I watched men in the real world core demo tune away about ten seconds into the song. Three of them wondering why KZOK was playing that song and another wanted to know “who switched the station to 101.5”. That’s what prompted me to post this thread. Uh hello, Phoenix is a different market. Did KISW play the song back then? “KZOK wouldn’t be playing the song if research said it made listeners tune out”. There’s that echo chamber again. Picture a room full of men sitting through that entire song after hearing all the previous artists you mentioned. If there’s a button for Rolling Stones, LED Zeppelin or Foo Fighters sitting there, over half of them would happily and promptly press it. Research.
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They played We Belong by Pat Benetar on KZOK
- Thread starter Cobra14
- Start date
As long as they don't play Kokomo!
Second best reply. Congrats
We Belong, belongs on KRWM, Jet, Jack, Star, KXXO. Leave that space in airtime for something in demo on 102.5. The tune out factor is high on KZOK for that particular track. Along with several other songs that shall go unmentioned. What do you think? Do you have an opinion? Is it still ok to have opinions? Is it still ok to express an opinion? Maybe even one that isn’t popular or doesn’t go along with the “research”. Or do we all just go and nod our collective heads at what they tell us is researched and not have our own opinions? Shall we be gas lighted into questioning our own thoughts because the research tells us to? Should we question what we’ve seen with our own two eyes? Hmmm. Uhhh hello?
Before I say anything else, I will say that KZOK and KJEB are easily my most listened to radio stations in the Seattle market. With that being said, I think each station has a strong suit. KJEB sticks closer to pop music from the 80’s (with some rock crossover), while KZOK sticks with classic rock. I think both stations are great in their own way.
Now I will also say that I don’t mind Pat Benetar at all, but I personally don’t see how that song classifies as classic rock. Heck, there was a big debate in another thread on Radio Discussions all about how Carly Simon isn’t classic rock. If Carly Simon doesn’t cut it, I’m not sure how “We Belong” would make the cut. I could see one of her (Pat) other tracks being a good fit though.
With all of that being said, I definitely won’t complain because I like that song a heck of a lot more than some of the songs that they could be playing.
Now I will also say that I don’t mind Pat Benetar at all, but I personally don’t see how that song classifies as classic rock. Heck, there was a big debate in another thread on Radio Discussions all about how Carly Simon isn’t classic rock. If Carly Simon doesn’t cut it, I’m not sure how “We Belong” would make the cut. I could see one of her (Pat) other tracks being a good fit though.
With all of that being said, I definitely won’t complain because I like that song a heck of a lot more than some of the songs that they could be playing.
Mentioned it already, saw core demo all wondering “why KZOK is playing this song”. I’ll leave out the expletive filled comments I heard, use your imagination.
Well said. I don’t personally mind the song. It was very clear the target demo KZOK is trying to reach that I saw had a difficult time associating the song with the station and wanted to switch to something that was more in line with what they “used to hear on KZOK” or someone’s curated playlist on a device plugged into an aux cable instead.
My take is it's men who think only men can sing rock. These are men who need to go on dates more often.
Or maybe less often. Maybe they hear this song on 101.5 or 106.9 with the previous “date that didn’t go so well” and get rattled by it being on the “Man Station”. “TURN IT OFF TURN IT OFF!” “Put on some manly stuff”.
Nothing but nothing gets on the air on a major market, successful, corporate radio station that does not test very well, over and over. KZOK makes really good billing. And they have been running the format successfully for 30+ years now. They know what they are doing. You don't think the song fits the format, but that's because you are not programming the format. hey are, and are placing that song for very good logical reasons.
Every construction site I was ever on was far too busy for much music discourse or even discussion. The boombox got set on a station and that's where it stayed. Nobody was too interested in individual songs- it was just noise to keep the troops going. Most of the discussion was "why the f%%k is the kiln-dried hardwood flooring sitting in the unheated garage, Chico?"
Every construction site I was ever on was far too busy for much music discourse or even discussion. The boombox got set on a station and that's where it stayed. Nobody was too interested in individual songs- it was just noise to keep the troops going. Most of the discussion was "why the f%%k is the kiln-dried hardwood flooring sitting in the unheated garage, Chico?"
Compared to a lot of places in the country, Seattle has an affinity for the 80’s pop/new wave stuff.
KZOK has always struck me as a pretty mellow classic rock station. It is completely by design. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit that in comparison to stations out in the Midwest or North/Southeast you’re going to hear more Pat Benetar or Simple Minds, as compared to Judas Priest or Molly Hatchet.
(…or if you’re listening to the BC classic rockers, the obligatory dose of Gordon Lightfoot, Rush, and that album Aerosmith recorded in Canada that gets some sorta CanCom credit).
KZOK has always struck me as a pretty mellow classic rock station. It is completely by design. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit that in comparison to stations out in the Midwest or North/Southeast you’re going to hear more Pat Benetar or Simple Minds, as compared to Judas Priest or Molly Hatchet.
(…or if you’re listening to the BC classic rockers, the obligatory dose of Gordon Lightfoot, Rush, and that album Aerosmith recorded in Canada that gets some sorta CanCom credit).
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Things that get on major market, successful, well run, corporate radio stations that cause people to leave radio for their own curated playlists. Happens everyday. Not just at construction sites. Logical reasons, that are later explained away and swept under the rug after the fact. The song doesn’t fit KZOK. It’s soft rock. KZOK has room for improvement. Everyone I know who actually listens to the station says so. Research.
“These purity tests are killing music radio”
And the Jack type formats come along. KZOK isn’t a Jack type format. It targets men in a certain age group. Men who tune out when the song We Belong is played. Along with expletive filled rants about “what happened to the music they used to play?” Do they need to be told they’re wrong because “research” says so? A study group said they should like something they don’t?
They played it in 1983 when it came out. The song has popped up once in a while since
I've heard this song on classic rock radio in various areas for a very long time, on satellite too. If the song was problematic for the male demo they are going for, it wouldn't be in rotation. KZOK has probably been playing it well before iHeart took over!
Well, if you want to use the pizza topping analogy to look at this Pat Benetar discussion - consider pineapple. There are a select few who think the idea of putting pineapple on a pizza is disgusting and some form of sacrilege. There have been polls taken and Facebook groups formed to discuss whether or not pineapple should be forbidden as a pizza topping... But though there are a few outspoken anti-pineapplers out there, the masses in general must be ordering and happily consuming them, because most every pizza shop, at least where I Iive, offers pineapple as a topping and/or "Hawaiian pizza" as an option.
Pat Benatar's catalog, especially after she hooked up with Neil Geraldo could go away and I could not care less.
Another artist with heavy spins back in the day, that IMHO does not fit in well wit a 300 song or less playlist.
What worked well for MTV does not work well radio today
Ok maybe Heartbreaker, but not much else
Another artist with heavy spins back in the day, that IMHO does not fit in well wit a 300 song or less playlist.
What worked well for MTV does not work well radio today
Ok maybe Heartbreaker, but not much else
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