WCBS-FM 101.1 FAQ page is up

[Jul]

Check it out at: http://wcbsfm.com/pages/746144.php

 

[NJListener]

Interesting, thanks. I guess they are NOT being truthful when they say that Specialty shows will develop as we grow and "RESPOND to our listeners" or when they say that 50's are part of the blend and MORE will be played than were played 2 years ago, (before the switch). I know the experts on here will once AGAIN say that they really don't give a crap what the listeners say, they are just trying to placate us LOL Well then that makes them big, fat liars and this FAQ sheet totally bogus. Right?

 

[davideduardo]

Interesting, thanks. I guess they are NOT being truthful when they say that Specialty shows will develop as we grow and "RESPOND to our listeners"

Nope. Just hyperbole. Translation: "if we don't get very good ratings on saturday evening and Sunday morning and evening, we may slam some feature show in there because radio listening is so low there it does not matter at all."

or when they say that 50's are part of the blend and MORE will be played than were played 2 years ago, (before the switch). I know the experts on here will once AGAIN say that they really don't give a crap what the listeners say, they are just trying to placate us

They listen to listeners, definitely. But the do that by doing a formal research project, with a stratified recruit and screening. Listener calls and e-mails are probably read, but ignored insofar as programming decisions. Incoming research (phones, mail, requests, etc.) is essentially of zero value and can be so wrong as to send you in the wrong direction.

LOL Well then that makes them big, fat liars and this FAQ sheet totally bogus. Right?

In the advertising world, it is called "puffery." They do formal research, then say they listen to the listener, which is true. But they don't pay any attention to requests, calls, emails, etc.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Ehh you know what do they call it -- literary license?
Or "puffery" as David puts it. I just wish they wouldn't make a statement like this:

"Remember because the Rock & Roll era started at the end of the decade, only the last few years of 50’s songs will featured. "


Uhhhh any fan of the genre darn well knows the Rock & Roll era unofficially began when "Rock Around the Clock" became a big hit --- in the summer of 1955, not exactly anywhere near "the end of the decade". Ahhhh it's fun picking nits.

 

[KevinFodor]

Well, oldsters...rest easy.

You are not the first group of people to have the complaints you have.

When I first got into oldies radio in 1987, the station I worked for was your typical oldies station. Music from "Rock Around The Clock" forward to about 1972.

The big complaint I got on the request lines? People then in their 60's and 70's griping that the "Fabulous 50's" was also about (in no specific order): Dean Martin, Peggy Lee, Perry Como, Sinatra, etc. "Why don't you play some of those artists? They're far better artists than those rock and rollers you play!"

We had one program director try to do just that. It failed miserably.

But the continued argument we got from those folks back then...

"We've got the most money! You've got to listen to us!" (When sadly, the problem then, as it is today, is that the advertisers didn't then and don't now cater to the 55 plus crowd...at least where radio is concerned.)

Sound familiar?

Again, I don't necessarily agree with what's going on. But it is what it is...and unless you can get advertisers to be more friendly with the 55 plusers...well by now I hope you know the rest of this sentence.

 

[wmgcbs]

when they say that 50's are part of the blend and MORE will be played than were played 2 years ago, (before the switch).

Which is true... outside of the Heart of Rock N' Roll show, basically NO pre-'64 music was played on CBS-FM during, say, May 2005. Now, the Hall of Fame will allow CBS-FM to sprinkle in pre-'64 cuts. The Heart of Rock N' Roll weekend was good. Sure, they're not going to play as much '50's music as people here want them to play, but they are not doing a poor job of picking songs that fit in well.

You all are lucky that the new WCBS-FM is even considering to play pre-'64 music. I was quite shocked when I heard of the Heart of Rock N' Roll Weekend, although I enjoyed it tremendously. They know what they are doing over there... I have confidence in what this station will become.

 

[JimmyJames]

Listener calls and e-mails are probably read, but ignored insofar as programming decisions. Incoming research (phones, mail, requests, etc.) is essentially of zero value and can be so wrong as to send you in the wrong direction.

There, in a nutshell is a huge part of what's wrong with our business.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Listener calls and e-mails are probably read, but ignored insofar as programming decisions. Incoming research (phones, mail, requests, etc.) is essentially of zero value and can be so wrong as to send you in the wrong direction.

There, in a nutshell is a huge part of what's wrong with our business.

And your solution is ... ? What, reading tea leaves, reading listeners' minds? What would be feasable since every potential listener can't be polled, right?

People who share your passion and concern, I believe, are NOT the typical radio listener. Otherwise they'd all be here flooding these boards with posts/complaints. They're not because they have lives filled with many things having more priority than what's on their radio.

Look, I'm on your side as far as music diversity in OTA radio stations. I have accepted what the reality is today and I have adjusted by finding other means of "radio" entertainment, and I don't mean I-Pods, HD radio, or satellite radio. Frankly, there's only so many available hours I have to listen and I have more than enough choices.

Your nutshell of what's wrong in the business can apply almost to any media.

 

[davideduardo]

Listener calls and e-mails are probably read, but ignored insofar as programming decisions. Incoming research (phones, mail, requests, etc.) is essentially of zero value and can be so wrong as to send you in the wrong direction.

There, in a nutshell is a huge part of what's wrong with our business.

This has been true for 50 years. No programmer would base decisions on calls from people whose only qualification is owninga phone... or who may actually be working for our compeitior. Same goes for requests, too.

 

[Danfm]

I think it is true that their are more 50s and pre Beatles now then in the last year of the old CBS FM then PD Dave Logan had cut the playlist down to a few hundred sogs and had gotten rid most of the 50's and pre 1964 songs. In The heart of rock a roll hall of fame feature the past two Fri-Sun weekends alot of 50's early 60's songs have been played.

 

[JimmyJames]

I'm not disputing in some instances the validity of research. However, I have seen far too many times in this business where the truism seems to be that one complaint or crank advertiser or listener is taken more seriously than an involved listener or requester. Somehow, if someone's complimenting us, they're the "niche" but if someone raises a concern, someone will be falling all over themselves to repair their image to the cranks.

As a programmer, it's my job to know my audience. I know who my station is targeting and do my best to meet their needs. And that includes listening to what they say to me on the phones and in the emails and at remotes. I want to know what my listeners want from their station. And if I can deliver it to them, you can bet I will do so. It doesn't take a million studies or testing every song for me to know what works.