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Heart Stations |
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#126 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,792
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All I can say is that I am female, in my forties and so probably the type of listener Heart is aimed at and I absolutely hate it. It has replaced our local HIT music station and as we are a bad reception area there are many places round here where it is the only option. My CD player is broken and I am forced onto a diet of Wham, George Michael, Michael Buble, Phil Collins and Abba- nothing wrong with any of those artists but I like to hear current chart music when I am driving around. I spend most of my time trying to listen to Capital through a sea of static at the moment.
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#127 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,111
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Quote:
Er, yes there IS evidence that listeners tune out when unfamiliar songs are played.
Have a look at this report from the US ratings people Arbitron. There ain't a lot they don't know about audience research. They interviewed 1000 women listeners and found the majority "strongly agreed" that they would tune out if they heard a song they didn't like. And 90% “strongly agreed” that they listen for “music I like”. That's why tight, repetitive playlists work on AC stations aimed at women like Heart. You may disagree - but remember men consume radio very differently. Hence why the likes of Absolute, Jack and Original have all bombed in the ratings. http://www.arbitron.com/downloads/www_ac.pdf There is a difference between unfamiliar songs & songs that were hits which are now ignored |
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#128 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,111
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Quote:
Indeed.
In London, Capital rotate about 200 songs, Magic and Heart about 550, and Smooth between 1750 and 2000. The first three are the most listened to commercial stations in London and massively out perform Smooth. Surely some evidence right there, Bundyman? Looking at Rajar this morning in the West Midlands & the losses continue for Heart FM . Another 4,000 gone survey to survey & 94,000 gone year on year. Smooth, Kerrang, BRMB, Beacon all down. All the networking small playlisters. Smooth has a slighly wider list, but that has become more repatitve lately |
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#129 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,649
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Quote:
Err, yes....
There is a difference between unfamiliar songs & songs that were hits which are now ignored |
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#130 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 7,111
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Quote:
Chart positions are irrelevant. Summer of 69 and Brown Eyed Girl didn't even make it into the top 40 yet they CONSISTENTLY test well.
The Bluebells 'Young at Heart' charted TWICE. Bryan Adam's 'Everything I Do' spent a massive 16 weeks at number one. Bros were all over the charts '88-'91. When will I be famous, I Owe You Nothing and Drop the Boy were HUGE! All are familar songs but guess what? They test like a dog. Never assume that because a song charted well people still want to hear them. They don't. Young & Heart & Everything i do test badly!!!...Hilarious. Both great songs that sound good on the radio. Ignore the testing & play 'em. |
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#131 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 8,501
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Quote:
The fact that a song was a hit doesn't mean its familliar. I hate to use this example agan but Bryan Adams Summer of 69 is VERY familliar but it was never a hit. There are also plenty of songs that were hits that are familliar but people just don't really like them anymore.
Which would be his second biggest album. It may not have sold many singles, but it was off a massive hit album. |
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#132 |
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 8,501
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Just of note, his best selling album of course contained the Robin Hood Song. 'Everything I Do'.
Such a shame that Commercial Radio is so bland, that it ignores the album charts. |
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#133 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,649
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Quote:
Wasn't it the last song to be released off Reckless?
Which would be his second biggest album. It may not have sold many singles, but it was off a massive hit album. |
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#134 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 298
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It seems as if Simon Dale may have left Heart as his profile and all references to him seem to have been removed from the Heart website - He has only been at Heart for about 6 months.
It seems that Matt Wilkinson is currently doing the Heart Evening show once again, which is a good choice and in my opinion is better than Simon Dale - no offence to the guy, I didnt really see why Heart put an Australian on the Heart Evening show - always to me sounded a bit out of place really. |
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#135 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,239
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Quote:
Hmm playing Jimmy Nail. HUGE tuneout!
Quote:
Young & Heart & Everything i do test badly!!!...Hilarious. Both great songs that sound good on the radio. Ignore the testing & play 'em.
If 35 is supposed to be the average age of the listeners for these stations it's funny how many of the 90s songs are the sort of thing a 35 year old at that time would be listening to. Wet Wet Wet,Boyz II Men & Curtis Stigers, were they really big with teenagers in the 1990s. Heart likes to have this image that it's a fun station for the 80s & 90s generation but most of the time when I see someone listening to Heart it's normally someone in the 40-60 age group. Quote:
Look at how the figures fell for a lot of the heritage stations & smaller smations when they became part of groups and adopted the "group music"
The groups have been a disaster for a lot of stations, especially the smaller ones. All the stations i have ever been involved with have fell on their ass after the arrival of short playlists, they did far better with wider playlists....but obviously i'm not going to name those stations ![]() |
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#136 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,751
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Quote:
Heart have a playlist that includes Edward Maya - Stereo Love,Robbie Williams Morning Sun and previously had Lee Ryan on it's playlist. Hardly the greatest radio songs in the world.
They are great songs for Heart. |
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#137 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 462
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I think Heart's playlist has come a really long way since the original re-brand in 2009.
They've finally realised that their target audience DO want to hear a lot of new music (as well as older/more chilled music). I can't believe 'We Speak No Americano' was played today! I'd have had that down as one of the least likely songs to hear on Heart this time yesterday! I think its great that they are adding more new music (that doesn't fit their stereotypical bill) to their playlist. Believe it or not, their target audience do like songs other than 'club classics' and those by the likes of Buble etc. It's great to put on Heart and to now hear the likes Lady Gaga, Kings Of Leon, Plan B, The Black Eyed Peas & Jay Sean etc. |
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#138 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Birmingham, West Midlands, UK
Posts: 4,175
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Quote:
It's great to put on Heart and to now hear the likes Lady Gaga, Kings Of Leon, Plan B, The Black Eyed Peas & Jay Sean etc.
I find the Midland stations owned by Orion, like Mercia and Wyvern a very good listen, and quite refreshing compared to the likes of Heart. The presenters have personality, the music more varied and you can hear the localness, how commercial radio should be, not to mention the great sung jingles! Everything the Joey Deacon hates about radio! |
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#139 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 3,751
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Quote:
The presenters have personality, the music more varied and you can hear the localness, how commercial radio should be, not to mention the great sung jingles! Everything Joey Deacon hates about radio!
![]() I like sung jingles on ramps into ad breaks!
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#140 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Suffolk, UK
Posts: 747
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Our local Heart (Suffolk, 96.4) apart from sounding like frying bacon with its distorted processing, is OK for background music while you work and now and again does slip in a real forgotten classic, it seems to serve it's purpose. I still prefer the old days of long-lost local radio from Saxon,(especially when programs originated from the Bury studio) but then again there's probably more music played on Heart now than Saxon ever did. I still remember the Saxon roadshow live from our carnival/fun day and engineer Tony being impressed that I'd noticed the roadshow sound was mono
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#141 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,239
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Quote:
I think Heart's playlist has come a really long way since the original re-brand in 2009.
They've finally realised that their target audience DO want to hear a lot of new music (as well as older/more chilled music). I can't believe 'We Speak No Americano' was played today! I'd have had that down as one of the least likely songs to hear on Heart this time yesterday! I think its great that they are adding more new music (that doesn't fit their stereotypical bill) to their playlist. Believe it or not, their target audience do like songs other than 'club classics' and those by the likes of Buble etc. It's great to put on Heart and to now hear the likes Lady Gaga, Kings Of Leon, Plan B, The Black Eyed Peas & Jay Sean etc. I've heard some very fake links on Heart this week On Heart Kent I heard something on the lines of "I can't wait to play Michael Buble" then on Heart Sussex "Black Eyed Peas - I've Got A Feeling - It doesn't get any better than that" Also on Club Classics last night some woman from nowhere sent in a message asking for Robin S - Show Me Love around 9pm. "I'll see what I can do" said the DJ. I wonder if she stayed up until 1:48 this morning to hear it. |
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#142 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 8,501
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Quote:
It had to change though because GWR had a yellow card for not playing enough new music so those artists are just played over & over to keep Ofcom happy.
I've heard some very fake links on Heart this week On Heart Kent I heard something on the lines of "I can't wait to play Michael Buble" then on Heart Sussex "Black Eyed Peas - I've Got A Feeling - It doesn't get any better than that" Also on Club Classics last night some woman from nowhere sent in a message asking for Robin S - Show Me Love around 9pm. "I'll see what I can do" said the DJ. I wonder if she stayed up until 1:48 this morning to hear it. |
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#143 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,226
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Quote:
Heart is just background music for people with the attention span of a goldfish. If anyone actually paid close attention and listened all day, everyday, they'd either be brain-dead or in a lunatic asylum!
Just as Primark is not aimed at connoisseurs of haute couture and KFC is not aimed at connoisseurs of haute cuisine and Tesco is not aimed at connoisseurs of haute anything. But as businesses, all do exceptionally well because they unashamedly aim their services at the mass market. So your snobbery - which is what it is - is really no more than a thinly veiled insult to the millions (7.7 million in this case) of ordinary, hard-working people who apparently enjoy the music Heart plays. |
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#144 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,353
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Quote:
Bluebells seemed to be testing well enough for the playlist in the GCap era
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#145 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,540
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Quote:
Also surprising how 1960's & 70's keep getting on the playlist despite the fact you would have to have been listening to Gold or other local radio stations for the past 20 years to really know these songs.
Invicta FM 19.9% listening share in TSA in June 2000 but down to 11.5% as Heart Kent in June 2010. It's ridiculous to say you have to be of a certain age or be tuned to a ceryain genre of station to "really know" these songs. The popularity of a song is less to do with its age and more about the way a particular audience is exposed to it. As for your ten year comparison on Invicta's figures, that's just misleading. We're in a totally different market now where the nature of radio listening and choice has totally changed. You can't just say the falling figures are purely down to the Heart rebrand. |
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#146 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 9,540
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Quote:
Heart is just background music for people with the attention span of a goldfish. If anyone actually paid close attention and listened all day, everyday, they'd either be brain-dead or in a lunatic asylum!
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#147 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,239
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Quote:
When you say 1960s I assume you mean songs like Build Me Up Buttercup, and 70s would be something like Mama Mia - both of which have found a new generation of fans because they featured heavily in films. Similarly any tracks from Glee.
It's ridiculous to say you have to be of a certain age or be tuned to a ceryain genre of station to "really know" these songs. The popularity of a song is less to do with its age and more about the way a particular audience is exposed to it. |
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#148 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,027
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Can anyone tell me why heart.co.uk/hampshire AND .co.uk/dorset are still online, when it's now .co.uk/southcoast?
I would have thought, as there are 15 stations instead of 33, they would also cut the number of websites down to 15, too? |
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#149 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,092
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Quote:
There is nothing wrong with playing the odd song but it's the freqeuncy that the classics come round at the expense of newer music which most of the stations were originally licensed to play
The heritage ILRs were originally licensed to play a broad variety, from chart shows to oldies (and beyond). In more recent years, most of them had formats asking them to appeal to under 40s (whilst their AM counterparts appealed to over 40s) with mostly chart and contemporary music, though this need only account for (can't remember) 50 or 60% of their output. |
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#150 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 8,501
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Quote:
Can anyone tell me why heart.co.uk/hampshire AND .co.uk/dorset are still online, when it's now .co.uk/southcoast?
I would have thought, as there are 15 stations instead of 33, they would also cut the number of websites down to 15, too? Though Heart Bedford is no more, at present it appears the building is still being used. The studios were across the road from the football ground. Their is a large Heart 96.9 sign still there (mind you I think the shop in town still has Woolworths on it). But with local on air sales teams are they still at old studios? Or is the sign still there until a new business rents the offices? |
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