The Next Generation of Classic Rock

WFOX 95.9, in nearby Fairfield County CT, has made a format shift. The Connoisseur owned classic rock station has dropped 60's and 70's music. They will now focus on rock from the 80's-2000's.
This seems to be a logical move. Not only does it help attract a younger audience, but it differentiates them from WBAB and Q 104.3.
As Q 104.3 continues to do well in the ratings, I guess they will not be making such a move anytime soon. But it is refreshing to hear a greater variety of the less ancient rock.

Barry said:

WFOX 95.9, in nearby Fairfield County CT, has made a format shift. The Connoisseur owned classic rock station has dropped 60's and 70's music. They will now focus on rock from the 80's-2000's.
This seems to be a logical move. Not only does it help attract a younger audience, but it differentiates them from WBAB and Q 104.3.
As Q 104.3 continues to do well in the ratings, I guess they will not be making such a move anytime soon. But it is refreshing to hear a greater variety of the less ancient rock.

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It is about time. They should have done this 20+ years ago. There were/are too many other stations covering the 60's and 70's with a better signals. They did a piss poor job playing or should I sat beating those same songs to death from day one that made the station un-listenable.

mikerock said:

It is about time. They should have done this 20+ years ago. There were/are too many other stations covering the 60's and 70's with a better signals. They did a piss poor job playing or should I sat beating those same songs to death from day one that made the station un-listenable.

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How long will it take the tight new playlist to become the same old, same old to the audience that now complains about '60s/'70s classic rock's stagnant nature? Connoisseur is not known for being musically adventurous.

Those same played to death songs from the 60s/70s will get better ratings than 80s-2000s. By the 80s, rock was starting to fragment, and stations that were playing current rock at that time, like WNEW-FM, were starting to see their ratings drop. That's not a good strategy if the goal is to get younger demos. The classic rock station in Philly just jumped to #1 again (beating classic hits WOGL), and it's likely to be #1 in 18-24 again.

As mainstream classic rock stations WBAB and WAXQ can be clearly heard in much of Fairfield County CT., this change will at least differentiate the station. I always thought of The Fox as yet another classic rock station, and as mentioned above, even more repetitious than the others.
Anyone know if the music being played is similar to that of co-owned The Shark, on Long Island?

TheBigA said:

Those same played to death songs from the 60s/70s will get better ratings than 80s-2000s. By the 80s, rock was starting to fragment, and stations that were playing current rock at that time, like WNEW-FM, were starting to see their ratings drop. That's not a good strategy if the goal is to get younger demos. The classic rock station in Philly just jumped to #1 again (beating classic hits WOGL), and it's likely to be #1 in 18-24 again.

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The music from that period is really showing it's age. Saying they should stick to it is similar to saying CBS-FM should have stuck with 50's and 60's. Look at CBS-FM's ratings now compared to where they were.

I just can't see how they can continue to get younger demos since the contrast between music between the 90s and now, is small compared the aged music between the 60's and 70's. I am not talking about repetition or that it is played out, it is a dated and aged genre. It is coming close to being aged like Doo Woop or the youth of today enjoying the Beatles like someone in the 80s would enjoy Big Band music. They may like it but it is not going to draw the numbers or be their main stay.

mikerock said:

The music from that period is really showing it's age. Saying they should stick to it is similar to saying CBS-FM should have stuck with 50's and 60's.

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They would have, but the demos went too high. That's not the problem with classic rock. Rock ages better than pop. We've studied in side by side.

The current generation prefers 60s/70s rock to the pop music of the same era. And the older demos have tired of the old rock, while they haven't of old pop. This is great for classic rock stations, bad for oldies stations.

Meanwhile 80s/90s rock is closer to alternative rock. Which is why alt stations tend to draw on it.

Well, maybe I will try again tomorrow. I used to be able to receive them here in Rockland but maybe whatever conditions going on this time of year since I am only getting some NPR station. Did not listen long enough to wait for an ID.

Connoisseur is tweaking a second station this week. WKJY 98.3 on Long island is bringing back its old moniker, KJoy. According to the RadioInsight, The PD said they will be playing "Pop hits with instant familiarity." I don't know whether this indicates any significant change in their A/C playlist. They will use the slogan, "Long Island's Place to relax," which may (or may not) mean they will be a soft a/c.
The station will apparently be down to two radio personalities during weekdays. So they are moving the syndicated John Tesh show to 5 pm, the middle of afternoon drive.

TheBigA said:

Those same played to death songs from the 60s/70s will get better ratings than 80s-2000s. By the 80s, rock was starting to fragment, and stations that were playing current rock at that time, like WNEW-FM, were starting to see their ratings drop. That's not a good strategy if the goal is to get younger demos. The classic rock station in Philly just jumped to #1 again (beating classic hits WOGL), and it's likely to be #1 in 18-24 again.

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I'm hearing most classic rock stations centered in the 80s, with a couple of 70s songs an hour and a couple of 90s songs an hour. Zep and the Stones still are represented, but the Beatles, Doors, and Hendrix are fading away at some stations. You still can't get away from Steve Miller and Elton John, but the top testing song at a classic rock station I know is "Under The Bridge" for whatever that's worth.

The changes at The Fox's sister station station WKJY 98.3 (as mentioned above) seem odd. Apparently its 2 personalities broadcast from 6 am-2 pm. The station seems to be automated from 2-5 PM, and then broadcasts the syndicated John Tesh Show from 5-10 pm. Of course it then goes automated after 10 pm.
So there are no local personalities after 2 pm on weekdays. If a station only has two dj's, why wouldn't they have one of them on during afternoon drive? Tesh could then be moved to evenings.
Another thing I noticed about the station is that despite the imaging indicating it is a soft a/c, ("Relax') the only significant change in the music, as far as I can tell, is that now some 70's songs are being played. Musically, it still seems to be a regular A/C.

Plus WKJY and WBZO are the two holdouts who do not broadcast in HD. I sent WBZO an email about HD a year ago and they gave me the tag line that they are looking into it.

There is a decent amount of alternative product included in 95.9's playlist, even some recent material.

The playlist reminds me of 93.3 WMMR to an extent.

Overall, a much better variety than the garbage Fault 92.3 plays.

One more thought - this isn't what I would dub a "Next Gen" classic rock station. It's a predominantly 90's & 00's focused Mainstream Rock station that plays some recurrents but not any currents.

MarkW said:

There is a decent amount of alternative product included in 95.9's playlist, even some recent material.

The playlist reminds me of 93.3 WMMR to an extent.

Overall, a much better variety than the garbage Fault 92.3 plays.

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What, you do not like hearing "Panic! At The Disco, High Hopes" on 92.3 every hour?

I can't listen to 92.3 anymore. Every time I turn it on for months now it is that same song. If I tune back in later it is on again. I always wonder if they are getting paid to play that one song over and over again. I do not believe I have ever heard one song played so much on a station in my life time than that.

There are a few markets, San Diego and Detroit come to mind, that are trying "Next Generation of Classic Rock." But I think you have to be in a market that really loves rock to give it a try. I'm not sure Fairfield County is such a place.

The reason the 2019 version of Classic Rock still covers The Beatles to the 90s, is that as we grew up, most rock stations played plenty of library rock, even in the 1980s and 90s. So even if today you are in your 50s, 40s, even 30s, your rock station as you were growing up was likely playing The Stones, Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd and The Beatles, both together and as individual artists, alongside contemporary acts, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Elton John, Heart, Tom Petty, etc. However, if you preferred Top 40, Country, Urban or similar formats, your station would rarely play something more than a few years old. Those formats were much more driven by new releases.

This is why the rock artists of the 1960s and 70s are still getting played 50-60 years after their songs were released. You were exposed to more library material than if you were listening to Top 40, Country or Urban stations. I suppose sometime in the 1990s, rock stations became specialized and stopped playing a wide variety of rock hits. You no longer got James Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, Van Halen, Sting and Human League on the same station. It split between Active Rock, Alternative Rock and Classic Rock.

Classic Rock still works surprisingly well, even in the 18-49 and sometimes in the 18-34 demos. I suppose some 60s and 70s titles are getting deleted and 90s titles are getting added. But the urgency isn't the same as on AC and Classic Hits stations to keep revising the playlist, where each year the songs that appeal to listeners hitting 54 get moved out and a new block of songs that appeal to someone reaching 25 get moved in.