The Walrus Diet

[Big 121]

Notice the Walrus has been on a diet? As of March or so, he was so heavy (#1 with listeners), BCA decided
to put him on the "KOOL Oldies" regimen. Action was taken. Dump the popular "60s" nutrition and replace
it with a slimming formula.
With a steady dose of music from Paper Lace, Pilot, LeSheik and Andrew Gold, the pounds(listeners) have
been slipping away. But to enhance the effect, add in doses of Disco, and endless Elton John.
So far , the stratedgy is working, as the Walrus has lost 5-6 postions, with no end in sight.
Heard "Brick House", followed by "Wooly Bully"....a sequence sure to drop a few more pounds(listeners).
This is the NEW Walrus...

 

[Kent]

What you're seeing is the big debate on the oldies format playing out right in front of you. The 60's oldies get you more listeners, but a substantial number of them are 55+. Because so many advertisers have "no 55+ dictates," the oldies station has to sell the 25-54 numbers it has, but those numbers are dropping because the audience is the same audience it had 10 years ago. So, the oldies station adds more 70's, and even a few 80's, at the expense of the 60's. The total audience shrinks, but the station gambles it can get higher 25-54 numbers, thus becoming more attractive to advertisers.

 

[GeorgeJ.]

What you're seeing is the big debate on the oldies format playing out right in front of you. The 60's oldies get you more listeners, but a substantial number of them are 55+. Because so many advertisers have "no 55+ dictates," the oldies station has to sell the 25-54 numbers it has, but those numbers are dropping because the audience is the same audience it had 10 years ago. So, the oldies station adds more 70's, and even a few 80's, at the expense of the 60's. The total audience shrinks, but the station gambles it can get higher 25-54 numbers, thus becoming more attractive to advertisers.

The way I'm reading Big121's post above is not that they're adding 70's but that they're adding crap 70's material that has no business being played today (such as Paper Lace). You can either program it by numbers (which leads you to add crap..."hey let's add The Streak - that was a #1 song" "Billy Don't Be A Hero was #1 in 1974; that makes it an obvious add...") or choose your music by sound;

KRTH also has that problem with some of the 70's music they power...Play That Funky Music gets powered on KRTH and really sounds out of place...why not replace it with some timeless R&B and Soul from the 70's...perhaps Use Ta Be My Girl, Back In Love Again, I'll Be Good To You, Ain't No Woman Like The One I Got, etc..

So if the Walrus isn'r careful on what they add from the 70's and 80's, they're really running the risk of alienating everyone...not just those that liked 60's songs they may have dropped..

 

[Big 121]

Kent & Georgej.- Both of you "read" my unwritten thoughts...... striving to reach certain demographics,
while compromising music quality.
Too many overplayed '70s & "Chick" songs make Walrus a "button pusher" ...
Big 121

 

[One Who Knows]

As one who has actually seen music test scores on the 70's product, let me assure you that certain songs do test quite well with today's "oldies" audience.

A few of them include: "Maybe I'm Amazed" - Paul McCartney and Wings, and "Still The One" by Orleans. So, too...do a couple of Bee Gees songs from Saturday Night Fever.

The problem, I think, is that some stations throw songs on the air without testing them to see if they work. Not every 60's novelty song worked with the original oldies format, why anyone would think every 70's novelty song would work amazes me.

Unfortunately, the "original" oldies format will never come back. (Sorry Big121!) The advertisers just won't accept an audience top heavy with 55 plus listeners. (I disagree with said advertisers, but it is what it is. Many, many stations have tried to change buyers attitudes, but it's like talking to a wall.)

Every generation has it's soundtrack. And, I'm sorry...but I'm 52. I graduated high school in 1974. Shouldn't my generation get some of its' "oldies" on the radio before I'm too "washed up" for the advertisers?