'80s Tunes Become the New Oldies
By ARIAN SMEDLEY, Associated Press Writer
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
(02-19) 11:43 PST New York (AP) --

The music blaring from the speakers of a small pub on a recent Friday night seemed like typical oldies fare: Aretha Franklin's "Respect," the 1970s tune "Disco Lady" and the 1950s surf instrumental "Tequila." Then, "Karma Chameleon" — the 1983 hit by Culture Club — came on.

The music was from WCBS-FM, a New York-based station that used to rely on songs from the '60s and '70s, and occasionally, the '50s. Now, like similar stations around the country, WCBS has deemed music from the '80s as the new oldies.

Not that the station calls them oldies — "Classic Hits" is the favored term.

"We discovered the word 'oldies' symbolized music from the jukebox-era," said Brian Thomas, the station's program director and vice president of Classic Hits programming.

Station executives say the decision makes perfect sense considering the changing demographics of radio. Research found that the traditional oldies audience was moving out of advertisers' coveted 25-to-54 demographic, and that adding '80s would be a good way to maintain that lucrative audience.

The result: "Let's Hear it for the Boy" (1984) and "Caribbean Queen" (1985) share air time with more traditional oldies like "The Way You do the Things You Do" (1964) by The Temptations and "Proud Mary" (1969) by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Oldies stations across the country are evolving for similar reasons. WQRV-FM in Huntsville, Ala., formerly an oldies station, changed to Classic Hits two years ago. They dropped the '60s and now play '70s and '80s. KQLL-FM in Tulsa, Okla., converted to a Classic Hits station last year. They no longer play early '60s music. The format changes were ratings successes.

Thomas says the incorporation of '80s music isn't that different from the station's original oldies days.

Changing to Classic Hits is "like the Senior Tour in golf now being called the Champions Tour," he said. "It's the same age group, but they don't consider themselves seniors."

The origins of the format switch date back a few years.

WCBS-FM started in 1972 and grew to become the nation's No. 1 oldies station and New York's No. 8 in Arbitron ratings. But in 2005, the station changed formats to "Jack." Considered to be the hot trend in radio programming, "Jack" was designed to attract a younger crowd by playing songs from the '70s through the most recent releases at the time.

But the station's ratings plummeted.

"I only listened to WCBS-FM from July 1972 until June 3, 2005," said Cara Sieden, 52 of Floral Park, N.Y. "I was crushed ... I felt like someone in my family died."

The station scrapped the "Jack" format last summer in favor of "New York's Greatest Hits." The new format seems to be working: The station jumped to No. 3 in the ratings a few months after the change.

Michael Harrison, founder of TALKERS magazine, a radio industry publication, says programmers are dealing with two interpretations of the term oldies.

One is literal, meaning it's music from years ago. The other defines it as a genre — specifically '50s and '60s rock.

Bob Shannon, one of WCBS-FM's popular on-air personalities, said the term may be obsolete.

"Music is everywhere now — it's in commercials, movies, on the Internet," said Shannon. "It's not just about good times and good memories anymore. It's about good music. It transcends the time period."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin...127S14.DTL

Yep. If the hits of the 60's could be considered "Oldies" in the 80's, then 80's hits can be considered "Oldies" in the Zip's.

Many of the younger listeners today weren't even alive when some of the signature 80's songs were released!

I'm getting old.

I knew I was getting old last week when I heard TLC's "Ain't too Proud to Beg" on an "oldies station

thekidsgirl said:

And I was out of college when that came out . . .
[Edited 2/19/08 15:54pm]

That sounds like a radio station I'd actually want to hear.

When I was a teen (the 80's) disco was considered oldies. That was less than 10 years before.

Considering I am the same age as my mother when I referred to her music as oldies, I think the answer is yes

thekidsgirl said:

Well how about these photowhore threads where orgers are posting their baby pictures in 1988 and that is the year I graduated!



If that shit don't make your DNA feel father time, I don't know what will!

.
[Edited 2/19/08 15:20pm]

There should be no such thing as "oldies."

That's disgusting. That's why some people will blast loops of samples or some throwback band and twist their face at the thought of listening to the actual songs, sounds, and artists being bastardized. That's why mainstream music is shit now.

I don't care how old or new it is, good is good and trash is trash. If the marketing tools and assorted douches want to slap a label on it, call ALL of the established good stuff classic.

That really makes me want to crack someone in the head with a shoe. You want to listen to these one note nutsacks raping classic music, but are so put off by music from the 50s 60s 70s 80s... donkeys

At least it's not PJ or hagdonna

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

The other day I noticed that ppl born in 1990 can buy cigarettes!
They're still babies!

thekidsgirl said:

worse...they copulate! worse...they have sex more than me!!!


NOOOOO!!!!

MikeMatronik said:

A good-looking guy like you shouldn't have any problem having sex.

AlexdeParis said:

I've embraced celibacy.

MikeMatronik said:

I feel your pain!

MikeMatronik said:

But you still have "me time," right? Otherwise,

thekidsgirl said:

And I know you don't have a problem either! If so, org note me your address; I can be in Maryland before 11.

AlexdeParis said:

Not even that. God called me...to serve HIS mission...
























the rest is HIStory

AlexdeParis said:

DON'T.

PASS.

THIS.

UP!!!!!

funkyslsistah said:

Thank goodness for local station...



...K-EARTH 101. (CBS radio)


So far, they understand that you don't have to dump the 60s (or before) just to add the 80s.
It's a simple case of just expanding the playlist.



tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

AlexdeParis said:

wow! thats the nicest thing I've heard all day

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

clown!

Ever since we entered the millennium, I've been calling the late 70's-mid 80's old school. The terms oldies makes me feel really old.

A couple of bay area stations have incorporated a lineup of about 30 years of dance, disco, and other feel good happy music. Movin' 99.7 has been around for about a year, and it seems to be doing really well.

To take a slightly different angle on this topic, a lot of tunes from the 80's have become more dated in sound than material from the 70's.

Stuff like Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder and James Brown produced in the 70's sounds fresh in my mixes! Whereas MJ's Bad and Madonna don't really fit as nice...

IMO it's due to the beginnings of digital recording technology and just too much damn reverb! Turn down the reverb, fulla! And drums just don't sound good if they haven't been recorded to tape first.

_

MikeMatronik said:

Oh, OK. Good luck!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

You kill me!

thekidsgirl said:

i remember hearing eurythmics on classic rock radio just a few years back and thinking "welp, it's official...i'm an old fart now."

but it makes sense. in the mid-80s, when i was in high school, music from the 60s and early 70s was considered 'classic rock'. meanwhile, there are kids half my age who think prince died in 1984, so maybe it's time to rotate some of the moldie goldie oldies out to pasture so the young'uns can learn a little bit about mom & dad's generation of music.

No. There are vast chasms separating "oldies" from 80s music.

It's not a surprise, when you consider that some of the songs I grew up with are a quarter of a century old or more. If anything, it's an affirmation of how fast time can fly -- for most music fans, there is a collective time bubble around the soundtracks of their lives (not to mention pop culture items seem to have a much shorter shelf life than other aspects of history).

To put it even more into perspective, I have some younger cousins (they are in their mid-20s) who refer to Boyz II Men, TLC, Jodeci and En Vogue as "old school acts." When I thought about it, to them these '90s acts are "old school." And you know what -- they are right. It was nearly 20 years ago that these acts came on the scene, so to them the '80s pop culture is going to seem like ancient history.

Sometimes, we need a shock like that to realize that was a long time ago (and literally another lifetime ago for most people).
[Edited 2/20/08 7:28am]