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Is this a good idea for a 80's and 90's station

G

gamefreak

Leading Participant
Sound like a good idea for an Adult Hits station. Could it be a win with advertisers (who primarily want young to middle aged women), or will it sink.

Go-Go's/ Belinda Carlisle
Micheal Jackson
Level 42
Wham!/ George Micheal
Eurythmics
Madonna
Tears for Fears
Depeche Mode
Joy Division/ New Order
Ace of Base
INXS
Midnight Oil
Soul Asylum
R.E.M
David Bowie
Hall and Oates
Steve Winwood

The idea is an all around 80's and 90's station without the Hair Metal, Grunge, Classic Rock and Hip Hop Music. More or less of mix of Pop, Dance, New Wave, One Hit Wonders, College Rock and Alternative. Some R&B could be thrown in as well as a few 70's and even 60's throwbacks. Post 2000's could be played if its by primarily adult artists (Sara Barelles) or fit the mold of said playlist. I want a big playlist, something that doesn't play the same songs in a 12 hour loop.
 
Sounds like my favorite variety hits station ever, 99.3 The Vine in Napa, California. Went to a more conventional "adult contemporary" format but you'd hear everything from Hall & Oates, War, James Brown, Prince, and Janet Jackson to Blur, Pet Shop Boys, Stone Roses, New Order and more. Incredible radio station with lots of Europop, New Wave, Modern Rock, even some Triple A currents. I miss them.
 
gamefreak said:
I want a big playlist, something that doesn't play the same songs in a 12 hour loop.
Click to expand...

Seems pretty unfocused. Write me your marketing line that only takes five words to say.

There is an infinite way of combining old songs into "formats." This appears to be pretty random. Given that there are only so many radio stations in a town, and there may only be one frequency available to cover this era, this would not be the most efficient way to reach this audience.
 
If your market already has a classic hits station, it's probably already playing most of the '80s music on your playlist -- and may be starting to reach into the '90s as well -- unless you plan to avoid the big hits by those acts and go with stiffs and album cuts.
 
The idea of the station is primarily an 80's and 90's Top 40 station. With the exception of not playing Hair Metal and Classic Rock. (Like Van Halen and Twisted Sister.) which is already overplayed by Classic Rockers, faux Classic Hits and "Jack FM" type stations. Grunge will also not be played mainly due to being overdone by Active and Alternative Rock stations. Some College Rock and Alternative Rock could be mixed in as well. Especially since a lot of it mixes in well with New Wave. Some Hip-Hop wouldn't be too bad depending on what it is.

The person I'm trying to target is people who want music from their youth. However don't like the harder rock music of Classic Rock stations. People who also don't like music that is "too soft", or is already way overplayed on Mainstream AC. Top 40 with an AAA/ Alternative kick is what I'm looking for. Which to me is a greatly under-served demographic.

People who may have been a button pusher in the 80's. People that liked College Radio but also Top 40 depending on what it was. People who liked The Cure, Cyndi Lauper and The B-52's. However couldn't stomach Hair-Metal and the Teen Pop towards the end of the 80's. People who want more than just well researched songs and artists.
 
Sounds like too narrow a niche. And as I said, there are already other stations covering the same era. If I'm in a medium sized market, I can't put all my eggs into 80s/90s. I need CHR, country, urban, talk, and other genres.

It's fine for an internet station, where people program to small groups. But OTA radio needs to be more inclusive.
 
Sample Hour

Lessons of Love- Level 42
You got to hide your love away- Beatles (60's Throwback)
True Colors- Cyndi Lauper
Luka- Suzanne Vega
Looking for Clues- Robert Palmer (one one the 1st MTV videos)
Love will Tear Us Apart- Joy Division
Who will save your soul- Jewel
Little Respect- Erasure
Rapture- Blondie
Damn (wish I was your women) Sophie B Hawkins
Porcelain- Moby
 
Probably right though, stations usually have short playlist because listeners typically want the same stuff over and over.
 
Stations wouldn't do it if it didn't attract an audience. That's what it's all about. The way stations are built, it's not easier or cheaper to play fewer songs. We pay the same rate regardless of the size of the playlist.
 
CTListener said:
If your market already has a classic hits station, it's probably already playing most of the '80s music on your playlist -- and may be starting to reach into the '90s as well -- unless you plan to avoid the big hits by those acts and go with stiffs and album cuts.
Click to expand...
Not a classic hits station I would even touch.
gamefreak said:
Sample Hour

Lessons of Love- Level 42
You got to hide your love away- Beatles (60's Throwback)
True Colors- Cyndi Lauper
Luka- Suzanne Vega
Looking for Clues- Robert Palmer (one one the 1st MTV videos)
Love will Tear Us Apart- Joy Division
Who will save your soul- Jewel
Little Respect- Erasure
Rapture- Blondie
Damn (wish I was your women) Sophie B Hawkins
Porcelain- Moby
Click to expand...
I was right. This needs to be called something else, but not "classic hits".
 
99.7 The Storm WIMI in Ironwood, Michigan sounds like that. They will air a lot of 1970s-2010s singles with no classic rock, no hip hop. But it screams Adult Hits, not AC. I heard "Porcelain" Moby, a commercial break, and into Mike and the Mechanics "All I Need is a Miracle" one time. No AC ever plays Moby!

-crainbebo
 
Get a hold of the Billboard Pop Charts from the 80's and the Adult Contemporary Charts, and Alternative charts from the 90's.

Do 33 percent 80's pop, 33 percent 90's Adult Contemporary, and 33 percent Alternative. That leaves 1 percent for commercials.

Playing your favorites, the New (station name)
Mom's got her Classic Hits station while Dad's got his Classic Rock station, but this is the music that you grew up with (station name)
 
gamefreak said:
Probably right though, stations usually have short playlist because listeners typically want the same stuff over and over.
Click to expand...

Do they really? On older stuff I mean, aimed at an audience not hearing it for the first time, rather than the obvious example of whatever the equivalent of Top 40 is these days where they want this week's hottest song played 3 or 4 times per hour?

And if so, why?

Is it because, whatever the format, there just aren't that many songs that fit that particular format that held onto a big enough chunk of their initial popularity?

Or could you have a large list from which to choose, all equally acceptable to the target audience, but upset them somehow by including too many of them?
 
unitron said:
Do they really? On older stuff I mean, aimed at an audience not hearing it for the first time, rather than the obvious example of whatever the equivalent of Top 40 is these days where they want this week's hottest song played 3 or 4 times per hour?

And if so, why?
Click to expand...
Read the threads on KRTH on the Los Angeles board. It is explained over and over and over and over there.
 
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