No it isn't - it's a fault of the medium that no one can help. The 'big' advertisers all work through their agencies with big multi/omni channel marketing programs that are digital first focused with near instant analytics - in that they want the analytics and reporting and the ROI to tie out to nearly every dollar spent. FM radio doesn't fit that model no matter how many programs and sales pitches, PPM data and never will. Analog mediums just don't compare unless you are throwing dollars at general awareness campaigns but when incremental dollars come up they go to other places first. That's not to say radio doesn't have value, but not in the way it once did.
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WOGL Rebrands at Big 98.1
- Thread starter Route 222
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No it isn't - it's a fault of the medium that no one can help. The 'big' advertisers all work through their agencies with big multi/omni channel marketing programs that are digital first focused with near instant analytics - in that they want the analytics and reporting and the ROI to tie out to nearly every dollar spent. FM radio doesn't fit that model no matter how many programs and sales pitches, PPM data and never will. Analog mediums just don't compare unless you are throwing dollars at general awareness campaigns but when incremental dollars come up they go to other places first. That's not to say radio doesn't have value, but not in the way it once did.
But this is why iHeart and Audacy are putting so much attention on their digital platforms, because they want to be able to sell both. There is no real entry fee to the internet as there is for broadcast radio. No license required, no regulation. Anyone can play. Radio companies are already in the content business, and this is just another platform. Perhaps at some point the digital platform will pay for the broadcast, and FM won't be as dependent on advertising any more. That's a steep hill to climb, but the business model has to change.
Too bad their top of hour ID as BIG can’t sound as energetic as another BIG FM in Milwaukee.
I feel your pain. When I was a youngster radio was my thing for so many reasons. Specialty shows on nights and weekends, fast talking bombastic 50’s thru 80’s DJ’s, legendary long dead Big Band leaders and crooners, interesting talk show hosts who didn’t talk politics all day and night, not to mention pulling in stations sometimes 1000 miles away at night who were doing something completely different than what anyone was doing in my town. It’s all gone. All of it. As you said, I don’t even like radio anymore. I find the posts on this forum about the current state of radio far more interesting than the medium itself.
I was in what was, at the time, a Top 10 market. After Pete Myers left for NYC, there were no night or weekend shows of any interest.
All the young music stations became quite standardized after the late 50's.
My grandmother's music. And no local station played big bands in the same period I am referring to.
America was much more unified and far less polarized.
OK, listening to the Opry on WSM or the Hayride on KWKH and, maybe, Biondi on WLS was fun, along with the lousy quality and the static and the nights they did not come in at all. Otherwise, it was 20 big signals with Dolly Holiday and soft music till dawn on the big signals.
Because nobody listened.
Yet nearly 90% of all adults listen to radio, still.
I once read he used 8 turntables in order to pull off that show.
Yes we definitely listen, myself included. But I’ve learned from this thread that many on this board are listening not because it’s exciting and unpredictable but because it’s actually more exciting to compare the cookie cutter playlists from town to town.
Keep in mind the reason the playlists are cookie cutter is because music is international. The internet, TV, and the music business have destroyed local music. The music business is also working actively to homogenize music so that pop sounds like rap sounds like country. The Recording Academy (NARAS) does a lot to connect genres. They think it's good for music.
I saw his WJW studio. Standard 2 turntables.
And most listeners want company... even when we had Stern on the radio, he got a 5 share and all the bland, mundane stations got 95 share points.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channel™
Let me comment on that juxtaposition.
Yes, the vast majority of radio listeners are seeking a comfort level. That's why consensus playlists work. That's why, even when Howard Stern was "the" phenomenon of terrestrial radio, he was only getting one out of every 20 listeners.
And those on message boards are not typical listeners, and are therefore not among that vast majority of listeners. In light of that, comparing the "cookie cutter" formats that are what attract the majority is an exercise in self-indulgence. You feel good criticizing them but the industry knows better than you, and you achieve nothing other than feeling good about venting.
Anyone who posts on a message board expecting things to change as a result is delusional.
I know when he left Cleveland in ‘59 he was on WHK, “Color Radio Channel 14.” This station, at 1420, was part of a very unusual 7 station swap back in 2001 from Cleveland to Akron, to a transmitter site in Canton. At that time the old WJW 850 had become WRMR and was a popular standards station. I believe they took up sports and standards moved to 1420 which became WCLV. 1420 never gained the momentum that 850 had so it didn’t last long as a standards station.
I think the homogenization of modern music probably has a lot to do with why many people younger than the typical 35-54 Classic Hits core are preferring 1980s music to today's currents.
In response to the posts several pages back about classic hits stations that are largely white male rock artists with a very tight playlist…
Look at Cox’s 96.9 The Eagle in Jacksonville, or most of their “Eagle” stations. While not the stereotypical “classic hits” of today, it’s a very tight playlist of slightly lighter classic rock titles. Guess what? It’s a market leader. The Eagle in Tampa - same, great ratings. These stations are classified as classic hits and have extremely narrow playlists that make WOGL of today look adventurous, but the format has been extremely successful for Cox. iHeart tried classic hits (mainstream) and adult hits in Jacksonville, and they couldn’t compete with WJGL. In Tampa, WXGL gives the mainstream classic hits station Q105 a run for its money. In Atlanta, 97.1 The River classic hits is a market leader. Also, these stations lean older and play a lot more 70s hits than Audacy’s clsssic hits stations do. When was the last time an Audacy classic hits station touched Free, CCR, The Guess Who, or Bad Company?
Am I personally a fan of it? No, but the numbers don’t lie. Why wouldn’t they roll with something that gets numbers like that?
Look at Cox’s 96.9 The Eagle in Jacksonville, or most of their “Eagle” stations. While not the stereotypical “classic hits” of today, it’s a very tight playlist of slightly lighter classic rock titles. Guess what? It’s a market leader. The Eagle in Tampa - same, great ratings. These stations are classified as classic hits and have extremely narrow playlists that make WOGL of today look adventurous, but the format has been extremely successful for Cox. iHeart tried classic hits (mainstream) and adult hits in Jacksonville, and they couldn’t compete with WJGL. In Tampa, WXGL gives the mainstream classic hits station Q105 a run for its money. In Atlanta, 97.1 The River classic hits is a market leader. Also, these stations lean older and play a lot more 70s hits than Audacy’s clsssic hits stations do. When was the last time an Audacy classic hits station touched Free, CCR, The Guess Who, or Bad Company?
Am I personally a fan of it? No, but the numbers don’t lie. Why wouldn’t they roll with something that gets numbers like that?
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Taking for granted that you understand the motivations behind everyone who dares to comment about the current state of the industry is actually one of the most astounding acts of self indulgence I’ve ever seen.
I’ve not read one post in this entire thread that suggests anyone believes the industry is on the precipice of change due to the discussions here.
For Tampa Bay, note that WXGL's sister WDUV sounds closer to a pop-leaning classic hits format, and there are only a few books where WDUV hasn't been #1 6+, with perhaps some healthy numbers within 25-54.
As it has been said before, some markets are indeed receptive towards classic rock, but it's not across the board. WBGG in Miami is performing as good as it gets for a rock station in the market, but it's no ratings juggernaut. WIYY in Baltimore, a heritage AOR, has hardly beaten both WLIF (AC) and WQSR (Adult Hits) in the ratings, and WZBA is even more of a laggard.
It's a slow and gradual change, with part of the issue being that BROADcasting and one-for-many with ads does not always compete with narrowcasting and a personal audio stream. The major difference is that the best individualized services cost money while radio is free.
WMGK is certainly not touching Prince, Whitney Houston, Madonna, etc.
A popular song from the 90s that's been getting a lot of Classic Hits airplay. What's the issue with that?
A better question might be what the difference is between Big 98.1 and Ben FM. They both center around '80s with a secondary focus on '90s, but include songs from the '70s and 2000s as well. And they both lean towards rock, but also play some dance-pop and R&B. Maybe Ben is still slightly edgier and less Top 40-oriented (you probably won't hear Linkin Park or The White Stripes on 98.1 anytime too soon), but overall the difference is minimal. I really wish 98.1 would distinguish itself more by going more rhythmic - which they were trying for a bit late last year. I liked their playlist then, but it also didn't really sound like "98.1 WOGL" to me, so I would think this rebranding would give them an opportunity to commit to that.
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