Does anyone feel like classic rock radio stations play most of the same music?

[emilykiny62]

I mean this from day to day and across stations. I feel like they all have a go-to play list of like 50 songs that they play frequently and then sprinkle in other songs. For example, I was driving through Georgia a week ago, and every time I lost signal to a radio station, I'd just scan for the next classic rock station. I think I heard Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 4 times in 4 hours.

[donobrian]

Yeah, Classic Rock radio may be killing it recently in the ratings but I think that every Classic Rock radio station should program Emily's Spotify playlist.

Who cares what a couple hundred million people expect to hear when they turn on the Classic Rock radio station, Emily matters more and they should exclusively program to her tastes and preferences.

Radio is about BROAD not NARROW casting, and the greatest net available is the well tested playlist of Classic Rock staples that just do not burn decade after decade.

[meko1999]

Um, yeah. Pretty sure my local classic rock station has played Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street" almost every day for the past 28+ years.

[shawnkelly]

Across the country on "corporate-controlled" stations? Yes. Most definitely. For my station? No. Although we do restrict years to 65' to 95', Light on the '90s. Most of the time you can go a few days without hearing the same song. Every day is a no-repeat day. Our library is huge! Album-cut, features, requests, twofers, triple shots, everything you would expect a good solid Real Classic Rock station to be.

[matadormi]

Mostly, it seems that I do hear the same 200+ songs over and over, but there are stations that do fairly well with that approach.

But there are some with an engaged local air staff that are successful and push the envelope a bit musically; (e.g. WRBR Flint MI and WDNS Bowling Green KY).

[kmrichards]

I think you nailed it with that last comment. Most CR stations do rely on the music to carry them with their audience, so they will use BDS or Mediabase to see what the best "performing" titles are with the target listeners and rarely stray from that list. As you say, that approach works well.

But a strong live and local air staff allows a station to rely a little less on the music, and can go a little deeper. I'd be willing to bet that those stations don't go much farther than 300, though.