[suffolkblue]

Sadly smooth 70s will go or it will change now the same company have their hands on it.

[Mapperley Ridge]

Originally Posted by shadowplay

Hi there

Finally, I just wondered if it was my mind playing tricks or someone can help with something I remember hearing many years ago or it was an article? The basis was that evidence found listeners tune in to a station for 30 or 60 minutes a day? I can't recall the figures but maybe this is what they base playlists on?

Yes and no. A listener tuning in for at least 15 minutes per week counts towards a station's reach. For many, this percentage is a key factor in analyising Rajar results.

However, the share of audience and the number of average hours listened per week is also important.

From this data you can work out how many hours per week the "average listener" tunes in for - and how many time they are likely to hear the same song on rotation.

The people who tend to dislike narrow playlists are those who listen for several hours every day. But in the eyes of a station programmer, they're not the ones they target.

So yes, a lot of radio listening is done in short bursts. Presenters build their banter and features around this factor. Recalling and reminding people of key promotions is part of the mix.

[MikeBr]

Originally Posted by Mapperley Ridge

However, the share of audience and the number of average hours listened per week is also important.

From this data you can work out how many hours per week the "average listener" tunes in for - and how many time they are likely to hear the same song on rotation.

Gold's average number of hours per listener per week is 10, which is relatively high scrolling down the last RAJAR figures.

[mine's a pint]

Originally Posted by JELLIES0

That's two things

I've listened to Gold and don't like it because it plays songs that I have heard too many times. I just don't get this idea that people want songs that they are familiar with. I like hearing songs that I haven't heard too many times. If I found that I liked a song they played I would then go out and buy it.

If I hear Brown Eyed Girl one more time .............

But that's the whole point of when the listener hears a song that they have not heard for ages or the first time , it's like a breath of fresh air , with maybe the listener purchasing what they've just enjoyed listening to, which was one of the initial reasons of why people wanted to listen to pop music radio all those years ago .

[Genesys]

So - still no claim as to where the 300 number came from!!
I've just had the real number shown to me... you lot would be VERY surprised indeed...

Care to explain where you got 300 from????????????


... thought not (Because you made it up!)

[FM Lover]

Originally Posted by CRTHD

I don't know what Gold's actual rotation is, but it is rather telling, when I can listen to a station that only plays tunes from 1 decade and still has far greater variety than one that can choose from 4!

(Smooth 70s)

Always so so so predictable though. If the presenter says "coming up in the next hour it's The O'Jays, The Real Thing & Van Morrison" you know exactly what tracks are going to be played.

[SmartProgrammer]

Originally Posted by Genesys

... thought not (Because you made it up!)

I'm surprised the OP came up with such a high figure as 300! Normally it's "they only have 5 songs" or "my mum has more songs on her iPod" blah blah blah.

[SmartProgrammer]

Originally Posted by mine's a pint

Why shouldn't Gold play songs that charted in US as the listeners would enjoy them

Says who? I would love to see the results of your findings.
Let me correct you for a minute though. I think what you meant to say was "Digital Spy posters would enjoy them".

[david1956]

Originally Posted by david1956

It would be good if Gold played wide variety of music from the 1950s to the 80s instead of a playlist of 300. There were 10,000 records that made the charts during that time, most of which never get played. I am not talking about an obscure album track, but loads of top ten singles that people would like to hear. SOTs on Radio 2 which attracts 4 million listeners every week proves there is a massive market for this. It is a pity that the likes of Global are too lazy to provide a station that deserves the name Gold.

Of course Gold play more than 300 songs. I simply wanted to provoke a response and a discussion about the poor playlist used by the station. It certainly did that and many posters obviously agree.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-rad...yradio-dot-com

Unsurprisingly, it's that variety gauge that makes for the most depressing results. BBC 6 Music is very strong, with 60% variety and 3,321 unique tracks played in the last month, but at the other end of the scale, it's a sorry tale: Capital FM (3%, 244 tracks); Choice FM (2%, 159 tracks), XFM London (6%, 562 tracks), Heart London (7%, 521 tracks). Gold (3 percent 906 songs). No wonder listening to those stations can feel so ossifying.


If smartprogrammer has other views then perhaps we might get his figure of the number of songs they play. It seems that if anyone dares to say that they don’t like the station they are called “thick” and “anoraks” just because they like a bit more variety and quality in their music radio.

Originally Posted by Genesys

When will people on forums like this get it into their thick heads - that playing a wide range of obscure tracks that "haven't been heard for ages" doesn't result in audience numbers.

Originally Posted by Peter the Great

Well I don't know anyone that listens to it. Infact most people have never heard of the station! Funny thing is though both Classic Gold and Capital Gold were very well known stations and had a much wider playlist.

Originally Posted by suffolkblue

Yes I agree with the op though. I like the idea of gold but the track lust is too poor its around 700 songs repeated all the time. When it was on compare my radio it had a 3% variety which is terrible but sadly most global stations are the same. I don't want to hear rare tracks but there is a lot more hit songs they could play and if they did that I would listen.

Originally Posted by suffolkblue

Totally agree with that 100% and sadly with global it will never happen.

Originally Posted by Genesys

So still no clear evidence as to the 300 tracks claim then....

Look this is really really simple, all the tracks in the Selector database are tested and are given (as far as I'm told) 2 scores. It's only when both of these scores meet a target level set by Mr. Park that a track gets on. Ie, It's a track they are certain people want to hear.

Gold / Heart / Capital / Choice and to an extent Xfm are not about presenting huge varied playlists of 1000's of tracks so anoraks can go... "ooooh I haven't heard this so far today!" Mainstream commercial radio is about SHARE first - The rotation of the biggest tracks = share!

It's like anything - you find out what it is people want more of and give it to them at every possible opportunity!!

I fail to see why the dimwits who comment on how radio should be run just can't get it...

Also, you can't compare Gold and Magic. They are two completely different propositions to the market place - aiming at 2 very different target listeners.

Take a step back, put a business brain on - unzip your anorak and think about it...

Marvellous. If you can’t win an argument just resort to insults or like on the post below just use a completely ridiculous example.

Originally Posted by SmartProgrammer

As been said before chart positions are irrelevant. Using your logic we should be playing Spitting Image's Chicken Song. After all it was a UK #1 in 1986, right?

If you are only going to play records that are tested, why don’t you increase the number of songs that you test and find their way onto the playlist and play them all less frequently? After all 1957-1987 is a large pool to choose from. Now that would be smart programming.

[david1956]

Would you like to hear some of these seldom heard songs played on Gold.

1960
That’s Love – Billy Fury
Stairway to Heaven – Neil Sedaka
Made You – Adam faith

1961
You Don’t Know – Helen Shapiro
Nature Boy – Bobby Darin
I’ve Told Every Little Star – Linda Scott

1962
English Country Garden – Jimmy Rogers
Aint That Funny – Jimmy Justice
Cindys Birthday – Shane Fenton

1963
One Fine Day – Chiffons
Forget Him – Bobby Rydell
Take These Chains From My Heart – Ray Charles

1964
La Bamba – Crickets
Someday Were Gonna Love Again – Searchers
Cant You See That She’s Mine – Dave Clark Five


1965
Help Me Rhonda – Beach Boys
Leave A Little Love – Lulu
Maggies Farm – Bob Dylan

1966
Hideaway – Dave Dee & co
Visions – Cliff
Younger Girl – Critters

1967
Jackson – Nancy Sinatra
Up, Up and Away – Johnny Mann Singers
Shake Otis Reading

1968
Lovin Things – Marmalade
My Name is Jack – Manfred Mann
Beggin – Timebox

1969
Way of Life – Family Dogg
Peaceful – Georgie Fame
Early in The Morning – Vanity Fair

1970
25 Or 6 to 4 – Chicago
Up The Ladder to the Roof – Supremes
Sweet Inspiration – Bandwaggon


1971
Pied Piper – Bob and Marcia
Oh You Pretty Thing – Peter Noone
Lady Rose – Mungo Jerry

1972
Little Bit of Love – Free
Sister Jane – New World
Sugar Me – Lyndsey De Paul.


1973
Rock A Doodle Doo – Linda Lewis
I Saw The Light – Todd Rundgren
Smarty Pants – First Choice

1974
Guilty – Pearls
Id Love You To Want Me – Lobo
Midnight at the Oasis – Maria Muldaur

1975
Hirewire – Linda Carr
Mama Never Told Me – Sister Sledge
Walking in Rhythm – Blackbirds

1976
Misty Blue – Dorothy Moore
You Are My Love – Liverpool Express
Me and Baby Brother – War

1977
Slow Down – John Miles
Sam – Olivia
I Can Prove It – Tony Etoria

1978
Run For Home – Lindisfarne
Its Raining – Darts
5705 – City Boy


1979
Silly Games – Janet Kay
Night Owl – Gerry Rafferty
Beat The Clock - Sparks

[MSB]

It seems that if anyone dares to say that they don’t like the station they are called “thick” and “anoraks” just because they like a bit more variety and quality in their music radio.

Heart, Gold, Capital listeners are also branded "thick" by some people on here for daring to like their output.

If only DS posters recognised their own hypocrisy...

[richie wild]

Originally Posted by david1956

Would you like to hear some of these seldom heard songs played on Gold.

1960
That’s Love – Billy Fury
Stairway to Heaven – Neil Sedaka
Made You – Adam faith

1961
You Don’t Know – Helen Shapiro
Nature Boy – Bobby Darin
I’ve Told Every Little Star – Linda Scott

1962
English Country Garden – Jimmy Rogers
Aint That Funny – Jimmy Justice
Cindys Birthday – Shane Fenton

1963
One Fine Day – Chiffons
Forget Him – Bobby Rydell
Take These Chains From My Heart – Ray Charles

1964
La Bamba – Crickets
Someday Were Gonna Love Again – Searchers
Cant You See That She’s Mine – Dave Clark Five


1965
Help Me Rhonda – Beach Boys
Leave A Little Love – Lulu
Maggies Farm – Bob Dylan

1966
Hideaway – Dave Dee & co
Visions – Cliff
Younger Girl – Critters

1967
Jackson – Nancy Sinatra
Up, Up and Away – Johnny Mann Singers
Shake Otis Reading

1968
Lovin Things – Marmalade
My Name is Jack – Manfred Mann
Beggin – Timebox

1969
Way of Life – Family Dogg
Peaceful – Georgie Fame
Early in The Morning – Vanity Fair

1970
25 Or 6 to 4 – Chicago
Up The Ladder to the Roof – Supremes
Sweet Inspiration – Bandwaggon


1971
Pied Piper – Bob and Marcia
Oh You Pretty Thing – Peter Noone
Lady Rose – Mungo Jerry

1972
Little Bit of Love – Free
Sister Jane – New World
Sugar Me – Lyndsey De Paul.


1973
Rock A Doodle Doo – Linda Lewis
I Saw The Light – Todd Rundgren
Smarty Pants – First Choice

1974
Guilty – Pearls
Id Love You To Want Me – Lobo
Midnight at the Oasis – Maria Muldaur

1975
Hirewire – Linda Carr
Mama Never Told Me – Sister Sledge
Walking in Rhythm – Blackbirds

1976
Misty Blue – Dorothy Moore
You Are My Love – Liverpool Express
Me and Baby Brother – War

1977
Slow Down – John Miles
Sam – Olivia
I Can Prove It – Tony Etoria

1978
Run For Home – Lindisfarne
Its Raining – Darts
5705 – City Boy


1979
Silly Games – Janet Kay
Night Owl – Gerry Rafferty
Beat The Clock - Sparks

I'm going to say yes to them all. I'm 46 and don't know all of them, but I could get to. There's sixties and seventies music I've only got into in my forties, thanks to presenters like Steve Garlick and Keith Skues. Oldies radio should be programmed by someone who was a teenager in the sixties and listened to the Pirates, knows the songs which were around. I got into music late '77 and know the most bizarre track that gets thrown at me because, by 13, I was an avid radio listener. It was almost never off. We had no real telly back then so radio was key.

There is one caveat though, the Chicago song... it's crap

(Love all the hits from '82 onwards though).

[david1956]

Originally Posted by david1956

Would you like to hear some of these seldom heard songs played on Gold.

1960
That’s Love – Billy Fury
Stairway to Heaven – Neil Sedaka
Made You – Adam faith

1961
You Don’t Know – Helen Shapiro
Nature Boy – Bobby Darin
I’ve Told Every Little Star – Linda Scott

1962
English Country Garden – Jimmy Rogers
Aint That Funny – Jimmy Justice
Cindys Birthday – Shane Fenton

1963
One Fine Day – Chiffons
Forget Him – Bobby Rydell
Take These Chains From My Heart – Ray Charles

1964
La Bamba – Crickets
Someday Were Gonna Love Again – Searchers
Cant You See That She’s Mine – Dave Clark Five


1965
Help Me Rhonda – Beach Boys
Leave A Little Love – Lulu
Maggies Farm – Bob Dylan

1966
Hideaway – Dave Dee & co
Visions – Cliff
Younger Girl – Critters

1967
Jackson – Nancy Sinatra
Up, Up and Away – Johnny Mann Singers
Shake Otis Reading

1968
Lovin Things – Marmalade
My Name is Jack – Manfred Mann
Beggin – Timebox

1969
Way of Life – Family Dogg
Peaceful – Georgie Fame
Early in The Morning – Vanity Fair

1970
25 Or 6 to 4 – Chicago
Up The Ladder to the Roof – Supremes
Sweet Inspiration – Bandwaggon


1971
Pied Piper – Bob and Marcia
Oh You Pretty Thing – Peter Noone
Lady Rose – Mungo Jerry

1972
Little Bit of Love – Free
Sister Jane – New World
Sugar Me – Lyndsey De Paul.


1973
Rock A Doodle Doo – Linda Lewis
I Saw The Light – Todd Rundgren
Smarty Pants – First Choice

1974
Guilty – Pearls
Id Love You To Want Me – Lobo
Midnight at the Oasis – Maria Muldaur

1975
Hirewire – Linda Carr
Mama Never Told Me – Sister Sledge
Walking in Rhythm – Blackbirds

1976
Misty Blue – Dorothy Moore
You Are My Love – Liverpool Express
Me and Baby Brother – War

1977
Slow Down – John Miles
Sam – Olivia
I Can Prove It – Tony Etoria

1978
Run For Home – Lindisfarne
Its Raining – Darts
5705 – City Boy


1979
Silly Games – Janet Kay
Night Owl – Gerry Rafferty
Beat The Clock - Sparks

Making Up Again - Goldie. When was the last time you heard that?

[mine's a pint]

Originally Posted by SmartProgrammer

Says who? I would love to see the results of your findings.
Let me correct you for a minute though. I think what you meant to say was "Digital Spy posters would enjoy them".

Who says that they should not play US chart hits ?

Yes , I meant Digital Spy Posters along with alot of other listeners.

Talk about narrow casting.

[80sfan]

Originally Posted by david1956

Making Up Again - Goldie. When was the last time you heard that?

F*cking awesome tune!

Heard it for the first time a couple of years ago on Dutch radio and searched everywhere to find it... such a great song. Could Gold or Smooth ever inspire me to 'new old stuff' like that? Never!

[mine's a pint]

Originally Posted by david1956

Would you like to hear some of these seldom heard songs played on Gold.

1960
That’s Love – Billy Fury
Stairway to Heaven – Neil Sedaka
Made You – Adam faith

1961
You Don’t Know – Helen Shapiro
Nature Boy – Bobby Darin
I’ve Told Every Little Star – Linda Scott

1962
English Country Garden – Jimmy Rogers
Aint That Funny – Jimmy Justice
Cindys Birthday – Shane Fenton

1963
One Fine Day – Chiffons
Forget Him – Bobby Rydell
Take These Chains From My Heart – Ray Charles

1964
La Bamba – Crickets
Someday Were Gonna Love Again – Searchers
Cant You See That She’s Mine – Dave Clark Five


1965
Help Me Rhonda – Beach Boys
Leave A Little Love – Lulu
Maggies Farm – Bob Dylan

1966
Hideaway – Dave Dee & co
Visions – Cliff
Younger Girl – Critters

1967
Jackson – Nancy Sinatra
Up, Up and Away – Johnny Mann Singers
Shake Otis Reading

1968
Lovin Things – Marmalade
My Name is Jack – Manfred Mann
Beggin – Timebox

1969
Way of Life – Family Dogg
Peaceful – Georgie Fame
Early in The Morning – Vanity Fair

1970
25 Or 6 to 4 – Chicago
Up The Ladder to the Roof – Supremes
Sweet Inspiration – Bandwaggon


1971
Pied Piper – Bob and Marcia
Oh You Pretty Thing – Peter Noone
Lady Rose – Mungo Jerry

1972
Little Bit of Love – Free
Sister Jane – New World
Sugar Me – Lyndsey De Paul.


1973
Rock A Doodle Doo – Linda Lewis
I Saw The Light – Todd Rundgren
Smarty Pants – First Choice

1974
Guilty – Pearls
Id Love You To Want Me – Lobo
Midnight at the Oasis – Maria Muldaur

1975
Hirewire – Linda Carr
Mama Never Told Me – Sister Sledge
Walking in Rhythm – Blackbirds

1976
Misty Blue – Dorothy Moore
You Are My Love – Liverpool Express
Me and Baby Brother – War

1977
Slow Down – John Miles
Sam – Olivia
I Can Prove It – Tony Etoria

1978
Run For Home – Lindisfarne
Its Raining – Darts
5705 – City Boy


1979
Silly Games – Janet Kay
Night Owl – Gerry Rafferty
Beat The Clock - Sparks

Yes some brilliant songs and artist's listed , some that I had forgotten about ( I guess it would be the same for other listeners).

Now that would be Smart Programming .

[Inkblot]

Originally Posted by richie wild

There is one caveat though, the Chicago song... it's crap

It's one of my favourite songs from that era and since I was a teenager at the time I should obviously be in charge of programming music from back then!

It's actually a pet hate of mine that none of that broad swathe of what was then modern rock music seems to get played on the radio now, even though some oldies from the late 60s / early 70s do. That whole rock meets other genres mash-up was really interesting (jazz-rock, blues-rock, folk-rock, Latin-rock, country-rock etc) but as far as I know it's rarely played on UK radio.

[hanssolo]

Originally Posted by david1956

http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-rad...yradio-dot-com

Unsurprisingly, it's that variety gauge that makes for the most depressing results. BBC 6 Music is very strong, with 60% variety and 3,321 unique tracks played in the last month, but at the other end of the scale, it's a sorry tale: Capital FM (3%, 244 tracks); Choice FM (2%, 159 tracks), XFM London (6%, 562 tracks), Heart London (7%, 521 tracks). Gold (3 percent 906 songs). No wonder listening to those stations can feel so ossifying.

Never heard the term "ossifying", but agree it's an interesting way to describe Global's output, surprised the Guardian knew how to spell it?

But Absolute and Global see the term "variety" in different ways! For Absolute it's the playlist percentage of unique tracks, whilst Global see it as they number of types of music played, not the playlist!

Listening to R2 this morning was good to hear Status Quo "The winning", great song, very topical and sounds very 70's, According to comparemyradio has had 29 plays on R2 and no 15 of the most played tracks over the past 30 days

But sadly will never be played on Gold, Capital, XFM or even Heart as it just not meet their selection criteria?

[80sfan]

Originally Posted by FM Lover

Always so so so predictable though. If the presenter says "coming up in the next hour it's The O'Jays, The Real Thing & Van Morrison" you know exactly what tracks are going to be played.

If I heard a presenter say a line-up like that, I'd tune out immediately

For the very reason you can predict I love music, You to me are everything & Brown eyed girl are about to come on

[FM Lover]

Originally Posted by david1956

Making Up Again - Goldie. When was the last time you heard that?

BBC Radio 2, Friday July 13th on Ken Bruce show which is why Radio 2 wins hands down

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01kjmc1

[Mapperley Ridge]

So, the OP finally admits he plucked the figure out of thin air "to provoke a debate". You sound like a member of the coalition cabinet. Present the electorate with a worst-case, totally fabricated, unworkable argument - then suddenly a u-turn when people are outraged.

And then you have the tenacity to call the opposition arguments "childish and insulting".

This was and is a bogus thread. Based on deliberately misleading informatiom. As anyone who knows anything about radio could see straight away.

Would the average Gold listener be comfortable with your playlist? I very much doubt it. They want familiarity, songs that stand the test of time, something they can sing along with.

I'm out of this thread, inspired by yet another weak "it doesn't play the exact songs I want, therefore nobody else must like it" argument.

[david1956]

Originally Posted by SmartProgrammer

Says who? I would love to see the results of your findings.
Let me correct you for a minute though. I think what you meant to say was "Digital Spy posters would enjoy them".

On Sunday afternoons, on Magic Tony Blackburn chats to listeners on the phone. Very often they tell him that they like to hear the seldom played songs that he plays. They don't want to hear the same things all the time. I doubt if many of them post on DS.

[Genesys]

Why doesn't David1956 call Dean Martin after 8pm each night and request his list in order.
(If he gets through of course) - I am assured they will play every single one of those tracks...

Some have actually been played on the request show before - So I still fail to see the argument here.

[david1956]

Originally Posted by Mapperley Ridge

Would the average Gold listener be comfortable with your playlist? I very much doubt it. They want familiarity, songs that stand the test of time, something they can sing along with.

.

All of the songs on the list made the top 40, most the top 10, several number one. They are all familiar songs, nothing obscure about any of them. They have all stood the test of time. they were not chosen specifically to be obscure. They were all in the chart this week in their respective years. When you look at the chart the songs jump out at you because of their quality, nothing else.

If the average Gold listener is not familiar with them it I'd because Gold hardly ever, if ever play them. They are content to play the same records day after day.

I see that smart programmer hasn't told us how many are actually on the playlist. Whatever, three percent unique songs per month on a station that claims to play songs from three decades is abysmal.

[Genesys]

David1956, it claims to play "The greatest hits" not the most amount of songs that just happened to make number 1 / top10. Some awful records have charted well - and just don't cut it today.
If you could only see the research that the guys at Global and other companies have it would silence you!!

You seem to have zero understanding of how commercial radio works and how it gets and more importantly keeps an audience.

We get you don't like Gold's offering - but 1.5million other people do. So the evidence suggests they are infact doing something right!