Why must CHRs overplay songs?

[anthonydt06]

I know since the inception of the Top 40 format through today, conventional wisdom has forced stations to keep a very tight playlist. Consequently, the top songs get over 100 spins a week (and close to 120 on some stations). Almost any time you turn on the radio, you're likely to hear what seems to be the same top 10 songs being played. Even worse when recurrents that were overplayed are once again being played on high rotation.

It gets to the point, that if you listen to these stations at any length, the songs that were once great when you first heard them become unlistenable. Nails on a chalkboard, so to speak. Then, you press seek to find something that won't annoy the hell out of you. It's a shame too, because there are countless songs I've enjoyed that get played to the point I never want to hear them again.

Isn't it fair to assume more than 20 (being generous) songs at a time can test well with the target demographics of CHR stations?

 

[the golden boy]

Keep in mind that while CHR has traditionally been a high-cume format, the time spent listening (TSL) hasn't always been very high. I don't know if that's still the case now. So, a person who who's only tuning in for 15-20 minutes doesn't know that "E.T." or "Forget You" was just played an hour ago. But you can also see it another way: playing what's hot (even if it is the same five songs over and over) keeps people tuned in a bit longer.

 

[CHRles]

I should point out that CHR hasn't always played its top songs so frequently. Up until about a decade ago almost all CHRs played their top songs between 60-80 times. The playlist was bigger as was the library.

 

[anthonydt06]

Keep in mind that while CHR has traditionally been a high-cume format, the time spent listening (TSL) hasn't always been very high. I don't know if that's still the case now. So, a person who who's only tuning in for 15-20 minutes doesn't know that "E.T." or "Forget You" was just played an hour ago. But you can also see it another way: playing what's hot (even if it is the same five songs over and over) keeps people tuned in a bit longer.

I'd argue that the high-cume comes from playing the hits, but the low TSL comes from playing the same "hits" over and over and over and over and over and over (on and on and so on and so forth)

 

[Tom Wells]

Because CHR is a musical format cul-de-sac.
If you hear a repeat you must be listening too long or have some kind of superhuman memory.

 

[anthonydt06]

Because CHR is a musical format cul-de-sac.
If you hear a repeat you must be listening too long or have some kind of superhuman memory. 

I don't know.  I usually do most of my local radio listening whenever I'm out driving around. My trips aren't very long, but it's very rare I don't hear a repeat (and I don't think anyone would accuse me of having a superhuman memory  ;D).

Looking through the Mediabase reports, here's a list songs that have been played more than 100 times this week at a few select CHRs:

92.3 Now - New York
121 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
120 - KATY PERRY - E.T.
114 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
114 - BLACK EYED PEAS - Just Can't Get Enough
107 - LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem

Z100 - New York
110 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
107 - KATY PERRY - E.T.
105 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
102 - LADY GAGA - The Edge Of Glory

102.7 KIIS FM - Los Angeles
107 - LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
105 - PITBULL - Give Me Everthing f/Ne-Yo
102 - Black Eyed Peas - Just Can't Get Enough

Kiss 103.5 - Chicago
129 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
120 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
111 - KATY PERRY - E.T.

and locally where I live (San Antonio)
Mix 96.1:
113 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
112 - BLACK EYED PEAS - Just Can't get Enough
110 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep

94.1 KTFM
121 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
119 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
115 - KATY PERRY - E.T.
109 - JENNIFER LOPEZ - On The Floor
107 - BRITNEY SPEARS  - Till The World Ends

Party 97.7
108 - BLACK EYED PEAS - Just Can't Get Enough
108 - BRITNEY SPEARS - Till The World Ends
104 - PITBULL - Give Me Everthing f/Ne-Yo

There are 168 hours in a week. If a station plays a song 120 times per week, you'd hear the song roughly once every hour and a half (but that doesn't include time taken from morning shows/specialty shows... so repeats may indeed be more frequent). From this list, the top 4 songs are played more than 400 times/week. You're going to hear one of the top 40 songs (on average) at least once every half hour.  A lot of these top songs have been on the playlists for a few weeks (at least), and if they are getting played just about every time you turn on the radio. There is no doubt that songs going to get overplayed for even the casual listener.

 

[atlantaboy]

I should point out that CHR hasn't always played its top songs so frequently. Up until about a decade ago almost all CHRs played their top songs between 60-80 times.

I feel like power rotation was really high in the 80s (big hits were played constantly, and chart runs were short because of high burn rates) - not sure though cause there's no spin count data from back then

 

[justpassingthough]

I think this somewhat a result of the age we live in- where instant gratification is favored over longevity. Everything, including music, is so much more accessible now, that it forces radio stations to strike while the iron is hot and burn something out and then move on to what is next.

Aren't we going on to the fourth season of "Jersey Shore" in less than two calendar years? Fame- its even less than 15 minutes now.

 

[whit979]

I think this somewhat a result of the age we live in- where instant gratification is favored over longevity. Everything, including music, is so much more accessible now, that it forces radio stations to strike while the iron is hot and burn something out and then move on to what is next.

I agree completely.

 

[the golden boy]

I should point out that CHR hasn't always played its top songs so frequently. Up until about a decade ago almost all CHRs played their top songs between 60-80 times.

I feel like power rotation was really high in the 80s (big hits were played constantly, and chart runs were short because of high burn rates) - not sure though cause there's no spin count data from back then

I grew up in the 80s, but I can tell you that power rotations weren't as high then as it is now. Why? CHR was a mass-appeal format back then, meaning that you had a much larger pool of music to choose from. A larger variety= less spins.

 

[XCountry285]

Jersey Shore sucks. It's a horrible stereotype of Italians, New Jersey, and this country. Those people on that show are idiots

 

[macab4490]

Because CHR is a musical format cul-de-sac.
If you hear a repeat you must be listening too long or have some kind of superhuman memory.

I don't know. I usually do most of my local radio listening whenever I'm out driving around. My trips aren't very long, but it's very rare I don't hear a repeat (and I don't think anyone would accuse me of having a superhuman memory ;D).

Looking through the Mediabase reports, here's a list songs that have been played more than 100 times this week at a few select CHRs:

92.3 Now - New York
121 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
120 - KATY PERRY - E.T.
114 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
114 - BLACK EYED PEAS - Just Can't Get Enough
107 - LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem

Z100 - New York
110 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
107 - KATY PERRY - E.T.
105 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
102 - LADY GAGA - The Edge Of Glory

102.7 KIIS FM - Los Angeles
107 - LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
105 - PITBULL - Give Me Everthing f/Ne-Yo
102 - Black Eyed Peas - Just Can't Get Enough

Kiss 103.5 - Chicago
129 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
120 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
111 - KATY PERRY - E.T.

and locally where I live (San Antonio)
Mix 96.1:
113 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
112 - BLACK EYED PEAS - Just Can't get Enough
110 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep

94.1 KTFM
121 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
119 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
115 - KATY PERRY - E.T.
109 - JENNIFER LOPEZ - On The Floor
107 - BRITNEY SPEARS - Till The World Ends

Party 97.7
108 - BLACK EYED PEAS - Just Can't Get Enough
108 - BRITNEY SPEARS - Till The World Ends
104 - PITBULL - Give Me Everthing f/Ne-Yo

There are 168 hours in a week. If a station plays a song 120 times per week, you'd hear the song roughly once every hour and a half (but that doesn't include time taken from morning shows/specialty shows... so repeats may indeed be more frequent). From this list, the top 4 songs are played more than 400 times/week. You're going to hear one of the top 40 songs (on average) at least once every half hour. A lot of these top songs have been on the playlists for a few weeks (at least), and if they are getting played just about every time you turn on the radio. There is no doubt that songs going to get overplayed for even the casual listener.

That's a shame cause I know G105 is not on that list. They have such a broad playlist. It's great to hear 90's and early 2000's songs in the rotation!

 

[Adam Rivers]

Because CHR is a musical format cul-de-sac.
If you hear a repeat you must be listening too long or have some kind of superhuman memory.

I don't know. I usually do most of my local radio listening whenever I'm out driving around. My trips aren't very long, but it's very rare I don't hear a repeat (and I don't think anyone would accuse me of having a superhuman memory ;D).

Looking through the Mediabase reports, here's a list songs that have been played more than 100 times this week at a few select CHRs:

92.3 Now - New York
121 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
120 - KATY PERRY - E.T.
114 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
114 - BLACK EYED PEAS - Just Can't Get Enough
107 - LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem

Z100 - New York
110 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
107 - KATY PERRY - E.T.
105 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
102 - LADY GAGA - The Edge Of Glory

102.7 KIIS FM - Los Angeles
107 - LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
105 - PITBULL - Give Me Everthing f/Ne-Yo
102 - Black Eyed Peas - Just Can't Get Enough

Kiss 103.5 - Chicago
129 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
120 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
111 - KATY PERRY - E.T.

and locally where I live (San Antonio)
Mix 96.1:
113 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
112 - BLACK EYED PEAS - Just Can't get Enough
110 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep

94.1 KTFM
121 - ADELE - Rolling In The Deep
119 - PITBULL - Give Me Everything f/Ne-Yo
115 - KATY PERRY - E.T.
109 - JENNIFER LOPEZ - On The Floor
107 - BRITNEY SPEARS - Till The World Ends

Party 97.7
108 - BLACK EYED PEAS - Just Can't Get Enough
108 - BRITNEY SPEARS - Till The World Ends
104 - PITBULL - Give Me Everthing f/Ne-Yo

There are 168 hours in a week. If a station plays a song 120 times per week, you'd hear the song roughly once every hour and a half (but that doesn't include time taken from morning shows/specialty shows... so repeats may indeed be more frequent). From this list, the top 4 songs are played more than 400 times/week. You're going to hear one of the top 40 songs (on average) at least once every half hour. A lot of these top songs have been on the playlists for a few weeks (at least), and if they are getting played just about every time you turn on the radio. There is no doubt that songs going to get overplayed for even the casual listener.

Have you looked at the ratings of KIIS, Z100, Mix 96.1, etc.? That says it all...

 

[atlantaboy]

^Yeah, for the most part, CHR isn't designed for music buffs - it's designed for young casual listeners that tune in for brief periods of time to hear their favorite songs

CHRs that lean somewhat adult (like G105/Raleigh, which someone mentioned) have lower spin numbers in order to cater to females that keep the station on at work all day (and don't want to hear the same songs repeated over and over during the workday) - but for stations that have lower time spent listening, it helps ratings to make sure teens and 20-somethings hear the biggest hits for the brief periods of time they tune in

I think it's pretty safe to say that CHRs with power rotations in the 120s, 130s, etc. don't EXPECT you to be listening for more than an hour at a time

 

[firepoint525]

I grew up in the 80s, but I can tell you that power rotations weren't as high then as it is now. Why? CHR was a mass-appeal format back then, meaning that you had a much larger pool of music to choose from. A larger variety= less spins.

You must have grown up in a different market from the one in which I lived at the time. The top 40 station there burned songs to a crisp even back then. I still remember them absolutely playing the hell out of a recurrent that had been #1 two months earlier and had long since dropped off even the national charts!

 

[CHRles]

[/quote]You must have grown up in a different market from the one in which I lived at the time. The top 40 station there burned songs to a crisp even back then. I still remember them absolutely playing the hell out of a recurrent that had been #1 two months earlier and had long since dropped off even the national charts!
[/quote]

Would that be Q-102 Cincinnati?

 

[firepoint525]

You must have grown up in a different market from the one in which I lived at the time. The top 40 station there burned songs to a crisp even back then. I still remember them absolutely playing the hell out of a recurrent that had been #1 two months earlier and had long since dropped off even the national charts!

Would that be Q-102 Cincinnati?

No, I grew up in rural northwest Tennessee, but do tell about Cincinnati. I'm curious about this Q-102.

 

[wxman76]

I think this somewhat a result of the age we live in- where instant gratification is favored over longevity. Everything, including music, is so much more accessible now, that it forces radio stations to strike while the iron is hot and burn something out and then move on to what is next.

Aren't we going on to the fourth season of "Jersey Shore" in less than two calendar years? Fame- its even less than 15 minutes now.

Also agree with that theory. But I think this also speaks well for the health of CHR today. Stations these days can afford to burn them out quickly knowing that there will be plenty of "next" records to take its place. In the CHR doldrums of the mid 90s, you would find titles such as "Breakfast At Tiffany's", "Run Around" and "Another Night" spend some 9-12 months on CHR chart. I think a lot of that had to do with the shallow pool of "hits" available during that era.

 

[atlantaboy]

Stations these days can afford to burn them out quickly knowing that there will be plenty of "next" records to take its place. In the CHR doldrums of the mid 90s, you would find titles such as "Breakfast At Tiffany's", "Run Around" and "Another Night" spend some 9-12 months on CHR chart. I think a lot of that had to do with the shallow pool of "hits" available during that era.

I think it's the exact opposite - songs like E. T. have so little substance that they burn extremely quickly, while songs like Run-Around (that actually have meaning behind them) have very little burn

I know Another Night doesn't fit that same mold, but I think its longevity on the charts was due to the fact that there was so little dance/pop back then to break up the Hot AC-type stuff, that stations needed it and couldn't afford to drop it

 

[Martin Mac]

It seems like those songs stayed around on the charts so long due to there being either no recurrent rules or much more relaxed recurrent rules. However, I must say, their reign in the Top 20 was much longer than most songs today.

I don't think we will ever see a song today run on the charts that long due to today's songs on CHR being removed from the current chart after they fall below #15 if they've been on the chart for more than 20 weeks.