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Oldies is a generic term commonly used to describe a radio format that usually concentrates on Top 40 music from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s (about 1955-1977). It is also used to describe the popular music of this era.
The name stems from a series of phonograph albums, titled Oldies but Goodies, which were collections of hits, starting in the late 1950s. This series inspired a 1961 song titled Those Oldies but Goodies, permanently setting the name to the genre.
Description
Oldies tunes are typically from R&B, pop and rock music genres. Country, jazz, classical music,
and other formats are generally not considered oldies music, although
some of those genres have their own oldies format (for instance, classic country),
and a number of songs "crossed over" from country to Top 40.
Occasionally the term is used to describe the rare station that
includes 1940s music as well, although music from before 1955
(coinciding with the "birth of rock'n'roll"), is typically the domain of the adult standards format. However, the term constitutes ambiguity for people who like old dancing music.
This format is sometimes called Golden Oldies (after another
album series of the same name, which was sold through bulk TV
commercials), though this term usually refers to music exclusively from
the '50s and early '60s (also termed "Real Oldies" or "True Oldies" by
some radio stations which specialize in music from this era). Oldies
radio typically features artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Supremes, The Four Seasons, and Sam Cooke; as well as such musical movements and genres as doo-wop, soul music, Motown, the British Invasion, early girl groups, surf music, and bubblegum pop.
Most oldies stations limit their on-air playlists to no more than
300 songs, on the philosophy that average listeners will stay tuned
provided they're familiar with the hits being played. The drawback to
this concept is the endless repetition of the station's program
library. Oldies has some overlap with the classic rock format, which concentrates on the rock music of the late-'60s and '70s and also plays newer material made in the same style. [1]
History
All-"Oldies" stations as we know them today did not really come into existence until the early 1970s. In the 1960s very few Top 40
Radio stations played anything older than a few years old. In the late
1960s a few FM stations adopted Top 40 formats that leaned towards
adults who did not want to hear the same 30 songs over and over again
but also did not want to hear easy listening music featured on MOR
radio stations. They mixed in oldies with their current product and
played new music only several times per hour. These radio stations were
often referred to as "Golden" or "Solid Gold" stations. Some AM radio
stations also began to employ this format. There were also syndicated
music format packages such as Drake-Chenault's
"Solid Gold" format, frequently used on FM stations that needed
separate programming from their AM sisters due to the new FCC rules on
simulcasting, that functioned as a hybrid of oldies and the adult contemporary and softer rock hits of the day. The popularity of the movie American Graffiti
is often credited with helping to spur the 1950s nostalgia movement of
the early 1970s, and it was out of this 1950s nostalgia movement that
some of these stations, such as WHND/WHNE "Honey Radio" in Detroit, WCBS-FM in New York, WQSR Baltimore, and WROR
in Boston, sprang up and were classified as Oldies stations and not
Adult Top 40 stations. These stations, however, did play current
product sparingly (one or two per hour) throughout the 1970s and into
the 1980s; WCBS-FM, for example, played current hits under the moniker
"Future Gold" as late as the late 1980s, and WLNG on nearby Long Island featured a roughly 50/50 mix of current hits and oldies from the early 1960s until about 1999. WGAR in Cleveland and KRLA
in Los Angeles were other examples of Top 40 stations with heavy oldies
orientations; KRLA was in fact promoted in the 1970s as the "Elvis-to-Elton" station.
Most of these "Solid Gold" stations began to either evolve into
other formats or abruptly drop the format altogether from the late
1970s to early 1980s. Most AM solid Gold stations simply flipped to
other formats. Some FM stations evolved into Adult Contemporary
stations such as WROR Boston, WFYR Chicago, for example. Other FM
stations simply moved into other formats like Rock, Top 40, Urban, or
Country. In the early 1980s many Adult Contemporary stations began
mixing in more oldies into regular rotation. Many of these stations had
oldies shows on Saturday nights.
Gradually, beginning in 1982, both AM and FM stations began flipping
to a full-time oldies format playing "All Oldies All The Time". These
stations played strictly music from 1955 to 1973 focusing on the 1964
to 1969 era. By the mid to late 1980s stations like WDRC-FM Hartford, WODS Boston, WOGL Philadelphia, KLUV Dallas, WWSW Pittsburgh, WJMK Chicago,
and many others sprang up. Some had as few as 300 songs while sations
like WODS and WOGL had as many as 1500 songs in regular rotation. By
1989, most large and medium markets had at least one Oldies station. By
1990, most were on FM.
From 1986 to 1990 several solid gold stations evolved into full-time
oldies stations by eliminating current and recent product, gradually
eliminating 1980's songs, and even limited 1970's songs severely. KRTH
and WQSR both did this in the late 1980s into the early 1990s. WCBS-FM,
however continued playing current product in regular rotation until
1988. After that, they continued playing it once an hour between 11
p.m. and 5:30 a.m. until 2001. WCBS-FM also played several 1990's songs
per shift during these over night hours. They continued also to play
between one 1980's song every couple hours to as many as two per hour
day and night. WCBS-FM also played between three and five songs per
hour from the 1970s. They indeed played more 1970's music than any
other notable oldies station. At the same time, WCBS-FM featured
slightly more pre 1964 songs than the average station playing as many
as five of those per hour.
Oldies stations continued to be late 1960s based throughout the
1990s. WCBS-FM was an exception. Most AM oldies stations also
disappeared by the early 1990s except in markets where there was no FM
oldies outlet. The format fared well with no end in sight.
Decline of oldies formats
In 2000, oldies stations began to notice their demographics were
getting older and harder to sell. Still, at that time only a couple
stations dumped the format altogether. A few went for a flavor of the
months format called "Jammin' Oldies". But most continued to hang onto
the format initially.
Since the turn of the century, stations began to limit selections
from the '50s and early '60s. At the same time these stations began
playing songs from as late as 1979 and even a few 1980's songs. WCBS-FM
New York slightly cut back on the pre-1964 oldies and slightly
increased the 1970s and 1980's songs early in 2001. They also
eliminated the overnight currents and recurrents at the same time along
with some specialty shows.
In 2002, many Oldies stations have dropped most music from before
1964 from their playlists, as it is believed that doo-wop and other
music from the late '50s and early '60s appeals to demographics
undesirable to advertisers, namely listeners over 65. As a result, many
oldies stations have filled the holes in their playlists by extending
their range through late-'70s. Some stations extended into the '80s.
WCBS-FM canceled their Doo Wop Shop program and cut back to only one
pre 1964 oldie an hour. By 2003, that station played under 50 such
songs in regular rotation. Other stations eliminated pre 1964 oldies
altogether with only a couple exceptions (Louie Louie, Shout, Johnny B. Goode for example).
From 2003 to 2006, most FM oldies stations such as KRTH, WOGL, KLUV, have evolved into classic hits (see below), classic rock, or gold-based adult contemporary formats (i.e. WHTT-FM in Buffalo, New York). Others simply dumped the format altogether.
The changes in selection have created some confusion over the
definition of "Oldies", while many stations have adjusted their logos
to accommodate their new formats. Stations that continue to use the
term "oldies" in their on-air positioning generally do not play music
made after 1979 (with some exceptions) and still may play one pre 1964
oldie an hour. Still, that is not always true. WODS in Boston still
calls themselves "Oldies 103.3" but plays almost nothing from before
1964 (with the exception of their Sunday morning "Elvis Hour", during
which they frequently play a number of Elvis' early recordings) and a
moderate amount of early 1980s music. But most stations that do play
post-1975 music have generally dropped the word "oldies" from their
positioners, using identifiers such as "Super Hits," "Classic Top 40"
or "The Greatest Top 40 Hits of All Time" (a la WRIT in Milwaukee and KLUV in Dallas/Fort Worth), or "Classic Gold" (a la CFCO in Chatham, Ontario, or the now-defunct "Classic Gold" oldies-radio network in the United Kingdom).
Many say the greatest hits from the 60s and 70s. WSRZ-FM in Sarasota,
FL dropped their "Oldies 108" advertising nomenclature in favor of
"Your Home Town Station" while expanding their playlist up to 1980.
They still have their "Cruise In" segment for late '50's[2] and early '60's music. KQQL in Minneapolis/St. Paul and WLDE
in Fort Wayne, Indiana, are two other examples of oldies stations which
have relegated early and mid-1960s music to weekend specialty shows.
In response to this, some radio stations such as WSAI in Cincinnati and WRLL in Chicago
in the early 2000s adopted the "Real Oldies" moniker and a playlist
spanning exclusively the mid-50s through the mid-'60s. Most of these
"Real Oldies" stations were on the AM dial and featured legendary
personalities from the '60s-'70s golden Top 40 era (for example, WLS legend Larry Lujack was part of the WRLL air staff). However, WSAI soon dropped the format, and WRLL (now WVON)
dropped it as well in the fall of 2006, because of a combination of low
ratings (due largely to the amount of "unfamiliar" music played on such
stations and the fact that they broadcast on AM) and unfavorable ad
demographics.
Many other stations have also been forced to drop the format because of low ad revenue despite high ratings. On June 3, 2005, New York's WCBS-FM, an oldies-based station for over three decades, abruptly switched to the Jack FM format, resulting in a tremendous outcry from oldies fans in the Big Apple. WJMK in Chicago (WCBS-FM's sister station) switched to Jack FM
on the same day. Some point to the demise of WCBS-FM and WJMK as a sign
that the oldies format is in danger, for many of the same reasons that
the adult standards
format is disappearing. However, WJMK had been struggling for many
years, and was in much worse shape than most other major-market oldies
stations. In addition, unlike New York City (with the possible
exception of WMTR (AM)
in nearby New Jersey), the Chicago market has not technically been
without an oldies station since, due to the existence of the
aforementioned WRLL and now WLS-FM.[3]
The oldies format returned to WCBS-FM on July 12, 2007
in an updated form featuring music from 1964 to 1994 (and without the
word "Oldies", but rather "Greatest Hits" in the on-air positioning),
with songs such as "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper, "Gloria" by Laura Branigan, and "We Built This City" by Starship in rotation (though it should be pointed out that the original WCBS-FM
played current hits mixed in with its oldies as late as the late 1980s
and the three songs mentioned here during most of their years). Also
included on the returning format as well are a sprinkling of pre-1995
hits and a selected number of classic oldies from the pre-1964 period.
Thus far, the resurrected WCBS-FM has been well received. Still, WCBS-FM is classified as "Classic Hits" rather than Oldies.
Other oldies radio stations
The oldies format remains one of the most popular formats on radio
in markets where it is still active. Some of the most successful
major-market oldies stations today really lean Classic Hits and include
KRTH "K-Earth 101" in Los Angeles, XHPRS-FM "105.7 the Walrus" in Tijuana-San Diego, KOLA 99.9 in Riverside-San Bernardino, WODS "Oldies 103" in Boston, WOGL in Philadelphia, WMJI "Majic 105.7" in Cleveland, WDJO in Cincinnati, and KLUV in Dallas. WLS-FM
in Chicago, however is similar to the way oldies stations sounded
several years back. They still play one or two pre-1964 songs an hour
during the day and as many as 4 an hour at night. However, to
illustrate the continued decline in the format, San Francisco's KFRC moved toward Classic Hits in 2005 and dropped this format entirely in 2006 in favor of the Rhythmic AC "MOViN" format which left most of Northern California without an oldies station until the debut of KCCL
(K-Hits 92.1) in Sacramento in January, 2007. (It should be pointed
out, however, that KFRC had already evolved its format and positioning
to classic hits at the time it changed to "Movin".) But KFRC was not gone for long. On May 17, 2007 with Free FM hot talk format failing on 106.9 KIFR CBS relaunced KFRC with a rock leaning classic hits format on 106.9.
Veteran New York radio programmer Scott Shannon developed a format known as the "True Oldies Channel," distributed via satellite by ABC Radio,
which features some of the music featured on "Real Oldies" stations as
well as hits of the late '60s and very early '70s, but generally
nothing after 1975. The most high-profile "True Oldies Channel"
affiliate is probably WLS-FM in Chicago, which adopted the "True Oldies" approach in the wake of WJMK's change to Jack FM. However, WLS-FM has slowly been adding more local personalities (including veteran radio personalities Greg Brown and Dick Biondi), and now only airs 'True Oldies' from 10am-3pm weekdays, overnights, and weekends. WIFO-FM
Jesup, GA airs the True Oldies Channel during weekends as a contrast to
its normal weekday country programming, and it is well received. True
Oldies has also evolved to include more 1970's music and less pre-1964
product.
Jones Radio Networks, Waitt Radio Networks and Dial Global (formerly part of Westwood One) also offer 24-hour satellite-distributed oldies formats. ABC Radio actually offers two (three if Timeless is counted): in addition to the "True Oldies Channel," there is the much longer-running and more established "Oldies Radio" format (formerly known as "Pure Gold" during the time in the Satellite Music Network), which focuses mainly on the decade from 1965 to 1975 with some older and newer material.[4]
In North America, Satellite Radio broadcasters XM and Sirius
each have more than a dozen oldies radio channels, with XM offering
separate stations for each decade from the '40s to the '90s, and Sirius
doing the same for the '50s through the '80s. These companies also
offer specific genre channels for disco and dance hits, classic rock, classic country, and vintage R&B and soul hits. [5],[6]These
pay radio channels boast thousands of songs in their libraries,
ensuring far less repetition than traditional broadcast stations. As of
early 2007, the total number of satellite radio listeners is still
under 15,000,000, but it's expected that this will increase over time. Music Choice similarly offers commercial-free music channels for most oldies or gold music genres similar to satellite radio.
Classic hits format
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Main article: Classic hits
A variation on the classic rock theme is classic hits, which provides most of the playlist of classic rock with an addition of contemporaneous R&B and pop hits as well, striking a balance between the mostly '70s-focused classic rock genre and the more broad-based oldies format.
Spoof
The prevalence of TV ads for the "Golden Oldies" album series led to a spoof of the commercials and the genre on an episode of The Flip Wilson Show, in which Wilson and guest star Roy Clark tried to sell a collection titled "Olden Moldies."
External links
Classical
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