Re: WMEX / "Classic Gold" UK

["Bob Nelson...WMWM" <bobonradio@yahoo.com>]

Thanks for the link...good to hear those calls are
back. Music of the 50s and 60s...did rock exist
before the Beatles? :) You almost wouldn't know it
from listening to the likes of WODS these days! But
we've talked about oldies stations dropping the 50s
stuff before.

(Personally I like the 60s and 70s, some 80s and 90s,
and am not so much into 50s stuff...)

A tape trader in Worcester, England sent me some
tapes of an AM station, "Classic Gold" and I fell in
love with their format! It's something that may exist
at some stations in the US, but to some extent I'd
think program directors or consultans would be
hesitant to try it: They play pop from the 60s through
the 80s, with some 90s cuts...a WIDE variety. Mostly 
60s/70s, but don't be too surprised if you hear
early 60s segued with a danceable Madonna song, for
example...In addition, there are some jingles but
you don't hear them after EVERY song...The sets seem
longer, the ad breaks shorter, and there's a mix of
stuff you've heard and stuff you haven't.

That last part already goes against the "You Know
All The Songs" rule that stations like WODS are known
for. I was delighted to hear some "British-only"
hits on there. (You know Three Dog Night's "Black
and White", but how about the original version? How
about cuts by Small Faces, Lulu, Mary Hopkin, and
others that weren't hits in the US...And Donovan's
"Catch the Wind" ALONG WITH the better-known "Sunshine
Superman", etc.)

One song they played, which I haven't heard in a long
while, was Sweet Sensation's "Sad Sweet Dreamer"
('74).
It was a #1 hit in the UK, so I guess you'd expect
them
to play it. But my Billboard "Book of One-Hit Wonders"
says it hit #14 in the US. Why don't we hear it here
(except maybe on "Lost 45s"?)

The thing about the station that grabs me is how
varied their sound is, how big their playlist (but
maybe that's just the inclusion of "British-only"
hits). There are some people out there who like stuff
from more than just one or two decades (like me!)

Anyway, sorry if this sounds like an ad for "Classic
Gold, The Magic AM", but I just like their mix and
hope some stations in the US would do the same. Just
my opinion; I'm not saying whether or not such a
format would fly. As Mrs. Carlson said in the first
episode of "WKRP", "Young man, this radio station is
a business. It's not for your personal listening
pleasure." :)


>
http://www.fosters.com/news_2001b/apr_01/18/ro0418a.htm
> 
> 


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