Wrote a thought piece about whether oldies will ever come back to Atlanta

[Rodney Ho]

http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2012/06/13/will-atlanta-radio-get-oldies-back/

[secondchoice]

Good story.  I agree about CBS could do oldies on 92.9, but that would be too easy.  It 's not that CBS can't do oldies or classic hits.  KLUV (Dallas) + WCBS FM would be good starting points.

[jabba17]

Will Atlanta get oldies back?  Yes.  Will Atlanta get 1960s music back?  No.

[carolinaradio]

Oldies, IMO, equals 1960s music.  If it got anything, it would be 70s/80s classic hits that might sprinkle 60s in.

[BRENT]

I am so tired of trying to get oldies back.  To say that older demos have no money is the most outlandish thing I have ever heard.  We are the ones keeping the economy going, not some 20 something's making minimum wage. 

[recto101]

Will Atlanta get oldies back?  Yes.  Will Atlanta get 1960s music back?  No.

If Atlanta wants an Oldies station back it would have to resemble KOSF 103.7 and 98.1 KISQ San Francisco in San Francisco. This means that there will be 2 oldies stations one with Classic Rock, The Second Oldies station will focus on 70's and 80's CHR with a motown lean.

[MRFLASHPORT]

good article Rodney.
Almost forgot how successful Fox 97 was in the early to mid 1990's, when Randy and Spiff were king. The note about those listeners drives home my point, they are still around, and as others have said, these are the people with money. Brand loyalty isn't a factor as it was 30 years ago. Many of these people have smartphones, high speed internet, and are adapting to technology faster than generations before.

Radio has an opportunity to get a last breath of life off offering some real diverse and appealing programming to these folks, but instead, as their idiot consultants instruct the corporate bean counters, stick with what is "safe" and don't deviate from this norm. Make sure to drive these 55+ folks to Pandora, Sirius and online faster than you can say, "you're off the air". They don't mind paying for content ya know, not like they can't afford it. Too bad corporate radio doesn't get it.

[crguy]

Is this the dave fm story you had referenced earlier or is that still coming?  This thought piece is interesting but it certainly isn't about dave fm.  Ro Ho are you going to follow though and publish an article on that station?

[Mr_Winston-Salem]

It's not a matter of do you have money to spend. Research shows as we all get older, we become "stuck in our ways" and advertisers are wasting their time trying to change our minds. A 25 year old Chevy owner will try a Toyota. A 33 year old will try the latest junk food. A 44 year old will buy things for their kids or are looking for family activities. A 57 year old will say I've drove the same make of car for years. It's the best and I'm not switching. I like this brand of chips. The kids moved out. I'm on a budget or still saving for retirement. If they are retired, the money has to last or it's back to work.

Young people will buy anything if the spots are exciting and flashy enough. Older people know what is quality at a reasonable price, they know how much they have to spend on it, they know if they actually need it or not and no advertising can tell them otherwise.

Yes, there are exceptions, but research shows for most radio listeners and TV viewers, this is accurate. It's why I can't listen to standards or oldies anymore on my radio.

[FloydB]

Would 50s/60s music be considered Standards today? Would it work on a FM translator of an HD signal or an AM?