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What Would you do if you were PD of WCBS-FM to make the station Sound Better ?

xmradiopro

xmradiopro

Was thinking what could be done to enhance WCBS-FM Format and what might be tried if we could program the station...
I thought right away to discontinue the 60s, 70s, and 80s sound but instead devote their whole new sound to either all 60s , all 70s or just 60s & 70s.
 
Because CBS-FM is a heritage station, I would have the station play at lease one song per hour from the 50's.





Thanks,
Kevin L. Sealy
 
I hear all this talk about the old CBS-FM jocks....
how about bringing back Alan Freed, Murray The K, B Mitchell Reed, and Scott Muni,
c'mon impress us!!
 
I'd try to lure Shotgun Tom Kelly out of the sunshine at sister station K-Earth/L.A. and immediately put him in 3-7 drive time. Then I'd try to get the wildly popular Bill Gardner, formerly of sister station KOOL/PHX. Both these guys would add some much needed spark and professionalism to CBS-FM's sound...and NY would love these guys.

Then I'd slick up production a tad, make it a little tighter and flowing.

As for the music, I'd get rid of some of the really cheesy stuff that CBS-FM tends to throw in.

Focus on a mix of 60%/70's, 25%/60's and 15%/80's and maybe a great 50's tune every couple of hours. I think music selection at K-Earth is superior and I'd try to emulate their music mix a bit more...but with a tinge of NY flavor.
 
BACKnUSSR said:
I hear all this talk about the old CBS-FM jocks....
how about bringing back Alan Freed, Murray The K, B Mitchell Reed, and Scott Muni,
c'mon impress us!!
Click to expand...

Uh, I haven't heard a word from any of them for a while... :eek:
 
airpab I think music selection at K-Earth is superior
Click to expand...

No way..KRTH recycles the same 500 again and again...CBS plays it's 500 and lots of extras thrown in to spruce up the mix plus real weekend programming. KRTH may play more motown or mid-late 60's, but it's repetitive.
 
oldies76 said:
airpab I think music selection at K-Earth is superior
Click to expand...

No way..KRTH recycles the same 500 again and again...CBS plays it's 500 and lots of extras thrown in to spruce up the mix plus real weekend programming. KRTH may play more motown or mid-late 60's, but it's repetitive.
Click to expand...

At the risk of exhuming an old thread, I've got to respectfully disagree with you. Those "lots of extra thrown in" don't actually "spruce" up the mix, but dilute it a bit. KRTH has much clearer and stronger musical identity and quite honestly better personalities, (the legends of CBS-FM have mostly gone away).

What CBS-FM is trying to do is tricky to pull off. If they want to still own the decades old "New York's Oldies Station"
moniker, then its tough to play "The Safety Dance" and "We've Got The Beat". If its the younger demo they wan to attract, then lose Otis Redding and Gene Chandler. Otherwise, it risks an "identity crisis".
 
BACKnUSSR said:
What CBS-FM is trying to do is tricky to pull off. If they want to still own the decades old "New York's Oldies Station"
moniker, then its tough to play "The Safety Dance" and "We've Got The Beat". If its the younger demo they wan to attract, then lose Otis Redding and Gene Chandler. Otherwise, it risks an "identity crisis".
Click to expand...

Another CBS "oldies" station is WRBQ in Tampa, which even touts "60's, 70's and 80's" can be heard there. Of course, CBS-FM has a slightly wider playlist than 'RBQ. Face it, 80's songs, in these days, are technically "oldies". And guess what, in another several years, "The Macarena" will also be an oldie! :eek:
 
The answer is very simple put the old WCBS-FM on there HD-2 channel. What I mean by this is keep the Greastest hits format on the HD-1 channel the way it is. Then put the golden 101.1 on the HD-2 channel focusing on 1950-1964 music and hire Don k Reed to do voicetracked nignts and bring back the Doo Wop Shop , also bring in Norm N. Night with a live show from the rock and roll hall of fame. For those that don't care for a voicetracked show it would have to be for a while until they generate enough money from there HD-2 channel. And for those who are worrying that the HD-2 channel would siphon listeners from the Greatest Hits formats I don't see how when HD-1 and 2 are focusing on two totally different music formats. Lets face it if your in the mood to hear Journey your'll listen to HD-1, if you want to listen to the Doo Wop Shop/Marvelettes your'll listen to HD-2.
 
The Marvelettes are NOT Doo Wop they are mid 60s Motown,and they belong where they are, on CBS FM!..now tell them to play "My Baby Must Be A Magician"(cos he's sho got the magic touch!)
 
HD 2 wouldn't work as they tried already and failed...maybe in the future when HD 2 has many more listeners and DJs HD 2 might work for Oldies, as for now it has to be WCBS-FM for their Golden Oldies if it is to work.


RJJ-RADIO said:
The answer is very simple put the old WCBS-FM on there HD-2 channel. What I mean by this is keep the Greastest hits format on the HD-1 channel the way it is. Then put the golden 101.1 on the HD-2 channel focusing on 1950-1964 music and hire Don k Reed to do voicetracked nignts and bring back the Doo Wop Shop , also bring in Norm N. Night with a live show from the rock and roll hall of fame. For those that don't care for a voicetracked show it would have to be for a while until they generate enough money from there HD-2 channel. And for those who are worrying that the HD-2 channel would siphon listeners from the Greatest Hits formats I don't see how when HD-1 and 2 are focusing on two totally different music formats. Lets face it if your in the mood to hear Journey your'll listen to HD-1, if you want to listen to the Doo Wop Shop/Marvelettes your'll listen to HD-2.
Click to expand...
 
I diagree HD-2 was broadcasting from 12-05 thru 07-07 it didn't fail. The reason it was taken off the HD-2 channel was because '' The Greatest Hits "
format was returning to the HD-1 channel and as we all know they couldn't just neglect JACK-FM because the had to wait until the licensing expired. I think they should have just moved Jack to 92.3-FM and left WCBS-FM the way it was on the HD-2 channel and still introduced " The Greatest Hits "
format on the HD-1 channel. If this was the case we wouldn't be having this conversation right now.



P.S

I stand corrected on the Marvelettes being in Doo Wop.
 
MusicRadioUSA said:
Was thinking what could be done to enhance WCBS-FM Format and what might be tried if we could program the station...
I thought right away to discontinue the 60s, 70s, and 80s sound but instead devote their whole new sound to either all 60s , all 70s or just 60s & 70s.
Click to expand...

First of all, the '80's need to be a part of the new format if they ever want to move forward and try to alleviate the demos problem that they had in 2005. They have been smart about adding the RIGHT '80's music which fits in along with the traditional oldies from the '60's and '70's. On the programming end, I think CBS-FM is doing almost everything right.

As far as SOUNDING better, I'll continue to beat my dead horse with the audio processing. I just heard "Dancing in the Streets" by Martha and the Vandellas. It was pretty nasty that this is NYC and the audio processing on an oldies/classic hits station is so muddy and poor. Compare 101.1 with NJ 101.5, which plays similar music on the weekends. It's a world of difference. C'mon, guys... wake up and fix the processing. I never thought we'd have this problem with WCBS-FM. Alas, I was wrong.
 
Re: What Would you do if you were PD of WCBS-FM to make the station Sound Bette

Put on GOOD live up-and-coming talent in the overnight hours and weekends.
Bring back some specialty shows like the Doo Wop shop.

The music mix is pretty good, however. I certainly would throw in an occasional 50s or early 60s cut...at the discretion of the DJ.

And I agree with WMGCBS about the station's processing. Right now the audio is thumpy and muddied. What the hell?!! :mad:
 
Re: What Would you do if you were PD of WCBS-FM to make the station Sound Bette

StephanieNYC said:
And I agree with WMGCBS about the station's processing. Right now the audio is thumpy and muddied. What the hell?!! :mad:
Click to expand...

You know not how much that honestly pisses me off (excuse me). We shouldn't be dealing with this problem in market #1. Sorry. Just shouldn't happen. On the weekends, I actually put on 101.5 to hear music most of the time, just because the processing is SO MUCH BETTER. I even put up with hearing "Brandy" twice an hour. I thought that, upon CBS-FM's return last summer, the processing was really nice. Crisp and clean. Not the "thumpy and muddied" audio to which you refer that currently is being cranked out at 101.1.

I wonder who is in charge of this problem at CBS-FM. I sent a very kind, polite letter about a month ago and failed to receive a response. My guess is either they don't really care or that they actually think it sounds good or "good enough." I don't know how else to get the point across to them. But, as you can see, it annoys me to no end to think that it could be so much better, but we, as listeners, need to settle for what is currently on-air.

StephanieNYC said:
The music mix is pretty good, however. I certainly would throw in an occasional 50s or early 60s cut...at the discretion of the DJ.
Click to expand...

Bob Shannon actually does a pretty good job with this, as does Pat St.John. They mix in some "roots of rock" even when it is not featured as a specialty weekend. I found the "Instant Request" on Friday really neat on Bob's "Business Lunch." He actually went to the phone, live on air, and took a caller's request for "It's Now or Never" by Elvis. I'm not sure if this is a regular feature or not, as I'm usually not able to listen to Shannon's program.
 
Re: What Would you do if you were PD of WCBS-FM to make the station Sound Bette

wmgcbs said:
Bob Shannon actually does a pretty good job with this, as does Pat St.John. They mix in some "roots of rock" even when it is not featured as a specialty weekend.
Click to expand...

I truly suspect that these songs are prescheduled by the PD or MD, and not randomly selected by the DJ.

I found the "Instant Request" on Friday really neat on Bob's "Business Lunch." He actually went to the phone, live on air, and took a caller's request for "It's Now or Never" by Elvis.
Click to expand...

Most, if not all, major market "instant requests" are taken off the air, recorded on a Vox Pro or similar, edited, and only played if the song is appropriate; if the song is not appropriate, the caller is "persuaded" to pick again until they get something playable... and the call is edited to the bare essentials and played later in the hour.
 
Re: What Would you do if you were PD of WCBS-FM to make the station Sound Bette

No, this time he actually took the call live on the air. You couldn't even hear the caller's voice, which Bob explained saying that it wasn't on "tape delay".
 
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