FM classic rock: repetitive playlists

McBru6177

One Way or Another
Why are classic rock stations limited to the same predictable, boring playlists? There are absolutely no unpredictable tracks that are played by my local FM stations.

I understand the basic business part of FM is to attract the largest number listeners to hear the ads. I also understand that the main target audience is likely age 50+. What I do not understand is how can a station that plays the same Aerosmith/Led Zeppelin/ZZ Top etc hits attract such listeners. Boring! Jazz, folk, classical stations don't seem to be stuck in the same stale rut.

Can anyone explain the business model adopted by FM rock stations? Or do they really think us old timers want to hear the same tracks over and over and over....?
 
Their market research says that you like those songs and that you can't go a day without hearing 'Doctor, My Eyes' at least twice. If you paid more attention to the market research you'd be a happier person.
 
This is exactly why I no longer listen to "classic" rock. In fact, I'm pretty burned out on it and could live the rest of my life without ever hearing another classic rock tune.
 
I feel thy pain.

Again, yet again, I will recommend my old radio station that I helped bring back (april '98 to Nov 2004 I was employed there when we were recovering from the awful country format we had gone to in '92).

This station digs DEEP into album cuts.

www.wdnsfm.com

Please, visit and stay awhile. I've been gone 10 years, but they still rock.
 
Apparently, you haven't listened to NPR. If I hear the American in Paris one more time...........

BTW, it's called classic rock, because it's older (mid-sixties thru the mid eighties) rock. We have some progressive stations up here in Minneapolis, but they have a playlist too.
 
Back in the 70's & 80's. They did this because they were being pushed by the record companies. Why they still do this now a days is beyond me. I like to think it's because they have younger producers. Who only know the really big hits. So they figure this is what everyone wants to hear.
 
This is exactly why I no longer listen to "classic" rock. In fact, I'm pretty burned out on it and could live the rest of my life without ever hearing another classic rock tune.

^^^ This. About 6 years ago, I switched to College, and Community FM and am not looking back. If I want to, I have my classic rock needs on owned media.
 
Funny Q-107 in Toronto just adjusted there playlist to include some newer tunes. Guess they figured out the 50+ demographic. They also figured what age demographic has the most disposable income I listen to 91.1 jazz fm they have a wide playlist and for the bulk of my time I listen to it.
 
BTW, it's called classic rock, because it's older (mid-sixties thru the mid eighties) rock. We have some progressive stations up here in Minneapolis, but they have a playlist too.

Hell, one "classic rock" station in my neck of the woods plays stuff from the late 60's to the late 90's. I never would've thought of 90's music being considered classic, yet.
 
Funny Q-107 in Toronto just adjusted there playlist to include some newer tunes. Guess they figured out the 50+ demographic. They also figured what age demographic has the most disposable income I listen to 91.1 jazz fm they have a wide playlist and for the bulk of my time I listen to it.

Yes, but newer tunes means the 90s. What used to be "Alternative Rock" is now "classic rock" -- Nirvana, Pearl Jam. They still play the same stuff over and over. But I'll give some credit to Q-107 for trying to change--the rock stations just north of Toronto (95.7, 104.1) are much worse. And don't get me started on the CRTC's rules for playing Canadian content.
 
I feel thy pain.

Again, yet again, I will recommend my old radio station that I helped bring back (april '98 to Nov 2004 I was employed there when we were recovering from the awful country format we had gone to in '92).

This station digs DEEP into album cuts.

www.wdnsfm.com

Please, visit and stay awhile. I've been gone 10 years, but they still rock.

Looks interesting. They are even having a Johnny Winter tribute tonight. :thmbsp:
 
The only thing worse is the growing number of inane "sports talk" stations on the FM band. Let 'em stay on the AM side.
 
I barely listen to FM anyways. In the shower with a showerradio is the most use FM has for me. The local radio station (only a kilometer away from my house) sometimes airs truly awful Dutch folksong, but on other occasions awesome 80's tunes, like Land of Confusion, Eye Of the Tiger, and other truly good songs.
 
eh.. I don't really have a problem with classic FM playlists these days. The trendy thing these days seems to be to shun the popular music and wish they had a better selection, etc. But for me at least, truth is, when I turn on FM and hear some random grungy band or w/e playing, I usually turn the station.

The biggest problem I usually have is finding stations that play modern alternative rock where the other half of their playlist isn't straight-up hip/hop and rap.
 
I hate FM radio. Nothing like it was in the 80's with variety and real DJ's.

Nowadays I listen to internet classic rock stations that play deep tracks:

http://www.3wk.com/player/playerNEW.php?station=classic

http://www.3wk.com/artists.php?station=classic

3WK Classic Undergroundradio was built as a way of honouring groundbreaking late 60's/early 70's progressive rock stations like: ABC-FM Love, CHOM-FM Montreal, CHUM-FM Toronto, CJOM Windsor, CKGM-FM Montreal, KAAY-AM Little Rock (Bleeker Street), KABC-FM Los Angeles, KADI St. Louis, KAUM Houston, KBEY-FM Kansas City, KDKB Phoenix, KFH-FM Wichita, KFML AM/FM Denver, KGO-FM San Francisco, KCJC-FM Kansas City, KISW-FM Seattle, KLOS Los Angeles, KMET-FM Los Angeles, KMPX-FM San Francisco, KMYR-FM Denver, KOL-FM Seattle, KOME-FM San Jose, KPFT-FM Houston, KPPC-FM Pasadena, KPRI-FM San Diego, KQRS-FM Minneapolis, KQV-FM Pittsburgh, KRST Albuquerque, KSAN-FM San Francisco, KSEA-FM Sand Diego, KSFX-FM San Francisco, KSHE St. Louis, KWFM Tucson, KWKI Kansas City, KXYZ-FM Houston, KZEL Eugene, WAAF-FM Worcester, WABC-FM New York, WABX Detroit, WAMO-FM (Brother Love Underground Program) Pittsburgh, WBAI New York, WBCN Boston, WCAR-AM Detroit, WCFL-AM Chicago (Subteranean Circus), WDAI Chicago, WDVE Pittsburgh, WEBN-FM Cincinatti, WGLD-FM Chicago, WHFS Washington DC, WJDX-FM Jackson, WKNR-FM Detroit, WKTK Baltimore, WLAV-FM Grand Rapids, WLIR Long Island, WLS-FM Chicago, WMMR Philadelphia, WMMS-FM Cleveland, WNAP-FM Indianapolis, WNCR-FM Cleveland, WNEW-FM New York, WNRZ Ann Arbor, WNTN-AM Newton, WOR-FM New York, WPLJ New York, WPLO-FM Atlanta, WPLR-FM New Haven, WREK-FM Atlanta, WRIF Detroit, WSAN-AM Allentown, WSEO-FM Kalamazoo, WVIC-FM East Lansing, WWWW Detroit, WWOM-FM New Orleans, WXFM-FM Chicago (Triad Freeform Radio), WXRT-FM Chicago, WXYZ-FM Detroit, WYDD Pittsburgh, WZMF-FM Milwaukee and many, many more...
 
All I know is that I'm GOOD on hearing "Maggie May" by Rod is God Stewart, & "Stairway to Heaven" by ANOTHER bunch of Brit mugwumps, Tin Balloon, until the year 2525 or so.. I was actually SICK of "Maggie May" by about 1972 or so... I was in Chattanooga then, & it was a "Bigger than MONSTER" hit there... Hell, I think even the "Kuntry-Lovin'", & the "Urban" stations played it into the ground, too..
 
I'd imagine all of the programming is done by suits at some office out of New York. They will just license the same set of songs from an artist that can be played across different formats. ZZ Top's "Legs"? It will work on the '80s station, the classic rock station and the station that plays "the greatest hits ever!". No deviations at all. As we all know, the world will end if a radio DJ plays a B-side track....
 
Find a good college station. Here in eastern Pa., we are spoiled to have WXPN in Philadelphia. Three different internet streams, a bunch of FM repeaters that cover a wide area, eclectic mix of old and new.

I personally think a strong FM signal almost always sounds better than the same station's internet stream, no matter how high the quality.
 
It makes me forget about the rest of a great group's catalog and kind of turns me off of the group. I buy a lot of old reel and cassette tapes and really enjoy hearing people's mix tapes as well as some straight off the air from the '70s tapes.
 
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