I wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the “Inside Radio” blog you
posted the other day.
I might have mentioned this before — I went to school with Greg
Easterling.
He and I worked together for a couple years at WPGU when we were
both going to the U of I in Champaign. He was a year ahead of me, if I’m
not mistaken.
If they did a poll of everyone who worked at WPGU in 1977, asking
who on the staff they thought would be working in Chicago radio in 2019, I have
a feeling Greg’s and my names would not have made the top ten. He and I
were radio geeks, but we kept a pretty low profile back then.
Greg’s comments were quite accurate. That got me
thinking. Oldies and classic rock fans and listeners are a loyal and
intelligent bunch and passionate about the music. And they have definite
opinions about what they like when it comes to music on the radio.
Someday, perhaps in conjunction with a concert, someone should schedule a
Q&A with the artist immediately following the performance — and, at the
same time, they should have Greg (or another radio person — I wouldn’t mind
doing it) up on stage fielding inquiries from the audience about radio.
I’ve noticed that most of the questions and complaints about radio focus on the
same things (e.g., rotations, commercial load, repetition), and those of us on
this side of the microphone can explain the method-to-the-madness.
As I said earlier, at this point in the evolution of music radio,
there really are no big mysteries and there are no accidents. Music
stations — especially in the top markets — know what they’re doing. The
industry’s best practices get copied by everyone very quickly.
Rick O’Dell
Me-TV-FM
I
love the idea of a radio forum … especially if you and Greg BOTH participated …
(I
had no idea that you two went to school together … what are the odds that those
would be the two commentaries I would run that day!!!)
I
could probably even convince Ron Onesti to put on such an exhibition at The
Arcada Theatre in conjunction with some popular classic rock type artist … I’m
just not sure how big an audience would respond to such a venture. (We may have to do the Radio Q&A FIRST so
that people will stick around to see the main attraction! Lol)
But
I think it WOULD offer up some good solid information and insight into the
inner workings, as to the why’s, what’s and how’s, of radio, 2019. And who knows … some inspired questions from
the audience just may open an eye or two on the OTHER side of the spectrum,
too. (I have always adopted more of the “Why
WOULDN’T that work” philosophy.)
Maybe
Ron will see this and be inspired to seize the opportunity for a specific
tie-in. (The upcoming Tribute To The
Beatles’ White Album might be a good one … but I’ve got a feeling that that
show will already run long enough all on its own with that incredible line-up
of artists, featuring songs from The White Album along with their own,
best-known hits!) Still, I’m sure we
could come up with something between all of us!
(kk)
And,
of course, as expected, we got any number of responses from readers after our “Inside Radio”
piece ran … mostly far more negative than positive (as might be expected) … but
my motive all along for the past twenty years has always been “How can we make
radio more interesting and exciting for ALL of us?” Countless times I’ve used the argument, when
told people don’t listen for more than 20 minutes to an hour at a time, “Then
give them a REASON to stay tuned in.”
Give them something worth listening to … something to hold their
attention … something to come back for and I believe people will come back to
the radio. I especially feel passionate
in this respect for the people of OUR age who listen to the oldies on Me-TV-FM
and Classic Rock on The Drive … because we all grew up listening to the radio …
it’s part of our DNA … and it truly does insult us when a station limits itself
to the same 200-300 songs each day when we ALL grew up together, exposed to ALL
of the radio changes that came along during this period. We ALL listened to ‘50’s rock and roll, The
British Invasion, the soft rock ‘70’s, the disco era, the hard rock / classic
rock era … heck, even the influence of that short country boom thanks to “Urban
Cowboy” … we’ve heard it all … and absorbed it all.
I
keep going back to Mason Ramsey’s adage … “Music Of The Ages” … because THAT
truly is The Soundtrack Of Our Lives” that we all experienced … and I believe
that, within the context of Special Programming, you can deviate from the norm
now and again to offer up something different that isn’t always on the menu,
every other day of the week. And I believe
listeners will react and respond to those little surprises in a most positive
way. But we’ll never know if we don’t
try it.
(What
I DO know is that I pushed for the very format that Me-TV-FM now embraces for
nearly 20 years, trying to convince anybody who would listen that this concept
would work if only somebody would give it a try … and low and behold, you guys
have proven me right.)
Now
I’m trying to get Classic Rock Radio to embrace the same concept. Boasting a library of 3000 songs and then only
playing 200 of them means nothing. Most
stations only roll out those other tracks for specialty weekends or A to Z
countdowns. I’m saying mix that variety
in on a regular basis and give your listeners a reason to stay tuned to hear
just what the next surprise may be.
The
Drive does this better than anybody else … they regularly run features that
cause listeners to crack a knowing, satisfied smile and raise an eyebrow …
because THAT works, too. (And their
increase in ratings proves it.)
Unfortunately,
most of that has been attributed to the whole new “gameshow mentality” that
embraces the station. Listeners of OUR
age … your CORE audience … are perfectly content with the focus being on the
music … but The Drive runs a nice balance of both to satisfy both the listeners
and the accountants … and in radio today, you really can’t ask for much more
than that! (kk)
Thanks for the Greg Easterling
email.
Truth be told, we boomers
have consumed the ‘instant gratification cool aid’. How long do you wait for an
app/email/link to open before saying “screw this”? Impatient comes with age.
I am currently listening
to Little Steven’s Underground Garage on SiriusXM channel 21. Good stuff and
good background.
Until LSUG, I had never
heard these gems:
Blow Wind Blow. Jimmy
Rodgers
Party’s Over. Strawberrys
Pack Fair & Square. J
Geils
Sent from my iPhone with
best regards,
Rich
I will agree that my tolerance for
bullshit is WAY down these days!
(lol) It’s frustrating sometimes
… you can’t help fix something the other guys doesn’t think is broken, no
matter how good your intentions are … especially when the ratings prove them
right. (That’s not to say that there
isn’t room for improvement in EVERYTHING we do.
Lord knows I’d sure like to do MY job here better … but I also have to
squeeze all of this into “restricted hours” … I KNOW I could do so much more if
I only had the time, money and resources to do so … I would ALWAYS keep pushing
for the limit.)
Then again, while some may say
“Let’s not do anything to upset the apple cart when things are going well,” I’m
inclined to think that the fact that things ARE going well ought to buy you a
little bit of leeway to experiment with a new idea every now and again … test
the waters, so to speak, and just see what else might appeal to your
listeners. (While I get the fact that it
may be the way of the world these days, the fact that you have to “bribe” your
listeners to tune in make me wonder just how “loyal” a listener base you’re
building. Back in the OLD days, we used
to tune in to our favorites because we LOVED what they were doing and didn’t
want to miss a beat. Today the focus seems
to be much more mind-set of BUYING this listenership, almost as if to say, we
know what we’re feeding you is crap, but we’ll PAY you to listen.)
Don’t get me wrong … this is
absolutely NOT the case with either The Drive OR Me-TV-FM … BOTH stations
provide QUALITY broadcasting and offer a blend of music that true fans love
listening to. It just all seems a little
bit “tainted” to me these days, the way it’s presented. (Then again, I’m one of those idiots who PAYS
for Sirius / XM to hear virtually the same music everybody else is playing
anyway … sans Little Seven, perhaps … I’ve heard REALLY good things about his
program … will have to check it out one of these days.) kk
I read with interest your missive addressing
song choices on oldies radio and mostly share your sentiments. I
hear some obscure song now and then that I've never heard by some wonderful
artist with dozens of hits and figure some kid DJ pulled out an old album,
played it and said, 'Oh, boy! Oh, boy! I like that song!' and put
it into rotation.
Meanwhile ... here I am, pushing 1000 and
thinking, 'What inna...?'
So I remember back to a very old (hah!) lady of
50 raving about Big Band music and how it'd never come again and wah wah wah
wah. (Voice over 'Peanuts' adults.) So I figure we've just moved up a
rung and our music has graduated into the rich, recorded musical culture of
this great land ... andtry not to mind.
(But I'm still griped about the CONSTANT
Christmas season holiday music!)
Patti
When you say
"Sweet Child of Mine" topped some Classic Rock charts, didn't you mean
"Sweet Girl of Mine" by the Cryan’ Shames???
I was surprised by
"Another One Bites the Dust" being a #1 on such a list. That
song (along with "We Will Rock You") are two of the lesser Queen
songs, as far as I’m concerned, as being GREAT. I love Queen, but there
are so many better songs by them over those two. Certainly, "Play
the Game" is one. Just because it doesn't fit the "sports
theme" or TV commercial themes, doesn't mean it is not great.
"Don't Stop Me Now" was a fave of mine by them until it suddenly was
famous via TV. It was almost NEVER played when a single.
"'39," "You're My Best Friend," "Now I'm Here"
are fabulous, but don't fit the sports/commercial themes that make airplay of a
different type. WHY classic rock plays "Under Pressure" or
"Fat Bottom Girls” / “Bicycle Race" over "Keep Yourself
Alive," "Killer Queen," "Spread Your Wings," or
"Liar" are beyond me. They are playing the lesser GOOD songs in
favor of the commercialized songs.
The Stones get similar
treatment. "Miss You," "She's So Cold," "Beast
of Burden” and "Shattered" get so much airplay over classics like
"Start Me Up," "Angie," "Brown Sugar" and most of
the 60's hits. WHY?????
Clark Besch
They play “Miss You” as if it was
the biggest hit The Stones ever had. I
have been concerned for years that anyone discovering The Rolling Stones for
the very first time based on THIS song is just going to figure they were a
disco band from the ‘70’s … which, of course, is nowhere near the truth. (Although I did hear that they performed an
awesome, extended much bluesier version of the song at their Soldier Field gig.)
We hear PLENTY of Stones music here
in Chicago … and it is all over the map.
The Rolling Stones currently have 74
songs nominated for our MOST ESSENTIAL CLASSIC ROCK SONGS list, which is
considerably more than most of the other artists.
For the longest time, “Gimme
Shelter” led the pack … but lately “Satisfaction,” “Start Me Up,” “Brown Sugar”
and “Honky Tonk Women” have been raking in the votes, too. (In fact, “Satisfaction” actually overtook
“Gimme Shelter” last week … it appears to be the ULTIMATE Classic Rolling
Stones song.) If we tabulated the list
today, The Stones would have an incredible THREE songs in The Top Ten … and two
more to round out The Top Twenty, giving them a full 25% of the twenty most
popular tracks. (Not even The Beatles
have that … only one of their tracks made the cut (“While My Guitar Gently
Weeps”), although “Here Comes The Sun” would currently come in at #21. The only other act with TWO songs in The Top
20 right now is Aerosmith.
But then again it’s ANYBODY’S game
once the first official Final Ballot goes out on July 5th … so be
prepared to vote for YOUR favorites each and every day to help us determine
DEFINITEVLY The Top 3333 Most Essential Classic Rock Tracks of All-Time. (kk)
>>>Neal Sabin is adamant
about not streaming Me-TV-FM out of Chicago.
I feel he is greatly limiting his audience with this philosophy but, as
it has been explained to me, advertising to a market outside our local area
benefits nobody … and those listening via streaming do NOT contribute to your
overall cume when it comes to the ratings … so from that respect, I can see
that there is no financial benefit to streaming. Still, they’re doing something VERY unique
here and it’s working … why not share it with other cities who would KILL to have
a station like Me-TV-FM on their dial.
(kk)
I have a friend who is a firm believer in stations NOT
streaming too because it "devalues their stick" or antenna. You
drive them away from your main source.
I think they should have geo-fenced or blacked out their
home markets when they started this. That way, they could stream
worldwide but force you to listen OTA at home. But that cat is already out
of the bag.
When #1 WBEB in Philly was singly owned, Jerry Lee would
NEVER stream either. Now Entercom owns it and they are shaping up to be
whores.
Still, I would disagree with Sabin for this reason:
Me-TV does not have a city grade signal so even in the metro you have people
who can't receive it due the "FrankenFM" dial position ... all radios
simply cannot receive it. Streaming solves that problem … with crystal
clear reception.
Oh well, I should have such problems.
JR Russ
WCFLChicago.com
In theory I like the idea of the
local black-out … like they used to do with sporting events back in the old
days … and then if the event sold out, they could run the game over the air for
the benefit of all the fans who couldn’t or didn’t get tickets.
But you bring up a very good point …
A major downside is the fact that
Me-TV-FM doesn’t offer a strong enough signal to allow you to listen all day
long (which potentially WOULD increase ratings if you were listening to the live
radio broadcast)
Add to that the fact that once you’re
at work, you can’t listen at all … so now you’re listening to something ELSE
instead of your favorite station … which COULD cost you listeners in the long
run if they find something else that they like.
How does THAT benefit the overall picture for the station?
We live in a different age where
people get their entertainment thru alternate means that better fit their
schedule. (Who would have EVER dreamed
in the ‘60’s that we could “time-shift” of television viewing and never miss a
single episode of anything if we chose not to!!!)
And streaming is a HUGE part of
that. Truth is, there are PLENTY of
Internet-Only stations that provide a better variety and wider range of music
than ANY terrestrial station can ever hope to … and now, since I can’t get
Me-TV-FM in my car, I’m listening to things like WCFLChicago.com and Rewound
Radio thru my Bluetooth device … technically, I don’t have miss Me-TV-FM at
all! (But I DO stream their Milwaukee
feed both in the car and at work because I think they do a GREAT job with what
they’re allowed to work with.) And, I
just really like these guys! (kk)
Hi Kent,
Regarding Greg’s
comments from the Drive … I grudgingly understand what he is saying, which is
basically that people want to hear the same songs over and over.
I personally don’t
know who wants to hear Stairway to Heaven that often, but so be it.
The point he misses, I
think, is that if you gave people something else, they just might go for
it. Throw in the occasional song that didn’t make the top 10 and people
will be more interested. Not much of a deviation from their agenda, but
it sure would be interesting for many of us.
The point I take most
exception to was his point that when legacy bands like the Stones, the Eagles,
etc. put out new albums, no one buys them. That’s because radio doesn’t
play them!
All those old bands’
new music gets ignored by classic rock, the same stations that will play all
their “hits” again and again. You can
hear “Night Moves” all day long but a new Seger song? Nope. That’s not gonna happen.
That’s not the
listener’s fault … it’s that radio chooses to ignore the older artists in favor
of newer names. Very sad and very wrong. A lot of people don’t even
know there’s new music by some of their favorite artists.
So it’s a
self-fulfilling prophecy. “The older artists’ new music doesn’t interest
our listeners”. Yes, that’s because you’re not giving it to them.
When McCartney got “some” traction with new music last year, his album went to
No. 1.
But they all do
it. Even “the River” type formats, “alternative”, will play one song from
a new Springsteen album for a few weeks and they’re done. I remember when
all of his new songs from an LP got played on the radio. Radio seems to
assume everyone wants to hear Imagine Dragons and young bands and not new music
from Cheap Trick, The Stones, Bruce, and other “older” artists.
Imagine if a classic
rock station played “Surrender” and then followed it up with a new song by
Cheap Trick. What an idea! I know, I’m dreaming but I don’t know
why that’s so difficult to fathom.
JC
I
totally agree … even if it’s just within the context of “New Release Fridays”
or something where throughout the course of the day they feature let’s say four
tracks from the brand new Springsteen / Stones / McCartney album … and then
take feedback from their listeners … What did you think of this one? Which one should we play again? Which one(s) should we add to the play
list? SO much new music is being
ignored, even by some of the biggest names in the business. (Part of that is owning up to the fact that
you are essentially playing Dinosaur Rock.
We fought this whole “labeling” issue with Oldies … you couldn’t use the
word … because you were calling your audience “Old.” WTF!!!
Face the facts … if people are tuning in to Me-TV-FM or The Drive, your
audience IS old!!! It’s the music … this
timeless music … that makes them feel good again … young again … don’t tiptoe
around it … EMBRACE it!!! (You wouldn’t
exist without it!) And that’s the cold
hard facts … so play to your audience … because odds are, they’re just like
you! They’ve heard it all and they’ve
seen it all … and they know what they like.
Give it to them. Be that one station
in town that’s playing This, That and The Other! (kk)
Who listen to the radio?
Certainly not me.
I might be more inclined if they played the above song, by
the Sports.
Greg’s and Rick's comments in today's (6/19) FH posting pretty
much confirmed what I've suspected for years ...
It's not all about the music.
Consultants have brainwashed programmers, who have
brainwashed talent, who have in turn brainwashed their listeners.
To me a couple of the WORST features are Two Fer Tuesday
and tracking album sides. Let's be honest … how many albums are all killer / no
filler?
More than one programmer has stated the audience wants all
the hits, all the time. I may be a minority, but how about none of the hits,
all of the time?
Yes, there are great new songs by "classic" and
new artists that aren't top 40, but you'd never know that listening to the
radio.
Programmers use the excuse that it doesn't test well.
Have you ever participated in one of these? I have.
I don't know about you, but there had better be the music
hook of all time in that 5-10 second time frame for me to say this song is the
best thing I've heard all year. Whoever thought Two For Tuesday was a good
idea, should be tarred and feathered and run out of town on a rail. Not only do
you get one song by an artist you've heard a dozen times that week already (and
it's only Tuesday), but now you get to hear two more. Lucky us.
I'm quite aware that there are music fans out there who
simply can't get enough of their fave rave. I know, and I'm sure others know,
people whose entire house or apartment is a shrine to their fave(s). My music
memorabilia business depends on them!
My attitude is that a station should let the music do the talking.
I don't want to hear endless promos about “stay tuned for
such and such feature at five.” In the time the jock wastes babbling about it,
that time is better spent giving some background on the music and the artists
they’re playing. Besides, regular listeners know the station's programming
schedule, and new listeners will learn.
Personally, I like money, just as much as anyone else, but
if a station has to resort to bribing me to listen, you've lost me.
A dear friend of mine listens to WDRV almost 24/7, just to
guess the artist. She'll call me up just to make sure she's got it covered. She
usually does, but she always seems to be caller #6, when you need caller #7.
It's easy enough to guess when your playlist is only 250 songs. It's just a
matter of timing.
Greg talks about the days of Chickenman, Uncle Lar' and
Little Tommy and how they're not coming back. I’ve got news for you, Greg,
although you already know it … classic rock is next.
Does WDRV play anything released after 1992? Much like we
have aged out of top 40, your audience will age out of classic rock if only
because they'll be dead, much like many of their music heroes. Many of our kids
will carry on the tradition, but why didn't they carry on oldies?
Part of it is because we associate the music with a certain
time in our lives. In a few weeks, there will be events celebrating the 50th
anniversary of the moon landing. Your kids weren't glued to the TV like many of
us were that night. (I wasn't as I had a hot date!) Ms. Jack was all of three years old then and
has no memory of it, other than it happened.
Certainly, the music is timeless, but it's also running out
of time.
It's not all about the music … it's all about the money.
Greg is correct in his assessment of forgotten radio
stations. However, he is missing an
important point.
It's just a matter of luck that WDRV is still standing and
WLUP isn't. Sooner or later Greg, you'll retire after a long career in a
business that can be cutthroat. The same will be true for many of your
contemporaries. You'll get a nice write up in Robert Feder's column and you'll.
ride off into the sunset. The same goes for Rick.
But then what?
Some consultant will convince station management that heavy
metal polka music is the format of the future, and we'll be inundated with
music by Polka Floyd (there really is such a band!), and more. The circle
starts anew.
Jack
Well, I, for one enjoy the little
diversions that specialty features like Two For Tuesday and Album Sides
Weekends bring to the table … they break up the monotony of what’s being played
the rest of the time.
(Although I would be the first to
admit … and have said so many times in this column … the Two For Tuesday
feature needs more variety and imagination.
You don’t HAVE to play ten tracks by AC/DC in eight to ten hours … break
it up a little and save some of those other tracks for NEXT Tuesday. Sometimes it feels like the station pulled
out twelve Greatest Hits CDs and then just played them, two tracks at a time,
all day long … making sure that throughout the course of an 8-10 hour work day
we all get to hear ten tracks by AC/DC, ten tracks (or more) by Led Zeppelin,
ten tracks by Van Halen, ten tracks by Aerosmith, ten by The Rolling Stones
with another eight tracks each by Bob Seger, John Mellencamp, Bon Jovi, The
Cars and The Who thrown in for good measure.)
I could even accept Triple Play
Thursday and Four For All Friday if they just mixed up the variety a little bit
… think about how many “new” tracks you could feature within this context … and
still slip in that obligatory “can’t live a day without it” track that listeners
are apparently so starved to hear.
(Think about this for a second …
“More Than A Feeling” by Boston … one of the most over-played tracks on radio
today … came out in September of 1976 … that is almost exactly 43 years
ago. If I have heard this song AT LEAST
one time I day EVERY DAY since then … and I truly do believe that I have, and
probably more … that means that I have heard it AT LEAST 15,695 times since it
came out (not counting the times I’ve played it myself on vinyl, cassette and
CD.) Is there really ANYBODY out there
that TRULY believes that your most loyal listeners will tune you out and potentially not come back because they can’t live a single day without
hearing it again??!?!?) C’mon, Radio … DO THE MATH!!!
SO many of these songs have worn out
their welcome … give it a rest for awhile and slip in something else … so that
we can APPRECIATE this song again the next time it comes back on. (For the record, “More Than A Feeling”
currently ranks EIGHTH on our 3333 MOST ESSENTIAL ROCK TRACKS List, just behind
“Gimme Shelter” by The Stones and just ahead of “We Will Rock You” / “We Are
The Champions” by Queen … and yes, it deserves to be there … it has earned its
spot thanks both to airplay and love and devotion … but we DON’T need to hear
it EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!)
I agree that there are VERY few
albums that I’ve EVER been able to listen to all the way through … that is why
I continue to thank The Music Gods on a daily basis for the advent of the CD …
where I can program EVERYTHING I want to hear.
iPod mentality at its finest I guess.
But within the context of “Album
Sides Thursday” you get the chance to hear some “deep tracks” in the TRUE sense
of the word that you just don’t get to hear on a regular basis anymore … tracks
that YOU grew up listening to and loving that are part of your DNA … most often
songs that you aren’t going to hear at all unless YOU play them for yourself at
home or in the car.
So yes, I welcome promotions like
this.
Next time you listen to Two For
Tuesday, try and guess the second song.
Next time you listen to The Drive’s
A to Z, try to guess the next song title alphabetically.
It makes for a much more fun and
challenging listening experience. (Like
you said, you already know all the songs anyway, right? Wrong!
Give it a shot and see how many times you guess wrong! Betcha it’s at least half … and this come
from experience … and I’m pretty damn good at it!)
I like things like we’ve pushed
before on The True Oldies Channel … things like A-Sides and B-Sides (which
doesn’t work as well within the context of Classic Rock Radio.)
But how about First and Foremost …
where you play an artists’ first hit followed by their biggest hit … or a
Before and After feature where you could play something like “Yesterday” and
then a McCartney solo track. In the context
of a Four-For-All (which is often the concept of a Block Party Weekend … betcha
those’ll be coming up pretty soon now that summer has started) … you could play
four key cuts from the same album (that solves your “filler” problem) … or
something from four different phases of an artist’s career … or, in yet another
Beatles example, one song each by John, Paul, George and Ringo.
In fact, TECHNICALLY we have a Four-Day
Weekend coming up right around the corner for The 4th of July …
Here’s a challenge for the deejays
and programmers on our list …
Come up with a 4-Way / 4-Day 4th
of July special …
Whether you go 24/7 or sprinkle in
one 4-Play every hour, you can keep listeners tuned in all weekend long
wherever they are and whatever they’re doing. (Why not provide the perfect musical
background for their 4th of July cook-out?)
Want help with this? I’m happy to pitch in.
Kick it around … one 4-Play every
hour for the entire 4-Day 4th of July Weekend!
VARIETY … that’s what’s missing
these days … and I like variety … and I’d be willing to betcha MOST people
listening to the radio do, too … but we’ll NEVER know if we don’t at least TRY
it and see what kind of feedback you get.
Which goes back to my earlier point
… if things are going well, do you just continue to coast along (because the
only way from there is down) … or do you try and find the next “niche” that’ll
continue to help YOUR station stand apart from all the other cookie-cutter
stations on the dial … in EVERY city … from coast to coast. (kk)
