H
Hot Hits
Guest
** Playlist Rotation
"Steve Thompson remains in denial, it seems, of everything he learned when he asked questions of myself and David Gleason of Univision Radio a few years ago about how music is programmed on Classic Hits stations.
Yes, it is well known that KRTH plays some songs as often as five times a day, but as he should know, those are the songs which rate the highest in auditorium testing. I would estimate that close to one-third of their library plays at least three times a day, but these are the songs that [and you got this right, Steve ... no 'apparently'] their listeners never get tired of them. Take into account that the average listener only tunes in for about 20 minutes at a time, multiple times per day, and it is relatively easy, using today's music scheduling software, to have the repeats turn up in different hours over several days. The end result is that the average listener only hears a song once or twice out of two dozen plays over an entire week.
It's only the 'deep playlist' fans like Steve who refuse to accept the fact [and he did mention KRTH's high ratings] that a smaller playlist, consisting of well-researched songs that listeners rank as the ones they want to hear often, will always perform better than one consisting of more titles, but as a consequence play those high-ranked listener favorites less frequently. As for Saul Levine and KSUR, he is in an entirely different situation. He doesn't have to use a tight playlist because (1) he's getting listeners just from the format flip in the first place; (2) most of these songs haven't been on the air in L.A. for many years anyway; and (3) he doesn't have to worry about ratings, because he knows going in that the Oldies format will get an older audience and all the ad buys are going to be local, not agency. I wouldn't be surprised if down the road he tightened it up a bit, once the novelty wears off ... but he certainly doesn't have to do that as KRTH must to remain competitive. My admiration for Saul for taking chances simply because he can afford to remains at a 'power rotation' level." - K.M. Richards
** Message from Saul Levine
"1260 AM [K-SURF] is now programming Oldies 24/7. My company, Mount Wilson FM, has owned an operated 1260 for 25 years. We have tried several different formats over this period of time. Standards have been featured on three different occasions, each time, up-dating the presentation to more modern renditions hoping to make the format successful.
Recently, when our research confirmed the need for an Oldies format in LA, we decided to move the Standards to 105.1 HD 3, and the Web, but to retain it. The move to Oldies on 1260, on 105.1 HD 2, as well as at LAOldies.com, has achieved enough support to justify its presence now on 1260 as a 24/7 format.
Supporting this move is a better AM signal. Our engineers have installed new equipment which has increased the area in which 1260 can be received along with the 100 mile coverage on 105.1 HD2. Also 1260 now operates with 20,000 watts in contrast to the 5,000 watts when we acquired it from Buckley Radio. I am optimistic that in contrast to the Standards format that never seemed to break through with a saleable demo that K-SURF / LAOldies will be successful.
In response to some who think I enjoy changing formats, a reminder that I placed 105.1/fm on the air in 1959 (about 60 years ago) and there have only been two formats prior to Country which has now passed TEN years and will never be changed." - Saul Levine, President Mount Wilson FM
"Steve Thompson remains in denial, it seems, of everything he learned when he asked questions of myself and David Gleason of Univision Radio a few years ago about how music is programmed on Classic Hits stations.
Yes, it is well known that KRTH plays some songs as often as five times a day, but as he should know, those are the songs which rate the highest in auditorium testing. I would estimate that close to one-third of their library plays at least three times a day, but these are the songs that [and you got this right, Steve ... no 'apparently'] their listeners never get tired of them. Take into account that the average listener only tunes in for about 20 minutes at a time, multiple times per day, and it is relatively easy, using today's music scheduling software, to have the repeats turn up in different hours over several days. The end result is that the average listener only hears a song once or twice out of two dozen plays over an entire week.
It's only the 'deep playlist' fans like Steve who refuse to accept the fact [and he did mention KRTH's high ratings] that a smaller playlist, consisting of well-researched songs that listeners rank as the ones they want to hear often, will always perform better than one consisting of more titles, but as a consequence play those high-ranked listener favorites less frequently. As for Saul Levine and KSUR, he is in an entirely different situation. He doesn't have to use a tight playlist because (1) he's getting listeners just from the format flip in the first place; (2) most of these songs haven't been on the air in L.A. for many years anyway; and (3) he doesn't have to worry about ratings, because he knows going in that the Oldies format will get an older audience and all the ad buys are going to be local, not agency. I wouldn't be surprised if down the road he tightened it up a bit, once the novelty wears off ... but he certainly doesn't have to do that as KRTH must to remain competitive. My admiration for Saul for taking chances simply because he can afford to remains at a 'power rotation' level." - K.M. Richards
** Message from Saul Levine
"1260 AM [K-SURF] is now programming Oldies 24/7. My company, Mount Wilson FM, has owned an operated 1260 for 25 years. We have tried several different formats over this period of time. Standards have been featured on three different occasions, each time, up-dating the presentation to more modern renditions hoping to make the format successful.
Recently, when our research confirmed the need for an Oldies format in LA, we decided to move the Standards to 105.1 HD 3, and the Web, but to retain it. The move to Oldies on 1260, on 105.1 HD 2, as well as at LAOldies.com, has achieved enough support to justify its presence now on 1260 as a 24/7 format.
Supporting this move is a better AM signal. Our engineers have installed new equipment which has increased the area in which 1260 can be received along with the 100 mile coverage on 105.1 HD2. Also 1260 now operates with 20,000 watts in contrast to the 5,000 watts when we acquired it from Buckley Radio. I am optimistic that in contrast to the Standards format that never seemed to break through with a saleable demo that K-SURF / LAOldies will be successful.
In response to some who think I enjoy changing formats, a reminder that I placed 105.1/fm on the air in 1959 (about 60 years ago) and there have only been two formats prior to Country which has now passed TEN years and will never be changed." - Saul Levine, President Mount Wilson FM
