Associated Press Discovers 1980s Happened Upwards Of Two Decades Ago, ’80s Music Enjoyed By Old And Infirm
We’d all like to pretend that the music we listened to in junior high will stay forever young, but deep down we know that someday we will be buffalo stancing at the retirement home. (It’s not so bad. Imagine trying to explain to your bored grandchildren how you could once superman that ho.) Graying ’80s babies who never thought they’d be tuning into “oldies” radio may cringe at the thought that they now have to sit through a Motown block to get their Falco fix, but this (somewhat) timely AP report on the format’s gradual expansion proves that radio marketing directors are there for you. If the term “oldies” scares you, well, you’re just listening to “Classic Hits,” grandpa.
“We discovered the word ‘oldies’ symbolized music from the jukebox-era,” said Brian Thomas, the station’s program director and vice president of Classic Hits programming… The result: “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” (1984) and “Caribbean Queen” (1985) share air time with more traditional oldies like “The Way You do the Things You Do” (1964) by The Temptations and “Proud Mary” (1969) by Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Oldies stations across the country are evolving for similar reasons. WQRV-FM in Huntsville, Ala., formerly an oldies station, changed to Classic Hits two years ago. They dropped the ’60s and now play ’70s and ’80s. KQLL-FM in Tulsa, Okla., converted to a Classic Hits station last year. They no longer play early ’60s music. The format changes were ratings successes.
Thomas says the incorporation of ’80s music isn’t that different from the station’s original oldies days.
Changing to Classic Hits is “like the Senior Tour in golf now being called the Champions Tour,” he said. “It’s the same age group, but they don’t consider themselves seniors.”
Far from a recent all-change, the incorporation of ’80s music into oldies Classic Hits playlists has actually been a slow, ongoing process as the music’s receded enough into the cultural memory to not be mistaken for anything too current. And what of the alt-rock generation, next in line to find their music absorbed into the CH playlist? Thankfully the Alternative Gold format is already preparing us for the inevitable day when “120 Minutes” is the amount of time between trips to the bathroom on a good night.
