This post isn't so much to advocate an all-70s format on traditional terrestrial radio. There have been many attempts over the years in various markets and I don't think it's been successful anywhere. Maybe it has, I don't know. Besides being able to program one's own "station" by means of an mp3 or Ipod, is there a channel on either XM or Sirius that's all 70s music?
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All 70s format
- Thread starter Steppenwolf
- Start date
If Portland is a good example, our 70s station started fairly strong and was cut down by a new Classic Hits station. At a time when Oldies was still strong and the 70s audience too young and fickle, there just wasn't enough left. I always thought the format would work after the audience matured more, which is a moot point now because Oldies stations have evolved to encompass the 70s.
Chicago hasn't had an all 70's since 1996, when Cox sold their radio stations in the Chicago market. Since it was on a suburban signal, then Infinity Broadcasting divested the station, and became Regional Mexican. Since I have Sirius, they have Totally 70's on ch. 7. Since I don't know if any market will bring back a 70's station. In Chicago, the best you're going to get to a 70's station is Love FM, which plays a lot of 70's music. However, it's a lot of disco & Motown music. Also The Drive is the closest to 70's as well. But it's a Classic Hits station aimed at the male listener. But with the Drive, since WJMK dropped oldies, the Drive had a temporary increase in ratings (small, but an increase), since there was an overlap in some songs between the formats.
semoochie said:
Part of the problem was that there were so few songs that the format could "own"...Classic Rock played all the good rock songs, and AC was still very 70s heavy.
There was also the imaging problem...to many people the 70s were the decade of Jimmy Carter, polyester clothes, disco, 8-track tapes & crappy cars like Datsuns and the Pacer.
All 70's stations sprouted up around 1993-94 and almost disappeared overnight. Two Northern California radio Stations that I can recall were KBGG-98.1 San Francisco and KEXX-100.0 Tracy-Stockton. On February 14, 1994, KABL-98.1 dropped Soft AC in favor of "All 70's" and called itself "Big 98.1". Amonth later, KEXX-100.9 dropped 60's/70's Oldies in favor of "All 70's" as "Star 100.9". Both stations played a blend of Classic Rock, Pop and R&B of the 1970's.The mix just didn't make sense. Almost a year later, Both stations would eliminate the R&B and Disco Tunes and sound more like ARROW stations. A year later, KABL would change its calls to KBGG and play Classic Hits of the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's while KEXX-100.9 would switch to Country. I think all "All 70's" stations morphed into "60's/70's/80's Classic Hits" stations".
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fang39
Guest
Let's face it, it's not likely to happen. Given programmers propensity to narrow their playlists to under 400 songs (I'm being generous!), their rotation would be burnt to a crisp within 2 weeks. Your only alternatives (besides your iPod) are satellite or internet radio stations.
Unfortunately, this is true. The trend of most attempts at 70's programmimg has been to play up the "cheesy" aspect of the deacde, as in "what the hell were they thinking?" rather than celebrating the most musically diverse decade of all time! "Truckin'" Tom Kent's 70's program and his Classic Hits (60's/70's) 24/7 programming gives listeners the sound and feel of 70's Top 40 radio, but sometimes the music is buried behind the personalities, phoners and imaging.
I host/produce a weekly retrospective program called "Saturday Morning 70's," that has been well received by programmers, but hasn't been picked up by a national syndicator because there aren't enough viable ($) outlets for it. But, I still have a blast putting it together each week
Oldbones said:
Unfortunately, this is true. The trend of most attempts at 70's programmimg has been to play up the "cheesy" aspect of the deacde, as in "what the hell were they thinking?" rather than celebrating the most musically diverse decade of all time! "Truckin'" Tom Kent's 70's program and his Classic Hits (60's/70's) 24/7 programming gives listeners the sound and feel of 70's Top 40 radio, but sometimes the music is buried behind the personalities, phoners and imaging.
I host/produce a weekly retrospective program called "Saturday Morning 70's," that has been well received by programmers, but hasn't been picked up by a national syndicator because there aren't enough viable ($) outlets for it. But, I still have a blast putting it together each week
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RockyWShore
Guest
Hey, Fang 39, thanks for keeping the 70s going... I produce a 70s show too, weekly for two hours during my regular airshift on an LPFM station. We also stream online. www.theblizzard.us WFBO-LP in Flagler Beach, FL, 93.3FM. It's really shoot-from-the-hip, nothing really planned out, flying by the seat of my pants. I got a couple of books and things I pull little factiods out of, but it's all about playing the music that was commonly heard on AM Top 40 Personality radio from back in the day. If I put many ancedotes in the show, it just slows it down. Mostly I try to limit whatever is related to the song's run back then to the walk-ups and let the tunes flow. Saturday nights from 7 to 9PM on The Blizzard www.theblizzard.us/ 93.3FM. Any requests; 386-439-2549. (shameless plug). Where is your show run, Fang?
Rocky W.
Rocky W.
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fang39
Guest
Hey Rocky! Thanks for your post. "Saturday Morning 70's" is a weekly 2 hour show that celebrates the music and memories from the decade that gave us Archie Bunker, Watergate and The Pet Rock. The show is pre-recorded and completely scripted. Each week we have a Spotlight Artist or Theme and features like Trivia, High School Class Reunion, One-Hit Wonder and Flashback Four-Play. Currently, we're heard on several smaller stations across the country, plus affilliates in New Zealand and Singapore. We're also on several Internet stations. Our website is SM70s.com...Check it out!
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markoni
Guest
I just helped set up a 70's station in Spokane with Jerry Clifton, KAZZ... but they're still working on the signal. It's great to listen to, just needs to cover the market better.
RockyWShore said:
"Blizzard" is a curious (but damn fine) moniker, especially for a station in Florida. After reading your post, I couldn't help but wonder if you're from Buffalo, ever visited Buffalo or the people who own the LPFM are from Buffalo... where folks know a thing or two about blizzards.
As to the 70's format; it seems previous posters hit the nail on the head. It was cool for a while, until the format got sliced up by Oldies stations that played 60' and 70's, the classic rockers that played 70's and 80's and the AC's that dipped into the 60's, 70's and 80's. Between those three genres and other permutations like Arrow and Classic Hits, the 70's format just didn't have enough of a base or gas left in the tank.
Best regards,
JimPastrick
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RockyWShore
Guest
Jim Pastrick;
The station's President, Ron Kocher, hails from Pittsburgh, PA, and hasn't lived in Buffalo. Speaking of Buffalo, in the mid 70s into the early 80s I grew up on a somewhat steady diet of WKBW 1520 back in the day. Liked listening to Jim Quinn in the weekday evening slot. (Grew up in Lowell, MA, just north of metro Boston...).
Blizzard, heck we don't know what it is to be in one, like you guys get belted with every winter! But yeah, it's a unique monniker. Hence the call sign We're Flagler's Blizzard of Oldies // WFBO - LP.
Best,
Ron Gitschier
Palm Coast, FL
The station's President, Ron Kocher, hails from Pittsburgh, PA, and hasn't lived in Buffalo. Speaking of Buffalo, in the mid 70s into the early 80s I grew up on a somewhat steady diet of WKBW 1520 back in the day. Liked listening to Jim Quinn in the weekday evening slot. (Grew up in Lowell, MA, just north of metro Boston...).
Blizzard, heck we don't know what it is to be in one, like you guys get belted with every winter! But yeah, it's a unique monniker. Hence the call sign We're Flagler's Blizzard of Oldies // WFBO - LP.
Best,
Ron Gitschier
Palm Coast, FL
I'd have to agree with this aspect of the whole 70s format dilemma. The 70s were a GREAT decade of music, but everyone's quick to talk about disco and polyester.
The thing that I always find interesting when it comes to talking about an era of music and how we refer to it is that the average listener doesn't remember when a song came out, they just know if they like it or not. It's like when you say you play the "greatest hits of the 60s and 70s" and you throw in a song from 1980. I doubt the phone lines are going to light up with listeners saying "That's not from the 60s or 70s!!!"
Maybe it's all in the packaging???
Steppenwolf said:
Sirius has a very good 70s channel, Totally 70s, with mostly great jocks (Magic Matt Allen, Dave Hoeffel & JJ Walker- not so much with Barry Williams -aka Greg Brady from the Brady Bunch), image and playlist size. Everything from pop, rock, soul, disco, country and more is played. If it was a hit- it gets airplay.
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