Classic Rock has proved to be one of the most durable formats in radio, and in this week’s Programming To Win column, Fred Jacobs looks back at his 25 years working with the format. What lessons can other formats learn from Classic Rock’s success? Jacobs lists a number of attributes of Classic Rock that can be applied elsewhere, and even carves his own “Mt. Rushmore” of Classic Rock.
Fred Jacobs
While 2010 will very be thought of as a great comeback year for radio, for the Classic Rock format, it symbolizes something entirely different.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of my first FM Classic Rock client – WMMQ/Lansing. Owned at the time by Bob Ottaway, he and PD Jeff Crowe took a shot on an unproven format. Previously, there had been a few scrappy experiments on the AM band, and some tinkering but no lasting success on FM. In 1985, no one gave the format much of a chance.
Today, WMMQ is still on the air, still playing Classic Rock with very high ratings, and it sits alongside many of those early pioneer stations that moved away from the wave of new rock and MTV, and into a sustainable format that has made nothing but money, while making millions of radio listeners happy.
In looking back at the success the Classic Rock format has enjoyed during this time – as well as its even better performance in many PPM markets – here are some “Lessons from the Classic Rock Format” that apply to other formats in radio. They are as relevant today as they were a couple of decades ago. Past is prologue, and there’s a lot to learn from these guiding principles that can help map radio’s future.
“Hit ‘em where they ain’t.” This phrase was coined by none other than old-time baseball great Wee Willie Keeler to explain his hitting success.
In radio, moving into the opposite corner of what’s popular is often a sound strategy. And that’s one of the key reasons Classic Rock worked. When the format launched, AOR radio in the early-mid-‘80s was very “new rock”-centric, powered by the wildly successful launch of MTV.
A big reason why Classic Rock succeeded in the mid-‘80s was that it featured great music that simply wasn’t garnering much exposure anywhere else in radio. There is always a market for moving to the other side of the room.
Built to last. Every generation has its own pop culture, but some artifacts are more durable and meaningful than others. For Classic Rock, the format’s appeal wasn’t just due to just the Baby Boomer population explosion.
Classic Rock music has proved to have lasting value. Many of the songs and albums from its seminal bands – the Beatles, Stones, Zeppelin, Floyd – will be enjoyed by generations and generations of music lovers long after we’re all gone. In much the same way that people continue to appreciate the works of Beethoven, Brahms, and Bach, the best music from this period will be celebrated a hundred years from now.
The N-factor. Nostalgia is perhaps the most powerful component in Classic Rock’s DNA. It is that yearning to connect with the past, good times, and memorable experiences that turbo-charges the appeal of the format. While some will always have a desire to hear whatever’s new and hot, there is nothing more emotionally charged than conjuring up great memories from the past. And music is one of the bridges that connects people to their formative years. Whether it is Sinatra in the ‘40s, Elvis in the ‘50s, the Beatles in the ‘60s – or Lady Gaga in the ‘00s – there is nothing more seismic and poignant than the music you grew up with.
And there’s a social media component here, too. The underpinnings of sites like Facebook and Classmates.com are nostalgia-based – keeping up with old friends, school buddies, family members, and colleagues. Many of the same motivators behind social networking are similar emotions and factors that explain the success of a format that conjures up great memories of youthful times.
Classic Rock is community. The format’s appeal crosses demographic and psychographic lines. Classic Rockers are lawyers, construction workers, men, and women. They are adults who lived through the era in real time, but they are also today’s teenagers who have discovered the music via movies, TV shows, commercials, iTunes, and YouTube. Many of the people who enjoy Classic Rock radio have very little in common with one another other than being passionate about the music.
We have conducted hundreds of hundreds of focus groups on behalf of Classic Rock stations over the past 25 years. And an incredible phenomenon often occurs after the groups have ended. Respondents from all walks of life, who have never met each other before, often end up in the parking lot debating who should be the opening act if the Beatles and the Stones appeared in a fantasy concert together.
That’s an ad hoc community in the making, similar to how Twitter brings together like-minded individuals with something to offer one another.
It takes a Sherpa. While the Internet has fostered lots of online conversations and umpteen streaming options, many Classic Rock broadcast stations have a “secret sauce.” A wizened DJ guide or two can come in handy – pros who know the ropes, and can steer you to the best stuff.
When it’s on its game, Classic Rock radio features personalities who are music mavens – the trusted DJs who still go to concerts and who have interviewed many of the greats. They can weave a great story and remind you why you first enjoyed the music in a way that transcends Pandora and YouTube.
And that’s why local personalities that matter remain so important to radio today. Up against all the new digital and web-based competition, a friendly, trusted, hometown voice can be a difference-maker.
It’s personal. Inside the head of every Classic Rocker is a musical Mt. Rushmore – the three or four icons that define this music for them personally. For some, it’s Hendrix, Clapton, Lennon, and Jagger. For others, it’s Neil Young, Iggy Pop, Freddie Mercury, and David Bowie.
Classic Rock works because it’s intensely personal. Today, fans share playlists, a popular part of the social media experience. Those small, intimate dorm room debates that occurred in the ‘60s have moved to forums, chats, and of course the exchange of music and ideas via Facebook and Twitter – not just to handfuls of fans but to millions of them, all of whom have a vested interest in the music.
It put the “pop” in pop culture. Classic Rock is all about marketing, and many advertising agencies, movie makers, and TV producers have figured it out. Whether it’s the Who setting the mood on “CSI,” Classic Rockers headlining the halftime show at one Super Bowl after another, or countless television commercials with a Classic Rock soundtrack, the music has transcended radio and successfully moved to other platforms.
This wider exposure has helped Classic Rock expand its footprint, and in the process, grow its audience, its influence, and its staying power.
So, Classic Rock, enjoy your 25th anniversary as a mainstay on FM radio. Arbitron tells us there are now more than 800 Classic Rock and Classic Hits stations in America – more than there are Alternative, Mainstream, Active, and Triple A outlets combined.
Whatever format you’re growing and developing, we hope that these lessons from the Classic Rock highway are meaningful as you develop strategies and tactics in the future.
Fred Jacobs is President of Jacobs Media. The Southfield, Michigan based firm consults many of America’s most successful Classic Rock, Mainstream Rock, and Alternative stations. Fred can be reached at (248) 353-9030 or fredjacobs@jacobsmedia.com.
