J
JohnRadioFan
Guest
As I’ve been tuning into Sunny 94.1 WSOS, I can’t help but think that Renda has put in a lot more time and effort into the play list than it did for KOOL 100.7. At first I wanted to title this post as “Briggs was not totally at fault” as a hook. And despite my many ranting and ravings, I am thinking that Briggs was given a very all over the map play list that does not give the station an identity it so needs. As we all know, there were tons of errors but I want to limit this to play list only.
In an earlier post, someone commented that KOOL 100.7 will never be a Top 10 station mainly due to signal. It’s this kind of thinking that continues the n’er do well mentality when it comes to 100.7. I think the station could easily crack a 3 share consistently provided the music is carefully chosen, they look at what has worked in the past, they determine what they want to be and stay the course.
To understand the success traditional oldies stations enjoyed, I think it’s important to look at the past. (No pun intended) Stations such as the defunct Cool 96.9 concentrated on the mid 60s and sprinkled in some late 50s and early 70s. This was a very long-lived format and in my opinion still has potential today with some modifications.
I often think of the reasons why the oldies format was so successful for so many years. In some markets such as New York City, the format was strong for over three decades. If we look at the core play list, the songs are a product of a time when dominant AM music radio stations recognized the power of mass-appeal. Songs had to perform multiple demographic duty or they could not be afforded to be played. Ratings were based on coalitions of audience and as a result there were national hits that were enjoyed by teens AND their parents, those who lived in the city and those who lived in the boonies. For hit music stations, there was virtually no significant fragmenting of any particular group of people.
Fragmenting of music became more significant by the mid 70s when FM offered a lot more than Top 40. Those who liked urban, disco, progressive rock, classic rock, easy listening etc. had a place to go. National hits enjoyed by multiple demographics, race etc. became more and more rare. This is one reason I feel KOOL takes undue risk in playing music (particularly disco) that has limited appeal.
There are exceptions but a lot is based on market. For Jacksonville, there is a market for 60s/70s pop music. I can agree with playing more 70s but I would avoid disco and too much classic rock. The other day, four stations including KOOL were playing a Billy Joel tune at around the same time. KOOL is playing way too much music that is heard elsewhere. For lovers of the 60s, there is way too much music that is never heard. There’s a lot of great music from (particularly) the early 70s that is never heard. And so you lack that station personality I mentioned earlier.
Apparently, there are decisions that are made that are contrary to appealing to younger demos. And I think that’s fine. Sometimes this represents a different strategy. There is some down right old stuff being played on WSOS including Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams. Renda must be confident that they can sell based on an older demographic. Why not the same for KOOL FM? That should be a strategy to set them apart. Again, if I want to hear Billy Joel, I have many alternatives.
Lastly, if we look at the recent past, Renda should have learned that mixing too many varied types of music fail more than they work. Remember Mix 103? 70s/80s and 90s. It couldn’t keep lovers of specific decades happy. Remember Grovin Oldies? They tried too hard going after COOL FM that they lost their true identity.
All in all, I would love to see KOOL go holiday sound and for the next month build a play list to give the station a unique and consistent sound. Hint: Change to Big Hits/Big Fun so you won't limit yourself to time. I’ve beaten this subject to death. I wanted to get this all off my chest. It’s done. Happy Upcoming Holidays and thanks for indulging me folks.
In an earlier post, someone commented that KOOL 100.7 will never be a Top 10 station mainly due to signal. It’s this kind of thinking that continues the n’er do well mentality when it comes to 100.7. I think the station could easily crack a 3 share consistently provided the music is carefully chosen, they look at what has worked in the past, they determine what they want to be and stay the course.
To understand the success traditional oldies stations enjoyed, I think it’s important to look at the past. (No pun intended) Stations such as the defunct Cool 96.9 concentrated on the mid 60s and sprinkled in some late 50s and early 70s. This was a very long-lived format and in my opinion still has potential today with some modifications.
I often think of the reasons why the oldies format was so successful for so many years. In some markets such as New York City, the format was strong for over three decades. If we look at the core play list, the songs are a product of a time when dominant AM music radio stations recognized the power of mass-appeal. Songs had to perform multiple demographic duty or they could not be afforded to be played. Ratings were based on coalitions of audience and as a result there were national hits that were enjoyed by teens AND their parents, those who lived in the city and those who lived in the boonies. For hit music stations, there was virtually no significant fragmenting of any particular group of people.
Fragmenting of music became more significant by the mid 70s when FM offered a lot more than Top 40. Those who liked urban, disco, progressive rock, classic rock, easy listening etc. had a place to go. National hits enjoyed by multiple demographics, race etc. became more and more rare. This is one reason I feel KOOL takes undue risk in playing music (particularly disco) that has limited appeal.
There are exceptions but a lot is based on market. For Jacksonville, there is a market for 60s/70s pop music. I can agree with playing more 70s but I would avoid disco and too much classic rock. The other day, four stations including KOOL were playing a Billy Joel tune at around the same time. KOOL is playing way too much music that is heard elsewhere. For lovers of the 60s, there is way too much music that is never heard. There’s a lot of great music from (particularly) the early 70s that is never heard. And so you lack that station personality I mentioned earlier.
Apparently, there are decisions that are made that are contrary to appealing to younger demos. And I think that’s fine. Sometimes this represents a different strategy. There is some down right old stuff being played on WSOS including Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams. Renda must be confident that they can sell based on an older demographic. Why not the same for KOOL FM? That should be a strategy to set them apart. Again, if I want to hear Billy Joel, I have many alternatives.
Lastly, if we look at the recent past, Renda should have learned that mixing too many varied types of music fail more than they work. Remember Mix 103? 70s/80s and 90s. It couldn’t keep lovers of specific decades happy. Remember Grovin Oldies? They tried too hard going after COOL FM that they lost their true identity.
All in all, I would love to see KOOL go holiday sound and for the next month build a play list to give the station a unique and consistent sound. Hint: Change to Big Hits/Big Fun so you won't limit yourself to time. I’ve beaten this subject to death. I wanted to get this all off my chest. It’s done. Happy Upcoming Holidays and thanks for indulging me folks.