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You Can't Beat A Thick Playlist!

S

Scooter Lesley

Guest
As I went toolin' Highway 25, towards Belton, and scannin' the dial, I found this 91.9 FM.
Outta Cokesberry SC, WKRI...Classic Oldies. Man,...a thick, over 3000 song playlist, with some deep stuff. I've been around, but there were several songs, that I could not identify. They had some odd, R&B version of The Guess Who's "These Eyes"?? It's a good listen, but I know very little about the station. Hats Off!
 
Mu Internet station has well over 6000 tunes as well as vintage commercials from '63 through '88..although I do fudge a bit on either side of those lines if I liked a song..It's live Friday nights from 6-10pm..but the four hour show is archived so anyone that stumbles across it can check it out...Just an old DJ..with a funny hat... http://www.stickam.com/deltas69
 
I understand having a good music library is important....but why 6000 songs? Were these songs hits or?
 
At the risk of havin' a Col. Potter moment, let me post this Psycological Horse Puckie, and state that Radio listening is a Journey, not a Destination. Programmers are, and should be interested in their TSL, rather than one having a wax squirtin' Eargazum from the random of you hearing a song that you like! If you want to hear the same ol' Burnt crap...over & over, try your ipod on repeat or flip to MAGIC or ROQ...drive around the block...use the same pavement too!
Songs do not have to be Hits...or allegedly "Test Well". As I was quoted several times in R&R, "The human ear can not register chart position, it can only register appeal.". When we(4) started Rock 101 in 1987, there were 3200+ songs in the Selector. We did not have the Burn-out/Punch-out that they have today.
CORRECT, BUT THICK!
 
Scooter Lesley said:
When we(4) started Rock 101 in 1987, there were 3200+ songs in the Selector.
Click to expand...

So you're saying the media environment today is similar to 1987? That what worked then should work now? Horse hockey.

Music TSL doesn't matter in commercial radio. Advertisers aren't buying TSL. They're buying impressions. So audience turnover is not a bad thing. That's why programmers don't seek to improve TSL. If the advertiser wants TSL, show them your talk station. That's where TSL still lives.
 
My playlist has music from artists like Joe Cocker..yes the radio hits..but others that are just too good not to play..his version of A Whiter Shade of Pale, for instance, Etta James..At Last..a lot of live versions of songs like Timothy, and Vehicle..rare studio cuts from Beatles..etc..I have a six minute version of No Time by the Guess Who..my audience is small but very loyal..usually about 15 to twenty at one time..but over the four hours get sample hits in the 50's...I was in radio, live music, studios, for almost 40 years..this is just a fun thing to do..don't let the lights and camera throw ya...and please don't throw the camera and lights... ;)
 
Goood Monday Mornin' Peoples, and let me first thank Deltas69 for his last post, and point-out his Internet Station. You will find the link in his first post to this topic...I beleive it's the fourth post. Now, here is what True(Damnit Janet) Radio is all about. Why is it that old school Tres/Commercial Radio can't sound this good? Answer: Too many Boobs, and only one Bra! Stations are snowed, and they are willing to pay for both the Shallow mind, and the Shallow playlist of some pencilneck Consultant, who leans on the printed(tree kill) results of a
(worthless) Auditorium Music Test, held in Bute, Montanna! The true end result is that you pay this Boob to overplay, and burn some otherwise good songs, and create pre-set button punch-out...4-seconds into a song, just to hear anything...(Ahhhhh!)Anything else!
So Say-eth The Shepard,...So Say-eth The Flock!
Scooter Lesley.
 
Scooter Lesley said:
Stations are snowed, and they are willing to pay for both the Shallow mind, and the Shallow playlist of some pencilneck Consultant, who leans on the printed(tree kill) results of a (worthless) Auditorium Music Test, held in Bute, Montanna!
Click to expand...

If that's what you want to believe, fine. But if it's the truth you want, maybe Jack Nicholson was right.

Big playlists work if you want to reach 50 people. For me, that's not why I got into radio. If that was my goal, I'd just aim my speakers out my window. That's what worked in college.
 
You are correct, Big A. Every station not matter how broad and deep the playlist is will have passionate listeners. The broad and deep ones just have way fewer.
 
carolinaradio said:
They are non-comms, they can get away with broad playlists.
Click to expand...

I'd be curious how many people on this board who love what they do have given them money.

When I ran a non-com, the figure was less than 10% of the audience actually donated.
 
Well,...well,...well,...once again we can thank Freqdev for honoring us with still yet another one-liner of alleged wisdom: "What you don't play won't hurt you."...here, I'll finish it for you...
...and if a frog had wings, he wouldn't bump his ass so hard! Instead of mustering-up a thought on his own, DudeFan just agreed with new comer, The Big A....who did have one thing correct. He is, without question, The Big A! It's a two-sided deee-scusion, but how is if fair when they side with small, shallow playlists, and that is Radio's reason for current failure. My stab at Consultants, Auditorium Music tests, and small, repetitive playlists is 100% correct. Those very practices have, and will continue to fail for these stations, regardless to who points it out! Take a long look at all their Peeeeeeeee-u-neeeeeeeee ratings.
 
Scooter Lesley said:
how is if fair when they side with small, shallow playlists, and that is Radio's reason for current failure.
Click to expand...

Depends on what you consider "failure."

It's a failure for you. But I bet this non-commercial station with the big playlist has a fraction of the audience of any stations with a "small, shallow playlist." If I'm wrong...show me.
 
Having a "deep" play list is not the answer for ratings. I don't want to hear three different versions of one song from different groups. That is why you have a mp3 player to listen to your favorite songs.
 
No question, the big playlist argument is nonsense. I'm surprised anyone who ever had their paycheck at stake in programming would still be promoting the idea.
 
I agree with Scooter on the deep list. This works OK in oldies,
but not in current hit radio. A deep library doesn't mean to me
playing a bunch of remixes or "covers". The "wow category" can be a
good thing with maybe one an hour, as a possible "Forgotten 45" image
before it. So, it doesn't mean 5000 songs from your own personal
collection on the iPod. There are many from the 60s & 70s that 'slipped between
the cracks', and are immediately recognizable. No B Sides or obscure
album tracks.
 
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