stuart@ssc-vax.UUCP (Stuart Lewis) (06/07/84)
And now, the continuing saga, Part II, ******************************************************************************* >>> Hot clocks, three cuts and a commmercial is generally regarded as bad programming practice EXCEPT for contemporary hit radio stations (and then it is still a bad practice in my opinions.) Why didn't you mention the obligatory "drums and call letters" jingles before each song, or those jingle packages which end on every different note of the scale so that you get a smooth, sexy transition into the next cut. ******************************************************************************* Well, if it is such poor programming practice, why does nearly every station useit? And it's not "....bad programming practice EXCEPT for contemporary hit radio stations..." It's STANDARD programming practice for EVERYONE except class-ical, newsradio, jazz and the like. Why didn't I mention the jingles? O.K., I will. What's wrong with them? I've made a number of them for stations I workedat. Let's get back to money and the thought process. Remember the Alka Seltzercommercials "try it you'll like it"? Well those catchy little lines stick in peoples mind and they identify with it. Radio jingles catch in peoples minds and they identify that station with them - and when they think of those stationsthey listen to them. An ex- new wave station here in Seattle had some pretty bizzare 1 minute long jingles with new wave music that were IMPOSSIBLE to ig- nore. Good or bad, those things stick in peoples minds, and while I for one thought they were pretty catchy, most assuradly some people would not have. Youcan't please everyone. ******************************************************************************* >>>> My station was the first in the U.S. to run DC-Disco from Drake-Chenault, which is automated. What was really wild was that they actually advocated throwing away the book entirely. No hot clocks. Sweep the quarter hours. Long music sets. No "progressive stimulation" ala Muzak(tm). Other stations in this market played disco records on a hot clock. The result: the largest ratings increase in Charlotte radio history in a single book. The station now runs SuperSoul (medium mix) and is still # 2. ******************************************************************************* Balogna!! There isn't a major market station in the country that holds a no. 2 Arbitron rating by playing 'SuperSoul'. You print, on the net, a copy of the Arbitron rating for the last rating period and prove it by me. When you say "medium-mix" I'll bet it's real heavy on pop, and very light on soul if indeed it is no. 2 in the ratings - and you may prove my above statement wrong by showing that it is indeed no. 2, but like I say, heavy on pop. Choose any major market in the nation and I guarantee the top 3 slots will be held by either rock/pop, country & western or newsradio format stations. As for throw- ing out the music wheel, of course there's no music wheel in an automated sta- tion - it's all pre-recorded ahead of time. "Sweep the quarter hours". Do you mean 15 minutes and break, 15 minutes and break? Of course it was, because every 15 minutes they had commercials just like any other station. They have bills to pay, that's why they play commercials!!! As far as the largest ratingsincrease in history, I will agree with you (WHAT!! oh my!). In the late '70s disco was THE hot format and disco stations everywhere skyrocketed in the rat- ings, but where are they now? They're dead, that's why your station had to change format - because they were there to make MONEY! Not to illuminate the drab minds of all the ignorant boobs of the area in showing them the cool sounds of the Bee Gees and Tramp. New wave format stations were really hot the last 2-3 years too. I can't speak for the rest of the country, but the lastone in Seattle went t.u. last March. And guess what. They re-organized and now they're playing adult pop. MONEY! End Part II. Pass Go. Collect $200. Stuart Lewis ssc-vax!stuart
jlp@inmet.UUCP (06/13/84)
#R:ssc-vax:-18300:inmet:6600168:000:1155
inmet!jlp Jun 12 14:46:00 1984
sl> Balogna! There isn't a major market station in the country that holds a no.
sl> 1 arbitron rating by playing 'SuperSoul'. You print, on the net, a copy of
sl> the Arbitron rating for the last rating period and prove it by me. When you
sl> say "medium-mix" I'll bet it's real heavy on pop, and very light on soul if
sl> indeed it is # 2 in the ratings - and you may prove my above statement wrong
sl> by showing that it is indeed no. 2, but like I say, heavy on pop. Choose
sl> any major market in the nation and I guarantee the top 3 slots will be held by
sl> either rock/pop, country & western or newsradio format stations.
OK. I choose New York City. Not being a resident, but a frequent traveler
through, I tended to listen to top-40 stations. During the early 70's , it WABC.
At the beginning of the 80's, wasn't WBLS #1? What was their format when they
reached that spot? Granted, they are no longer the 100% soul station they were
at the beginning of the Frankie Crokcer era, but had they already gone pop?
Not trying to be argumentative, just genuinely curious...
The Organ Keyboard of
Jerryl Payne
{ihnp4,esquire,harpo}!inmet!jlpgds@mit-eddie.UUCP (Greg Skinner) (06/23/84)
sl> Balogna! There isn't a major market station in the country that holds a no.
sl> 1 arbitron rating by playing 'SuperSoul'. You print, on the net, a copy of
sl> the Arbitron rating for the last rating period and prove it by me. When you
sl> say "medium-mix" I'll bet it's real heavy on pop, and very light on soul if
sl> indeed it is # 2 in the ratings - and you may prove my above statement wrong
sl> by showing that it is indeed no. 2, but like I say, heavy on pop. Choose
sl> any major market in the nation and I guarantee the top 3 slots will be held by
sl> either rock/pop, country & western or newsradio format stations.
jlp> OK. I choose New York City. Not being a resident, but a frequent traveler
jlp> through, I tended to listen to top-40 stations. During the early 70's , it WABC.
jlp> At the beginning of the 80's, wasn't WBLS #1? What was their format when they
jlp> reached that spot? Granted, they are no longer the 100% soul station they were
jlp> at the beginning of the Frankie Crokcer era, but had they already gone pop?
During portions of '79, WABC was the #1 radio station in NYC and its
format was half r&b/disco and half other. During that same time, WKTU
occupied the #1 spot and its format was all disco. Afterwards, WBLS
grabbed the #1 spot and stayed there for a while (at least until last
year) with a format that began as primarily r&b but included more pop
over the years.
--
Those who know me have no need for my name.
Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{decvax!genrad, eagle!mit-vax, allegra!banyan, whuxle, ihnp4}!mit-eddie!gds