We’d all like to pretend that the music we listened to in junior high will stay forever young, but deep down we know that someday we will be buffalo stancing at the retirement home. (It’s not so bad. Imagine trying to explain to your bored grandchildren how you could once superman that ho.) Graying ’80s babies who never thought they’d be tuning into “oldies” radio may cringe at the thought that they now have to sit through a Motown block to get their Falco fix, but this (somewhat) timely AP report on the format’s gradual expansion proves that radio marketing directors are there for you. If the term “oldies” scares you, well, you’re just listening to “Classic Hits,” grandpa.
“We discovered the word ‘oldies’ symbolized music from the jukebox-era,” said Brian Thomas, the station’s program director and vice president of Classic Hits programming…
The result: “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” (1984) and “Caribbean Queen” (1985) share air time with more traditional oldies like “The Way You do the Things You Do” (1964) by The Temptations and “Proud Mary” (1969) by Creedence Clearwater Revival.Oldies stations across the country are evolving for similar reasons. WQRV-FM in Huntsville, Ala., formerly an oldies station, changed to Classic Hits two years ago. They dropped the ’60s and now play ’70s and ’80s. KQLL-FM in Tulsa, Okla., converted to a Classic Hits station last year. They no longer play early ’60s music. The format changes were ratings successes.
Thomas says the incorporation of ’80s music isn’t that different from the station’s original oldies days.
Changing to Classic Hits is “like the Senior Tour in golf now being called the Champions Tour,” he said. “It’s the same age group, but they don’t consider themselves seniors.”
Far from a recent all-change, the incorporation of ’80s music into oldies Classic Hits playlists has actually been a slow, ongoing process as the music’s receded enough into the cultural memory to not be mistaken for anything too current. And what of the alt-rock generation, next in line to find their music absorbed into the CH playlist? Thankfully the Alternative Gold format is already preparing us for the inevitable day when “120 Minutes” is the amount of time between trips to the bathroom on a good night.
A proposed debate topic, for fellow New Yorkers who follow radio formats:
Resolved: WCBS-FM’s failed two-year switch to “Jack” had to happen to prepare the listenership for a more ’80s-leaning, Gen-X-friendly mix of oldies.
My argument: While CBS pre-Jack was already throwing in the odd play of Olivia Newton-John, they weren’t ready to glom onto the likes of Billy Ocean or Katrina & the Waves until they’d desensitized the audience by taking away the Cousin Brucie-era CBS “brand.” In short, Jack was, in effect, the New Coke of NYC radio; bring back the old brand, slightly freshened up, and get rewarded with a bigger audience.
Discuss…
You know I was actually working as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met him. That much is true. I wasn’t old enough to be working in that bar when this song came out but boy does it have many memories every time I hear it.
How can I be in my thirties and love “oldies”?
But I will pay $21.50 at that Branson MO dinner theater for a little Bon Jovi!
This sorta started in the 90s in L.A. radio. I still remember the launch of Star-FM, which is/was an 80s radio station launched in somewhat deference to mid 90s malaise.
“NO RAP. NO SOFT STUFF. JUST GREAT SONGS.”
You know, like the early days of MTV.
@mackro:
I don’t recall Star 98.7 ever being marketed as an 80s radio station. If anything, their niche in the beginning was AOR like Sheryl Crow and Counting Crows and Matchbox 20.
Now they’re supposed to be all about RAWK AND ROLL (according to their new billboards), but I haven’t listened to the radio in over 10 years, so who knows what that means.
I think people should have to pay big money to sit in a room all day to even have the right to win a chance listen to the cd of “Lexicon of Love.” Is what I think.
this is like a radio-format version of The First Rock & Roll Confidential Report, innit?
@michaelpop: It means Lincoln Park and RHCP. Its basically KROQ without the emo and radio personalities. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether that’s good or bad.
The true insult of knowing our hey day, Is a decade away from becoming the opening act at a Branson MO. dinner theater.” $21.50 gets ya, The buffet and Flock of Seagulls. For me it is the advertisements between,”Informer” by Snow and Toni Basil’s MIckey. The bastards are trying to sell me, Laser eye correction, Viagra, and hair removal for my back……….I can smell Grim Deaths breath. It smells like Zima and microwave popcorn.
Can DEPENDS underwear be far behind?