Will Houston Get An Oldies/Classic Hits Station?

[Gregg]

Most of the top 10 markets in the U.S. have an Oldies station. The exceptions are Houston and Washington. (In San Francisco, the Oldies station is on AM and doesn't do well in the ratings.)

Most Oldies stations seem to be doing quite well in their markets. In NYC, LA, Dallas, Boston and Philadelphia, they're all Top 5 stations. In Chicago, WLS-FM is around the middle of the pack. In Atlanta, WYAY is still near the bottom but they only recently flipped.

Oldies may be an older-skewing format and some owners try to avoid that. But if it gets a decent number of 25-54 listeners, that's profitable.

(Let's say that there are two formats that call themselves "Classic Hits." Houston has the OTHER type of Classic Hits station, 107.5 KGLK. They play less hard-edged older rock songs but they sound like a Classic Rock station. The Oldies/Classic Hits format is the one that sounds like a Top 40 station from 25 years ago... Jingles, DJs talking over the song intros, contests and plenty of Motown and Pop songs that a Classic Hits/Classic Rock station wouldn't play.)

Gregg
[email protected]

 

[purpledevil]

Greg, if you could make it happen there would be plenty of appreciative people around here. I've figured that someone, somewhere in this market is going to give Oldies another go since KLDE left the air. You know the saying about what once was old being new again. At some point, you'd think someone would be willing to spin a little Chuck Berry and Bill Haley again for Houston, but of course that generation isn't getting any younger, and that type of old never gets new again.

 

[ChuckTiller]

I would love to spin those tunes.

 

[poops]

PPPPPPLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEAAAAAAASSSSSEEEEEEEE!!!!

 

[AndyWaldrop]

I would love to spin those tunes.

Take me with you when you do! We'll show 'em how its done!!

 

[sdh483]

Yeah but you can get oldies on 107.5 HD2 LOL !!!!!1ONE!!!!1!
Come on! We don't need 2 classic rock stations or three alternative stations. Lots of 25-54 year old listeners grew up on oldies stations when they were younger (ie ME). At least now I can stream KONO on my phone in the car. Their crappy stream of a great format will do for now unless someone decides to bring back oldies/classic hits or I move back to San Antonio.

 

[stan]

The irony here is that this is the potential audience that has money, and that should interest advertisers. Radio is missing out on a huge opportunity. Turn KLOL to oldies and make something useful out of it.

 

[Mediafrog+]

The irony here is that this is the potential audience that has money, and that should interest advertisers. Radio is missing out on a huge opportunity. Turn KLOL to oldies and make something useful out of it.

Let's see: You want to dump a format that appeals to a GROWING Hispanic demographic??? And replace it with something aimed at set-in-their-ways 55+? Advertisers will really go for that. Not.

And spare the talk of 55+ having lots of money...that is so pre-2007. The reality is that the 55+ demos have been hammered by the recession. Social Security is in trouble, pensions are being cut or eliminated, 401k's have been thrashed. Medicare will probably take a big hit. The coming huge wave of inflation will eat away at savings. The 55+ demos are downsizing and cutting spending.

And besides, being in the 55+ plus demo myself, I have no interest in listening to music I grew tired of years ago. Been played to death. Let it rest.

 

[purpledevil]

The irony here is that this is the potential audience that has money, and that should interest advertisers. Radio is missing out on a huge opportunity. Turn KLOL to oldies and make something useful out of it.

Let's see: You want to dump a format that appeals to a GROWING Hispanic demographic??? And replace it with something aimed at set-in-their-ways 55+? Advertisers will really go for that. Not.

And spare the talk of 55+ having lots of money...that is so pre-2007. The reality is that the 55+ demos have been hammered by the recession. Social Security is in trouble, pensions are being cut or eliminated, 401k's have been thrashed. Medicare will probably take a big hit. The coming huge wave of inflation will eat away at savings. The 55+ demos are downsizing and cutting spending.

And besides, being in the 55+ plus demo myself, I have no interest in listening to music I grew tired of years ago. Been played to death. Let it rest.

101 no, but I'd be all for placing Oldies on an AM signal that has become a throw away. Even if Oldies doesn't have the formidable numbers it once enjoyed, it would have to be better than what most of our AM stations are doing currently. Chuck wants to spin the classics, and KTEK as a daytimer would be one heck of a spot for it to happen. When was the last time KTEK had a showing in the books? I can't imagine their cume is very high, either.

 

[Henry McClurg]

As an old rock 'n roll DJ I too would like to spin that again.

Media Frog: Your statistics are from the right fringe. Social Security is financially solvent for another 40 years. And before then, warp drive will have been discovered.

 

[purpledevil]

I'd be willing to put my money where my mouth is. Of course, there's no way I could afford it alone. Just how much would it cost a person like myself to purchase time from KTEK, for the weekends? I see where the South Asian programming is being advertised on 1480 KLVL now, so wouldn't KTEK need new weekend programming in the near future? If these religious programmers and pay for play broadcasters can get their formats on the air, why can't we do the same?

 

[Gregg]

The fear of an audience that would be too old to sell to advertisers is not true. WCBS-FM usually makes the top 5 in the NYC 25-54 demographic, the one advertisers like the best. If it's done right and done well, it can sell, since it also workes in so many other large markets.

But it would have to be done for this generation. That means a handful of 60s songs by the biggest artists (Beatles, Beach Boys, Mamas & Papas, Elvis, Stones, etc.), a good amount of Motown and Soul, since that music is timeless (Supremes, Aretha, Temptations, Spinners, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder), lots of 70s songs and a good number of pop-leaning 80s songs.

(By the way, people in their 40s and 50s are doing better than people out of college and those in their 20s. Their unemployment rate is lower. And while this format is not directed at seniors, let's remember that Social Security has NEVER missed a check in its history and nearly all pension plans are healthy as well.)


Gregg
[email protected]

 

[radiobop]

Well, if someone will bring oldies back to Houston, I'll make our song library at Radio Bop and Radio Bop 60s available...we physically have about 96% of the Billboard Top 40 from 1955 through 1969 mostly on CD...not to mention quite a bit of R&B, pop and rockabilly from 1944-1954...

 

[KTN Corp]

The irony here is that this is the potential audience that has money, and that should interest advertisers. Radio is missing out on a huge opportunity. Turn KLOL to oldies and make something useful out of it.

Patch through K-Earth 101 on KLOL and it will be heaven on Earth! (At least for me.)

The irony here is that this is the potential audience that has money, and that should interest advertisers. Radio is missing out on a huge opportunity. Turn KLOL to oldies and make something useful out of it.

Let's see: You want to dump a format that appeals to a GROWING Hispanic demographic???  And replace it with something aimed at set-in-their-ways 55+?  Advertisers will really go for that.  Not.

And spare the talk of 55+ having lots of money...that is so pre-2007.  The reality is that the 55+ demos have been hammered by the recession.  Social Security is in trouble, pensions are being cut or eliminated, 401k's have been thrashed.  Medicare will probably take a big hit.  The coming huge wave of inflation will eat away at savings.  The 55+ demos are downsizing and cutting spending.

And besides, being in the 55+ plus demo myself, I have no interest in listening to music I grew tired of years ago.  Been played to death.  Let it rest.   

101 no, but I'd be all for placing Oldies on an AM signal that has become a throw away. Even if Oldies doesn't have the formidable numbers it once enjoyed, it would have to be better than what most of our AM stations are doing currently. Chuck wants to spin the classics, and KTEK as a daytimer would be one heck of a spot for it to happen. When was the last time KTEK had a showing in the books? I can't imagine their cume is very high, either.

That may be great for the big band music (à la KBME), but that's not the oldies we're talking about.  This oldies was recorded in stereo (though at the time broadcast on AM stations).  Since FM is now popular, some people without an FM radio back then want a second chance to listen to it on FM Stereo. (Maybe in HD-1 if they are inclined).

With AM coverage patterns fouled up currently (especially in Houston, second to DC), I wouldn't think people would be too pleased with interference from neighboring signals (especially at sunrise and nighttime) on top of the local station and small coverage areas from directional signals.

 

[purpledevil]

Well, if someone will bring oldies back to Houston, I'll make our song library at Radio Bop and Radio Bop 60s available...we physically have about 96% of the Billboard Top 40 from 1955 through 1969 mostly on CD...not to mention quite a bit of R&B, pop and rockabilly from 1944-1954...

I have an enormous amount of 50's-70's music that I'd be willing to donate as well. I, too, have a lot of the top 40 songs, but also am proud to have those obsolete treasures that haven't seen airplay in many a year.

KTN: You make a valid point. Our AM band is horrendous for the most part, but I contend that whether on AM or FM, given the opportunity to regain a spot on the dial for these timeless treasures, people of our generation would tune in regardless of the band. The window for that is closing, as we're all getting older, and the Millenium kids and Gen-X'ers are besides themselves over average talent such as Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, and probably have no idea as to who Ricky Nelson or Buddy Holly even were. I realize that it wouldn't set the world on fire like KKBQ did in the early 80's when it debuted at 790, but you'd have to think it would generate more overall interest within the community than some of this absolute trash that dots our AM dial currently. It can be done, and successfully, with the right opportunity. The only way it will happen in this market, as best I can figure, is for someone to buy the time to do it themselves on a brokered station. I mentioned KTEK above, but there are other signals that I believe could be a good place to give it a shot. KYND would honestly be my first choice. A daytimer with a healthy signal over the biggest part of Houston and seeing as how its strongest penetration is in the NW areas of Houston where quite a few retirees have gone to spend their golden years, I'd bet the golden egg that you could make money with the format, even on AM.

I guess that's why I'm sitting here typing on a radio board instead of working in the industry. I'd be willing to take the chance to make it happen, even if I couldn't get rich off of the idea. Guess I'll have to stick with the phone company.

 

[mrh1960]

Patch through K-Earth 101 on KLOL and it will be heaven on Earth! (At least for me.)[/quote]


It would be for all of us...that's why they call it "The Greatest Hits on Earth"

 

[willdav713]

If you were going to put an Oldies stations on the air in Houston, Entercom should flip KILT AM and FM (KKBQ won the Country war) and name it "The Big 610 & 100.3 Your music is back" emphisis on the AM first. Why? Because before KILT-AM was Country they were Top 40, if they insist on Country move it to 101.1. Put Album Rock Oldies on 100.3 HD2 and name that KILT HD-2 100.3 Houstons Super Rock Classics, Not Classic Rock Album Rock Oldies with Heavy Metal emphasis play the exact same songs as KILT 100.3 did before the flip to Country. Now that would generate an audience.

 

[ChuckTiller]

I'm sure CBS would not allow Entercom to flip one of their properties, since CBS owns KILT. As far as KKBQ is concerned, no 'war' has been won. Both stations are are not very good. The listeners simply tolerate them because their is nothing else to choose from. They go back and forth in the ratings. There are no winners, but only losers....the listeners!

 

[johndavis]

Both stations are are not very good.

Explain why. I'm curious as to why you'd say that.

 

[schmave]

Surprised no one has mentioned KGBC filled this role very nicely for a year or more recently before the owners' inexplicable move to air Chinese radio or whatever. I loved listening to it when I lived in League City, and you could get the signal across much of the Houston area.