70s

[carolinaradio]

This is definitely the decade that will not die on AC.  Just months after large market stations like WBEB, WLTW, and WLIT eliminated the decade, guess what.... "Lights", "September", "Tiny Dancer", and "Old Time Rock & Roll" are back!  Can AC not move on and leave that decade to classic hits, adult hits, and classic rock?  I just wish they'd lose the 70s and dive more in to the 90s (songs that Hot AC stations have moved on from) and even play more new music.  I guess I don't understand why the AC format seems to keep getting more dependent on older music.  I love the 70s, but can't we move on to more songs that AC has been ignoring?  There's plenty of stuff out there.

The only station I can understand doing this (somewhat) is WBEB, who is dealing with WOGL's unprecedented strength.  Perhaps to help keep the upper end of the demo from defecting to 98.1.

[Dave]

I was listening to WLIT a bit more when they dropped the 70's from their playlist.  I like some 70's songs (I was born the mid 1970's), but I grew up more in the 80's & was an adult by the mid 1990's, & would like to hear more 80's & 90's songs.  It seems to me that these AC stations still want to hold onto the baby boomer demo that were born in the 1950's & early 1960's. 

In the case of WILV, they might be classified in a way, a Gold AC format, as they have few songs from the 2000's, & no new songs since positioning primarily to an 80's playlist.  They call themselves Rewind 100.3, Hits of the 80's 90's, but they play few 90's songs, but still play a lot of 70's songs (especially when they announce: "Here's a Rewind, Rewind"). 

I wish CBS hadn't dropped Fresh from 105.9, but they couldn't compete with WLIT, though they had the better playlist.  They played a lot more 90's songs than WILV did (done so intentionally to protect WTMX), & slightly more than WLIT, while avoiding any songs from the 1970's.  While CBS still has Fresh on 105.9 HD2, it's otherwise not on in Chicago. 

I'm starting to think it might be 5-10 years before we see the 70's dropped from AC radio stations.  At least I haven't heard any Carpenters or Barbra Streisand music.

[Tiger1983]

If you listen to any of the CC AC stations(whether Premium Choice or live-and-local), you sometimes hear the artists that are not known to other AC stations owned by different companies. A few years ago, I heard Barry White's Never, Never Gonna Give You Up on KQXT from San Antonio when that song was part of their regular playlist. I can still see some other AC stations playing it, according to the YES.com's playlists. That song originated in 1973, along with his commonly heard Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe and My First, My Last, My Everything. My First, My Last, My Everything was frequently played on B101 in Philly last year before that station cut down on some '70s product and focus more on the 80's thru Now.

As for Never, Never Gonna Give You Up(no relationship to Rick Astley's version, but with one "Never"), the song is more tolerable for smooth AC, urban AC and classic hits formats because it is considered too sleepy for today's AC, especially when they are playing newer music. Personally, I would change to a different station every time I hear it because it could put me to sleep.

As I say it again, WKSB from Williamsport, whose format is classified as a hot AC but plays Premium Choice, plays too much sleepy oldies music along with the current product. I wish that station, along with the others in the same cluster is sold to a different company so that it can be "live-and-local" again. They used to be a true hot AC until Clear Channel got rid of their local talent.

[carolinaradio]

Interesting insight and I agree.

I wonder if the issue could be that the AC format can't survive without the upper end of 25-54, which probably likes 70s and 80s music?  When B-101 in Philadelphia dropped the 70s, WOGL started increasing and has surged to #1, while WBEB/B-101 fell back.  AC stations also tend, in a lot of markets, to do better when there isn't a Classic Hits station.  AC stations have become so gold obsessed/focused, that "new" music has become an afterthought.  Despite them being in the top 15, Premium Choice AC still isn't playing Fun. / Janelle Monae, Norah Jones, One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen, Katy Perry (Wide Awake), or Jason Mraz.  All fit the format well. 

I don't understand any other reason why AC stations now have to hold on so to 70s/80s music and burned-out recurrents instead of embracing more NEW music.  The top 15 on AC right now is fantastic and has a lot of variety, better than the format has had in years, from "Call Me Maybe" to "Happy Pills" to "Wide Awake" to "We Are Young."  They should take advantage of it. 

This is what I'm noticing - more and more females in their upper 30s and early 40s are listening to CHR (in addition to Hot AC) along with their kids and liking it.  This wasn't really the case in 2000.  CHR is probably the most "soccer mom friendly" right now that it has ever been.  That audience is sticking to CHR/Hot AC longer instead of moving in to AC like we've seen in recent times.  When they want to hear something old, they may go to Adult Hits or Classic Hits where it isn't as boring or repetitive.  That poses a problem for the "Best Variety Of Yesterday and Today"/Delilah/Shania Twain, Rod Stewart, Elton John, and Daughtry AC's.  Do they continue to emphasize 70s and 80s to maintain their (aging) audience, or start playing more currents off of the AC chart and embracing new music?  Smaller markets are doing the former, larger markets are doing the latter. 

IMO, AC has become a 35-54 format with a bias towards the upper half of that.  It seems to me that as AC has gotten harder and harder in sound, there is less to distinguish it from other formats.  70s and 80s are on Classic Hits and Adult Hits, those decades plus 90s are on Adult Hits, and 00s/much more current are on Hot AC/CHR.  Where does this leave the AC?  I think that in the near future, these AC's are going to have to decide if they want to come in to the 2010s or be classic hits stations.

[carolinaradio]

Also, if you're a 25-54 and listen to CHR (and even Hot AC) and AC, since basically everything on AC is a previous CHR hit, you're already going to sound stale/burned to the listener if you consider "Set Fire To The Rain", "The One That Got Away", or "Stronger" your "newest" music - the slow moving chart is another problem at AC..

[semoochie]

You can't blame AC for trying to hold onto baby boomers for as long as possible.  There are still a lot in the 45-54 demo.  The youngest baby boomer is now 48 though, so expect this to change in a couple of years.  Overall, AC hasn't aged with its audience for a long time, not since switching from 25-44 to 35-54.  "55" is still the end of the line. 

[carolinaradio]

If we use Philadelphia as an example, it's obvious when an AC aleniates 45-54 (when WBEB went more modern and dropped the 70s) that it gives a boost to the Classic Hits and Adult Hits stations and the AC slips.  Older-leaning AC stations typically do better in the overall numbers than more modern, upbeat Mainstream AC's.  25-44 seems to be all about Hot AC and even CHR now.

I think the format, as we have known it for the past 10-15 years, has plateaued.  As the Boomers age out, it will be essential to try to adjust to the tastes of Gen X'ers - many of whom have no interest in traditional AC as it currently is.  CBS and Cox have done a good job of evolving their AC's and taking risks - Clear Channel, overall, not so much.  While I understand them wanting to hold onto the Boomers, they have to start evolving.  That's why I keep suggesting more 90s.

[carolinaradio]

This article is on target: http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/108810/adult-contemporary-s-demographic-fault-line-is-now

As the current 45+ listeners start to rapidly fall out of the target demo, AC is going to have to think fast.  Do they want to update their concept, to try to at least get the lower end of 45-54, or evolve in to classic hits stations, just "throwing in" some occasional 90s or 00s gold?  If the station is doing well playing older music, and no one is filling that void in the market, the latter may not be a bad idea (B-105.7/Indy is somewhat of an example of this, and to a lesser extent, Kool 105.5 in West Palm Beach).

35-44 wants way more new music than AC is providing, IMO.  When those age in to 45-54, what happens?  Premium Choice has yet to add One Direction, Carly Rae Jepsen, or Fun - I don't see those songs appealing to listeners over 45, so they are obviously still shooting for the very high end.

[crainbebo]

I like some 70s songs on AC. "Tiny Dancer" completely fits the format. My local KRWM airs Tim McGraw's version, but I've heard other ACs spinning the original Elton John version.

[semoochie]

I think "Tiny Dancer" fits the format that AC used to be but gets further away from the present one, with each passing day.  Even some early 2000s ballads are starting to sound out of place!