Why dropping "Oldies" is wrong

[radiolover78]

The fact that Oldies listeners would rather complain about old technology than embrace new technology suggests strongly that advertisers would be wasting their money trying to sell them.

Good point, but most of the people complaining are radio geeks, not regular listeners.

 

[AZJoe]

Most people on any radio board are geeks, including those calling others geeks. ;D

 

[radiolover78]

Most people on any radio board are geeks, including those calling others geeks. ;D

Yep, that includes me.

But a lot of people here (myself, oldies cat, radiofriend, eduardo, fred, etc) look at things realistically.

 

[radiofriend1]

The fact that Oldies listeners would rather complain about old technology than embrace new technology suggests strongly that advertisers would be wasting their money trying to sell them.

Good point, but most of the people complaining are radio geeks, not regular listeners.

very true. most are displaced oldies jocks who still wanna spin jailhouse rock, replace needles in tone arms and have a stack o' carts piled in the studio

2007, boys-time to wake up or move on

 

[AZJoe]

The fact that Oldies listeners would rather complain about old technology than embrace new technology suggests strongly that advertisers would be wasting their money trying to sell them.

Good point, but most of the people complaining are radio geeks, not regular listeners.

very true. most are displaced oldies jocks who still wanna spin jailhouse rock, replace needles in tone arms and have a stack o' carts piled in the studio

2007, boys-time to wake up or move on

Move on for sure!! Dont wait, get XM or Sirius now, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner! Time waits for no one, especially oldies geeks. ;D

 

[TheFonz]

I'm saying that stations are firing employees because radio is losing listeners. Radio had built up a large consumer base over the years that was still asking to be serviced, but radio was unable to service them.

Sorry, but listeners are NOT terrestrial radio's customers.
Listeners are satellite radio's customers.

Terrestrial radio's customers are the advertisers.

I didn't say "customer", I said CONSUMER. Without consumers, there will be no customers.

 

[fred flintstone]

Move on for sure!! Dont wait, get XM or Sirius now, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner! Time waits for no one, especially oldies geeks. ;D

You can sample XM Radio's 50s on Five or 60s on Six for Free.
In Winamp go to Media Library > Online Services > AOL Radio with XM.
Or in your web browser, go to radio.aol.com.

The free streams don't give you CD sound quality but what you get is a lot better than AM radio.

 

[radiofriend1]

but waaaahhh fred-----that's not what it's about
they bitch & moan cuz they wanna sit in a studio for 5 hrs, answer the hitline (or put them all on hold so they don't have to answer_) and talk up intros with today's top 5 at 5 and tell us who's the drummer for the shangri-las

THAT is where 99% of the *they can't drop oldies!!!!" crying is coming from.

displaced jox

 

[fred flintstone]

Ding Dong: Oldies Are Dead

AZ and RF1, I think you're both right.

We probably have some displaced jocks here. Although most Oldies stations have been satellite-delivered or automated outside of morning drive for years. Most jocks on Oldies stations were probably displaced long ago. I almost wrote "Oldies jocks." Truth is "Oldies jocks" are really displaced Top 40 jocks. Oldies is recycled Top 40 radio. What's amazing is music from about 1955 to 1979 got airplay for so long - and the jocks who played it kept working for so long.

And we have Radio Geeks - Oldies Chapter. Maybe some were wanna-be jocks earlier in life or worked on a student station. They clearly are more involved (or obsessed - depending on your viewpoint) with radio than most listeners. Most listeners get in the car, turn it on. If the Oldies station goes away, they find something else to listen to. Their upset about the disappearance of Oldies in their town doesn't last much longer than it takes them to say "Oh, ______!" Radio Geeks won't let go and they claim it's because they LOVE radio so much.

But, yes. We probably don't have any real listeners bitching here. At most, some real listeners may call the station after a flip. A few may show up if somebody else (a radio geek) organizes a demonstration (heck, these a baby boomers - they like demonstrations).

Most baby boomers don't listen to Oldies and haven't for some time. Chick boomers listen to AC. Guy boomers listen to talk or sports. Many don't listen to radio much at all. Most boomers grew up, got a life, grew old and somewhere along the way let go of stuff they liked in high school. Mentally healthy people generally spend more time in the present that waxing nostalgic for high school.

 

[Johnny Morgan]

Most listeners get in the car, turn it on

Most radio listening doesn't happen in the car.

By the way, if, as you say, "[m]entally healthy people generally spend more time in the present that waxing nostalgic for high school," please explain then why oldies programmers for the last 20 years have been targeting those memories.

If you can.

 

[vchimpanzee]

The fact that Oldies listeners would rather complain about old technology than embrace new technology suggests strongly that advertisers would be wasting their money trying to sell them.

This applies to standards too.

Some of us are not geeks and technology is too complicated and expensive.

This is why I go to libraries that have more computers than they need, or at least the usage patterns allow most of the computers to be free at times.

I'd have to get equipment installed in a car I don't even know ill last the next year. And it turns out home equipment is more complex than I thought it would be as well. Buying the music on cassette ... well, I've done that, but I need something to play it on. I bought enough music for my father for Christmas that the record store gave me two cassettes free. he only listened to a couple of them and left it all when he remarried, so I still have a bunch of wrapped cassettes never used. But then I'll get tired of the same thing over and over.

 

[fred flintstone]

The fact that Oldies listeners would rather complain about old technology than embrace new technology suggests strongly that advertisers would be wasting their money trying to sell them.

This applies to standards too.

Some of us are not geeks and technology is too complicated and expensive.

This is why I go to libraries that have more computers than they need, or at least the usage patterns allow most of the computers to be free at times.

I'd have to get equipment installed in a car I don't even know ill last the next year. And it turns out home equipment is more complex than I thought it would be as well. Buying the music on cassette ... well, I've done that, but I need something to play it on. I bought enough music for my father for Christmas that the record store gave me two cassettes free. he only listened to a couple of them and left it all when he remarried, so I still have a bunch of wrapped cassettes never used. But then I'll get tired of the same thing over and over.

I don't know what your point is.

By "some of us are not geeks," you can not be including yourself. If you're here, you're a geek. Even if you log on at the library. (I'm not sure but it sounds like you are complaining because you don't have to wait for a computer at the library.)


However, you can get you dad an iPod and download music for him NOT to listen to, too. No need to go to the record store. No need to dub music onto cassette.

 

[vchimpanzee]

By "some of us are not geeks," you can not be including yourself. If you're here, you're a geek. Even if you log on at the library. (I'm not sure but it sounds like you are complaining because you don't have to wait for a computer at the library.)


However, you can get you dad an iPod and download music for him NOT to listen to, too. No need to go to the record store. No need to dub music onto cassette.

My point is it's all too complicated and expensive.

Actually, I'm not complaining about the library having too many computers (Right nowe they're all full, so if someone comes in wanting to use a computer ... and as I type this someone is leaving ... okay, if two people come in during the next 10 minutes wanting a computer I'll be bumped off. If not, I have at least 30 more minutes.

I don't know what I'm doing (and therefore I'm not a geek), so I go where people have done the work because I'd never be able to figure it out.

There were no iPods (or music downloads) when I got my father these cassettes. And no, I can't download music. Not here. I don't think. I could ask.

 

[TheFonz]

Re: Ding Dong: Oldies Are Dead

But, yes. We probably don't have any real listeners bitching here. At most, some real listeners may call the station after a flip. A few may show up if somebody else (a radio geek) organizes a demonstration (heck, these a baby boomers - they like demonstrations).

The truth is, most consumers don't bitch. If we have a bad experience in a resturant, a few of us will talk to the manager. But most of us will just never come back. Some politician once called this "the Silent Majority". So radio must be scratching its head and wondering why they're losing listeners, because "no one is bitching".

 

[radiolover78]

Most listeners get in the car, turn it on

Most radio listening doesn't happen in the car.

That has to be an incorrect statement. Most radio listening happens in the car.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Re: Ding Dong: Oldies Are Dead

But, yes. We probably don't have any real listeners bitching here. At most, some real listeners may call the station after a flip. A few may show up if somebody else (a radio geek) organizes a demonstration (heck, these a baby boomers - they like demonstrations).

The truth is, most consumers don't [...]. If we have a bad experience in a resturant, a few of us will talk to the manager. But most of us will just never come back. Some politician once called this "the Silent Majority". So radio must be scratching its head and wondering why they're losing listeners, because "no one is [...]".

I used to be that way. Then I changed my ways. Which is why I got addicted to thewb.com (which became cwtv.com and still doesn't allow that word, so I have to keep in the habit of not using it).

 

[fred flintstone]

Re: Ding Dong: Oldies Are Dead

The truth is, most consumers don't bitch. If we have a bad experience in a resturant, a few of us will talk to the manager. But most of us will just never come back. Some politician once called this "the Silent Majority". So radio must be scratching its head and wondering why they're losing listeners, because "no one is bitching".

It was Spiro T. Agnew and it was an entirely different context.

 

[davideduardo]

[That has to be an incorrect statement. Most radio listening happens in the car.

Nationally, around 30% of all listening time is in-car listening. At home and at work have greater listening, each, than in car.

Even in the car capital of the world, LA, only 31% of listening is in the car; New York it is 24%.

 

[Johnny Morgan]

That has to be an incorrect statement. Most radio listening happens in the car.

Actually, as David has pointed out here before, in the course of a week, most radio listening is not in the car.

[Note, I wrote that just before David chimed in. I am posting it merely to show off my amazing foreshadowing skills. ;D]

 

[Oldbones]

Nationally, around 30% of all listening time is in-car listening. At home and at work have greater listening, each, than in car.

OK, the at work part makes sense (though I doubt anyone's paying particularly close attention), but at-home surprises me. Aside from maybe the morning show while getting ready for work/school, I find it hard to believe significant listening takes place at home.