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Hi there. With great respect, I turn 55 later this year and I am not a 'boomer.' I am early Generation X. I have always seen myself as very different from the Baby Boomers, who have a much closer link to the earlier generation (the WW2 Generation) in terms of their behaviours.
It was the late baby boomers and early Gen X which really fought the generation gap. I was born in 1967. I would have needed to have been born in 1964 to be a 'boomer.' It is horrid/awful real estate marketing, which has changed the categorisation.
I started high s school in 1980. I still listen to a lot of 80s genres, which the new 2UE will never play. I am proudly Gen X.
I like to think of the economics of running a pre-"ACE" version of 2UE and comparing to the present "ACE" version of 2UE. You'd think that it would be more economical to run an automated radio station than to have on-air presenters. According to the websites for 2UE, 4BH and 3MP, most of the presenters are the same with some variation for local programming. For example, 4BH and 2UEs breakfast with Trevor Sinclair and 3MP Breakfast with Jon and Julie,
Sources:
https://www.2ue.com.au/
https://www.4bh.com.au/
https://www.magic1278.com.au/shows/
https://3mp.com.au/shows/
Again if most of the programming on 2UE, 4BH and 3MP is syndicated, is it still economical to run compared to an automated "music box"?
Sure there has been recruitment as advertised on this website for sales executives.
I wish the new arrangement a success as a going concern. However if there is any guide to how the new 2UE will succeed under new management, have a look at 3MP's ratings for survey 8, 2021, its ratings is 0.9% while 2UE's pre-"ACE" ratings is 2.7, source, https://www.radiotoday.com.au/radio-ratings-survey-8/ .
Time will tell for 2022.
Having listened to the pre-"ACE" 2UE, there has been an improvement in the mix of music. It was not the hackneyed "classic hits"/"golden oldies". That is there is no high rotation of John Cougar Mellancamp/Elton John and Bob Seeger. Even under the new management, the music is a pleasant mix, which is an improvement since the 23rd of March, 2021, source: https://radioinfo.com.au/news/3mp-can-it-rise-ashes/.
I have been critical of the meaning of "Easy Listening" formats. How does one define "Easy"? It used to mean lush orchestral arrangements from the likes of Nelson Riddle, Enoch Light, Hugo Montenegro and other instrumental artists such as Walter Wanderley . It also included the vocals from crooners and swooners. There's a DAB+ station of called "Crooners and Swooners". It is very similar to the DAB+ "Stardust" station which was on the air at the time of the start of broadcasting on the DAB+.
But is "easy" also meaning only music that are hits.? Not everyone who remembers a particular "hit" may remember other hits of that era. Having a hits-only station narrows the repertoire of artists.
Easy listening means different things to different people. The music of 2DAY-fm of the eighties was also "easy listening" of a US west-coast style with artists from James Taylor, Michael Franks and Frank Sinatra. The Medibank advertisement shows a customer service officer relaxing to heavy metal music.
In the end AM can rate as demonstrated by 4KQ (story on this site) and when 2CH was competing with the newly-formed 2DAY and 2MMM.
The question will the new management of 2UE, 4BH and Magic1278 and 3MP increase its listenership? One has to question what is "Easy" listening whether it could include a wider variety of genres and artists.
Thank you,
Anthony of exciting and thinking Belfield on the lands of the Wangal and Darug peoples of the Eora Nation.
Let's not forget Phil Collins' "Sussudio", "Do You Remember", "Another Day In Paradise" and "One More Night" as being part of the hackneyed high rotation "classic hits"/"golden oldies" formats. That is in addition to John Cougar Mellancamp ("Cherry Bomb"), Elton John ("Sacrifice") and Bob Seeger ("Old Time Rock and Roll"). They are great artists, but they are more than those few songs.
There are many other easy listening contemporary artists: Gabriella Cilmi, Duffy, Katie Melua and Janet Jackson. How about more from Robbie Williams, Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman ("Something Stupid"), "Take That", Michael Buble for example his cover of Queen's "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". Further don't narrow down Tina Area to singing only "Sorrento Moon" and consider other singers such as Linda Rondstadt's take on "What's New" which was triple platinum in 1983.
On the other hand, just as the customer service officer in the Medibank ad was relaxing to heavy metal music, source https://www.facebook.com/Medibank/videos/get-inspired-with-medibank-live-better/790772108410261/ , why not include electronic Eurodance music from Visnardi Brothers, for example the band "Livin' Joy" and "Alex Party" as easy listening. Nice hook, nice melody and there are three minute radio edit versions of their music.
The list is not exhaustive. An easy listening station could also include Barry White's "Love Unlimited Orchestra" with easy listening songs such as "Rhapsody In White", "Love's Theme", "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love Baby" and "You're My First, My Last, My Everthing".
But will an "easy listening" station include those hits? When 2SM was "Lite 'n Easy 1269" in the late 1980s, it only had a repertoire/playlist of 1500 songs. Its definition of "lite and easy" was so narrow such that you heard the same playlist the next week. It's ratings increased to 7% after that format was ditched for an automated "beautiful music" format for three months in 1992 then the ratings nose-dived even more and has never returned..
If radio stations have a very narrow view of what is easy listening and not give what the listener wants then your station may remain at the 'tanked' level.
In contrast, sorry to use the term "classic hits" one can learn from 4KQ's playlist from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and some contemporary hits of the 1990s. Its demographic is from the 40-54 age group.
Could 4KQ's ratings be even higher? That's a moot point. Has anyone asked what do listeners like to listen to other than 'hits' when the very demographic may like a wider variety of music? No one has asked me.
If a radio station's management has a narrow view of what is 'easy listening' and exclude other kinds of 'easy listening' music, its ratings may be at its peril.
Thank you,
Anthony of critical Belfield in the land of the Wangal and Darug peoples of the Eora Nation.