The Oldies Discovery Scale
Written Jun. 4, 2009 by Sean Ross in Content + Terrestrial Radio with 10 Comments
While many readers of The Infinite Dial are in the business of "playing the hits," you will have noticed some postings here over the years for those of us who also enjoy hearing Oldies/Greatest Hits stations that play an occasional "oh wow" record. Recently, in the course of listening to a friend's Oldies show -- chock full of "oh wow" songs, even by the standards of his station -- I came up with the "Oldies Discovery Scale."
At one end are the immaculately researched stations that play only the format's research warhorses. Somewhere in the middle are those stations that play songs that most listeners would still perceive as hits, but which are less reliable testers and/or less available on the radio in recent years. At the extreme end are those stations that require a commitment to music discovery, and will definitely challenge anybody who just wandered in to hear "Do Wah Diddy Diddy."
Here's where a few stations and oldies shows, currently available and otherwise, would go on the Oldies Discovery Scale:
0 - KRTH Los Angeles in its 185 song, heavily cloned early '90s period. K-Earth was immaculately programmed, very influential, and a great station for the masses. But it played only a few exceedingly durable songs that I took any personal enjoyment from hearing..
1.5 - Today's average research-driven "Greatest Hits" station, particularly those that have moved their average era into the '70s. The surprises, if you hear them, are from of the '70s songs that wouldn't normally make the research cut, but are being used to give a station some depth in its new intended era.
3 - WCBS-FM New York today. The legacy of its brief encounter with Jack-FM was a longer list. It doesn't seem quite as freewheeling as a year ago, but you still hear some songs that aren't reliable testers everywhere. And today the website shows them playing "Hello Mudduh, Hello Fadduh" by Allan Sherman.
4 - Scott Shannon's syndicated True Oldies Channel. It, too, has shifted newer in recent years, but it still has some pre-Beatles component and also plays a lot of the secondary late '60s titles (e.g., Paul Revere & the Raiders' "Kicks") that sound great on the radio, but have disappeared on most other large-market stations. Around here you'll also find WLVW (the Wave) Ocean City, Md; it doesn't have that mind-blowing pre-Beatles depth that it did when we last spotlighted them. But not typical by any means. And the new WAKY Louisville.
5 - WGVX (Love 105) Minneapolis -- All of those late '60s songs that TOC plays, plus some '70s pop that you don't hear everywhere. WHPI (Hippie Radio) Peoria, Ill., and KPMZ (Platinum 96.7) Dallas also clock in somewhere around here, as well with similar mixes. So does WDRC-FM Hartford, Conn., last heard playing Elton John's "Kiss The Bride" (it was an Elton weekend).
6 - CHUM-AM Toronto before its recent change to all-news. Deeper Canadian content than other comparable stations, but also a lot of British titles that became Canadian hits and were never heard on the radio in the U.S. They're gone, but also coming in at a six is CKWW (AM580) Detroit, CHUM's sister station, under PD Charlie O'Brien -- informed by both the CKLW Cancon legacy and the Motor City's R&B crossover history.
7 - WGHT (North Jersey 1500): You can hear stretches where this suburban AM sounds like the typical Greatest Hits FM. Or you can hit them at the right time, particularly middays or weekends, and hear "Listen to Me" by the Hollies or "I'll Hold Out My Hand" by the Clique or "Rockaway Beach" by the Ramones.
8 - WLNG Eastern Long Island. It's hard to separate their music from the stubbornly retro, jingle-heavy, full-service presentation. Not every song is a surprise, but when I clicked in today, the first one was "Hi-Heel Sneakers" by Jose Feliciano. And the second was "High School U.S.A." by Tommy Facenda (the national version, if you're wondering).
9 - Bob Radil's Friday night '60s and '70s show on WNHU New Haven, Conn. Will play anything that charted from the '60s and '70s plus a lot of early AOR titles. Until last week, Radil devoted a long segment to the songs that were No. 100 on this week in chart history. Radil proudly declares himself "the consultant's nightmare." But he's not the top of our scale.
10 - Michael Shelley's Saturday morning show on New York non-com WFMU. One collectors' classic after another, punctuated with compatible newer music (including Tinted Windows last week). Also includes a lot of '50s/'60s Country.
Reader Comments
Your 2¢, in chronological order — add your comment below.
Platinum 96.7 plays some smooth classics and is
just awesome. Check it out online especially when
Larry Dixon is on the air during morning drive.
Five stars.
Windsor, Ontario's CKWW-AM most assuredly deserves mention, since they more often than not program in accordance with your "oh wow" criteria.
Granted, some of it is a deference to CanCon. Nonetheless, an AM radio station in 2009 that offhandedly mixes in the likes of Barry Allen's "Love Drops", the Guess Who's version of "Flying On The Ground Is Wrong" and Terry Black's "Unless You Care" amidst the routine spins of Neil Diamond's "Shilo" and Aretha Franklin's version of "Spanish Harlem" certainly is worthy of attention.
However, I'm still waiting for a station that will come to the realization that the reason certain records did make it to the bottom reaches of the charts meant that at least more than a few people were interested in them and then accordingly start treating us to the likes of Tino And The Revlons' "Little Girl, Little Girl", the Human Beings' "Because I Love Her", the Skyliners' "The Loser" or Sam E. Solo's "Tears Keep Falling" every once in a while.
By the way, it's way, way, way past time to get rid of that word "oldies". It's myopic, misleading and discriminatory. I prefer the term, "real music"......
Does a "station" that plays ONE SONG A DAY (a slogan that will probably not catch on) count? Check out Bart Shore's Time Warp Radio
http://bartshore.libsyn.com/
http://topshelfoldies.com/
Check out Dave "the Rave" and his "Relics and Rarities" Saturday nights starting at 9PM eastern. Formerly on XM, back to back "oh wows" with a few hits sprinkled in...a true oldies experience.
non-com 90.3 wrbk south of charlotte, nc is a fun listen for depth stuff as well. end up using the shazam app on the iphone to id songs. pretty cool.
While a lot of people listen to Oldies, 60's Music, you can also see it live on stage in Branson Missouri with the #1 Hits of the 60's Show, playing all the greatest hits of the 60's Decade. The cast and band will bring to life the 60's Decade through music, dance, comedy and unique video segments. www.1hitsofthe60s.com
Dear Sean,
Thank you for writing about WGHT Radio in your Oldies Discovery Sale feature. I am a fan of your work and it's a thrill to be mentioned in your article!
Yours truly,
Jimmy Howes
Program Director
WGHT-AM
Gee Sean....my show didn't make the list??!!
The glue that holds together my playlist is that these records were played on "Top 40" stations, back in the day. Some of these records may have only been played briefly, in a particular region, but they were played nonetheless. I don't play deep album tracks or other genres, that were not reflected on AM radio stations of Yesteryear (to coin a phrase).
WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO-SUPREMES
PAPA'S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG PT. 1-JAMES BROWN
VACATION-CONNIE FRANCIS
MAMA PAPA-BOBBETTES
BABT ELEPHANT WALK-MINIATURE MEN
IN MY ROOM (GERMAN VERSION)-BEACH BOYS
BACK TO SCHOOL BLUES-DALE HAWKINS
DON'T LET ME BE MISUNDERSTOOD-ANIMALS
THE LONELY ONE-DUANE EDDY
DON'T WALK AWAY-CARL CARLTON
NOTHING CAN STOP ME-GENE CHANDLER
JIMMY LOVES MARRIANNE-LOOKING GLASS
I WONDER IF SHE LOVES ME-DO'S & THE DON'TS
BABY IT'S YOU-SMITH
YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES-STEREO TOM FIVE
NOW THAT SUMMER'S HERE-VIDELS
IT'S SO NHARD BEING A LOSER-CONTOURS
NO GOOD TO CRY-WILDWEEDS
LET'S HANG ON-FOUR SEASONS
TALK TALK-MUSIC MACHINE
LODI-CCR
HERE WE GO-BOB SLED & THE TOBAGGANS
BIRDLAND-CHUBBY CHECKER
YOU NEVER KNOW-PLATTERS
GOOD GIRLS-RONETTES
TELL ME WHEN-APPLEJACKS
TEENAGE PARADISE-VOLUMES
SICK AND TIRED-FATS DOMINO
MALINDA-BUTTERSCOTCH CABOOSE
ANYONE WHO HAD A HEART-DIONNE WARWICK
LITTLE GIRL-SYNDICATE OF SOUND
(WHOA WHOA) I LOVE HIM SO-NIKKI BLU
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND-BEATLES
GIRL I GOT NEWS FOR YOU-BIRDWATCHERS
LOVE ON A TWO WAY STREET-MOMENTS
Good article on Oldies Stations. Can't say I have a favorite station, because I haven't found one that makes me listen yet. Growing up in the 60's and 70's, I loved the music. But I also loved the stations themselves. WABC, WMCA, WIBG, WFIL and WMID to name a few. Going to the Jersey shore in summer meant not just swimming, but hearing that all too familiar "Chime Time" jingle after every record, The true personality of the station as brought out by the personalities themselves.
I don't hear that anymore. On any radio station. Including those Oldies stations. Nowadays, the Oldies stations want to sound ore like their CHR and Top40 counterparts in their markets. I want to hear the old Top40 style radio on my Oldies stations, along with expanded playlists of songs that jar my memories of summers at the shore.
Dear Andy,
Thank you for turning me onto 1500 WGHT-AM. I live in Florida, but I listen to that station every day. Jimmy Howes was on the air at a radio station in Orange County, New York, when I was a young teenager. He is still the best DJ I have ever heard and I have heard the best having lived in the New York City radio market for most of my life. Jimmy Howes is now the morning guy on WGHT Radio and he is also the Program Director.
Rock ON!!!
Tom