WCBS 880 to have early morning simulcast on WCBS- FM

[AbrahamJSimpson]

I know that years ago most/many music stations had hourly (or more often) newscasts and that’s not true anymore. I wish music stations still had news, can be as simple as one minute of news hourly with just news, weather and sports headlines.

The last I heard, and it’s been a few months, WCTG out of little Chincoteague, VA, had a short (maybe one minute?) newscast provided by some source or another at the break before the top of the hour. Also a meteorologist delivering a brief weather forecast at another break. (Given the location, they also have brief NASA features once or twice a day.)

Even as someone who grew up in Philly with parents who listened to MOR WIP, with local newscasts every half hour every day, those “newscasts” on a music (adult hits, but I think they also air on sister country outlets) feels weirdly out of place in 2023. Even as a geezer old enough to recall MOR radio (at least its later, dying days in the 80s), I find no use for it. My phone and tablet—heck, my watch—give me the info I want when I want it.

 

[davideduardo]

Have you ever heard an unfamiliar song and liked it? And are there songs that don't research well today that you know and like anyway, just would never play them on a radio station you were consulting/programming?

I know that my taste... and from experience all of us who work in programming at any station I've been with... have tastes that are in some way different from that of the "average" listener. And since radio is one-to-many, we work on averages, means, medians and ranges and avoid narrow subsets.

It's really hard for anyone who loves being involved in music to keep from being influenced by personal tastes. When auditioning new music you sort of have to turn part of your brain off... which is hard for any of us to do. That is why music directors like Rosalie Trombley of CKLW and Betty Brenemann of KHJ and Ruth Meyer at WMCA are cult heroes of Top 40 radio.

In my personal experience, I worked with a PD/MD person when we launched KRCD in LA with an Hispanic "Adult Hits" (sort of like Jack in depth and range of years and eras) which had never been done before here or in México. She picked 1,200 songs to test in a two-night Auditorium Test based on her memory and experience and scoured record stores (remember them) in LA, Tijuana and even Mexico City to find the material. Out of those 1,200 songs, 1,187 tested high enough to be usable when the format launched. Her criteria? "I think these are songs people will like".

 

[vchimpanzee]

Of course, that was in the Sis and Stan Kaplan era when AMs were expected to have around 8% of all air hours dedicated to News, Public Affairs, Educational and Other non entertainment programming. So we pretty much had to have about 8 to 10 hours of newscasts and 3 to 4 hours of Public Affairs, Religion and Other if we wanted a license renewal without a costly hearing or extra filings.

I read somewhere there's still a requirement of public affairs programming which music stations satisfy by putting it on early Sunday.

 

[vchimpanzee]

The last I heard, and it’s been a few months, WCTG out of little Chincoteague, VA, had a short (maybe one minute?) newscast provided by some source or another at the break before the top of the hour. Also a meteorologist delivering a brief weather forecast at another break. (Given the location, they also have brief NASA features once or twice a day.)

Even as someone who grew up in Philly with parents who listened to MOR WIP, with local newscasts every half hour every day, those “newscasts” on a music (adult hits, but I think they also air on sister country outlets) feels weirdly out of place in 2023. Even as a geezer old enough to recall MOR radio (at least its later, dying days in the 80s), I find no use for it. My phone and tablet—heck, my watch—give me the info I want when I want it.

Maybe this is more acceptable on a station that appeals to older listeners but WERT has the first part of the Fox News top of the hour newscast (the oldies station I hear in the car has all of the Fox News newscast) and then Ohio Network news, every hour.

 

[vchimpanzee]

For years, 40s on 4 had songs from the mid-'40s through 1954,

I have heard it said (possibly on this site) that the 40s channel, whatever it is called now, doesn't have any 50s music and that except for what gets played on Siriusly Sinatra those songs just aren't getting played.

I've listened to 40s Junction in my former neighbor's pickup when we were in the mountains together. I have no idea what part of the decade any of the songs were from. I just know they were good.

 

[Theater of My Mind]

It's really hard for anyone who loves being involved in music to keep from being influenced by personal tastes. When auditioning new music you sort of have to turn part of your brain off... which is hard for any of us to do. That is why music directors like Rosalie Trombley of CKLW and Betty Brenemann of KHJ and Ruth Meyer at WMCA are cult heroes of Top 40 radio.

And yet Rosalie Trombley is the ultimate example of how great radio could be when programmed by a human with a great musical ear and natural instinct for what will work on air.

Trombley was a true talent. In fact, here we are still remembering her incredible contributions to the radio business 45 years later. She didn't rely on focus groups and spreadsheets, she had the kind of amazing gut instinct to break new music and put together an amazing playlist based on a combination of her personal taste and professional abilities. She helped make radio exciting, which is precisely the opposite of everything you preach on these forums on a daily basis. Trombley's kind of musical skill and programming talent is totally lacking in today's corporate radio safety culture where no one takes a chance on anything any more.

 

[Marcos_C]

I have heard it said (possibly on this site) that the 40s channel, whatever it is called now, doesn't have any 50s music and that except for what gets played on Siriusly Sinatra those songs just aren't getting played.

I've listened to 40s Junction in my former neighbor's pickup when we were in the mountains together. I have no idea what part of the decade any of the songs were from. I just know they were good.

The channel is still called '40s Junction. It mainly plays big band and popular music from 1936 to 1949, with some songs from the early 1950s.

'40s Junction (Wikipedia)

 

[TheBigA]

Trombley was a true talent. In fact, here we are still remembering her incredible contributions to the radio business 45 years later. She didn't rely on focus groups and spreadsheets, she had the kind of amazing gut instinct to break new music and put together an amazing playlist based on a combination of her personal taste and professional abilities.

Things were also a lot less complicated back then. Still, there were a lot of music people at the time who argued with these "golden gut" people, who kept some great songs and artists off the radio because of their personal taste. This is what led to the rise of progressive rock radio in the late 60s and the exodus of DJs from Top 40 including Scott Muni to radio stations where there was more musical freedom. Of course their freedom was short-lived, because the age of research and consultants began in the 70s, and even FM radio became very targeted. Everybody thinks they know the right music to play. It becomes harder to argue when someone walks in with a spreadsheet.

 

[JeremyAndrews]

XM before the merger with Sirius was much more deep in the playlists on 50s on 5 and 60s on 6. They were strict decades.

Sirius had Sirius Gold (50s and Early 60s) and 60s Vibrations. Sirius generally played more familiar hits than XM.

After the channel merger, 50s on 5 took on the Sirius Gold format, 60s on 6 took the 60s Vibrations format.

 

[gr8oldies]

And yet Rosalie Trombley is the ultimate example of how great radio could be when programmed by a human with a great musical ear and natural instinct for what will work on air.

Trombley was a true talent. In fact, here we are still remembering her incredible contributions to the radio business 45 years later. She didn't rely on focus groups and spreadsheets, she had the kind of amazing gut instinct to break new music and put together an amazing playlist based on a combination of her personal taste and professional abilities. She helped make radio exciting, which is precisely the opposite of everything you preach on these forums on a daily basis. Trombley's kind of musical skill and programming talent is totally lacking in today's corporate radio safety culture where no one takes a chance on anything any more.

She did her homework, keeping in touch with record stores in white and black neighborhoods, what competing radio stations were playing (including R&B) and what she knew, from visiting, was burning up the dance floors. That's how Funkadelic landed 2 number ones in Detroit. She convinced Elton John's record company, and Elton himself, to release "Bennie and the Jets" as a single based on airplay on the R&B stations in Detroit. Gut instinct, yes but she still did her research. Maybe not the same methods as today, but research nonetheless.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I know that my taste... and from experience all of us who work in programming at any station I've been with... have tastes that are in some way different from that of the "average" listener. And since radio is one-to-many, we work on averages, means, medians and ranges and avoid narrow subsets.

It's really hard for anyone who loves being involved in music to keep from being influenced by personal tastes. When auditioning new music you sort of have to turn part of your brain off... which is hard for any of us to do. That is why music directors like Rosalie Trombley of CKLW and Betty Brenemann of KHJ and Ruth Meyer at WMCA are cult heroes of Top 40 radio.

In my personal experience, I worked with a PD/MD person when we launched KRCD in LA with an Hispanic "Adult Hits" (sort of like Jack in depth and range of years and eras) which had never been done before here or in México. She picked 1,200 songs to test in a two-night Auditorium Test based on her memory and experience and scoured record stores (remember them) in LA, Tijuana and even Mexico City to find the material. Out of those 1,200 songs, 1,187 tested high enough to be usable when the format launched. Her criteria? "I think these are songs people will like".

I try real hard to make sure i know what my listeners like, musically and play it. .and some of it isnt stuff i care for., Some classic rock, some harder rock and real twangy old country... but thery like it, so i play it

 

[ksradiogeek]

@MTNProductions I'm guessing then that this was you commenting about the same story on the radioinsight.com facebook group.

View attachment 4242

Nope. Different person (whose post has since been deleted).

 

[ksradiogeek]

Excellent discussion. I love the old CBS-FM back in the good old days. I love the jocks like Harry Harrison, Ron Lundy, Dan Ingram, Bobby Jay, Norm N Nite, Don K Reed, Marc Summers, Gary Clark, Bob Shannon and the rest as well as my favorite, Scott Shannon, and I still missed the station so much since I stopped listening to Scott Shannon after his final show back on December 16th. I flipped to WMTR and I got Allan David Stein and did a fantastic job there, he is the same guy who hosted “Doo-Wop Drive” every Friday night, and on fill-ins where I turned to my other fill-in favorite host, Bob O over at WGNY-FM’s “Fox Oldies” since it got 4.9 in the Poughkeepsie Fall 2022 ratings book since it was released recently. I have airchecks from WGNY-FM’s “Fox Oldies” including Bob O where he filled in for Allan David Stein at the other station where he took a vacation down to Austin, TX where his show was pre-recorded both his morning show and “Doo-Wop Drive” as “Robo-Stein”. Plus 4 airchecks with Sunny Joe Allen on Saturdays for two hours before Warren Lawrence comes on at noon over at WKNY for his Saturday afternoon oldies show.

And speaking of oldies, over at WROW’s “Magic 590/100.5” in Albany, they made some minor changes since they got rid of the “Greatest Songs of All Time” moniker and replaced it with “Good Times And Great Oldies” moniker which has been known for their catchphrase on oldies stations for years and years, and got rid of the JAM’s “Do It Again” jingles that CBS-FM used to have that for years along with the classic PAMS and TM’s “You” jingles which has been part of “Magic” for many years. As of the change, “Magic” brought in a new voiceover and new imaging which were OK, and the format remains the same, and I’m listening to John Gabriel right now which is way better than Randy Turner over at WBPM. It comes on right after JJ Carter on WBPM.

And back to WROW, “Magic” dropped the CBS hourly newscasts all day and added a “10 In A Row” music segments right before the top of the hour, except in mornings where they carried the CBS hourly newscasts only in morning drive, and of course, Josh Tesh in evenings. As you know, John Tesh is also on WHUD, WKXP’s “Lite-FM” and WROW’s “Magic 590/100.5”. Not bad at all.

Good Lord...we get your fascination with them, Chris. Just like the last 100 times you’ve posted it on here. 🙄

 

[Marcos_C]

I just listened to the news simulcast. WCBS Newsradio 880 provided the news for 15 minutes commercial-free. The only thing missing were the sports scores. At 5:45, WCBS-FM aired a traffic report that was provided by 1010 WINS and then spent the remainder of the half hour playing music commercial-free.

I think that the news simulcast is a good addition to the lineup of WCBS-FM. Fifteen minutes seems to be a reasonable amount for a daily newscast on a music radio station.

 

[AbrahamJSimpson]

Why does a music station in 2023 need a 15 minute newscast? (Setting aside corporate “synergies,” or whatever buzzword one might pick, what benefit is there in a world filled with near endless resources for news of and at one’s choosing?)

 

[TheBigA]

Fifteen minutes seems to be a reasonable amount for a daily newscast on a music radio station.

Can you name another music station that does a 15 minute newscast?

 

[Rusty Muck]

Can you name another music station that does a 15 minute newscast?

W-NONE and K-NONE come to mind right away

 

[Rusty Muck]

Why does a music station in 2023 need a 15 minute newscast? (Setting aside corporate “synergies,” or whatever buzzword one might pick, what benefit is there in a world filled with near endless resources for news of and at one’s choosing?)

It’s a cheap stunt that will benefit no one. Within a few weeks, the negative reaction from listeners and minimal PPM impact will cause Audacy to scrap the gimmick.

They should be doing everything possible to HELP John Foxx on CBS-FM, not HURT his chances for success.

 

[Marcos_C]

Can you name another music station that does a 15 minute newscast?

Yes, but it's in the UK: BBC Radio 1, weekdays at 12:45 pm and 5:45 pm.

Newsbeat (Wikipedia)

 

[Rusty Muck]

Yes, but it's in the UK: BBC Radio 1, weekdays at 12:45 pm and 5:45 pm.

Newsbeat (Wikipedia)

That’s the UK. Even in the smallest of small markets in the US, you won’t find a 15-minute long newscast. Those stations don’t even have the personnel to support such a newscast for that length of time.

15-minute long newscasts died with Paul Harvey in 2009. The CBS World News Roundup only goes for 12 minutes and affiliates can cut away at :06 past if they want.