• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

K-Surf 1260 growing playlist

oldies76

oldies76

Noticing the ever-growing playlist on K-Surf 1260 (Los Angeles). They now play many songs and lost classics from mainly the 60's and 70's, with a touch of 50's and some early 80's. A dream station that L.A. has been waiting for so many years. Granted, the signal does not travel great distances, but for those that can receive it, they are in for a treat! Reminds me of K-Earth 101 from decades ago! Saul and staff are doing a fantastic job. Now all we need are some weekend specials and it will be complete. Kudos to K-Surf!

As for the playlist, very complete with many songs not heard on FM radio any longer. Softer ballads, rock & roll, disco classics...etc.. And with the limited commercial breaks, you get more than the average songs per hour. Lots of seldom heard classics mixed with the staples and bigger hit songs. They way radio should be, nothing less.

Keep throwing out the hits 1260.
 
The interesting thing is, they're not playing obscurities or stiffs. Everything on the "last played" list for the past hour was a big hit, and just about all were played regularly on oldies stations in the '90s before the older songs started aging out. I expected a strong "oh wow" factor when I clicked the "listen" button, but there's no "oh wow" at all to songs like Go Your Own Way," "Brandy" and "Time Is On My Side." Now they're playing Boston's "Foreplay/Long Time," which is more likely to be played on classic rock radio than oldies/classic hits, but it is still a very familiar hit.

So I'm curious as to why oldies76 is so enthusiastic about this station. Is it that K-Surf still allows allows all the varieties of pop, rock and r&b that topped radio playlists in the '50s, '60s and '70s to coexist today?
 
CTListener said:
The interesting thing is, they're not playing obscurities or stiffs. Everything on the "last played" list for the past hour was a big hit, and just about all were played regularly on oldies stations in the '90s before the older songs started aging out. I expected a strong "oh wow" factor when I clicked the "listen" button, but there's no "oh wow" at all to songs like Go Your Own Way," "Brandy" and "Time Is On My Side." Now they're playing Boston's "Foreplay/Long Time," which is more likely to be played on classic rock radio than oldies/classic hits, but it is still a very familiar hit.

So I'm curious as to why oldies76 is so enthusiastic about this station. Is it that K-Surf still allows allows all the varieties of pop, rock and r&b that topped radio playlists in the '50s, '60s and '70s to coexist today?
Click to expand...

If you look at the playlist tab on their website and go back two days worth of song titles, few repetition is noted. Only once in the last couple days was "Hotel California" played, instead of 7 times on other stations. They played "Love Rollercoaster" earlier today, that would be an "oh wow". You have to look at the days worth of songs, not just one hour's worth to locate them. You'll see them. And since many FM's have eliminated them, to hear these songs will give the "oh wow" impression. So yeah, I am enthusiastic and it's great to hear the classics again. I hope it continues for some time.

BTW, "I'm Your Boogie Man" is an "Oh Wow", just played recently.
 
Last edited:
oldies76 said:
If you look at the playlist tab on their website and go back two days worth of song titles, few repetition is noted. Only once in the last couple days was "Hotel California" played, instead of 7 times on other stations. They played "Love Rollercoaster" earlier today, that would be an "oh wow". You have to look at the days worth of songs, not just one hour's worth to locate them. You'll see them. And since many FM's have eliminated them, to hear these songs will give the "oh wow" impression. So yeah, I am enthusiastic and it's great to hear the classics again. I hope it continues for some time.
Click to expand...

"Love Rollercoaster" was played regularly on WDRC-FM Hartford until new ownership turned the station first into rock-based classic hits, then straight-on classic rock. To me, an "oh wow" song is one I haven't heard since it was current. It's going to be a long time before I think of a song I was hearing on FM 15 years ago as an "oh wow" song, and most of what I'm hearing on K-Surf, except some of the '50s/early '60s hits (which I remember from the early oldies stations of the '80s), falls into that category for me. I guess LA's oldies station wasn't as deep as Hartford's oldies station.
 
The playlist could be around 900-950 songs.

Unlike Hartford CT, LA is car culture when means radio listeners flip the dial without hesitation, but even a low powered AM station with a playlist in the 900's is better than none.

WRDC's playlist may have matched WCBS's for a bit. Under Joe McCoy, WCBS FM's playlist was around 1,500 songs in the mid 90's. It dropped to 1,200 in 2002, then went to 600-700 songs, in 2003 where it stayed until flipping to Jack FM in June 2005.
 
I mean, if "Muskrat Love" was played at 4:12pm today (early drive time), then anything's game. I applaud them for playing the "lesser known" songs day after day. Playlist is at least 900 songs ATSF, it could very well be over 1000, with many more on "standyby". Can anyone even remember when "Muskrat Love" was last played in the L.A. market? I know KRTH did in the 1980's, but that was 33 years ago.
 
ATSFGuy said:
but even a low powered AM station with a playlist in the 900's is better than none.
Click to expand...

Denver has three stations on the AM dial that do roughly the same thing. You have 1510 (which leans rock), 810 and 1430 (which lean select standards and oldies / classic hits) which I can pick up 60 miles south in the day. Could this be a nationwide trend? But yes, 900+ songs is a bonus in 2019. It can be done!!
 
TheBigA said:
It can be done if you want to be the lowest rated radio station in town.
Click to expand...

I don't think Saul even cares. He's satisfying older listeners in LA who were abandoned by other stations. He's happy and he's living a dream. All you need is some money. It can be done....
 
oldies76 said:
Denver has three stations on the AM dial that do roughly the same thing. You have 1510 (which leans rock), 810 and 1430 (which lean select standards and oldies / classic hits) which I can pick up 60 miles south in the day. Could this be a nationwide trend? But yes, 900+ songs is a bonus in 2019. It can be done!!
Click to expand...

None of those stations is making money. At best, they add about 0.02 ratings points to the cluster.

What that means is not enough listeners to get on an agency buy and not enough customers to create retail direct traffic.
 
ATSFGuy said:
The playlist could be around 900-950 songs.

Unlike Hartford CT, LA is car culture when means radio listeners flip the dial without hesitation, but even a low powered AM station with a playlist in the 900's is better than none.
Click to expand...

Actually if we go back to pre-PPM, we find that Hartford and LA had about the same percentage of radio listening in the car. The only major variation was New York City, where in-car under-indexed significantly because of the high use of public transit.

The issue with KSUR is that it has limited coverage and people commuting are likely not to hear it for the full length of their commute. And it's not low power: 20 kw days and 7.5 kw nights.
 
During the day if you commute from Lancaster/ Palmdale area you have a good signal. At night you start to loose it as you go through Santa Clarita area.

Of course, it began as a San Fernando Valley station, and it even has to protect 1280 in Long Beach!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
DavidEduardo said:


Actually if we go back to pre-PPM, we find that Hartford and LA had about the same percentage of radio listening in the car. The only major variation was New York City, where in-car under-indexed significantly because of the high use of public transit.
Click to expand...

But I'd imagine people in Los Angeles spend more time in their cars going to and from work, given the much greater size and population of the metro area and the heavier traffic they generate, right? Delays of even 30 minutes are relatively rare on I-91 and I-84 heading in and out of Hartford; in fact, I often drive right through Hartford on 91 around 8 a.m. on weekdays and only have to slow to 40 or so for a few exits before traffic speeds up again once all the downtown area traffic has gotten off. Surely the LA commuters are spending a lot longer getting to work and coming home (and listening to more radio while doing so).
 
oldies76 said:
I mean, if "Muskrat Love" was played at 4:12pm today (early drive time), then anything's game. I applaud them for playing the "lesser known" songs day after day. Playlist is at least 900 songs ATSF, it could very well be over 1000, with many more on "standyby". Can anyone even remember when "Muskrat Love" was last played in the L.A. market? I know KRTH did in the 1980's, but that was 33 years ago.
Click to expand...

Which "Muskrat Love", America or Captain & Tennille?
 
semoochie said:
Which "Muskrat Love", America or Captain & Tennille?
Click to expand...

Gotta be Captain & Tennille.

I always thought the Captain looked embarrassed when he played this song. Like "the wife dragged me into this, this isn't really my music - you guys understand."

Of course he had a decent excuse. As for America...
 
ChannelFlipper said:
Gotta be Captain & Tennille.

I always thought the Captain looked embarrassed when he played this song. Like "the wife dragged me into this, this isn't really my music - you guys understand."

Of course he had a decent excuse. As for America...
Click to expand...

The America version didn't have the electronic muskrat squeals, a small mark in its favor. Its writer, Willis Alan Ramsey, is actually highly regarded in Texas country/Americana circles, having written songs recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Waylon Jennings and others. He also wrote "That's Right (I'm From Texas)," recorded by Lyle Lovett. Needless to say, his take on the muskrat song -- which he titled "Muskrat Candlelight" -- was neither as cutesy as C&T's nor as bland as America's.
 
oldies76 said:
If you look at the playlist tab on their website and go back two days worth of song titles, few repetition is noted. Only once in the last couple days was "Hotel California" played, instead of 7 times on other stations.
Click to expand...

You really hate that song, don't you?
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top Bottom