Timeless is Dead

[vchimpanzee]

Dial Global is inconsistent, but today what I heard during the hour I listened was a good example of how it's getting better.

Last week they played "Guitar Man" by Bread, "Brandy" by Looking Glass and "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John, all during a single hour. Typical of Timeless. Today, "Dancing Queen" by ABBA and "I Just Called to Say I Loved You" by Stevie Wonder were about an hour apart, and "Please Don't Squeeze the Charmaine" by Billy May (that's what I think Jeff Rollins called it) was on Big Bands Remembered, which is just one song. During that hour, I heard "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" by Tony Bennett, "Give Me the Simple Life" by Steve Tyrell, "Like Young" by Andre Previn, "Cast Your Fate to the Wind", "An Affair to Remember" by Vic Damone and "Make It Easy on Yourself" by Jerry Butler, and something by Nat King Cole, and one other real standard.

 

[ChrisInMI]

Well, this development is going to make radio-watching a lot more interesting in my neck of the woods. Parts of mid-Michigan can pick up no fewer than four Timeless affiliated stations: WMPX 1490 Midland and its simulcast partner WMRX 97.7 Beaverton, WFNT 1470 Flint, and WXLA 1180 Dimondale/Lansing. WMPX/WMRX have been doing Timeless as long as I can remember, all the way back to when it was still Stardust, and WXLA is the successor to 1320 WILS, a longtime Stardust/Timeless Classics(Favorites) affiliate which went talk a few years ago. I personally hope some of these stations flip to Dial Global, though I would welcome the True Oldies Channel as well, or better yet, MOYL.

 

[fwillis]

Does anyone know if Timeless will be doing wall to wall Christmas again this year after Thanksgiving?

 

[amlover]

Well, this development is going to make radio-watching a lot more interesting in my neck of the woods. Parts of mid-Michigan can pick up no fewer than four Timeless affiliated stations: WMPX 1490 Midland and its simulcast partner WMRX 97.7 Beaverton, WFNT 1470 Flint, and WXLA 1180 Dimondale/Lansing. WMPX/WMRX have been doing Timeless as long as I can remember, all the way back to when it was still Stardust, and WXLA is the successor to 1320 WILS, a longtime Stardust/Timeless Classics(Favorites) affiliate which went talk a few years ago. I personally hope some of these stations flip to Dial Global, though I would welcome the True Oldies Channel as well, or better yet, MOYL.


There is a good chance MOYL will be on some of the Timeless stations.

 

[Prais]

Note to Chimp;
"I Just Called to Say I Loved You" "Brandy" and "Guitar Man" all rank quite HIGH w/people over 45. I know because of a consultant friend from a few years ago tryin to sell me the "hot listof oldies" for 45 plus when I was in ownership- plus playing them mixed with the standards where I'm at, now. Older people still enjoy those.. I can't speak for the Newton-John song, but imagine it's the same.

As I earlier mentioned, don't judge the Dial Global playlist by your own personal taste.

Big Bands Remembered is a syndicated show - not on Dial Global.

 

[Chuck]

"I Just Called to Say I Loved You" "Brandy" and "Guitar Man" all rank quite HIGH w/people over 45. I know because of a consultant friend from a few years ago tryin to sell me the "hot listof oldies" for 45 plus when I was in ownership- plus playing them mixed with the standards where I'm at, now. Older people still enjoy those.. I can't speak for the Newton-John song, but imagine it's the same.

Do they really "enjoy" these songs, or do they "tolerate" them until something they actually like comes on? It is hard to measure musical taste, even though a few consultants claim that they can.

Remember a consultant is a guy from out of town that carries a briefcase and charges you more than you would normally pay yourself.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Note to Chimp;
"I Just Called to Say I Loved You" "Brandy" and "Guitar Man" all rank quite HIGH w/people over 45. I know because of a consultant friend from a few years ago tryin to sell me the "hot listof oldies" for 45 plus when I was in ownership- plus playing them mixed with the standards where I'm at, now. Older people still enjoy those.. I can't speak for the Newton-John song, but imagine it's the same.

As I earlier mentioned, don't judge the Dial Global playlist by your own personal taste.

"I Just Called to Say I Love You" gets on my nerves but it's been around awhile. However, "Guitar Man" has a screaming guitar that's completely out of place and I don't care what surveys say or who likes what. Same for Olivia Newton-John.

Big Bands Remembered is a syndicated show - not on Dial Global.

Every weekday during the 9:00 hour Eastern time, though not since Christmas music has been played, JEFF ROLLINS introduces a song Dial Global likely wouldn't otherwise play by saying "Big Bands Remembered", or at least he says the words after the song if he didn't introduce it. He often he includes trivia about the song or the artist or just big bands in general. Sometimes the trivia comes before the song, sometimes after. He also says "Big Bands Remembered" after the song even if he said the words before the song. Sometimes there's no trivia, but just a good song.

 

[Prais]

Chuck said; Do they really "enjoy" these songs, or do they "tolerate" them until something they actually like comes on? It is hard to measure musical taste, even though a few consultants claim that they can.

Remember a consultant is a guy from out of town that carries a briefcase and charges you more than you would normally pay yourself.

You can be as cynical as you wish, but this format has a more than 20 year history, and 300+ stations. What they are doing WORKS!

 

[Chuck]

You can be as cynical as you wish, but this format has a more than 20 year history, and 300+ stations. What they are doing WORKS!

Good for them. Some things succeed because they are the only game in town. My question (and it was not intended to be cynical) is still unanswered.

 

[Prais]

You've got the talent. The announcers are all vets.
You've got the researched music.
You've got the sponsors.
You've got the large number of affiliates.

You've got the longevity of 20 years. (WOW!)


What else are YOU looking for???

There wer a few other competitors; Music of your life, Stardust, others (now forgotten).

 

[Chuck]

You've got the talent. The announcers are all vets.
You've got the researched music.
You've got the sponsors.
You've got the large number of affiliates.

You've got the longevity of 20 years. (WOW!)


What else are YOU looking for???

It is not what I am looking for; it is what our stations listeners are looking for. I try to listen to them. If they are served well, then my part becomes fairly easy. I've chosen to "roll my own," which seems to fill the bill. It is a format that is not that hard to do with even basic automation. I think it works; further, our listeners are not the victims of the dreaded "stop set" which is pretty much a necessity for a satellite delivered format. Five or six minutes of spots back to back - often with no sponsor protection - is not my idea of good radio. Lots of my listeners would agree.

Maybe I should just give it up and take it off of the bird, but my gut feeling is "no."

 

[vchimpanzee]

You've got the talent. The announcers are all vets.
You've got the researched music.
You've got the sponsors.
You've got the large number of affiliates.

You've got the longevity of 20 years. (WOW!)


What else are YOU looking for???

It is not what I am looking for; it is what our stations listeners are looking for. I try to listen to them. If they are served well, then my part becomes fairly easy. I've chosen to "roll my own," which seems to fill the bill. It is a format that is not that hard to do with even basic automation. I think it works; further, our listeners are not the victims of the dreaded "stop set" which is pretty much a necessity for a satellite delivered format. Five or six minutes of spots back to back - often with no sponsor protection - is not my idea of good radio. Lots of my listeners would agree.

Maybe I should just give it up and take it off of the bird, but my gut feeling is "no."

I've always heard three minutes. It may be longer now for some breaks, but they sometimes play a song instead. I remember when Timeless Classics had several affiliates here and one would play the song and one would air the commercials. Dial Global's affiliate here generally ran commercials every time but now they often play a song during this one break.

 

[Prais]

ALL of the stop setts are covered by music.

 

[vchimpanzee]

ALL of the stop setts are covered by music.

Well, I've never heard such a thing, but that means in theory a station could never have any commercials at all.

I thought the format had national commercials for some slots so at least there would be THAT advertising and the format could be free for the station that ran those.

 

[Prais]

Chimp said, " I thought the format had national commercials for some slots so at least there would be THAT advertising and the format could be free for the station that ran those."

THAT is correct. The format is always "barter" - ads run to "pay for the format." Those ads are NOT covered by music.

Chimp said "I've never heard such a thing, but that means in theory a station could never have any commercials at all."

Exactly corrrect, sir. It's been like that for 20+ years.

Music covers the local ad avails. If the local stations have advertising -
they run covering those songs. If not - music runs.

Check this out;
http://www.dial-global.com/DGTotal/clocks/AdultStandards.pdf

 

[Prais]

"but that means in theory a station could never have any commercials at all."

Well actually NO.

The barter ads run NEVER covered by music. The station sends Dial Global a clearance form monthly, saying the ads ran.

 

[dgendvil]

So what are the radio stations that Dial Global is doing this? I hope some of them stream...

 

[Prais]

Note, I misspoke in #34. The barter ads MUST run, 2 minutes per hour and are NEVER covered by music. #35 is correct. the barter ads run in the slots that say "first network break" and "second network break."

Every Dial Global Adult Standards station does this. Their other formats (country, smooth jazz etc.) operate the same way. This allows smooth operation.

Each station gets the same satellite delivered feed for that particular format. The station's computer automation can sort out the tones delievered by the dial global and insert the correct stuff to make their particular program happen.

Watching the automation operate this is like watching a symphony orchestra or a fine watch. It's beautiful.

 

[RBW]

In recent months, Citadel has been marketing "Timeless" as a Soft Classic Hits format. That's why some stations have been dropping them. My guess is that existing affiliates will go to Dial Global for Adult Standards...or go to to one of Citadel's Oldies formats....such as Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel....

Here in upstate NY, we lost our Timeless station (on 930) about a year ago when they went bust! (silent) Our nearest affiliate is down in Walton... (full of static, even on a good day) on 1270. Timeless got bumped in the Hudson Valley, from 920, 1260 & 1420 last year.

Dial Global (ABM), is (thankfully) heard on 1190... except on weekends when they switch to a classic (60's - 80's) format which I switch off just about every-other song. Global is also heard in the Hudson Valley on 1230 WHUC. But that can't be heard specifically where I am, because I have the misfortune to live only a few miles from the 1240 tower of "Real Oldies"! (which I refuse to listen to). If memory serves, I think 1230 switched from MYL quite some years ago. Back about 3 yrs ago, our 1490 left MYL, and went AC. Global, meanwhile, popped up in Central New York... on EX-MYL outlets; 680 (Binghamton) and 1200/1440 (Syracuse/Oswego). This takes us to the next available Timeless station, in Penn Yan on tiny 850. That station by the way, has had truly awful audio for some years, and sounds more like a small mom & pop AM station from decades past. Then there's Timeless in the north country, on FM 102.7 (Cape Vincent) where during morning drive, they operate as a Canadian station (and seem to conveniently FORGET they have U.S. calls -- by ONLY ID'ing themselves as "Lake 102.7") since their "live" studios are based in Kingston, Ont. They only switched to Timeless last January! Heaven knows what they'll do in February.

The real uniqueness in this region, is 100.9 (Magic) in Albany. They've been a morphed version of Timeless & Dial Global for several years now. Owned locally (along with several other stations in town, --- and ironically, through a subsidiary co., also own the troubled AM 930 I referenced earlier) Magic seems to do quite well with its format and seamlessly segues from pop standards, to 60's oldies, to Nat King Cole & Sinatra without missing a beat. In my opinion though, this music was made for AM. I grew up on AM. I worked at AM stations. With all its issues, I PREFER to listen to this music on AM. And my big gripe with Magic, is that they talk too much, and have WAY too many jingles!! But complain as I may, I've never come across another market with an FM station programmed like that... and which appears to have healthy sales too.

 

[RBW]

Last week they played "Guitar Man" by Bread, "Brandy" by Looking Glass and "Magic" by Olivia Newton-John, all during a single hour. Typical of Timeless.

I recall how stunned I was when I first heard Dial playing ONJ's "Physical". I thought ... "what"!! --are they playing this for!? It just seemed so totally out of place. ???

And speaking of screaming guitars... as referenced from Guitar Man, what about the Carpenters "Goodbye to Love". Timeless used to edit the entire mid-section of the song, cutting the electric guitar portion out. Global has always let it remain.