When will 97.1 go back to Oldies?

[jetfli]

So my response to those who think the over 50 crowd is dead and not what the advertiser want is a insult and crap. Where do they think the young teenagers and kids out there get there money. From there parents who are over 50. So when the thinking that a oldies radio station won't make it because that's not the demographics they want to hit, is pure garbage. If Madison Avenue has that thinking let me tell you the baby boomers will rise again. After all look what Madison Avenue has done to our economy. A bunch of no it all's that no nothing. As our population grows older and I'm sure the new 2010 census will show ignoring the baby boomers will be a giant mistake. Yes I agree that not not every market will support a oldies station but I do believe Nashville area will. The radio rags are full of rock and rap and country. I do believe there is a fair market for all. But lets lay down our un-forward thinking and use our brains to realize that Nashville is a big enough market for all formats.

It's not that there wouldn't be an audience for a properly done oldies station, it's that the advertisers won't show up. The ad agencies are the problem. They're in love with 20- and 30-somethings, and they've decided the only to reach 20- and 30-somethings is to replace older staffers with 20- and 30-somethings, because only 20- and 30-somethings know how to reach 20- and 30-somethings. And of course, most 20- and 30-somethings don't listen to radio, so the 20- and 30-somethings who are media buyers aren't buying placements on radio.

 

[Tibbs4]

That is probably the most well stated post ever on RI.

 

[Journeyman]

So my response to those who think the over 50 crowd is dead and not what the advertiser want is a insult and crap. Where do they think the young teenagers and kids out there get there money. From there parents who are over 50. So when the thinking that a oldies radio station won't make it because that's not the demographics they want to hit, is pure garbage. If Madison Avenue has that thinking let me tell you the baby boomers will rise again. After all look what Madison Avenue has done to our economy. A bunch of no it all's that no nothing. As our population grows older and I'm sure the new 2010 census will show ignoring the baby boomers will be a giant mistake. Yes I agree that not not every market will support a oldies station but I do believe Nashville area will. The radio rags are full of rock and rap and country. I do believe there is a fair market for all. But lets lay down our un-forward thinking and use our brains to realize that Nashville is a big enough market for all formats.

The problem is not that they don't have the money or aren't willing to spend it. Advertisers (rightly or wrongly) believe that 54+ have developed an unshakable product loyalty. Advertising exists to change your mind or re-inforce your choice. That demo, it is thought, won't do the former and doesn't need the latter.

 

[jetfli]

Advertisers (rightly or wrongly) believe that 54+ have developed an unshakable product loyalty. Advertising exists to change your mind or re-inforce your choice. That demo, it is thought, won't do the former and doesn't need the latter.

And that's wrongly, of course. I'm close to that age bracket now and I have almost zero brand loyalty. When I buy an item I'm looking first for functionality, second for price, and third for service. A lot of room there for advertisers to work with.

The brand loyalists were our parents. Unfortunately, Mad Ave and the local Nashville agency tagalongs made their determinations of "how to advertise" based on our parents' behavior, and not ours. Business guru Tom Peters sees women and seniors as the two markets that advertisers should be pumping today. After all, it's being discovered that there's never been a group who's more brand loyal than the young, hip, iPod and iPhone users... and that their brand loyalty doesn't just end with Apple...

 

[Tibbs4]

The assertion that adults over 50 won't or can't buy products is patently incorrect. Trust me, in five years,
old style media will be geared toward a lot more advertising to this crowd for all the obvious reasons. Con agencies, I mean ad agencies will have to do a reset of the market mindsets they have created. The thought that people over fifty don't change brands is perhaps somewhat correct, but again ad agencies will not turn
down what will be a growing and viable percentage of the market, so they will simply restructure their justification that this age bracket is suddenly "been discovered" to be younger thinking than the previous generation...

Still won't bring back a proliferation of oldies stations.

 

[onetake]

I've heard these arguments and react "if the over 50 crowd is so damn loyal to brands then wny did they all switch to Lexuses", a brand you never knew a decade ago. If 50+ is so contrary how come they buy big flat screen tvs and pay cash and add a surround system with the blu ray dvd player. Advertisers trust ad agencies.
Truth is many company's don't do quality anymore and that's what the 50 crowd wants. Example. Macy's just dropped gift wrap. Sure a 22 year old buying new flip flops doesn't care but with Nordstrom coming to Nashville retail will be reinvented, and it's not the time for Macy's to be screwing off.
Look at ad agencies. They hate AM. They assume since they don't listen to AM and since they have their UT Marketing degree and know everything they assume everybody lives like them, and advertisers are dumb enough to trust them.
Guess what, look at major market AM numbers. See the latest on WCBS, KDKA, etc. They have credibility and loyal up scale listeners. Nashville doesn't quite have that kind of AM strength so many think AM sucks.

In a recent Tennessean interview the president of O'Charley's admitted Nashville was one of their weaker markets. Duh. O'Charley's used to be a good outfit, but as life goes on they hire young people who DON'T know their core audience and they lost their way.

There is a consistant point boys and girls...whether you're Ocharley's Macy's Toyota or radio stations or ad agencies, don't let every decision be made by dept heads with limited experience. They might be running the show but 50 + year olds own all the stock in the companys and we're getting ticked both as consumers and owners.

 

[firepoint525]

When I tune in 101.7 WKOM (which comes in like crap) I always hear a ton of
songs never heard on other local stations. A couple days ago in the car, I heard "You're So Vain", "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" even some late 70s disco classics (I was 16 around that time) and love hearing those songs on the radio. WRQQ is at the bottom of the barrel with a 1.0 share right now. No one (hardly anyone) is listening! It does not take a brain surgeon to realize that if something does not work, try something else. Anything. A rhythmic AC, rhythmic oldies, "true" oldies would get a lot more listeners.

Your reception of WKOM depends on where you live. If you are in the Cool Springs area or southward, it generally comes in fairly well. Anywhere else, and it's hit-or-miss. Sometimes I can barely pick them up at all, and then at other times, it's as if I am right next door to them!

 

[roadrunner]

When I tune in 101.7 WKOM (which comes in like crap) I always hear a ton of
songs never heard on other local stations. A couple days ago in the car, I heard "You're So Vain", "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" even some late 70s disco classics (I was 16 around that time) and love hearing those songs on the radio. WRQQ is at the bottom of the barrel with a 1.0 share right now. No one (hardly anyone) is listening! It does not take a brain surgeon to realize that if something does not work, try something else. Anything. A rhythmic AC, rhythmic oldies, "true" oldies would get a lot more listeners.

Your reception of WKOM depends on where you live. If you are in the Cool Springs area or southward, it generally comes in fairly well. Anywhere else, and it's hit-or-miss. Sometimes I can barely pick them up at all, and then at other times, it's as if I am right next door to them!

I know ...if I go 1 mile south of where they live, they come in very listenable. Wondering if I could
get an antenna installed that would improve their reception.

 

[UpChuck]

Create an Oldies station, and go after Symbicort, Restasis, and Boniva for sponsorship, and you'll be the #1 biller in town.

 

[bigrobmjca]

I've been a dee jay at 88.5 WVCP on and off for about 2 and a half years. I know that they are not ever in the ratings in the Nashville market, because it is a small college station. Does anyone remember what the ratings were for 96.3 when they went to Jack under South Central? When they had that big switcharoo with Cumulus a couple years ago, and Oldies was no longer on a big station in Nashville, a lot of listeners were former listeners of Oldies 96.3. If the suits ever had the ambition to walk out on a limb and bring back a TRUE oldies station on RQQ, do you think it could ever survive? I mean fully staffed, live jocks around the clock. Get one of the good young guns at WVCP and give them a chance on overnights.

 

[NashRadio]

Rob, NEVER. GONNA. HAPPEN. I HATE that the big conglomerates won't take chances, that originality and creativity, even local-flavor, are, for the most part, dead in radio. But it's a fact-of-life-

 

[bigrobmjca]

Rob, NEVER. GONNA. HAPPEN. I HATE that the big conglomerates won't take chances, that originality and creativity, even local-flavor, are, for the most part, dead in radio. But it's a fact-of-life-

Look, if the ratings for RQQ are already in the toilet, there's nowhere to go, but I guess the 45 + demo is worthless for PDs'.

 

[NashvilleNative]

Currently playing on 97.1 "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by the Temptations. Best thing they've played in years! Keep current format, but throw in oldies and Motown with it! (Maybe even some current AC)

 

[Doc]

Currently playing on 97.1 "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" by the Temptations. Best thing they've played in years! Keep current format, but throw in oldies and Motown with it! (Maybe even some current AC)

Something tells me their headed back to the Oldies format. I'll give them a month or two.

 

[deltas69]

back to the Oldies format. I'll give them a month or two. to get there ???...or how long they stay IF they get there ??

 

[Tibbs4]

They are adding more diverse music. Best part is they are copying some of Mix's music. Why?


Honestly, I love to stir it up on here about them, butt does anyone think they actually sound better than they ever have??? Anyone? Anyone? ;D

 

[courier37027]

Tibbs, I like 97.1's sound last couple of days. Any variety that dilutes their classic rock core (overplayed Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger, Eagles, Joe Walsh) with some oldies, classic CHR, pop 80's, new wave, deeper album cuts from pop artists can be a good thing. 97.1 is bound to overlap a little with Mix and Jack (please, not too much). Should 97.1 check their recent rock rear view mirror, they were almost copying 105.9 play list of last thirteen years. Twice the classic rock burnout is not a winning formula.

Advice to 97.1: get the old CHR heyday Kicks 104, 96 Kiss and Y-107 playlists and add those songs.