Re: WQEW (was Re: Popular Standards in NYC)

["Martin J. Waters" <mwaters@wesleyan.edu>]

>Dan Billings wrote:

<snip>
>In the next few years, I would
>expect that stations that are trying to serve the older demographics will be
>playing primarily late 1950's and early 1960's pop.  The music of the 1940's
>and early 1950's will fade from commercial radio, just like the music of the
>1930's already has.  I know some younger people enjoy Popular Standards, but
>apparently not enough to support a commercial radio stations.

	One of the interesting things about WQEW is that its programming is
not confined to music made 40 or more years ago, by any means. It plays
Tony Bennett, but he's making new records all the time. It also plays what
used to be called MOR-pop music from the past 20-30 years (as do some of
the satellite nostalgia formats). The Carpenters come to mind. But Simon
and Garfunkel will show up -- and other unexpected songs. It even was
playing the theme from Titanic, apparently declaring it an instant American
popular standard, even though it's sung by a Canadian <g>.

>3.  I see Radio Disney as a good thing for AM radio.  Imagine a new generation
>Americans who's favorite radio station as child was an AM station!  Unlike
>most in my age group, they will actually realize that AM exists.

	I agree with this absolutely. A fantasy future would be that Disney
is such a big success they keep moving up to bigger signals in major
markets, put stereo on all their stations (do they have any stereo stations
now, or will WQEW be the first?), and sell and give away millions of cheap
Mickey Mouse AM stereo radios to the youth of America.

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End of boston-radio-interest-digest V2 #250
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