WRQN's New Format:

Wow. That was a long time between format changes. I remember riding the bus home from school one day when my favorite pop station, 93Q, started playing 'Louie Louie' around the clock, announcing their switch to oldies.

For anyone who listens to radio in the car, I recommend getting a head unit with HD Radio. New radios usually have this built-in. Most of the local channels have an HD2 station, which is a commercial-free additional format.

104.7-2 is alternative / alt-rock
92.5-2 is dance & electronic
94.5 has a couple
etc.

I really liked WRQN's previous playlist of classic rock intermingled with MoTown and soft rock, there is only so much Scorpions, Motley Crew, and GnR I can take on 94.5 and 104.7. I swear WIOT must play Stairway or Sweet Home Alabama every hour, on the hour.

Agreed, dbw8906. I have heard WIOT and WXKR simultaneousluy play Aerosmith and AC/DC (though never the same song at the same time). What I dislike about WXKR is their comparatively small playlist: WCSX in Detroit plays a lot more varied songs, while WXKR is heavy on a few bands (AC/DC, ZZ Top, Aerosmith, and Skynyrd. Oh, and they always play that stupid Aerosmith cover version of "Come Together" by The Beatles.

Song lineup from the 7PM hour, June 13

Rod Stewart - Forever Young
13.06.2011 7:02pm

Tommy James & The Shondells - Mony Mony
13.06.2011 7:06pm

The Electric Light Orchestra - Hold On Tight
13.06.2011 7:08pm

Jefferson Starship - Miracles
13.06.2011 7:11pm

Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl
13.06.2011 7:20pm

Van Morrison - Moondance
13.06.2011 7:23pm

Free - All Right Now
13.06.2011 7:28pm

Elton John - Philadelphia Freedom
13.06.2011 7:34pm

Phil Collins - You Can't Hurry Love
13.06.2011 7:39pm

Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia
13.06.2011 7:47pm

Roxette - The Look
13.06.2011 7:50pm

Supertramp - Give A Little Bit
13.06.2011 7:54pm

The B-52s - Love Shack
13.06.2011 7:58pm

Follow more hours at http://www.yes.com/#WRQN?log

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WRQN has moved into a 70's/80's based format. I looked through a few more hours and saw no songs from the 90's (although there may be a couple sprinkled in.

The move into the 80's has to be expected. I love the music of the 60's, but I can tell they're going for the core of the 25-54 demo...the 32-45 year olds who are hot targets for advertising.

I'm sure they have music research (but possibly not LOCAL music research--most likely it's a national survey) that says all of these songs are "hits" in that demo...but goddamn, "Cecilia" into "The Look" by Roxette is a train wreck. Those two songs come from two vastly different listener groups with nothing in common (IMO). They've got to have someone avoid jarring segueways like that. The other jarring aspect is that this is a lot of change for the listeners...losing Bob Kelly on Friday and hearing a whole bunch of new music on Monday morning. We'll see how they fare under the "new" direction.

Otherwise, it's just the next revolution of "money-demo" oldies. As I was jarringly reminded this weekend, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" turned 25 years old this past Saturday (released June 11, 1986). That makes a prototypical "Ferris" 43 years old or so now...owning a house and raising little Buellers...and not listening to much in the way of 60's music (sad to say--although I'm sure dad Ferris would still quote John Lennon to them).

That sample hour is a little better than the bland swill I caught earlier today, oldhometown. Thanks also for your insights; I had heard in the past that 25 years was the cutoff for "oldies," which of course makes a lot of 1980s music "old," yet I think they could mix in more newer material that has ties to older songs (new songs by old artists, or songs that are similar to earlier styles).

When in Detroit I will listen to Doug-FM (WDRQ 93.1 FM) and its variety hits / Jack FM format. You get a much wider range of songs, and they seem to avoid playing music that has not aged well while mixing in newer songs that, well, do not suck (for example, The Outkast and "Hey Ya" gets some airplay on this station).

Here, by the way, is the stretch of aural pain I caught on the way to work (the Rare Earth song played while I was pumping gas, so I missed it):

George Michael - Faith
13.06.2011 4:13pm

James Taylor - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
13.06.2011 4:15pm

Rare Earth - Get Ready
13.06.2011 4:24pm

Corey Hart - Never Surrender
13.06.2011 4:26pm

Little River Band - Reminiscing
13.06.2011 4:31pm

Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight
13.06.2011 4:39pm

"Feel Good Favorites" is the tagline, BTW.

i for one, welcome our new overlords

The only complaint that I had before about WRQN was that for all the good "oldies" out there, they would only play or keep playing the same songs. For instance, "Stop in the Name of Love" by the Supremes was good, but they did make other songs. Hearing that same song over and over again got tiresome.
Now, they have really dropped the ball. Like posted above, if I wanted to hear some cutzie 80s and 90s songs with my oldies, I'd switch to 101.5 and 105.5 occasionally.
I know that I'm getting older and that the term "oldies" means 80's and 90's now, but I guess I'll wonder on A.M. radio to find my "oldies".

dbw8906: I usually listen to 92.5 or NPR. But know how you feel, I believe 92.5 plays that 20 year old Hypnotise Me by Notorious BIG every sing day several times. So much I've started also listening to 101.5. (Really wish John Tesh had his own radio show and not just the between song segments)

There's always 93.9 out of Windsor. They have a pretty good mix, although it was never the same after Jeff "Zippy" Crow left. Loved to hear him talk about the music.

And yes, that dates me. Argh.

98.3 has started to play a mix of music across the decades as well. I don't know their official play lists or anything like that, but I hear songs I like occasionally when flipping through the channels.

^^^^^ perhaps the greatest post about radio I've ever read. Thanks oldhometown, wish I could double.

meant to say double +

Do most radio stations have the music programmed into a computer type system that dictates what songs are played? The actual radio personality has little or no control I assume

Yeppers - oldhometown rocks on music and radio info.

I'm in Detroit just about everyday and listen to WCSX pretty much anytime I pass Luna Pier Rd, it's a MUCH better station than any of the classic rock stations down here.

I'm a prototypical "Ferris" but I was raised on Folk and singer/songwriter so my taste trend more toward John Denver & The Stones and trend older than my generation. I've had many a discussion (even wrote a term paper) on the changes of "Classic Rock". I remember "classic rock" when I was a kid was Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, The British Invasion, and some MoTown. As I grew older "classic rock" became 60's folk, The Momma's & The Papa's, Loving Spoonful, and Dusty Springfield. Then as I got out of high school "classic rock" became 70s Arena Rock as Journey, Rush, and Styx took to the main stage. Now "classic rock" included all of the 80's hair garage and no some 90's grunge, neither of those are my gig.

I've really been thinking about making the switch to satellite radio because I'm all good with today's new music and "classic rock" no longer seems all that classic. My wife has it in her car (I'm too cheap) and she hates "old man radio" when I wont turn it off the 60's or 70's station.

Many a man has hopelessly died on the battlefield trying to fight Father Time, it's a battle I wish no part of. I'll leave Lady Gaga to the "kids" and let classic rock slip to the next generation. I need songs with messages, neither Ke$ha/Chis Brown or Stone Temple Pilots/bell biv devoe do that for me.

Thanks oldhometown, that's informative.

^^You're welcome HF & INeedCoffee.

Do most radio stations have the music programmed into a computer type system that dictates what songs are played? The actual radio personality has little or no control I assume.

Correct, although it is a person--the station program director--who programs the playlist; it's not just a random assortment picked by a machine. Songs are organized into eras (i.e. early 70's, late-70's, early 80's, etc.), themes (rock, disco, pop, teen idol, etc.) and categories. For a station like WRQN, you'd have "power" song categories are played most often, "secondaries" fill in the gaps, "spice" category pops up with a song every hour or two, and then there are "evening" or "overnight" songs which are the deeper cuts that are played when fewer people are listening, but give the station a little more variety (and also help to rest the "power" songs). Top 40 or other current formats tend to be organized into "currents", "recurrents", "breaking/debut", and "goldens". The program director has a computer program which can spit out a 24 hour music log in about 3 seconds based on a "clock"--a schedule of how many of each type of song the PD wants in one hour.

Unless it is a "request" show where the person on-air is given a little more latitude, the personality is not allowed to alter the playlist in most circumstances.

The main problem I see now with WRQN is the jarring segueways of songs that do not fit together--I don't care what the research says. If you researched me, you'd find that I really like chocolate. You'd also find that I really like enchiladas. However, I don't want the two on the same plate at the same time. Same thing here. Take a look at these two "screeching-to-a-halt" back-to-backs during the 10AM hour this morning:

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Prince - 1999
14.06.2011 10:06am

Bread - Baby I'm A-Want You
14.06.2011 10:09am

Madonna - Dress You Up (In My Love)
14.06.2011 10:23am

Prince into Bread???? That's a new one. BTW, the Madonna song would be the epitome of a "spice" song--it certainly was not one of her huge hits. But, it hopefully gives you (the listener) the impression of a station that plays "deep" cuts.

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Steppenwolf - Magic Carpet Ride
14.06.2011 10:54am

Rick Astley - Together Forever
14.06.2011 10:56am

<sarcasm> Just the two audiences I think go together...hard core bikers & rockers followed by 80's teeny-bopper pop (to paraphrase Brian from "Family Guy"-- "...and here's a song by a gay guy".</sarcasm>

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The station sounds really schizophrenic right now...like it doesn't know the audience. Stations with "split personalities" like this tend to lose everybody because you can't please either side.

Maybe the station got rick-rolled...lol

LOL mom2. Rick Astley music should be outlawed.

I spent the 80s listening to mopey British bands like the Cure and the Smiths, but I've always had a soft spot for this particular Madonna song. Check out the girls at the beginning in their Madonna gear.

Another clip that I think of when I consider the state of radio:

The best song that decries the corporatization and standardization of commercial radio is Elvis Costello's "Radio, Radio":

Guess I won't be listening to radio anymore. There hasn't been a decent song since the 50's and 60's.

Better bust out the ol' Victrola then deere1. After a picture show in Cinemascope of course....

I've been disillusioned with the state of Toledo radio since I was in high school, sitting out in the car to pull in the Detroit stations that actually played what I wanted to hear. I recall a Saturday in the mid 90s when I was stuck at work and heard Alice in Chains every single one of those eight hours. Painful.

Last year, on a trip to NYC, we rented a vehicle that had satellite radio. We LOVED it. My best friend has been raving about it for years, and just before our trip last week, I finally broke down and subscribed.

Probably not for everyone, but definitely worth it to us. We had lots of variety to choose from and we didn't hear a single commercial the entire trip.

Being someone who has lived in several cities over the years, I can tell you that some cities just have better radio. By "better" I mean stations that offer a wide variety of choices. Oldies, classic rock, modern, etc all had a station and they weren't mixed.
I find it hard to listen to "Brown Eyed Girl" on the oldies station, then again on the river, then on 105.5, then on classic rock station 94.5. I know it's considered a cross-over hit I guess, but gosh. Enough is enough.

I add my thanks, oldhometown - great explanation of how radio "works" these days.

My tastes are pretty eclectic, but I also lament the lack of good radio around here. I used to listen to 89X, but they're just an all-talk freak show in the AM now. 93.9 from Windsor is decent, but they've started playing some oldies WAY too much. I wind up listening to WXUT sometimes, but it's a crap shoot as to what they'll play or even if you can pick it up. If I'm getting near Perrysburg, I'll tune in WBGU - they play better music (IMO).

Now if I'm home, I'll stream radio over the net. KUT (U of Texas) plays some good music, as do some other college stations down there. If they ever get to the point where you can cheaply stream radio to your car, I'll be set :-).

call me crazy, but i really like the new "feel good" format of WRQN. i listened for the first time this morning on the way to work, and by golly... it made me feel good!

I agree upso. It is my generation's music and I like the selection.

Question for OldHomeTown: How does a radio station determine the number of people listening?

What irritates the hell out of me is it seems like no matter what format a radio station is, they all play the same handful of songs over and over. If you listen enough, it's easily noticeable. There has been enough good songs made that repetition should be much less frequent.

There has been enough good songs made that repetition should be much less frequent.

See my above post (now highlighted in green--thanks!) about radio ratings and its affect on programming. Radio is programmed for short term listening.

In addition, the term "good songs" is highly subjective. What is a "good song" to you might be crap to 80% of the other listeners who will tune out.

How does a radio station determine the number of people listening?

As with TV ratings, it's an estimate based upon a statistical sample of persons willing to allow their listening habits to be measured. All of the major and large markets are now being measured digitally by a device called the Portable People Meter, which people carry with them that picks up what station that person is hearing and how long they are hearing it. Notice I did not say listening to the station--difference! The machine can only determine if a signal is audible in the area, not whether you are paying attention to it. The PPM is still controversial because of this.

The other method--the one still used in Toledo--is a diary method where a listener (or a family of listeners) agrees to write down the radio stations you listen to in one week and what time you listened to them. Problem with this method is that it relys exclusively upon recall...most people don't fill out the diaries day-by-day. They wait 'til the end of the week and then try to figure it out before they send the diary back to Arbitron (the radio ratings company). What influences this recall? TV advertisements, "name brand" personalities in the morning or elsewhere, etc. For example, if someone writes down "Rush Limbaugh" in a diary, WSPD will get the credit despite the station not being named. Same thing if someone writes down "Benson"...WXKR will get credit.

From this sample, Arbitron takes into account the demographics of the area (determined by the census), "weights" the minority responses--because minority participants are really difficult to find--response rates are terrible, therefore participants from African-American and other minority groups are really important for stations that program to them, and comes out with a number.

You can take entire university courses on ratings, but that's the basics.

When I was still working at Jeep we would listen to the radio while working all day long. The most listened to station was probably 104.7, because of all the steel and electronics, it came in the best.
When they would have 2fer tuesday, they got so repetitive that after the first song would play, more times than not we could tell what the next song would be.

Historymike: I agree- REM (Radio Free Europe) and The Cure but you forgot The Cult! LOL Oh... and Squeeze (Black Coffee in Bed)! I drove Greg Tye, who managed the radio station at UT insane constantly requesting that song. LMAO

I like the AC oldies sometimes. Listened to The River for a week or so sometime back and really enjoyed what they played from the 80 and 90s, but not so much the current stuff.