Edison Media Research

I was surprised to see "Everything Falls Apart" by Dog's Eye View on the low-end list. Granted it's a one-hit wonder from the 1990s, but I would have figured that it was catchy enough to get at least a moderately positive reaction from non-familiar testers.

How about these gems...
"Breakout"-Swing Out Sister
"Something About You"-Level 42
"Whatcha Gonna Do"-Pablo Cruise

can you say "Oh WOW" category. They have their place on AC. Remember, the 45-year old female was a Bon Jovi fan. Don't let the Classic Rockers and Classic Hits station take your 25-54s without a fight!

Sean,

In my experience, just because a song from the past was a hit in one market...it doesn't mean that it got any play at all in the next. Even in markets that are geographically close in proximity.

Unless you have a long-time staffer in the building that can remember whether the station played the song, or not, it may be prudent to stay away from even the biggest national hits.

Bob Quick
Quick Radio Consulting

A radio friend sent me this URL.

This is what's wrong with radio.

"Scientific" research designed to "build" a station's following and an audience. This is why radio is dying and nearly dead. It's not about any of this wanking...it only seemed like it was when the audience was guaranteed and these self-indulgent "consultants" could wank and occasionally see "results."

Talent and leadership builds a following. Radio wants none of that anymore! TOO SCARY! Not measurable. Too big a chance!

Not wankable....and soon, not bankable either!

LEADERS build a following. This kind of crap is guaranteed to NEVER produce any leaders. Just lemmings. A bunch of cliche'd lemmings, musical lemmings, on air "personality" lemmings.

If anyone comes along who actually has a personality and is different, and has unique, but eclectic and "threaded" (as in can build a unique story with music that people might want to follow) musical tastes, that person will NEVER get on the radio.

NEVER. Not in this passive/regressive, regimented radio environment.

Sean,

Your last paragraph and Bob Quick's comment resonates heavily with me! I was the PD at 97.7 WILD-FM in Boston, an Urban AC/Urban hybrid. We played Classic Soul and R&B all day except for between 5:30pm-10:00pm, where we flipped back to the Urban format we flipped from (FYI we had better ratings than our Hip-Hop predecessor, Hot 97.7, but with only 4 AEs we made little money and were sold).

My consultant and I differed on the sound of the Urban AC portion. I had an unique feel for what Bostonians would like to hear, being a nightclub DJ in Boston since 1988, plus faithfully listening to WILD-AM, Boston's only Black station until 1999. I knew 90s R&B was huge in Boston, but when I studied our library, I was shocked at the titles not included. My consultant told me, in the Urban AC arena, there were only 75-85 90s songs that test well enough in other markets to play in Boston. Since I was a brand new PD without any previous programming experience, I had to take his word for it. Unfortunately, the station wasn't around long enough for us to have a Boston-based test to validate my thoughts.

I'm going to take a slightly different look at this topic. When I moved to Dayton, OH to program a Rhythmic station, Hot 102.9, I reached out to the nightclubs to get some gigs. I'm from the "Sunny Joe White/Frankie Crocker" school of programming, where clubs are a valued tool to get instant feedback on songs and a jump on new music. What's interesting is when I started spinning I made the same misjudgment in the Dayton club scene my consultant made in the Boston radio scene… I thought "hits are hits, so I should be able to play the same music I played in Boston here in Dayton and it should work!"

Not so fast. I quickly figured out that Dayton hits were not even close to the same as Boston hits, but it took me awhile to find out what those Dayton hits were. Even when I found one song that they liked, there would be 5 others with the same feel that stiffed.

I'm grateful for my Dayton mishaps because it has made me a much better programmer (I experimented in the club, but never on the air!). Learning what Daytonians wanted to hear, without my Boston bias, made my station stronger (and helped me keep Hot 102.9 #1 18-34 my entire time there!). If I had thought "I know better than my listeners what they want to hear, because this worked in Boston," Hot 102.9 would have sunk.

Every great station reflects the community they are in. Jam'n 94.5 reflects Rhythmic Boston. DC's urban stations play Go-Go, but you can't play that anywhere else. The Box in Houston is one of the more unique stations that I've seen, and it is completely different than their sister station in the same state, 97.9 The Beat. So when I get my next PD gig, my first order of business is to get that area's nightclub DJs together and pick their brains! Oh, and of course hire you and Edison to help me with my music testing! (plug, plug)

Reggie Beas
Former PD/Afternoons/Mixer
Hot 102.9/Dayton
97.7 WILD-FM/Boston
ReggieBeas@aol.com
myspace.com/ReggieBeas

Aw man, "Let's Get Rocked" was one of my gateway hair metal songs.

Sean,

Over on the left end of the dial, I think a lot of us snicker at music research. The very idea of playing music just because it "tests well" would be pretty abhorrent to a lot of the non-commercial music programmers I know and work with.

In most cases, we left-enders pride ourselves on being the experts in our narrowly-defined genres, and I doubt that any consultants could further illuminate what we already know about our music.

If, for example, you're playing older pop in Minneapolis, you'd be wise to play "Wild Horses" by Gino Vannelli, "Victory Line" by Limited Warranty, "Rush" by Big Audio Dynamite II, and for laughs, "Hubba Hubba Zoot Zoot" or "Life Call Rap" by Mrs. Fletcher. All of these got enough airplay in the Twin Cities back then to be recognizable to listeners in the present day.

But I highly doubt that even the most seasoned research company from out-of-town could come up with these titles - this is a job reserved for someone who actually lived through it, right here in Minneapolis. We know local hits, because we remember them firsthand.

If you're playing older pop to Minnesotans, you better be an expert in what Minnesotans used to listen to. For me, that kind of expertise doesn't come from professional "music researchers", but comes from a life experience of living through it the first time. In my opinion, if you can't tell by ear what songs should go on your radio station, then you're in the wrong business.

Of course, the commercial radio world is vastly different from the non-commercial world, and I have no illusions of any drawing any numbers that are bigger than the noise spikes in the diary reports.

And so I'll ask all of you, since you and I are all music fanatics: What would YOU, personally, rather listen to? Radio steeped in "Sweet Home Alabama"? Or radio that has a soft spot for Donnie Iris, "Under The Boulevard Lights" by Chuck Francour, or "Stay In Time" by Off Broadway USA?

O wow, indeed...

Oops - I forgot to add this as the footer to my last comment:

Ron Gerber
Host of "Crap From The Past" since 1992
KFAI-FM/Minneapolis
ron@crapfromthepast.com
www.crapfromthepast.com

Kudos to whatever Country station made the effort to test Little Jimmy Dickens' "Take An Old Cold 'Tater (And Wait)" in their market. I've always felt that research was a more valuable tool for those programmers who chose to push the envelope, rather than those looking to contract it.

Ron, I'll see your "Wild Horses" and "Victory Line" and raise you "If I Had You Back" by the Rubinoos and "Don't Let Me Fall Alone" by Fan Club, two of my other favorite only-on-Twin-Cities-radio songs (if not of quite the same [relative] cosmic significance).

I knew I was going to provoke some people when I wrote this. Pointing out that Billy Ray Cyrus tests and Nick Lowe doesn't isn't just what's wrong with radio for some people, it's what's wrong with America! But...

You'll notice I never said not to play Nick Lowe. Or any other song. I'm always happy to hear "Stay In Time" by Off Broadway USA when I come across it. But I'm also in favor of taking calculated risks, and doing that requires knowing that you're doing it in the first place.

In that regard, Ed Salamon is right. The best use of research is when it lets you take more chances, not fewer. In the Twin Cities, KQRS is a good example, too. They're not anybody's free-form utopia, but I always hear "oh wow" songs and I always hear records that a programmer from outside the market wouldn't necessarily know.

Wow. "Victory Line" is in a stack of albums I'm dubbing into my personal hard drive!

I believe my older brother actually went to high school with those guys...

For obscure titles, how about:
The Other Ones - Holiday
Gordon Lightfoot - Circle Is Small
Art of Noise & Max Headroom - Paranoimia
Loverboy - This Could Be the Night
Tommy Shaw - Girls With Guns
Neil Diamond - Story Of My Life
Danny Wilson - Mary's Prayer
Chris Walker - How Do You Heal A Broken Heart
Glenn Medeiros - Nothings Gonna Change My Love

I could sit here all night coming up with titles, but suppose I should get some work done. =)

Remember the old slogan NBC used to justify summer reruns,"If you haven't seen it, it's new to you"? Maybe placing a obscure, poor testing song may be a way of adding an edge to the sound of a Hot AC, AC, "Jack" or classic rock station. There are lots of one hit wonders that were local or regional hits, did not initially test well or did not rank high enough nationally for listeners to immediately recognize.That said, how about some '80s one hitters from the likes of GTR, Partland Brothers, Cause and Effect, Roachford, Giuffria,Danny Wilson, Eurogliders (that last one may be too obscure) to name a few. There are enough people who remember these songs, plus the first time "oh wow" effect to warrant playing them.

Sean,

I just read your comments, then I flipped on KQRS to see what they were playing: Aerosmith's "Walk This Way"... oh, well...

Maybe KQRS has more "oh wow"s than the average classic rock station, but to a casual rock listener like me, the perception is that it's the same tired songs over and over.

Now: CCR's "Down On The Corner"

I would love to hear the Rubinoos or Fan Club on a commercial station, but I doubt that it will ever happen. The opportune time for a Rubinoos spin would have been the Avril Lavigne "Girlfriend" scuffle from a year or two ago, but what PD would have had the outside-the-box ambition to test it?

Now: a Led Zeppelin song

I suppose that I could see music research as another tool, which, if used properly, could benefit the sound of a station. Unfortunately, all the commercial radio I can hear in the Twin Cities is just "audio wallpaper" (I wish I could remember where I first heard that phrase.)

Now: "Jet Airliner" by Steve Miller.

I hear "Jet Airliner", I think of the wasted opportunity of not discussing and/or playing the Paul Pena original version of the song, and it just reinforces my stereotypical belief that KQRS has no desire to push the envelope, music research or not.

Just my two cents...

Ron Gerber
Host of "Crap From The Past" since 1992
KFAI-FM/Minneapolis
ron@crapfromthepast.com
www.crapfromthepast.com

Great article, Sean! And I agree with Ed Salamon about using these tests to find gems worth playing that give terrestrial stations the local feel that satellite or Internet radio can't match. Wonder how Tower of Power's "So Very Hard To Go" tests in the Bay Area, which always takes me back home.

Okay, but at various other times in the hour before or after that Zeppelin/CCR/Aerosmith stretch, KQ also played:

* Kiss, "Lick It Up" (more heard these days, but a record that disappeared from the radio for 20 years);

* Fleetwood Mac, "Oh Well";

* Clash, "London Calling";

* George Thorogood, "I Drink Alone";

* Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, "The Damage You've Done"

None are Limited Warranty, of course, but none are among the 300 most overplayed Classic Rock songs of all time either.

The claim here isn't that KQ doesn't play any of the warhorses, it's that over a 30-45 minute stretch, you'll be rewarded with something that isn't.

One of the things that becomes clear from this chain of comments as PDs reel off their favorite obscure songs is that most programmers WANT to play their favorite less-heard records. That's why it's turntable hits -- not obvious schlock novelties -- that populate the bottom of a test. -- Sean

Being a Minnesota native, I felt obligated to chime in on this one. I grew up listening to "Dave Hamilton's Secret Weapons" and I'm a longtime fan (and former frequent co-host) on "Crap From The Past" with Ron "Boogiemonster" Gerber.

The Twin Cities market is pretty special, and has plenty of regional hits in the heritage of several formats. I'll add to the list with more recent examples: The Honeydogs "I Miss You", Peter Himmelman "Dixie The Tiny Dog", and BoDeans "Good Things" (live version from Cities Sampler Volume IV). Plus do not forget that Roxette "The Look" broke out of Minneapolis!

When I left Minnesota, I was amazed (and bummed!) that my Ops Managers and coworker PDs in Madison and Columbia, MO weren't exactly familiar with "Rock and Roll Party In The Streets" (Axe), "I Could Be Good For You" (707), "Breakout" (Shooting Star), or "Raise A Little Hell" (Trooper) for example. But then there's a station called KSHE-95 in St. Louis with their own crazy list of "KSHE Classics" that had some effect on the Columbia market (Missouri's "Movin' On" for instance).

As music fans, these songs are great fun to hear and discover -- or in some cases bring in the "oh wow" factor if you remember them. But if you plan to air "She Looks A Lot Like You" (The Clocks) you better be pretty smart about where you put it, how you frame it, and what songs you surround it with.

I wonder if there's any research to show the percentage of Twin Cities adults who still live in the area today, that were present in the early 1980's. How many listeners in Minneapolis (today in the 35-54 cell) were there to hear "Strange Dreams" (Frank Marino) or "A Fine Fine Day" (Tony Carey) the first time around?

I think this phenomenon is happening today with what we call "vertical artists" -- that is, stuff that makes it to regular rotation for a while but does not reach a "critical mass" or big enough crossover platform to qualify as regular gold library material. There's plenty of artists on my station that get 300-400 spins but then have to go into an infrequent "image" or even a "hold" category. New people are discovering the station all the time -- and you can't count a song that was in rotation on our station (and only our station) from January to April 2007 as a recognizable title for them.

Then again, that's also the essence of what makes the station local and representative of its coverage area. But you just have to be smart about how much of this "special sauce" you use to flavor any given hour or day.

At WCNR, we've found that certain 90's Alternative titles illicit an "oh wow" response. But we are careful because some listeners don't know these tracks at all. Examples? "New Age Girl" (Dead Eye Dick), "Cure For Pain" (Morphine), "Six Underground" (Sneaker Pimps), "Cannonball" (The Breeders), etc. We've also found an amazing passion level for acts like The Smiths, XTC, Echo and The Bunnymen, The Cure, The Pixies, Happy Mondays, or even Dead Milkmen "Punk Rock Girl" etc. I consider these "marketing records", that is, they're going to be very unfamiliar. But among the people that knew them and loved them (in college or musical discovery years), they're the strongest passion/image stuff we could ever play. It shows them that we are part of their world, and we "get it". We're not just another station playing Smashing Pumpkins and Stone Temple Pilots for the sixteen-millionth-time. (But sure, we play those too. I'm saying we cut through the busy life clutter and build passion among core P1s by using these marketing records smartly and sparingly.)

At The Conclave, Sean spoke of a major market alternative music test where The Pixies came back as playable. I find this fascinating! But it is scary because we have to do more than find 350 titles these days, if we want to move forward in the business of providing music programming content. In progressive/alt/Triple A formats for the future, there's an expectation of some level of "discovery". Exactly how much, exactly what percentage, how to pick which songs (new or old) get the nod, and how the heck to do this when you only get 11-14 songs per hour is the million dollar question. But this is exciting. It makes radio local and vibrant again. Stations should be less "the same" and more trailblazing moving forward.

I am a big fan of, as Sean puts it, taking "calculated risks" in commercial radio (and being aware that it's a risk to begin with). I think a great formula is, "establish a core sound and expectation, then break your own rules and make a big deal out of it when you do so."

But don't stray too far from that average listener who just wants to hear songs they know. If you are able to engage these average P2's and "NON-music-heads" to be more excited about what they're hearing, that's a great win for the programming and the medium of radio in general. Playing reaction records or unusual versions ("De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" Japanese version perhaps?) can help cut through and gain their attention. Then you just hope they care enough to think it's clever or suprising, and build a bond with them over these memorable moments. Calculated risks.

BRAD SAVAGE
WCNR/Charlottesville, VA
106-1 The Corner
"Different Is Good"

P.S. Ron and Sean, FYI we did play The Rubinoos "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" a few times in the midst of the Avril lawsuit!

Yes, It is great to see more tunes tested that never before were. I think the Byrds' "Feel A Whole Lot Better" would test better in Los Angeles were it got a lot of airplay. I hear it on the muzak at the mall from time to time.

"Establish a core sound and expectation, then break your own rules and make a big deal out of it when you do so."

Nicely done, Brad! A short story from my past...

Back in college, I was a part-timer at the local CHR in addition to being PD of my college station. I was so entrenched in the radio world that I unconsciously learned how the music was scheduled, with respect to tempo, male/female, and all that. I discovered that if I listened to the CHR station for three songs in a row, I could usually guess the next song they played. I was right about 90% of the time; my friends were amazed but kinda frightened.

It was only years later, when I was recounting my little radio party trick to other radio people, that I realized that that was some BAD programming.

If I ever get to the point where listeners, even the most fanatical ones, can predict my next song, then I will pack up my 6,000-song portable library and retire to somewhere warm and sunny...

So good to hear that some PDs work as hard as Brad does on their playlists. There's nothing better than being pleasantly surprised by radio - I just wish it happened more often on the radio in my car.

Sean and others - thanks for the interesting and enlightening discussion. It's always a good read, and I really enjoy the perspectives that I can't get from other non-commercial folks. If there's a list out there of the absolute worst-testing pop songs, I'll be happy to play them all back-to-back in one glorious show...

Ron G

Syndicators Alert!! Crap From The Past is an excellent show and someone is going to get this program on their roster eventually. It's quirky and rooted, bizarre and sensible, mocking and reverent, familiar and surprising. It's exactly the kind of vibe that equates to the casting brilliance you would find in a successful pairing for a morning show with a strong point - counterpoint sensibility. It's Jack on steroids, Adult Hits Gone Wild.

OK, I'm a fan of the show and Ron is a friend. And ditto for Brad, he is destined for even more greatness in this industry. I'm happy that both are friends of mine. Both have an exceedingly articulate grasp of the heritage and current state of pop music.

We all hail from Minneapolis, and while some would say that market didn't have much adventurous radio, we know differently. The original WLOL at 99.5 (1981-1990) was a trendsetting, groundbreaking and fiercely independent CHR powerhouse that stepped out on a lot of different sounds due to the leadership of Gregg Swedberg, now cluster OM at CC/Mpls. And then there's Dave, PD of KQRS for 20+ years. In-market there is no need for the last name, but it is Dave Hamilton of the Citadel cluster (KQRS, 93X, Love 105). Known as a research-driven, by the book tactician, Dave actually has added incredibly adroit touches to the flavoring of his programming over the years. He is one of the great programmers worth studying. For example it's not out of the question to hear "Devil Woman" by Cliff Richard during an A-Z presentation. Many of the deep cut, AOR classics that can be played on KQ today are due to his stepping out on such titles as For You/Manfred Mann, Stay In Time/Off Broadway, Under the Boulevard Lights/Chuck Francour, Nicole - Mean To Your Queenie/Point Blank and finding rockin' nuggets like "Mother Freedom" by Bread when he was PD of KDWB-FM, from 1979-82 known as AOR "Stereo 101". Ah yes, the "Secret Weapons" - a term that he probably coined. I first heard it from one of his jocks in the 80's - Hal Hoover.

Maybe it was all an accident (certainly Dave didn't know he'd spend 20+ years across town, nor did Gregg envision he'd become a leading country programmer)...but those smart enough to really know the history of any market can not only play the right depth tracks for an audience that has a longer memory than we give them credit for....but assess the ability of the current audience for something different. And if WE don't give it to them, they'll find it anyway.

Jay - Those KQRS gems from KDWB were first brought to light as KSHE CLASSICS, that Bob Hattrik and our gang brought over to Doubleday. There is an actual web site that lists all those midwest secret weapon records in rock radio. Some tested well, others - Oh Well Part's 1 and 2

707/I Could Be Good For You/MegaForce
10 Years After/I'd Love To Change The World
10cc/Dreadlock Holiday/Rubber Bullets/For You And I/Good Morning Judge
Ace/How Long
Aliotta Haynes & Jeremiah/Lake Shore Drive
Amboy Dukes/Journey to the Center of the Mind
Ambrosia/Holdin' On To Yesterday/Life Beyond L.A./Nice, Nice, Very Nice
Angel/Tower
Animals/Sky Pilot
Aphrodite's Child/Loud, Loud, Loud/The Four Horsemen
April wine/Oowatanite/Roller/Shotdown Tonite
Argent/Hold Your Head Up
Atlanta Rhythm Section/So Into You /Georgia Rhythm /Imaginary Lover/Champagne Jam/I'm Not Gonna Let it Bother Me Tonight/Spooky
Brian Auger/Happiness Is Just Around The Bend
Autograph/Turn Up The Radio
Automatic Man/My Pearl
Axe/Rock and Roll Party in the Street
Badfinger/Baby Blue/Come and Get It/Day After Day/Hold On/No Matter What/Perfection
Bandit/Visions Of You
Barclay James Harvest/Mill Boys/Rock and Roll Star/Titles
Batdorf & Rodney/Can You See Him/Home Again
Blackfoot/Train, Train
J.D. Blackfoot/Song of Crazy Horse/The Ultimate Prophecy
The Blend/The Prize
Blind Faith/Can't Find My Way Home
The Bliss Band/Doctor
Bloodrock/DOA/Kool Aid Kids
Blue Cheer/Summertime Blues
Blues Image/Ride Captain Ride
Tommy Bolin/Post Toastee
Brave Belt/Another Way Out
Breathless/Takin' It Back
Brewer & Shipley/One Toke Over The Line
Brownsville Station/The Martian Boogie/Lady (Put The Light On Me)
Butts Band/Be With Me
The Byrds/Chestnut Mare
Camel/Lady Fantasy/Who We Are
Captain Beyond/Sufficiently Breathless
Tony Carey
I Won't Be Home Tonight

A Fine Fine Day
Peter Cetera
Livin' in The Limelight
Charlie
She Loves To Be In Love
Chilliwack
(Bill Henderson Site)
Arms Of Mary

Fly At Night

My Girl (Gone Gone Gone So Long)

Something Better
City Boy
5.7.0.5.
Stanley Clarke
School Days
Classics IV
Spooky
Climax Blues Band
Couldn't Get It Right
Couchois
Do It In Darkness

Roll The Dice
Crabby Appleton
Go Back
Crack The Sky
Sleep
Crawler
Stone Cold Sober
Denim
Throw Away
Rick Derringer
Don't Ever Say Goodbye

Everything
Diesel
Sauscillito Summernight
Cheryl Dilcher
High
Dixon House Band
Sooner Or Later
Donovan
Atlantis
Doucette
Mama, Let Him Play
Les Dudek
City Magic

Old Judge Jones
Dust
From A Dry Camel
Earthquake
Things
Jonathan Edwards
Shanty
ELP
From The Beginning

Still�You Turn Me On
Michael Fennelly
Touch My Soul
Jay Ferguson
Shakedown Cruise

Thunder Island
Five Man Electrical Band
Signs
Flame
Beg Me
Flo and Eddie
Keep It Warm
FM
Phasors On Stun
Focus
Hocus Pocus
The Fools
Life Sucks, Then You Die
Chuck Francour
Under The Boulevard Lights
Franke & the Knockouts
Runnin' Into The Night

Sweetheart
Michael Franks
Born with the Moon in virgo
Free
All Right Now

Wishing Well
Rory Gallagher
Edged in Blue
Gamma
I'm Alive
Nick Gilder
Hot Child In the City

You Really Rock Me
Giuffria
Call To The Heart
Glass Moon
Killer At 25
Andrew Gold
Lonely Boy

Thank You For Bein' A Friend
Golden Earring
Radar Love
Ian Gomm
Hold On (To What You Got)
Ray Gomez
Make Your Move
Listen to "Make Your Move"

The Good Rats
Back To My music
Listen to "Back To My music"

Injun Joe
Barry Goudreau
Dreams
Grand Funk
I Can Feel Him In The Morning

I'm Your Captain
Great White
Rock Me
Max Gronenthal
Get It Straight
GTR
When The Heart Rules The Mind
Gypsy
As Far As You Can See
Listen to a clip of "As Far As You Can See"

Dead And Gone
Listen to a clip of "Dead And Gone"
click on "MP3s"

Steve Walsh/Steve Hackett
Narnia
Headboys
Shape of Things to Come
Headstone
Turn Your Head
Heartsfield
House Of Livin'

Music Eyes

Racin' The Sun
Horslips
Sure The Boy Was Green
Hudson-Ford
Free Spirit

Take A Little Word
Humble Pie
Fool For A Pretty Face

30 Days In The Hole
Ides of March
Vehicle
Illinois Speed Press
P.N.S. (When You Come Around)
Donnie Iris
Ah! Leah
Iron Butterfly
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (long version)
Scorching Beauty
Joe Jackson
Is She Really Goin' Out With Him
James Gang
Funk #49

Take A Look Around

Alexis
Jon and Vangelis
Friends of Mr. Cairo
Kayak
I Want You To Be Mine
Greg Kihn
Remember

The Breakup Song
King Crimson
Court Of The Crimson King
Kings
Switchin' To Glide

This Beat Goes On
Klaatu
Calling Occupants
Lake
Between The Lines

On The Run

Paradise Way

Time Bomb

See Them Glow
Alvin Lee & Mylon Lefevre
So Sad
LeRoux
Addicted
Lighthouse
One Fine Morning
Nils Lofgrin
No Mercy
Nick Lowe
Cruel To Be Kind
Lucifer's Friend
Spanish Galleon
Mama's Pride
Blue Mist

Can I Call You A Cab

Maybe

Merry-Go-Round
Man
Rainbow Eyes
Manfred Mann
Don't Kill It Carol

For You

You Are-I Am

Lies (All through the 80s)
Mark-Almond
What Am I Livin' For
Mason Profitt
Two Hangmen
Missouri
Movin' On
Kim Mitchell
Go For A Soda
Morningstar
Sad Lady

Sunshine
Mountain
Mississippi Queen

Nantucket Sleighride
Moving Pictures
What About Me
Moxy
Sail On Sail Away
JF Murphy and Salt (at allmusic)
OR
click here for their new website
The Last Illusion

You're halfway thru the alphabet. Take a break by checking out the Top KSHE songs of the year since 1988 by clicking here.

Nantucket

California

Heartbreaker

Quite Like You
Nazareth
Holiday
Nektar
Remember The Future

Show Me The Way
New England
Don't Ever Wanna Lose You
Novo Combo
Tattoo
Stu Nunnery
Isle Of Debris
Off Broadway
Full Moon Turn My Head Around

Stay In Time
Orleans
Love Takes Time

Still The One

Dance With Me
Ozark Mountain Daredevils
Chicken Train

Country Girl

If You Wanna Get To Heaven

Spaceship Orion

Paice, Ashton & Lord
Remember The Good Times
Painter
Tell Me Why
Paul Collins Beat
On The Highway
Pavlov's dog
Julia
Planet P
Why Me?
Player
Baby Come Back
PM
Piece of Paradise
Point Blank
Nicole
Pousette-Dart Band
Amnesia
Andy Pratt
Avenging Annie
Prism
Armageddon

Don't Let Him Know

Spaceship Superstar
Procal Harum
Whiter Shade Of Pale
Brian Protheroe
Pinball
Quicksilver M.S.
Gypsy Lights
Trevor Rabin
Finding Me A Way Back Home

Now
Ram Jam
Black Betty
Rare Bird
Peace Of Mind

Turn Your Head
Chris Rea
Fool If You Think It's Over
Renaissance
Mother Russia
Rockets
Oh Well
Rockpile
Teacher Teacher
Jonathan Round
Sympathy For The Devil
Roxy music
Love Is The Drug
Runner
Run For Your Life
Sad Cafe
Black Rose

Run Home Girl
Saga
On The Loose

Wind Him Up
Sanford and Townsend
Smoke From A Distant Fire
The Sherbs
No Turning Back

We Ride Tonight
Shoot
Sepia Sister
Shooting Star
Hang On for Your Life

Last Chance

You Got What I Need
Slade
How Does It Feel
Snail
The Joker
Sniff 'N' The Tears
Driver's Seat
Danny Spanos
Hot Cherie
Jimmie Spheeris
I Am The Mercury

The Nest
Spirit
1984

Nature's Way
Split Enz
I Got You
Spys
Don't Run My Life
Squire, Chris
Hold Out Your Hand...(Thanks John Boll)
Stabilizers
One Simple Thing
Listen to "One Simple Thing"

Stackridge
Slark
Michael Stanley
Let's Get The Show On The Road

Rosewood Bitters
Starcastle
Lady Of The Lake
John Stewart (with Stevie Nicks)
Gold
Stillwater
Mind Bender
Stingray
Gonna Keep My Head Together

LoveSaver

Man In My Shoes
Strawbs
Autumn
String Driven Thing
Circus
Sugarloaf
Don't Call Us (We'll Call You)

Green Eyed Lady (Long Version)
Sutherland Brothers and Quiver
I Don't Want To Love You (But You Got Me Anyway)
Sweet
Ballroom Blitz

Fox On The Run

Love Is Like Oxygen
Marc Tanner
Hot and Cold
Tarney/Spencer
No Time To Lose
Taxxi
Walking Wounded
George Thorogood
One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer
Billy Thorpe
Children Of The Sun

East of Eden's Gate

In My Room
ThunderClap Newman
Something In The Air
Toby Beau
My Angel Baby

Westbound Train
Tonio K
Better Late Than Never
Touch
Don't You Know What Love Is
Listen to "Don't You Know What Love Is"

Black Star
Listen to "Black Star"

When The Spirit Moves You
Listen to "When The Spirit Moves You"

About a song on the Touch LP "So High", I thought those of you who know the song would like to read the words of keyboardist Mark Mangold..."...that bird like note on So Hi was Craig...he had an amazingly high voice and sang lead on almost everything, except So Hi, which was me, and Yes You Need To R&R which was Doug.... I remember that note...Craig couldn't believe we were asking him to do it...but the song IS called SO HIGH... Anyway, stay in touch (oh!) and all the best, M"
Check out Mark's new project here.
Traffic
Low Spark of High Heeled Boys

Mr. Fantasy
Pat Travers
Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)

Snortin' Whiskey
Trickster
Miles and Miles Away
Trillion
Hold Out
Triumvirat
Spartacus
Trooper
Raise A Little Hell
Tucky Buzzard
Gold Medallions
Tommy Tutone
Jenny, Jenny (867-5309)

Angel Say No
20/20
Tell Me Why
Tycoon
Such a Woman
UFO
Only You Can Rock Me

Too Hot to Handle
Unicorn
Bullseye Bill
Uriah Heep
Easy Livin'

The Wizard

July Morning

Stealin'
Vandenberg
Burning Heart
Steve Walsh/Steve Hackett
Narnia
Warrant
Heaven
Wet Willie
Street Corner Serenade
The Who
all the Who classics available by clicking the artist name!
Wishbone Ash
Blowin' Free
Gary Wright
Blind Feeling

Really Wanna Know You
Zebra
Who's Behind The Door
Tell Me What You Want

You're absolutely right, Chuck...there was a lot of Hattrik & KWK DNA in the success of Stereo 101 (KDWB-FM).

That's quite a list you posted...and here's another: http://www.kwk106.com/kwksongs.htm

If you haven't checked out the KWK/WWWK tribute site, block out a couple of hours and take the tour!

It's worth noting that both KSHE and the station I work for (106-5 The Arch) have depth programming on their respective HD2 signals. "KSHE KLASSICS" is good, but I'm partial to my own station of course...and our own Al Hofer has done a masterful job putting together "ARCH 2 - Gateway Deep Cuts". It's not online, but come for a visit to the STL someday and give it a listen!

Jp

Sean - Two points about your column:

1) I disagree with your premise. Choosing songs for my music test begins with some sort of "music map" or general idea of what our sound is going to be. Then songs are chosen on the basis of "if they like this one, we will play it." The bottom looks very similar in style and sound to the top. I'm not looking to separate the best from the worst. I'm looking to find "the best of the best".

2) You are right about changes over time. My first experience with a music test was WFWQ in Fort Wayne Indiana in 1982. The number one testing song.. "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers. Evaluating the results as a fledgling PD, I argued that as a "novelty" song that hadn't been played in a while, perhaps it's not really that strong. If we play it a lot, won't it "burn out" a second time? The "consultant" from the research company argued back.."This is the strongest song for your audience. It is a power record." With the GM and owner in the room, I was pushed into played The Gambler every day and a daypart for a year. The research company came back to town a year later and the worst testing song was... "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers. The "new" consultant, in the same room with the same GM, owner and me looked up and said - "What moron told you to play this song as a power?" "Your moron.." was the reply.

Working in Central NY and hearing/playing "Don't Be Cruel" by Cheap Trick. I still hear it on the radio today. I wonder if that track gets a lot of play anywhere else. After all it was a #4 hit.

As a DJ, I could care less of what samples in research think about the music I play on the radio. It's really the people in MY listening audience that needs to be sampled, not a random sample.

I do my own research doing LIVE & LOCAL radio by do trial & error. You'd be surprised at how many people enjoy some of the really cheesy songs I've played. My motto is "If you play it, they will come."

I have played songs just once or twice in a whole year & have gotten requests to play a good number of those songs again. That's how I know I should keep it in rotation.

Real McCoy tests poorly? With females, like between 25 and 49? I find that very hard to believe.

DJ Mo,

I want to program your competitor!

Across The Street,

I have no competitor. My style is too unconventional, yet appealing. Where else can you hear the music I play on the radio?

And how about "Jacob's Ladder" Huey Lewis. Number 1 Billboard song that never sold a copy and very unfamiliar - But made number 1.... Hmmmmnnn

There is waay too much "testing of songs" and research, and not enough "gut-feeling" programming like the late Rick Sklar, Frankie Crocker, and Sonny Taylor did making their stations number UNO! Research Testing" also erroniously falsifies reasons for not using a Dance or Electronica format on commercial stations in markets where they would surely place in the money.

Jimi--I have to challenge that piece of "conventional wisdom" each and every time I see it. Radio stations do markedly less research today than they did 10 years ago. The reluctance to take risks in radio today is more informed by a lack of consumer insights than an over-reliance.

I cna only go by the dozen or so of today's "PD"s who have given "those songs don't test well" to mae as an EXCUSE not to open their narrow playlists up like they were twenty to thirty years ago. It's similar to the jobs drying up, i.e. "he's too creative" Wha??

I can only go by the dozen or so of today's "PD"s who have given "those songs don't test well" to mae as an EXCUSE not to open their narrow playlists up like they were twenty to thirty years ago. It's similar to the jobs drying up, i.e. "he's too creative" Wha??

Some questions:

-Who in their right mind would test Eddie Money's "The Love In Your Eyes"??? Why not test One 2 Many's "Downtown" or Martika's "More Than You Know"? How silly...Of course that song isn't going to test.

-The fact that "Dreams" by Van Halen and "Silent Lucidity" by Queensyrche didn't test, leads me to believe the wrong hook of the song was used. The Van Halen is nearly iconic and the Queensyrche was a massive hit on CHR/Mainstream and MTV. I remember some CHR's playing it during the mid 90s all-over-the-road approach to Top 40 radio.

I'd like to see a format based solely on GUT and instinct. Or at least start seeing stations have categories devoted to UN-tested records that THEY (the programmers) think sound good on-air or work for their market.

Of course, that will never happen. Since this business is overrun by non-risk taking sheep.

This is a great thread. The big mistake in today's programming is not that the music is over-researched but that the pool of songs researched it too predictable and cookie cutter.

All one has to do is look at the recent elections to see how regions of the country can have different tastes. Programmers who either don't or are unable to take advantage of local market differences with regard to music selection are going to consistently under perform. In our market songs like "Too Young" by Benny Mardones, "Nicole" by Point Blank, "New Orleans Ladies" by LeRoux, "Ballad of Curtis Lowe" by Lynyrd Sknyrd, and "Ah Leah" by Donnie Iris would test through the roof but may not in other markets. If you are in a market for the first time you have to test the limits of your expectations in your music tests somewhat with a percentage of your selections to try and find those "secret weapon" records. Also, today many radio stations don't encourage (or pay attention to) listener participation via requests. Your active listeners who call in requests are a great source for historic market song titles that can be considered for future music tests and airplay.