WCBS-FM has Problems with their Music Format Playlist

[xmradiopro]

I have noticed over the past months listening to WCBS-FM that their playlist lacks many songs being overlooked or touched from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s...even though these songs were popular hits we do not hear them at all on WCBS FM playlist instead we hear a painful repetition of the same old songs or image they are trying to appeal to somewhat of a hot hit radio station...for this reason I have redirected my listening habits to WWSF Fresh 102.7 and True Oldies WPLJ HD 3.

 

[SuperRadioFan]

Do you mean some "popular hits" like these Billboard #1 hits--- Dominique"; "There I've Said it Again"; "Ringo"; "I'm Telling You Now"; "eve of Destruction" (!!!); "Ballad of the Green Berets"; "Somethin' Stupid"; "Love is Blue"; "Harper Valley PTA" (!!); "Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet"; "ABC"; "The Love You Save" (latter 2 by the J5); "One Bad Apple"; "Want Ads"; "Brand New Key"; "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"; "The Candy Man"; "Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me"; "I Am Woman"; "My Ding-A-Ling"; "Ben" (a Michael Jackson song about a rat); "Tie A Yellow Ribbon"; "The Morning After"; "Delta Dawn"; "We're An American Band"; "Half-Breed"; "Top of the World"; "Dark Lady"; "The Streak"(!!); - and I sure miss this #1 blockbuster "Having My Baby"; I'll stop there because each successive year yields more #1 songs that today are junk. And many many more songs that peaked at #2 or #3 etc

Please give a few examples of what you consider to be "popular hits".. We can't read your mind.

 

[xmradiopro]

Ok here we go....

Songs that are popular hits from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s not heard on WCBS-FM...For example.....


Blondie- Dreaming 1980

Barbra Streisand- Guilty 1980

Comin' In and out of your Life- 1981

Cliff Richard- A Little in Love - 1981

Dreaming 1980


Herman's Hermits Listen People 1966


5th Dimension Never My love 1971

If I can reach you 1972


George Harrison Crackenbox Palace 1977

Give Me Love 1973

:

 

[wgliradio]

Blondie- Dreaming 1980 = NO. Doesn't test well

Barbra Streisand- Guilty 1980 = NO. Good song, probably doesn't test well.

Comin' In and out of your Life- 1981 = NO. Good song, to slow for the upbeat format they are portraying (which is why you also don't hear Carpenters, Bread etc)

Cliff Richard- A Little in Love - 1981 = NO. Doesn't test well.

Dreaming 1980 = NO. Doesn't test well.

Herman's Hermits Listen People 1966 = YES. I would add.

5th Dimension Never My love 1971 = NO. Test problems.

If I can reach you 1972 = NO. Too slow

George Harrison Crackenbox Palace 1977 = No. Test problems

Give Me Love 1973 = YES. I would add.

 

[wgliradio]

Dominique = No
There I've Said it Again= No (Good Song though :-\)
Ringo = No
I'm Telling You Now = Yes
Eve of Destruction = No
Ballad of the Green Berets = No
Somethin' Stupid = Maybe...... light rotation
Love is Blue = No (sadly)
Harper Valley PTA = Turntable Tuesday!
Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet = I wish, but no
ABC = Yes
The Love You Save = Yes
One Bad Apple = Yes
Want Ads = Yes
Brand New Key = Yes
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face = No (but a great song). An interesting Turntable Tuesday possability
The Candy Man = Turntable Tuesday!
Baby Don't Get Hooked On Me = I would love to add this, but this is a hard one
I Am Woman = No
My Ding-A-Ling = Requests only
Ben = No
Tie A Yellow Ribbon = Yes
The Morning After = No
Delta Dawn = No
We're An American Band = Yes
Half-Breed = Yes
Top of the World = Yes (upbeat Carpenters!)
Dark Lady = Yes
The Streak = No
Having My Baby = No

All the no's would be in play for countdown's or special occasions

 

[xmradiopro]

All By Myself = Yes
Ain't No Mountain High Enough No..tired of this song
All I Have to Do is Dream= No Tired....
Already Gone =Yes
Angie Baby= Yes
Babe=No
Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me = No
Boogie Nights= No belongs on WKTU dance station
Boy from NYC =No Tired....

 

[davideduardo]

Ok here we go....

Songs that are popular hits from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s not heard on WCBS-FM...For example.....


Blondie- Dreaming 1980

Barbra Streisand- Guilty 1980

Comin' In and out of your Life- 1981

Cliff Richard- A Little in Love - 1981

Dreaming 1980


Herman's Hermits Listen People 1966


5th Dimension Never My love 1971

If I can reach you 1972


George Harrison Crackenbox Palace 1977

Give Me Love 1973

:

I can guarantee you that none of those songs tests today. "Tests" in this context means that a panel of CBS-FM listeners, upon hearing those songs, said that they would not like or would tune out when those songs were played. In other words, they are not hits today.

 

[xmradiopro]

<<Yes this is the problem...WCBS-FM should adjust their testing methods to find out if people want to hear the songs they are not covering....

Ok here we go....

Songs that are popular hits from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s not heard on WCBS-FM...For example.....


Blondie- Dreaming 1980

Barbra Streisand- Guilty 1980

Comin' In and out of your Life- 1981

Cliff Richard- A Little in Love - 1981

Dreaming 1980


Herman's Hermits Listen People 1966


5th Dimension Never My love 1971

If I can reach you 1972


George Harrison Crackenbox Palace 1977

Give Me Love 1973

:

I can guarantee you that none of those songs tests today. "Tests" in this context means that a panel of CBS-FM listeners, upon hearing those songs, said that they would not like or would tune out when those songs were played. In other words, they are not hits today.

 

[Danfm]

Her are some of the songs I think CBS FM should play

Bangles ---Walk Like and Egyptian
Manic, Monday
A Hazy Shade of Winter
Eternal Flame

Madonna --- Borderline

Rare Earth --- I Just Want to Celebrate

Chicago--- Wishing You Were Here
Another Rainy Day in New York City
Alive Again
What Kind of Man Would I be
Dialogue
Call On Me
Doobie Brothers ----Another Park Another Sunday

Grand Funk—Bad Time

Hollies ---Bus Stop
The Air That I Breathe
Carrie Anne

ELO --- Roll Over Beethoven
BTO---Roll Down the Highway

Left Banke –Walk Away Rene
Huey Lewis and The News--- If This is It
The Cyrkle ---Red Rubber Ball
Turn Down Day

 

[davideduardo]

<<Yes this is the problem...WCBS-FM should adjust their testing methods to find out if people want to hear the songs they are not covering....

How would they "adjust" their testing methods? Music tests are done almost uniformly by recruiting a group of station listeners (P1 and P2 generally) who listen enough to know and care about the music, within the station core target ages. The only significant differnces in methodology involve whether the test uses an electronic dial for song scoring or a paper scorecard.

Stations of any format try testing and retesting songs that they don't play that might be playable. Generally, songs that stopped testing well do not improve with age.

 

[wgliradio]

All By Myself = No. Too slow
Ain't No Mountain High Enough = Yes
All I Have to Do is Dream= No. Demo issues
Already Gone = Yes
Angie Baby= No
Babe= Yes
Baby Don't Get Hooked on Me = No
Boogie Nights= Yes
Boy from NYC = Yes Ad Libs/ No Manhattan Transfer

 

[wgliradio]

Bangles ---Walk Like and Egyptian (YES)
Manic, Monday (YES)
A Hazy Shade of Winter (NO)
Eternal Flame (MAYBEEEE)

Madonna --- Borderline (YES)

Rare Earth --- I Just Want to Celebrate (YES)

Chicago--- Wishing You Were Here (YES)
Another Rainy Day in New York City (NO)
Alive Again (NO)
What Kind of Man Would I be (NO)
Dialogue (NO)
Call On Me (YES)

Doobie Brothers ----Another Park Another Sunday (NO)

Grand Funk—Bad Time (YES)

Hollies --- Bus Stop (YES)
The Air That I Breathe (YES)
Carrie Anne (YES)

ELO --- Roll Over Beethoven (NO)
BTO---Roll Down the Highway (NO)

Left Banke –Walk Away Rene (YES)

Huey Lewis and The News--- If This is It (YES)

The Cyrkle ---Red Rubber Ball (YES)
Turn Down Day (YES)

 

[adma]

The Joe Blow Sunday-painter-hack-amateur subjectivity displayed here and there in this thread proves why "test-friendly" oldies radio is a lost cause in 2008...

 

[briancraig]

I sometimes wonder if you shouldn't go with a combination of testing, knowledge of the market and just gut feeling when programming oldies based formats.

A friend of mine who worked at an oldies/classic hits station about 15 years ago asked the PD why they didn't play Black Water by The Doobie Brothers. He was told it didn't test well. Same station played Listen To The Music, Long Train Running and China Grove.

In the above situation, I think the test results were flawed because I just don't believe that people would like 3 of those songs and not the 4th one.

 

[davideduardo]

In the above situation, I think the test results were flawed because I just don't believe that people would like 3 of those songs and not the 4th one.

Seeming oddities like this happen very often... a song you think is the biggest for an artist may actually be more burnt out or have become tiring.

Remember that testing is not just a one time thing. There are still "oldies" stations that test two or even more times a year, and songs that may be below cutoff get tested over, maybe after a year has gone by... we are always filling the list out with what if songs

 

[Element9]

Yeah, and maybe they could play a few of my favorites: 13th Floor Elevators' "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" or "You Haven't Seen My Love" by The Ones, or "Israelites" by Desmond Decker and the Aces, "Hang On Sloopy" (with the extra verse) by the McCoys and, oh yeah, The Fabulous Rhinestones' "What A Wonderful Thing We Have." After they adjust their music testing parameters, of course, to accomodate ME. Ain't gonna happen. And I don't expect those songs to be on CBS-FM because out of every 1000 listeners, maybe three (OK, maybe two guys from Harrison) would even know what they were listening to. That's why I have an iPod. Radio has to play the hits.

-9-

 

[BACKnUSSR]

Yeah, and maybe they could play a few of my favorites: 13th Floor Elevators' "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" or "You Haven't Seen My Love" by The Ones, or "Israelites" by Desmond Decker and the Aces, "Hang On Sloopy" (with the extra verse) by the McCoys and, oh yeah, The Fabulous Rhinestones' "What A Wonderful Thing We Have." After they adjust their music testing parameters, of course, to accomodate ME. Ain't gonna happen. And I don't expect those songs to be on CBS-FM because out of every 1000 listeners, maybe three (OK, maybe two guys from Harrison) would even know what they were listening to. That's why I have an iPod. Radio has to play the hits.

-9-

Yes, because "Hang On Sloopy" only "tests" well with the extra verse. Haha....

If you come up with songs that virtually NO radio stations in America play...every wonder why that is?
Ever think you might be the ONLY person on your block that wants to hear them?

 

[SuperRadioFan]

"You Haven't Seen My Love" by The Ones,

WOW 9 that really jogged my memory. IIRC 'OR-FM was the ONLY NYC station to play it.

 

[adma]

If you come up with songs that virtually NO radio stations in America play...every wonder why that is?
Ever think you might be the ONLY person on your block that wants to hear them?

Yeah, but if we paraphrase that:

"If you're advocating politics that virtually NO successful commercial talk radio in America reflects...every wonder why that is?
Ever think you might be the ONLY person on your block that supports such politics?"

Uh...

 

[wgliradio]

I sometimes wonder if you shouldn't go with a combination of testing, knowledge of the market and just gut feeling when programming oldies based formats.

A friend of mine who worked at an oldies/classic hits station about 15 years ago asked the PD why they didn't play Black Water by The Doobie Brothers. He was told it didn't test well. Same station played Listen To The Music, Long Train Running and China Grove.

In the above situation, I think the test results were flawed because I just don't believe that people would like 3 of those songs and not the 4th one.

Actually, "Hazy Shade Of Winter" is my favorite Bangles song, but it's not something that would fit on CBS FM and is probably not familiar enough to test well.

Same goes for the other Chicago records.. great songs, but not songs you should hear at 3:45 on a Thursday afternoon. Eric Carmen is great, but it's hard to put "All By Myself" on a station trying to keep it upbeat.

I could throw out records like "She's a Rainbow", "Funky Nassau", "Fool On The Hill" (Beatles or Brazil '66) that I know they would never play in regular rotation.

On the first page, one poster threw up a list and every song on it was great. I think I picked only 3 or 4 I would include. The others had probably aged out of the demo, were too soft for the format (note the lack of ballads on CBS-FM) or just wouldn't test well. This is if corporate were holding a gun to my head to run the station and I could slip as many by as possible,

If all bets were off... well... radio would be in better shape than it is now, but that is a topic for another day and time.