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Classic Hits most popular format of Summer 2015 ... more 80s titles in the mix

vchimpanzee said:
I haven't been listing the songs they play but I might as well do it now.
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Knowing some of the songs they play will be helpful in the discussion for determining what "flavor" of the format the station is playing, but let's please not turn this into a thread with frequent long lists of same, okay?
 
K.M. Richards said:
Good. I hope the business keep their support, because as has been said many times, that's the only way these formats will survive at all. Being in a small (and presumably unrated) market helps a lot too.



Well, if he has the bucks to keep it running regardless of revenue, then he certainly can. It's his license.

Here in Los Angeles, we had a commercial Classical station on FM until February, 2007 ... long after the format had disappeared in many markets other than non-commercial public stations. The reason is that when KFAC/92.3 (now KRRL) was sold and dropped the format in 1989, the owner of KKGO/105.1 flipped from Jazz the following January.* He could afford to do it because he owns the station personally (in fact, he put it on the air originally in 1959 as KBCA and has resisted every offer to sell in the 55 years since) and has no debt to service. Perhaps a similar situation exists for the owner you reference above.

* - He changed the call letters to KMZT ("K-Mozart") ten years later, and when he flipped to Country in 2007 moved the call letters and Classical format to his co-owned AM on 1260 (with a simulcast on KKGO-HD2), where it has remained for the past eight years. I know the owner myself -- his name is Saul Levine -- and he has no intention of ever dropping the format, especially after investing in some equipment upgrades which make KKGO/1260 the cleanest-sounding AM I've heard in years. His adult children are active in the stations' operation and will take over ownership whenever he either retires or passes away. Not that I expect either to happen anytime soon, mind you.
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KM: Please tell Saul (not that my name will mean anything to him) that I am a huge fan. I especially enjoy his "Unforgettables" format on both KNRY (1240 AM) in Monterey and on KKGO HD-3 in Los Angeles. If I could suggest one thing...he appears to be feeding the AM (non-HD) signal to TuneIn...so on the app, I'm hearing compressed AM mono audio. If there's some way to originate the feed from L.A. instead of Monterey and pump in the crystal-clear KKGO HD-3 stereo, that would be terrific.

Now, on this Saturday morning, back to listening to Johnny Magnus' "Swing Time" on KKJZ (which Saul runs for CSULB).
 
K.M. Richards said:
Knowing some of the songs they play will be helpful in the discussion for determining what "flavor" of the format the station is playing, but let's please not turn this into a thread with frequent long lists of same, okay?
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I have plans to list songs in another place if you're interested, but these songs from several different times of day are just enough of a sample to give an idea of what this station is like.

"Dedicated to the One I Love" (don't know which version)
"Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" Rod Stewart
"A Summer Song" Chad & Jeremy
"Easy Lover" Philip Bailey and Phil Collins
"Groovin'" The Young Rascals
"Peggy Sue" Buddy Holly
"Silence is Golden" Four Seasons (probably)
"Love the One You're With" (don't know which version)
 
vchimpanzee said:
I have plans to list songs in another place if you're interested, but these songs from several different times of day are just enough of a sample to give an idea of what this station is like.
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Yes, this is helpful without being overwhelming.

If they're playing the hit versions, "Silence is Golden" is most likely by the Tremeloes* and "Love the One You're With" is by Stephen Stills.

*-Trivia about this group, who had the hit with "Silence is Golden" in 1967 (and you get bonus points for correctly identifying it as a Four Seasons song originally, being the B-side to "Rag Doll" in 1964): They had recorded Jeff Christie's "Yellow River" in 1970 but were heading in a more progressive-rock direction and didn't release their version. Producer Mike Davis then stripped the vocal tracks and Christie recorded new ones. Ironically, the Tremeloes had just come off a U.K. hit "Call Me Number One" when they decided to scrap "Yellow River"; guess where Christie's version ended up on the U.K. singles chart? Yep ... number one.

As the late Casey Kasem would have said after telling such a story ... now, on with the countdown.
 
K.M. Richards said:
Yes, this is helpful without being overwhelming.

If they're playing the hit versions, "Silence is Golden" is most likely by the Tremeloes* and "Love the One You're With" is by Stephen Stills.

*-Trivia about this group, who had the hit with "Silence is Golden" in 1967 (and you get bonus points for correctly identifying it as a Four Seasons song originally, being the B-side to "Rag Doll" in 1964): They had recorded Jeff Christie's "Yellow River" in 1970 but were heading in a more progressive-rock direction and didn't release their version. Producer Mike Davis then stripped the vocal tracks and Christie recorded new ones. Ironically, the Tremeloes had just come off a U.K. hit "Call Me Number One" when they decided to scrap "Yellow River"; guess where Christie's version ended up on the U.K. singles chart? Yep ... number one.

As the late Casey Kasem would have said after telling such a story ... now, on with the countdown.
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The Tremeloes are better known as the group that Decca passed on the Beatles to sign.

And I'd use the Mamas & Papas' version of "Dedicated to the One I Love" rather than the Shirelles', though that's just personal preference. They were both big hits.
 
I assumed it was the Four Seasons who did "Silence Is Golden" because that was the first group that was listed when I looked it up and it sounded like them, but The Tremeloes could be right. I didn't hear a DJ.

Here is another list from today.

In the earlier post “Big Girls Don’t Cry” was after a commercial break. The others were all played together with only one break for a DJ.

Just in case anyone were to ask why, the clock radio came on for Mike Huckabee who isn't on any more (I actually changed the time in case another show I didn’t want to listen to replaced it, which didn’t happen, and when the time change happens it’s precisely where I need it to come on to let me know when to clean up on Saturday) and I was hearing “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” now, but don't know by who.

“Reflections” Supremes
“Who’ll Stop the Rain” Creedence Clearwater Revival
lyrics “Smile a little smile for me, Rose Marie”
“Still the Same” Bob Seger

And, after a commercial break, after which the clock radio turns off:

“The Little Old Lady from Pasadena” Jan and Dean
 
vchimpanzee said:
I assumed it was the Four Seasons who did "Silence Is Golden" because that was the first group that was listed when I looked it up and it sounded like them, but The Tremeloes could be right. I didn't hear a DJ.

Here is another list from today.

In the earlier post “Big Girls Don’t Cry” was after a commercial break. The others were all played together with only one break for a DJ.

Just in case anyone were to ask why, the clock radio came on for Mike Huckabee who isn't on any more (I actually changed the time in case another show I didn’t want to listen to replaced it, which didn’t happen, and when the time change happens it’s precisely where I need it to come on to let me know when to clean up on Saturday) and I was hearing “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” now, but don't know by who.

“Reflections” Supremes
“Who’ll Stop the Rain” Creedence Clearwater Revival
lyrics “Smile a little smile for me, Rose Marie”
“Still the Same” Bob Seger

And, after a commercial break, after which the clock radio turns off:

“The Little Old Lady from Pasadena” Jan and Dean
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Your station sounds a lot like a local AM that recently switched oldies from Spanish/tropical/religious: the simulcast of WXCT Southington CT and WACM West Springfield MA. Driving to work today I heard the following in about 20 minutes:
Don't Sleep in the Subway -- Petula Clark
If You Want to Be Happy -- Jimmy Soul
Get Back -- The Beatles
The Love You Save -- The Jackson 5
I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight -- Boyce & Hart

The station streams at http://www.davidsonmediagroup.com/player/wacm_player.html
 
I have more information now that should let us positively identify the source of the music. On other days I was too far away to say for sure I heard his name right, and I don't listen to this station at home in the morning, but in the town where the station is located I did hear the name Jay Michaels.
 
If anyone finds these lists useful:

"Sir Duke” Stevie Wonder
“I Dig Rock and Roll Music” Peter Paul and Mary
“I Just Want to Celebrate” Rare Earth
“Hawaii Five-O Theme” Ventures
“Cold As Ice” Foreigner
“Sheila” Tommy Roe
“Hotel California” Eagles
 
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Someone mentioned "Jive Talkin'" on the other site. I heard that one the other day and didn't get it included in the list.
 
I've been reading that Earth FM in Greenville SC and WCBS-FM in New York City are both moving heavily toward 80s music and even some 90s. Earth FM dropped some 70s tunes (and maybe 60s too if any was left) and soft music.
 
vchimpanzee said:
I've been reading that Earth FM in Greenville SC and WCBS-FM in New York City are both moving heavily toward 80s music and even some 90s. Earth FM dropped some 70s tunes (and maybe 60s too if any was left) and soft music.
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Does that mean you believe us now when we say that the Oldies format is on its last legs?
 
vchimpanzee said:
Nope. Just commenting. I do believe the format has a second life on AM stations no one is listening to anyway.
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V-Chimp brings up an interesting point: Why do you suppose that the Oldies format wasn't able to move back to AM in the same way that Adult Standards did?
 
semoochie said:
V-Chimp brings up an interesting point: Why do you suppose that the Oldies format wasn't able to move back to AM in the same way that Adult Standards did?
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But it has moved to AM. In the smaller markets, anyway. And in small towns where they are the community radio stations, like the one I was listing songs from. Greenville NC has an oldies AM that is doing better with all listeners than the active rock FM.
 
semoochie said:
V-Chimp brings up an interesting point: Why do you suppose that the Oldies format wasn't able to move back to AM in the same way that Adult Standards did?
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Because Adult Standards never really left AM for FM. There were very few markets that had Adult Standards on FM. Oldies was on FM for decades. Boomers got used to the audio fidelity. Good luck getting them back to AM. I'm still (barely) under 60 and unless there was an exceptional radio station or talent I really wanted to hear that was only on AM, I've been locked on FM since 1969.
 
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