The new krth

[Thomps2525]

Mister insulators, you'll have to be content with watching a woman eat a fried rat in a scene in the 1990 comedy/horror movie The Willies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZTOAWvarOs

The "new" songs on KRTH's playlist are being added very gradually. David and Michael can explain why that is a better strategy than adding several hundred songs all at once. I'm guessing that Rick Thomas doesn't want to drive away the longtime listeners. Yesterday I was surprised to hear Badfinger's Baby Blue (14/1972). Today around 3:30 I was not surprised to hear Brown Eyed Girl...again!

 

[michael hagerty]

The "new" songs on KRTH's playlist are being added very gradually. David and Michael can explain why that is a better strategy than adding several hundred songs all at once. I'm guessing that Rick Thomas doesn't want to drive away the longtime listeners. Yesterday I was surprised to hear Badfinger's Baby Blue (14/1972). Today around 3:30 I was not surprised to hear Brown Eyed Girl...again!

Once again: Blowing off unsalable listeners has zero effect on salable ones.

The reason you add songs gradually is so that you can listen and feel how the songs affect your intensity and flow. It gives you the opportunity to make fine-tuning adjustments. Dump everything in at once, and you'll never know what it is that needs attention.

"Baby Blue" is no doubt in response to its appearance in the final episode of "Breaking Bad".

And seriously, give up on the "Brown Eyed Girl", okay...you admitted MONTHS ago that if you didn't hear the song for five years, you'd still punch the button in the first three notes the first time it comes up.

 

[oldies76]

Hey, at least KRTH has played the pre '64 Monster Mash (#1 nationally 1962 and #2 on KHJ in 1973), twice today.....I wonder what day it is today! As for "Brown Eyed Girl", it seems to be the most spun 60's tune, among the few they have left today. Personally, I don't mind that song, as long as I don't hear it more than once a week or two. It's a good song, but it's not in my top 40 from 1967.

Btw, Mr. Hagerty, any reason to why "Monster Mash" re-charted in 1973 (on KHJ anyways), 11 years after it's original release?

 

[michael hagerty]

Btw, Mr. Hagerty, any reason to why "Monster Mash" re-charted in 1973 (on KHJ anyways), 11 years after it's original release?

Yep...and it wasn't just KHJ...it went Top 10 in Billboard.

Credit for that goes to Rich Brother Robbin, who was programming KCBQ in San Diego and found a handful of oldies that got huge phones...so he added them to the current playlist and played them like current hits.

The three I remember were Monster Mash, Wipeout and Snoopy vs. The Red Baron.

Monster Mash broke big nationally, Wipeout had a regional revival and Snoopy was a local thing only.

 

[Thomps2525]

Fred Bronson's Billboard Book Of Number One Hits gives no reason for Monster Mash re-charting in 1970 and 1973 but he notes that the original title was Monster Twist. Co-writer Leonard Capizzi told Bobby Pickett that the song would be more au courant if it was called Monster Mashed Potato because in 1962 the mashed potato was a more popular dance than the twist. That was too lengthy so Pickett made it Monster Mash---and it became a graveyard smash!

KRTH now plays only two or three Beatles songs per day. The 1960s hits are gradually disappearing from the playlist but a few, such as Respect and Wild Thing and that fershlugginer Brown Eyed Girl, still get played several times a week. Today being Hallowe'en, KRTH played the obligatory Ghostbusters, along with several other songs that I didn't have on my list at http://www.xmfan.com/viewtopic.php?t=120994&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

Easy Lover - Philip Bailey/Phil Collins (2/1984)
Let The Music Play - Shannon (8/1983)
Love Shack - B-52’s (3/1989)
Lucky Star - Madonna (4/1984)
Rock Steady - Whispers (7/1987)
Rock’n Me - Steve Miller Band (1/1976)
West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys (1/1986)

 

[Thomps2525]

Many songs have re-charted after being included on a movie soundtrack. But, Michael, were there any songs other than Monster Mash that became hits again after getting a lot of airplay by a single DJ? The only one that I can think of is Benny Bell's 1946 novelty hit Shaving Cream, which re-charted in 1975 after getting a lot of airplay on Dr. Demento's syndicated radio program. "Dip your head in a bucket of sh......aving cream." A classic!

 

[michael hagerty]

Many songs have re-charted after being included on a movie soundtrack. But, Michael, were there any songs other than Monster Mash that became hits again after getting a lot of airplay by a single DJ? The only one that I can think of is Benny Bell's 1946 novelty hit Shaving Cream, which re-charted in 1975 after getting a lot of airplay on Dr. Demento's syndicated radio program. "Dip your head in a bucket of sh......aving cream." A classic!

Well, "Monster Mash" wasn't a single DJ, it was power rotation (every 70 minutes) on KCBQ.

It takes more than one DJ to make a hit. Benny Bell happened because of stations playing it after getting Demento-related requests. Dr. Demento didn't have the numbers to break a record nationally on his own.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

I have that Shaving Cream 45.
You know Brown Eyed Girl also gets occasional play on some AAA stations because its Van

 

[oldies76]

Today being Halloween, KRTH played the obligatory Ghostbusters, along with several other songs that I didn't have on my list

Hopefully, "Thriller" and the two versions of "Spooky" were played too.

 

[Thomps2525]

On Hallowe'en, KRTH played Monster Mash, Thriller and Ghostbusters. Screamin' Jay Hawkins' I Put A Spell On You would have been a nice surprise...but I don't think KRTH program director Rick Thomas had even been born when that song came out.

 

[mighty met]

I don't see how KRTH is going to survive as a bland 70s/80s outlet, especially if it isn't even doing the old jingles and maintaining their heritage. There are even fewer 70s/80s tunes one can play without burnout. You thought "Unchained Melody" was getting tiresome? How about "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" 3 times a day?

You know....I was in a restaurant recently and heard what must have been some kind of 70s feed. Here is what I heard:


Timothy - The Buoys
Signs - Five Man Electric Band
Annie’s Song - John Denver
Time Passages - Al Stewart
Dreaming - Blondie
My Life - Billy Joel
Nights on Broadway - Bee Gees
We’ve Only Just Begun - Carpenters
Reminiscing - Little River Band
If You Leave Me Now - Chicago
Crazy Love - Van Morrison
Some funk/R+B song I couldn't identify
City of New Orleans - Arlo Guthrie
Da Doo Ron Ron - Shaun Cassidy version
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
Way of the World - EWF
Loves Me Like A Rock - Paul Simon
Lonely Boy - Andrew Gold

Now obviously this feed was created to appeal to people who like 70s. Most of these tunes would not be touched by KRTH. But obviously this playlist is researched in some way.

If KRTH played an in depth list like this from the 70s (and 80s,) it would be pretty fun to listen to. (As opposed to BORING.) And if they did it from 50s to 90s, with a LOCAL emphasis....wow, it would be amazing. Maybe it wouldn't compete with AMP or JACK, but guess what: YOU OWN THOSE ALREADY!

But what will probably happen is it will be watered down to something safe and bland. Rating will drop, and the station will end.

Radio thinks in this terribly narrow-minded way, focused only on two rules:

1) Small playlist of safe, familiar tunes
2) No old people, or even people soon to be old.

People outside the radio world regard it as a joke. Hence the popularity of ipods, Pandora, etc., especially for people over 20 seeking more than current hits.

 

[michael hagerty]

On Hallowe'en, KRTH played Monster Mash, Thriller and Ghostbusters. Screamin' Jay Hawkins' I Put A Spell On You would have been a nice surprise...but I don't think KRTH program director Rick Thomas had even been born when that song came out.

I hope not, Steve. That would make Rick 57 or older.

 

[Thomps2525]

In 1981, Rick interned at the old KUTE-102 (actually 101.9 but they didn't care about accuracy) so I'm guessing he was born around 1962, the year of The Stripper and Ahab The Arab. Rick lmade a success of Magic 92.5 XHRM in Tijuana/San Diego with a rhythmic oldies format. Does he have similar plans for KRTH? The Beatles songs are disappearing. Might he also eliminate the other British groups along with pop groups such as the Beach Boys, the Eagles, America and Three Dog Night, effectively turning KRTH into a clone of XHRM or Jammin' Oldies KCMG?

 

[michael hagerty]

I don't see how KRTH is going to survive as a bland 70s/80s outlet, especially if it isn't even doing the old jingles and maintaining their heritage. There are even fewer 70s/80s tunes one can play without burnout. You thought "Unchained Melody" was getting tiresome? How about "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" 3 times a day?

You know....I was in a restaurant recently and heard what must have been some kind of 70s feed. Here is what I heard:


Timothy - The Buoys
Signs - Five Man Electric Band
Annie’s Song - John Denver
Time Passages - Al Stewart
Dreaming - Blondie
My Life - Billy Joel
Nights on Broadway - Bee Gees
We’ve Only Just Begun - Carpenters
Reminiscing - Little River Band
If You Leave Me Now - Chicago
Crazy Love - Van Morrison
Some funk/R+B song I couldn't identify
City of New Orleans - Arlo Guthrie
Da Doo Ron Ron - Shaun Cassidy version
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
Way of the World - EWF
Loves Me Like A Rock - Paul Simon
Lonely Boy - Andrew Gold

Now obviously this feed was created to appeal to people who like 70s. Most of these tunes would not be touched by KRTH. But obviously this playlist is researched in some way.

If KRTH played an in depth list like this from the 70s (and 80s,) it would be pretty fun to listen to. (As opposed to BORING.) And if they did it from 50s to 90s, with a LOCAL emphasis....wow, it would be amazing. Maybe it wouldn't compete with AMP or JACK, but guess what: YOU OWN THOSE ALREADY!

But what will probably happen is it will be watered down to something safe and bland. Rating will drop, and the station will end.

Radio thinks in this terribly narrow-minded way, focused only on two rules:

1) Small playlist of safe, familiar tunes
2) No old people, or even people soon to be old.

People outside the radio world regard it as a joke. Hence the popularity of ipods, Pandora, etc., especially for people over 20 seeking more than current hits.

If their audience doesn't perceive them as bland and boring, then they'll do fine.

What makes you think the restaurant feed was researched? That list would skew very old, and I know you think that's narrow-minded, but if you live by selling advertising and the advertisers aren't buying old, you kind of have to listen to that.

Some people outside the radio world regard it as a joke. If you look at OTA radio usage, you'll see that while iPods and Pandora have become factors, the vast majority of the listening audience hasn't abandoned terrestrial radio for them. Especially in the demo (25-54) that we're talking about for KRTH.

 

[michael hagerty]

In 1981, Rick interned at the old KUTE-102 (actually 101.9 but they didn't care about accuracy) so I'm guessing he was born around 1962, the year of The Stripper and Ahab The Arab. Rick lmade a success of Magic 92.5 XHRM in Tijuana/San Diego with a rhythmic oldies format. Does he have similar plans for KRTH? The Beatles songs are disappearing. Might he also eliminate the other British groups along with pop groups such as the Beach Boys, the Eagles, America and Three Dog Night, effectively turning KRTH into a clone of XHRM or Jammin' Oldies KCMG?

Once again, you're asking questions that have been answered over and over and over again here...often to questions you posed.

He'll do what tests well. The year of his birth, what he did at another station, the national origin of certain bands, means nothing.

If "Life In The Fast Lane" were to test better with 40-year-old Los Angeles women than Tierra's "Together" (I said "if"), he'd play it.

This is so easy to get...

 

[davideduardo]

What makes you think the restaurant feed was researched?

And some background music services are actually researched. But the priority in such research is creating a mood, based on a blend of songs that encourages whatever it is that the store or business or restaurant wants as a desired behavior by customers. Background music does not depend on either ad sales or listener selection... so it's a very inappropriate thing to compare OTA radio with.

 

[michael hagerty]

And some background music services are actually researched. But the priority in such research is creating a mood, based on a blend of songs that encourages whatever it is that the store or business or restaurant wants as a desired behavior by customers. Background music does not depend on either ad sales or listener selection... so it's a very inappropriate thing to compare OTA radio with.

So now we just have to determine what desired behavior might be prompted by "Timothy", "We've Only Just Begun" and "Da Doo Ron Ron".

 

[Thomps2525]

MightyMet also mentioned hearing a "funk/R+B song I couldn't identify." I would love to hear such songs, as opposed to hearing nothing but songs I've already heard 10,000 times...but I'm not the typical radio listener who prefers safe boring predictable playlists. A channel that plays Timothy, We've Only Just Begun and Da Doo Ron Ron is not necessarily trying to create a mood; rather, it appeals to people who, in the 1970s, listened to a top-40 station that played those three songs. We have programmers who believe those three songs can't be played on any individual station now, even though they were played on hundreds of individual stations then. Go figure!

Here in Glendale there is a really nice Italian restaurant, Fratelli's, which subscribes to a music channel that features Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, Bobby Darin, Al Martino, Eydie Gormé, Perry Como and other Italian-American singers. Those songs do create a mood.

 

[oldies76]

So now we just have to determine what desired behavior might be prompted by "Timothy", "We've Only Just Begun" and "Da Doo Ron Ron".

And so what, if these three hits are being played today. The fact is that there's far more, FAR MORE music out there than just your few hundred rotated over and over, weekly. This is obviously a 70's type theme channel that isn't nearly as picky as terrestrial radio and their repeated weekly music. Good for them. Not that these 3 songs are in my top 100 of the 70's, it's the fact that they are being played and someone who is listening to them, who likes these, won't be complaining.

Play them all.

 

[oldies76]

If KRTH played an in depth list like this from the 70s (and 80s,) it would be pretty fun to listen to. (As opposed to BORING.)

In fact KRTH used to be this way......just set your time machine back to the mid 1980's and tune in to KRTH. The only difference is that the music played then was 50's to the mid 80's, with true request shows and specials. Radio's glory days!!