Will Houston Get An Oldies/Classic Hits Station?

[aunti-terrestrial]

Sorry for the double-post. There's no app for two left thumbs.

 

[willdav713]

I shot an email to a guy at KILT about suggesting a format change his response was:

You sure do have it figured out, don't you? While that may sound perfect for YOU, the demographics just do not support what you are suggesting. Believe me, if they DID, we'd be doing it-hell, I'd love it. I ooze that kind of music. Fact is, more advertisers no longer 'covet' that older demographic like they used to, and prefer the 18-34 crowd. That is the reason many radio stations have skewed to a younger audience. You have to follow the money. Plus, in Houston, we face the ever increasing Hispanic population, and how that equates into the new electronic ratings system. It makes for pretty rough terrain.

This clueless analysis is why radio is on it's downhill slide into irrelevance. HD radio will not save it.

YOU SURE DO HAVE IT ALL FIGURED OUT, DON'T YOU, MR. KNOW-IT-ALL! LOL, j/k, but I do think that's a rude response to a listener. When people stop making suggestions, it means that they've stopped caring. Maybe a nice "thanks for the input, I appreciate your loyalty" might have been a little, I dunno...what's the word I'm looking for?

Gee Aunti - I was thinking RESPECTFUL! But then again, this sounds like a PD that doesn't have an F'ing clue about what real radio is all about. What most personalities have forgotten these days (and I use the term personalities loosely - as they're not allowed to be personalities any longer) is that radio is all about the listeners - and you garner your listeners by having programming that they want to listen to - period, end of sentence! However, having large corporations dictate programming, or god forbid, dictate it through a consultant, using a cookie cutter approach, may be safe, but that's about it.

For most listeners anymore, radio is nothing but background noise. When was the last time you recall something that, let's say KILT FM, had on the air that listeners were talking about throughout the day? For those of you who have forgotten, that's called Water Cooler talk - oh well, I could continue on, and while I'm not against changes to our beloved business, it will continue to die a long death if things aren't changed and if programmers aren't allowed to program their stations based on what their listeners want to hear - not what some consultant thinks is a safe 200 song playlist!

I think the guy want's to keep his job, becaise doesn't a lot of format changes mean layoffs? Maybe he has a chip on his shoulder, and/or hasn't heard of WCBS in New York owned by CBS, and who is KILT owned by? CBS. Didn't WCBS in New York flip from Jack to OLDIES? Maybe we ought to take the time to call and write CBS Radio Corporate as the PD at KILT is not a rocket scientist, and someone is above him, If we put the pressure on CBS they may flip KILT. We don't know unless we try, and the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and I am ready to catch some grease, I don't know how about you. Speaking of Grease request that the Grease Theme be the first song on The New KILT Big 610/100.3!!!!

 

[poops]

Poops, I always thought you were in the industry! Heh, my empathy for the listeners isn't seen as a positive, ya know. I sided with the locals over some pretty rotten rudenesses during the KLOL flip. It was very much We vs. They in the hallways. I understand the feelings of defensiveness when you're doing your best and the listeners just complain at you all the time, but I always saw the times they reach out to you as times when you can increase their respect for what you are doing by respecting their willingness to continue the partnership.

Yeah, too subversive, I know. But on the plus side, I don't have to watch bands from a stupid hill.

Aunti... Never been in the businees but had several friends over the years that worked at our local station (when we had one). Did do some mobile gigs for non-profits in the late 80's thru late 90's, but that was strictly amateur and strictly for free.

I can definately understand both sides of the issue, but it really makes me wonder how the Houston market can have so of the same, and actually hope to make money... especially when there is a demographic out there being pretty much left in the dark.

From a talent standpoint, I think Houston has some of the best currently on air, and waiting in the wings, which, if I had my own station, would let them do what they do best, and make the station a success.

Again, I don't mean to complain as I know there are a lot of folks out there just trying to make a living, and have nothing to say about programming, but it would be nice to have just one...whether it be AM or FM, station that plays the music of the forgotten (or ignored) demographic.


poops

 

[asugeorge1]

I visited Houston for the first time this past week and was desperate to find a classic hits / oldies station. The closest thing I found was 107.5, but the music on there was similar to a classic rock station if anything. The only hit from the 60's I remember hearing was "Proud Mary" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. I even heard some songs from the 90's on "The Eagle." I was hoping that there would be some sort of oldies station on AM, but couldn't find anything there either. This was a disappointment, especially after coming from New Orleans where they have two decent oldies stations (106.1 FM and 94.3 FM). Once I drove west from Houston, I was able to pick-up KVNS along Interstate 10 heading toward San Antonio. This was a surprise, especially during the day at 10:00 A.M., coming all the way from Brownsville. I guess KVNS is the little station that could! Once I came closer to San Antonio, their oldies / classic hits station wasn't bad (101.1 FM), but they didn't play as many 50's and 60's oldies like the two New Orleans stations.

I thought we had it bad here in Phoenix, AZ with KOOL playing mostly 70's and 80's hits, but it's a lot better than having no classic hits station like you have now in Houston. Hopefully some station there will get it right because classic hits is a very successful format in almost every single radio market across the country (i.e. WCBS, KRTH, KOOL). As it is right now, though, oldies and classic hits fans in Houston have to settle for their IPODs or trying to DX KVNS from Brownsville.