What really killed the smooth jazz format was the PPM technology. The format had a big TSL, but the cume was terrible. Stations can't survive in the PPM age without a large cume.
-
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
WMJX tweaking their playlist to be softer?
- Thread starter ssetta
- Start date
That will be a mistake if they play softer 70's tunes like Temptations and Barry White. Much of the older demos who were kids during the Rock 'n' Roll and Beatles eras have retired. Today's workforce consists of Gen-X'ers and millennials, so playing any songs that cater to them fits the format. No one wants to be dozed off by that sleepy Barry White tune!
So? While we may be retired, that doesn't mean we don't listen to radio, and we don't mind hearing fare we were familiar with. You can't possibly think that any of today's "artists" can hold a candle to Motown, smooth-as-silk seventies' soul, or classic rock!
Barry White has plenty of upbeat fun songs, and younger people are liking older music more and more each year. The old formula of "only people such and such an age like XYZ music" is gone.
My Girl and Can't Get Enough of Your Love may still test well among many demographics. It's not like you are playing Barry Manilow or Neil Sedaka in front of people born 1963-1972 (otherwise known as fifty-somethings)!
It's the Oldies stations(or shall I say Classic Hits) that have eliminated the 60's, and in some cases some of the 70's music in order to emphasize on the 80's and to a lesser extant, 90's. The same thing applies to AC stations as well, as they now added some hair metal rock as well as dance-pop R&B tunes. Such formats always evolve as demographics change.
They know retired people listen to radio. They don't care. They don't want us. The stations, programmers, consultants, sponsors, etc... believe that younger people spend a lot more money much more impulsively than older people, and they believe that older people become more prudent about how they spend their money. That makes younger people the desirable target demographic. Whether it's true or not, it's the prevailing belief in how major commercial broadcasting is programmed.
It's not the stations or programmers who feel that way. It's the advertisers. You can hear it on radio stations that trend older, such as WBZ-AM and WRKO. The main ads you hear are from medical and drug companies. Advertisers interested in reaching older demos mainly use TV, especially for vacation destinations and luxury cars. Advertisers also believe it takes more time to sell older audiences, so they prefer using infomercials as a way of selling their products.
Radio stations and programmers would LOVE to program to older audiences. Radio companies have formats that target older people. But they're mainly in the news/talk formats because advertisers feel their messages work better in talk than in music. Eliminate the advertiser, and you'd have more stations targeting over-50s. Most of Boston's non-commercial stations target over-50s, especially WUMB. When listeners pay the costs, they get what they want.
As you mention in part, it is all about the benjamins. Stations program what advertisers will buy. And major accounts won't buy local radio for 55 and over. The main reason is not that they do not buy as much (which is true... empty nesters do spend less on consumer goods) but because it takes far more messages to get a sale; at some point it costs more to make the sale than the profit it produces.
In general, it’s fair to say that people over 54 are more knowledgeable, less impressional and more thoughtful when it comes to purchasing goods and services. Therefore, advertising has less impact to the over 54 age group. As David stated, it is not cost effective to advertise to us over 54. Indirectly, it is a complement!
WPLM-99.1's signal is strong in Boston itself and points south, but is weaker north of the city.
I am somewhat surprised that WPLM's owners haven't sold the station.
Were WPLM put up for sale, two possible buyers might be WXRV-92.5 (to extend their rock format to the suburbs south of Boston, Southeast Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the islands) or WGBH (to likewise extend the classical music format of WCRB-99.5 to those areas).
I don't think FCC regulations would permit WPLM to move their transmitter any closer to Boston. If 'PLM were able to move their transmitter closer to Boston, I think they woukd have done so long ago.
I am somewhat surprised that WPLM's owners haven't sold the station.
Were WPLM put up for sale, two possible buyers might be WXRV-92.5 (to extend their rock format to the suburbs south of Boston, Southeast Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the islands) or WGBH (to likewise extend the classical music format of WCRB-99.5 to those areas).
I don't think FCC regulations would permit WPLM to move their transmitter any closer to Boston. If 'PLM were able to move their transmitter closer to Boston, I think they woukd have done so long ago.
Joseph, you’ve been pushing this WPLM theory for what literally might be decades at this point. I see the Matty thing has brought you back to the site here with exactly the same type of predictions as you had whenever you were last here.
For the newer posters, you can usually look at Joesph’s predictions, guess the exact opposite, and be right more times than not.
For the newer posters, you can usually look at Joesph’s predictions, guess the exact opposite, and be right more times than not.
I seem to recall that Joseph was famous for his predictions, no? ;-)
You are talking about adding coverage outside the Boston Metro Survey Area. OK for local direct sales, but larger advertisers don't pay extra for coverage of a large metro signal that covers outside that metro. In fact, they pretty much ignore it.
Example: The majority of LA FMs cover Riverside/San Bernardino just as well as Los Angeles. Most don't even subscribe to the Nielsen book there, and none get any significant sales out of that added coverage.
I sincerely hope you’re wrong, as WPLM is a gem of a station that does the opposite of what nearly every corporate-owned station does. I hope the owners never sell.
Maybe WPLM's owners are that rare breed who resist the siren song of accepting an offer to buy their station.
I posted my thoughts not as predictions, but as possibilities if WPLM were ever to be sold.
If they can their transmitter/antenna closer to Boston, they probably would try to do so.
I posted my thoughts not as predictions, but as possibilities if WPLM were ever to be sold.
If they can their transmitter/antenna closer to Boston, they probably would try to do so.
WXRV's owner died. I doubt his estate wants to take on more stations.. thats not usually what happens when an owner dies.
- Status