WCBS #1 18-34

[davideduardo]

Probably couldn't name "the governor" they loved in Birmingham either, although if you told him about George Wallace, he probably say "That's my kind of politician."

Not really. That is a generation that is almost totally dead and gone.

When I was PD at an AC AM and a Rock 40 FM in Birmingham in '72 I found that the people under 30 were totally repulsed by "the govenah" and welcomed interaction with Blacks. On what were really white formats we had a Black newsman and a Black jock on the AM and a Black morning guy on the FM. Listeners thought that was cool and it was a way of stickin' it to the old f---s.

 

[andreaj10]

Meanwhile, to get back to the ORIGINAL topic of this thread - I still can't figure how this once-legacy station is now #1 with 18-34 - even though they're playing music AFTER my time! (I'm 63)

 

[dcowboy7]

"A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma."

 

[chrocket87]

Is it too far fetched that young people enjoy listening to 80s music? The #4 song on the Hot 100 was released in 1985.

 

[NYRadioFan22]

They should take this format, move it back to 95.5 and reintroduce an oldies playlist, mainly 1964-1989, with special shows like Friday Night 50s or something like that!!!

 

[TheBigA]

They should take this format, move it back to 95.5 and reintroduce an oldies playlist, mainly 1964-1989, with special shows like Friday Night 50s or something like that!!!

"This format" was never at 95.5, and the current owners would never allow that kind of music played there.

 

[luperm]

"This format" was never at 95.5, and the current owners would never allow that kind of music played there.

"This format" would likely have even fewer listeners than Alt, the Block, or other "bottom feeder" formats. It would also have no advertisers...

 

[CTListener]

Is it too far fetched that young people enjoy listening to 80s music? The #4 song on the Hot 100 was released in 1985.

It stiffed when released in 1985. It is, for all intents and purposes, a brand new song today even to those who were listening to CHR formats in 1985, most of whom wouldn't remember a song that might have gotten a few late-night spins for a couple of weeks before being discarded.

 

[vchimpanzee]

By that logic, the 35-54 year-olds that WCBS targets should be clamoring to hear a lot of 50s and 60s rock that has incredible staying power...from timeless artists like Elvis and The Beatles. We know that isn't true and doesn't happen. CBS FM doesn't play one song by The Beatles any more, and zero pre-1970s music.

On a related subject, a little girl on "Generation Gap" liked The Beatles because she rode in her grandfather's car when he played them.

 

[dcowboy7]

Big Energy" recently hit #1 on the billboard top 40 airplay chart & it samples "Genius of Love' which was an 80s song.
Yea dont bring up "Running" CT gets all wound up.

 

[kevtronics]

With the large number of new songs from artists too young to actually remember the 1980s trying their darndest to sound like they're from the 1980s, it makes sense that young people would also be drawn to music that actually is from the 1980s.

Here's the latest from Shawn Mendes, born in 1998, which is so '80s-inspired that parts of the music video were made to look like you're watching it through a CRT television:

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Is it too far fetched that young people enjoy listening to 80s music? The #4 song on the Hot 100 was released in 1985.

Yes it is. How many times have we gone over this in the forum? Songs don't test well with an audience of a certain age group when that music is from before their time. Why do you think classic hits radio stations have dropped all the 60's music and keep pushing the median year of their playlists forward? Results have shown if they play old music, they attract an old audience. Why should 18-34 year-olds be an exception to this where as a group they all love music recorded before they were born? The Kate Bush hit is an unusual exception -- it's just one song and is now a current CHR hit, it doesn't mean millennials want to hear 80s songs all day.

Sure you can find anecdotal evidence of young people liking old songs from TV shows or played in their parents car, but not enough to send the classic its station to #1 in that demo by itself. The only plausible explanation is that a lot of 18-34 year-olds are hearing this station played on an older person's radio, and there aren't enough 18-34 year-olds tuning into their own radio stations to beat that number. What are they listening to instead? My guess is commercial-free Spotify etc., tailored to their personal taste.

 

[TheBigA]

The only plausible explanation is that a lot of 18-34 year-olds are hearing this station played on an older person's radio, and there aren't enough 18-34 year-olds tuning into their own radio stations to beat that number. What are they listening to instead? My guess is commercial-free Spotify etc., tailored to their personal taste.

Actually there are a LOT of very plausible explanations, if you just open your mind. Start with this:

Why Do Young People Listen to Really Old Rock Music?

What psychological and sociological factors might account for the staying power of music from the 1960s and 70s?

www.psychologytoday.com

It's not only in classic hits. When KPLX in Dallas changed its format from current country to 90s country, I expected to see the age of the audience jump up. Instead KPLX got its best 18-34 numbers in years.

It doesn't take a lot of 18-34s to shift the numbers for a station. WCBS has a 5.6 share. That means there are a lot of people not listening to WCBS. Which means a lot of 18-34s are also not listening. Just because a station is #1 in a demo doesn't mean everyone in that demo is listening. All it means is that more people from that demo are listening to that station than the other ones. But it doesn't account for people not listening to radio at all.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

Actually there are a LOT of very plausible explanations, if you just open your mind. Start with this:

Why Do Young People Listen to Really Old Rock Music?

What psychological and sociological factors might account for the staying power of music from the 1960s and 70s?

www.psychologytoday.com

Please link something that reflects real world listening to radio, not a psychology tabloid article written by an old guy romanticizing 60s and 70s music.

 

[TheBigA]

Please link something that reflects real world listening to radio, not a psychology tabloid article written by an old guy romanticizing 60s and 70s music.

You already did. But because the Nielsen numbers don't confirm your opinion, you refuse to accept them. So why should I bother?

 

[Theater of My Mind]

The Nielsen numbers most likely reflect the explanation I put forward. As to why you should bother replying, that's something I have often wondered myself.

 

[TheBigA]

The Nielsen numbers most likely reflect the explanation I put forward.

But you have no facts to back up your opinion. Instead you want ME to post facts to counter your made up opinion.

How about this: This #1 18-34 for WCBS is not unusual. The classic hits station in Boston is #2 18-34 (behind a sports talk station) and the classic rock station in Philadelphia is #1 18-34. I could probably list a lot more markets, but you will only accept your own made up explanation.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

I'm not making things up any more than you are by suggesting that's all voluntary tuning by 18-34 year-olds to stations playing music that old. Show me a music test where listeners in that demo rate the music in those formats high enough to make that believable.

 

[CTListener]

b

I'm not making things up any more than you are by suggesting that's all voluntary tuning by 18-34 year-olds to stations playing music that old. Show me a music test where listeners in that demo rate the music in those formats high enough to make that believable.

I wonder if classic rock stations are even doing music tests on listeners that young. It's not the audience advertisers buying classic rock care about reaching.

 

[fordranger797]

I'm not making things up any more than you are by suggesting that's all voluntary tuning by 18-34 year-olds to stations playing music that old. Show me a music test where listeners in that demo rate the music in those formats high enough to make that believable.

I can’t give anything more than anecdotal evidence, because I am sure that no such study exists. With that being said, I don’t think it’s a far reach to assume that both situations are occurring. Specifically, young people probably are exposed to the situation via their parents, but also young people are tuning in at higher rates than they used to be. I’m not suggesting that all young people want to listen to WCBS, but I don’t think it’s a far reach to assume that a good chunk of young people are curious. I still believe that CHR is supreme in listening habits for young people, but there is a good chunk of people out there who just don’t care for that music.