Standards on 1290 bring it back

Standards should definitely make a comeback on 1290, they are in the cellar now and when they had the Standards format they had great ratings, but as the suits say who wants those demos. Well what made me think of this today in CC Philly. I was talking to a few older folks and they reminded me of 1290 and how they miss it, and this is from 30 miles or so away but they used to pull in 1290. 1290 has a great daytime signal in the Philadelphia area and many times at night they also came in. It seems the area they are in has many people that would embrace this format, again again I say how much sports on the dial can one take....

Standards on 1290, bring it back

I too would like that Standards format brought back to AM1290, but CC Delaware must be making more money getting a very small audience of young men who obviously are the target audience. CC makes money having those FOX Sports Radio shows clear the Wilmington/Philly radio markets [as you noted 1290 has a great daytime signal into Philly so they get a two for one, market 78 - Wilmington and more importantly market 8 - Philly.

As usual, follow the money. IF CC Delaware made more money playing Standards, they'd be airing Standards. Market driven economics is how radio works, just as in other industries. It's all about making the most money for the shareholders.

Advertisers don't want the "older" listener like me [I'm 62]. Remember the audience is the product that the radio station is selling to the advertiser, not their programming. They don't even view us older folks as a bonus when we listen. They want those prized demos of 6-49.

It's a real paradox for radio broadcasters, because the folks the advertisers want to reach [6-49] aren't really in to listening to the radio, yet the Babyboomers who grew up with a radio in their bedrooms, then the first transistor portable radio's they carried around with them, and later the radio's they listened to while crusin' around in their cars, who still love radio and still listen to the radio be it in their car, online, at work, at home, etc, those advertisers don't care if they even turn the radio on.

The reason is, we're more settled in what products we buy. Sadly, we have disposable money to buy stuff, and no one in radio has figured out a way to market products other than medications, funeral homes/burial packages, to our generation. They act like we don't go food shopping, buy clothes, shoes, eat out, travel, buy cars, got to shows, etc.

So their biggest audience essentially gets ignored, and as there's more and more options online that do cater to us Boomers. I have a computer, a cell phone, and an iPod that I can listen to the music and programing I desire, and watch what I want when I want, etc, so as a result listen to Over The Air [OTA] Radio and watch OTA TV far less than I used to, because neither offers much of what I want to listen to [especially music wise for radio] or program wise for TV]. Talk, Sports, News, and NPR are the things that keep me listening to the radio, mainly in my car.

So both radio and TV are losing their biggest audience as we [Babyboomers] take our disposable income and go elsewhere for our entertainment. This isn't the 1950's and 60's, we've got plenty of media choices we didn't have when we listened to 1380 WAMS on our transistors to hear our songs. My feeling is, too bad so sad for them. They chased us away.

So what I'd recommend is use your computer, get an iPod, or a Smart phone, etc, and you'll find plenty to listen to that you'll enjoy for free, because AM1290 is not going to go back to the Standards Format anytime soon. I still love and listen to the radio, for Spoken Word programming. The only music station I really listen to with any regularity is 90.1 / [107.7 Wilmington Repeater] WRTI for Classical and Jazz.

It is what it is.

I am 62 also, I have satellite, puter, Iphone5, etc., but being a child of top 40 radio, I still want to pick up my portable and hear the music I grew up with on the T-dial. I always wanted to pull in WAMS at the best time for music IMHO (64-66 British Invasion, Surf/Beach, Country Crossover Music Years); as an alternative to WIBG. The Philly metro only had WIBG when most metros in that time period had more than one top 40 outlet. This was before WFIL came on board. WAMS always had a weird pattern, a few miles north of Wilmington they were gone. Now piggybacking on the WILM tower, being, omni 1380 is receivable in Philly, and they could not do it in the 60's, go figure.

Sorry, Hangman. MikefromDelaware is correct about what drives decisions in the radio biz. Radio is a business, not a popularity contest.

Just curious, though. The music you describe on WAMS (Top40; now Oldies) is not the music WJBR (AM) was playing until a few year ago (MOR, now Standards).

While New York and LA had two or three competitive top 40 stations in the period you describe, other major and large markets (including Philly) did not. Those markets did have lower power, high-end of the band or rim-shot stations playing Top 40 plus what would later be called alternative or urban. These stations had followings and often influenced what the big station played. Also often big station top 40 jocks started out at one of these smaller stations. You probably couldn't get them in Wilmington but they were an influence if not a force in the market. An example is 1310 in Camden, NJ, which was the early home of Jerry Blavat and Hy Lit.

In the meantime, try 92.1 in Vineland, NJ If you have HD, try 102.9 HD2 from Philly.

PS: NPR did a story about Ladies' Home Journal going under. Lots of readers. Nobody buying ads. Same story as radio.

People who think radio is about getting ratings are like people who think owning a sports franchise is about winning games. No, it's about putting butts in the seats (selling tickets and TV rights). Some people think success in advertising is about winning awards or getting people to talk about the ad; no, it's about selling the product. Stan Freberg is Exhibit A: People loved his ads. They were so captivated with the ad, they couldn't remember what the product was. What doth it profit a station to get great audience numbers and not be able to sell spots? WJBR seemed to have only one regular local account: The Buick dealer in "historic" New Castle. And that was a trade-out.

I must agree with MikefromDE on this. Standards just isn't a money maker anymore. It's 2014, and nevertheless just as it was in the 60's, current music is where the cash is. Think of it like this, back in the 60's, the big stations were playing current tunes (Beatles, Doors, 4 Seasons etc..) and now those bands (still loved by millions mind you) are relegated to the oldies and classic rock stations. In the 80's, currents were selling. 90's? Currents. So hey why should it be any different today? CC isn't in it for playing good music. They're there for the cash, and that's how it'll always be. If you wanna hear good music then you gotta find the family owned stations like Fred mentioned, WVLT. A great station. And if you really wanna do it the old fashioned way, wait till night and go to 740 AM. CZFM from canada comes rolling in and always plays good stuff.

What's sad is the service AM 1290 used - now called Westwood One's Adult Standards - isn't playing the same music they played 10 years ago when 1290 flipped to Fox Sports. Now it's AC Oldies - soft rock from the late 60s and 70s most, no really "Great American Songbook" standards. They say they are targeting baby boomers. The old format - like WPEN, the station of the stars, and before that WIP - targeted the parents of baby boomers.

FredLeonard said:

What's sad is the service AM 1290 used - now called Westwood One's Adult Standards - isn't playing the same music they played 10 years ago when 1290 flipped to Fox Sports. Now it's AC Oldies - soft rock from the late 60s and 70s most, no really "Great American Songbook" standards. They say they are targeting baby boomers. The old format - like WPEN, the station of the stars, and before that WIP - targeted the parents of baby boomers.

Click to expand...

Are you actually listening? 10 years ago they were AC oldies. Now they've brought back the "Great American Songbook" standards, especially new versions of those old songs. Sure, some of the AC oldies are new to the format, but it's not nearly as bad as what Timeless Favorites was doing eight years ago. It's even better than Timeless Classics was eight years ago just before the change.

It is true that more of the songs would be categorized as oldies or AC than standards, but this is just how the format has to sound on commercial radio.

On the other hand, you have to listen a really long time sometimes. Today was one of those times. And one of the two or three songs I heard in an hour which would truly be called "standards" was during a commercial break and played only because the station didn't happen to run commercials at the time.

I have checked their stream a few times (and looked at their playlist a few others). I didn't come across the "standards" I remember when they were AM Only, so I didn't stay long.

For the record, I don't really get into some of the "martini" or rat pack online streams, either. There is a lot more to the Great American Songbook than ring-a-ding-ding, do-be-do-be-do.

I used to like XM's 50s on Five but looks like that's gone, too.

I guess musical memory is limited. With a few exceptions noted, music falls off the grid after about 60 years.

Hangman:

Wikipedia has a fairly accurate and up to date list of stations which carry "America's Best Music," like 1290 used to. Most stream.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America's_Best_Music#Stations

In this region, you might enjoy a community public radio station which features standards and nostalgia programs.
http://www.wrdv.org/

FredLeonard said:

I have checked their stream a few times (and looked at their playlist a few others). I didn't come across the "standards" I remember when they were AM Only, so I didn't stay long.

For the record, I don't really get into some of the "martini" or rat pack online streams, either. There is a lot more to the Great American Songbook than ring-a-ding-ding, do-be-do-be-do.

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Today was a good day. At the start of the 10:00 hour, after ABC News (which my station happens to air), "I Gotta Be Me", followed by one of those true standards I don't happen to remember the name of but which sounded like someone made a recent recording, "Both Sides Now" (which is borderline and probably would be considered AC), then a commercial break which all stations take (something I know about from when the equipment went bad) and "A Blossom Fell". Michael Buble did one of his AC hits after that, but I was on my way out the door.

Yes, if you're only listening briefly, you're unlikely to hear a lot of actual standards. But it does happen.

When they were "AM Only," the format could be described as "MOR Oldies." Now it's "AC Oldies." Yes, they throw in some "Las Vegas Lounge Music" or "Martini Music" but that's not the same.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_Songbook

FredLeonard said:

I have checked their stream a few times (and looked at their playlist a few others). I didn't come across the "standards" I remember when they were AM Only, so I didn't stay long.

For the record, I don't really get into some of the "martini" or rat pack online streams, either. There is a lot more to the Great American Songbook than ring-a-ding-ding, do-be-do-be-do.

I used to like XM's 50s on Five but looks like that's gone, too.

I guess musical memory is limited. With a few exceptions noted, music falls off the grid after about 60 years.

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I think you meant 40's on 4 which was gone but they brought it back due to overwhelming complaints....50's on 5 is still on but jock-less. I try and listen to 107.3, especially on the weekends and Friday evening when they spin good oldies; "BUT", what type of signal do they really have. No Stereo, even their stream is in mono. I am a few miles east of their Xmtr and Cat Country blows them away most of the time, in the car forget it, they are very unstable and will not lock. I still do not understand how they can have this very limited signal, its about a 1 mile radius. The 1290 days of old, with Standards, Chick Watson and the group were great times, great music and fantastic presentation. Heck I even remember Your Country Couzin WCZN 1590 with Sal April which played great Country Classics.

XM brought back 40s on 4 right when they said all along they would. Listener complaints were irrelevant.

FredLeonard said:

When they were "AM Only," the format could be described as "MOR Oldies." Now it's "AC Oldies." Yes, they throw in some "Las Vegas Lounge Music" or "Martini Music" but that's not the same.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_American_Songbook

Click to expand...

Again, that really sounds like Timeless Favorites, a format that didn't work for ABC/Citadel. Around that time, with Timeless Classics gone, only Westwood One/Dial Global and Music of Your Life had the real standards. Music of Your Life was taking the approach you would hope for, but America's Best Music was moving in that direction. True, even now unless you listen at a good time, you're not going to hear a lot of standards. And maybe some of the good songs are missing. Even Music of Your Life had to go with more oldies eventually.