, and while they are playing the Greatest Hits of All-Time (meaning 1990 - 2013 hits) they will go back to their "roots" and play the Greatest Oldie of All-Time: 1967's "Brown Eyed Girl"

And the listeners of 2033 will say: "Geez, when was did this old song come out, when my great grandma was alive?"

Some things are just to sacred to get rid of, Oldies. If you'll send me the contact name for your loved ones, I'll make sure they play Brown Eyed Girl for you in your death bed.

 

[davideduardo]

Viola!

Surely you mean "voilà" meaning, "to suggest appearance as if by magic" and not "viola" which is a flower similar to the pansy.

 

[CTListener]

"Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin was played last night at 9:16pm
"I Want Candy" by Bow Bow Bow at 8:18pm
"Together" by Tierra at 8:52pm

The magical...."viola" has worked, at least for one night.

Imagine! "Stairway to Heaven" being a "viola" (LOL) moment! Not too long ago, wasn't that song to AOR what "Brown Eyed Girl" was/is to oldies/classic hits? Speaking of "Brown Eyed Girl," where exactly did the hatefest start for that song? On this board (or its predecessor)? On the XM board? Spontaneously on a number of boards? Just curious, because no non-poster I've ever met has had that negative opinion of the song or ever mentioned how sick he/she is of hearing it.

 

[LKellerIII]

Imagine! "Stairway to Heaven" being a "viola" (LOL) moment! Not too long ago, wasn't that song to AOR what "Brown Eyed Girl" was/is to oldies/classic hits? Speaking of "Brown Eyed Girl," where exactly did the hatefest start for that song? On this board (or its predecessor)? On the XM board? Spontaneously on a number of boards? Just curious, because no non-poster I've ever met has had that negative opinion of the song or ever mentioned how sick he/she is of hearing it.

I guess it's like Chinese Water Torture. A drop of water falling on the same spot on your forehead every few seconds doesn't seem like torture, but after 10,000 drops, it must be mentally agonizing. Perhaps its the difference between LA and the Bay Area, but we weren't hearing Brown Eyed Girl that much. My coworkers love the two local Old School stations, and play them in their offices and cubicles. So for me, the torture is provided by Let's Stay Together (Al Green), and the Marvin Gaye version of I Heard it Through the Grapevine. Ain't No Mountain High Enough is a close third.<Sigh> I used to love those songs...