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They played We Belong by Pat Benetar on KZOK

I really don’t get this thread. Just because Pat was played on top 40 doesn’t mean it wasn’t a rock hit as well. In fact, most top 40’s in the 70’s and 80’s were called rock stations. That has changed, but I have always thought Benatar a rock artist.

All of the following top 40 Benatar songs had a rock feel IMO:

Heartbreaker
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
Treat Me Right
Fire and Ice
Shadows of the Night
We Belong
Don’t forget the live version of Hell Is For Children. That song kicks butt. I’ll take the studio version in a pinch.
 
Was looking for avocado as the answer. Oh well. Too complicated. Let’s try, Apple, watermelon, grape, orange. Hey wait, these all fit!
 
Was looking for avocado as the answer. Oh well. Too complicated. Let’s try, Apple, watermelon, grape, orange. Hey wait, these all fit!

When you create pre-determined answers, it's easy for you to guess correctly.

To me, what I loved about rock music is the wide variety of talents and styles. I guess people today want things to fit.
 
Pearl Jam is a bit late to be on a Classic Rock station, does seem a bit out of place. But it does fit better than a Light Rock song on a station that primarily targets the male demographic.
 
They had target demos back then too. Some stations had that figured out and some like KZOK tried the gourmet rock approach and immediately flipped back after it flopped.
 
They had target demos back then too. Some stations had that figured out and some like KZOK tried the gourmet rock approach and immediately flipped back after it flopped.

Maybe all men aren't alike. As I said earlier, We Belong charted higher on the rock chart than the pop chart.
 
The MTV comment earlier addressed this. Exposure has changed since then. The station targets a swath of listeners who weren’t around when Pat was highly visible in regular rotation on MTV. Visuals = men = rock station appeal back then. Today, not so much. They perceive it is a pop song out of place on a classic rocker. Heard it, saw it, watched them grab the dial and flip it.
 
Today, not so much. They perceive it is a pop song out of place on a classic rocker. Heard it, saw it, watched them grab the dial and flip it.

So a handful of people you watched did something, and you extrapolate that to be true of all men? Really? We call that "anecdotal evidence." Not useful in the real world.

Once again it's not a pop song. You're laying your own prejudices on a rock song that was accepted by the rock radio audience. MTV airplay didn't factor in the rock chart. They were often two different things.
 
So a handful of people you watched did something, and you extrapolate that to be true of all men? Really? We call that "anecdotal evidence." Not useful in the real world.

Once again it's not a pop song. You're laying your own prejudices on a rock song that was accepted by the rock radio audience. MTV airplay didn't factor in the rock chart. They were often two different things.
Not all men, just a very large chunk. Essentially,extrapolation of info in a natural environment that isn’t a study group sitting in a conference room with headphones on after providing name, address and other personal info that may cause inaccurate “research” info. Just everyday people doing their job and noticing something they thought out of place. Another study group variety.

MTV factored into many songs popularity at the time.

Have you listened to the song against the other songs on KZOK? It’s perceivably a POP song when it’s played on Classic Rock stations. Sonically.
 
Not all men, just a very large chunk.

A handful. Quantify it for me. Was it four or five out of a city of how many?

MTV factored into many songs popularity at the time.

But not the Billboard chart. MTV didn't report airplay to them.

Also what's wrong with playing a song that's popular? Isn't that what radio does?

Have you listened to the song against the other songs on KZOK? It’s perceivably a POP song when it’s played on Classic Rock stations. Sonically.

Once again, that happens a lot when you jam 30-40 years of music and recording technology into one format. Compare Black Sabbath to Pearl Jam. Very different sonics. I think sonic variety is what makes the station interesting.
 
I charge money for specific numbers. (Or I should). Sound familiar? But you can always hang out at a construction site or other location that has roughly 20-50 men in the area listening to a classic rocker and let us know what happens when that song comes on. Ask them if they’d rather be hearing something like (insert classic rock song here). But then you’d just be providing evidence based on personal experience, seen with your own two eyes and get it labeled as anecdotal evidence to undermine/gaslight you into believing someone else’s bought and paid for “research”. It’s a fun experience here on this radio discussion board. I highly recommend. You learn about things from people who are conditioned after years and decades of being in the same echo chamber with one another. When someone new comes along, rigidity becomes apparent under the guise of “being accepting of all things” except for that new guy’s opinion. We don’t like that much. Also sounds familiar.
 
When someone new comes along, rigidity becomes apparent under the guise of “being accepting of all things” except for that new guy’s opinion. We don’t like that much. Also sounds familiar.

Familiar, yes. Everyone wants what they want. They think their opinion is representative of everyone. It isn't.

I hear the same thing about commercials. Everyone changes the station when the commercials come on. But they also return.

We Belong is one of hundreds of songs they play every week. If a group of construction workers don't like it, that's just fine.

KZOK is consistently one of the most popular stations in Seattle. The vast majority of the songs are obviously acceptable to a large number of people.
 
The problem here is that every station probably plays some songs that are going to turn off a few people. It's the way it's always been. You either turn the radio down, turn it off, switch the station, or just ignore the song you don't like until the next one comes on. It's always been that way.

I remember people complaining about softer, poppier songs on rock stations when I was in HS and college and the rock format was still considered AOR. It didn't keep the stations from playing those songs, because obviously they were big enough sellers, the albums were big sellers, or the songs tested well in research, or whatever.

The only big change in that formula has been the move from OTA radio to streaming services, where the listener often creates their own playlist, where that sort of thing doesn't happen.
 
KZOK is popular, but we might agree that a radio station ALWAYS has room for improvement. Perpetually and continually, in light of new information.

Commercials are another subject, some have a high tune out rate because they don’t fit the demo either. Better produced, demo fitting music and content that’s tailored to a station demographic would eliminate a lot of that issue. That’s another thread topic. Thank you for participating in this thread.
 
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