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May 6, 2020 10:12 am  #1


Zoomer Radio

Is anybody else noticing that Zoomer Radio is sounding a lot less geriatric these days?

About a year or so ago, you would've heard the occasional classic hit mixed in with a playlist of mostly adult standards. Now it seems like the ratio is reversed. Lots of 60's and 70's hits making up the mainstay of their playlist, with the occasional nugget from the 50's. And now they're veering well into the 80's. The likes of U2(!), Depeche Mode(!!) and even The Clash(!!!) are making regular appearances on their playlist. This morning they were playing Tarzan Boy by Baltimora.

Their playlist is actually quite varied, and I like the fact that they're not playing the same 200 songs over and over like some classic hits stations. (Hmm, where have I heard that before?)  

An interesting evolution for what a lot of people considered an "old folks station".

Or then again, maybe I'm just getting more geriatric these days...  


PJ


ClassicHitsOnline.com...If you enjoy hearing the same 200 songs over and over again...listen to the other guys!
 

May 6, 2020 10:50 am  #2


Re: Zoomer Radio

I remember when I was a kid, someone in their 50s would be listening to "the strings, the singers and the orchestra"
Now that I'm in that age bracket, I would be just as likely to rock out with some deep purple ior some classic Queen instead.

After all, it's been 30 years since those first hits from U2, Depeche Mode and the Clash.
It's all about nostalgia.  While I love music from 50s, there's no connection for me unlike some stuff from the late 60s and the 70s.  As the population shifts so does the definition of "oldies music".
 
Bravo to Zoomer Radio (I still hate that name) for recognizing this and keeping up.
 

Last edited by Peter the K (May 6, 2020 10:52 am)

 

May 6, 2020 10:53 am  #3


Re: Zoomer Radio

They've been chasing Frank Leo, not listeners, for some time now 

 

May 6, 2020 12:01 pm  #4


Re: Zoomer Radio

Zoomer is getting fairly contemporary with more hit music from the 60-80's. However I wish Robbie Lane would mix up his music a little better. Don't know if they let him pick a lot of his material since he is a musician but I swear everytime I hear the 80's at 8 he plays Michael Jackson and Cyndi Lauper.  I have heard him play Thriller many times and I don't know why his music seems so repetitive with the same artists since there are so many great songs from that decade. Also he is fairly repetitive on 70's at 7 as well playing the same artists.   As an announcer he is fine, just that his music seems off.  Rest of the day whenever I listen to Zoomer the music is pretty good. Overall it is a good station in my opinion. 

 

May 6, 2020 1:36 pm  #5


Re: Zoomer Radio

Zoomer played Tarzan boy around 5:30am this morning. Boom 97.3 played it about an hour later. 
Interesting, too...I've also noticed that Boom has been dabbling a little more with 70's music, particularly during the daytime. Just recently they played O-o-h Child by The Five Stairsteps. A bit of a departure from their usually 80's-heavy rotation. Boom is probably a lot more cautious with newer adds to their playlist, given the fact that they're near the top of the ratings heap and can't afford to rock the boat too much by trying to fix something that ain't broke. Zoomer, on the other hand, can probably afford to experiment more because they're closer to the bottom. (Remember the days when that philosophy was reversed? The CHUM's of the world were like, "We can play whatever we want, because everybody listens to us!!")

It'd be interesting to see if this turns into a battle between the Boom and the Zoom.

My station (shameless plug), probably falls somewhere down the middle, music-wise. More by accident than design, as I've doing it since 2008, when 97.3 was still EZ-rockin' and AM 740 was still playing old farts' music. Although I'm in it for the fun of it, not the ratings. 


PJ

 


ClassicHitsOnline.com...If you enjoy hearing the same 200 songs over and over again...listen to the other guys!
     Thread Starter
 

May 6, 2020 4:26 pm  #6


Re: Zoomer Radio

I applaud the transformation of Zoomer radio.  The same formula is in play ... we just fit the demo now!  And I really am glad to listen to a radio station that still delivers excellent newscasts and isn't afraid to operate with a large inventory of songs ... not just the same 200 songs the bean counter programmers of today cling to that charted in the number 1 and 2 position.  What's wrong with playing a song from 1976 that peaked at 22 on Billboard?  Nothing!  The 9 o'clock Mix with Robbie is a great creative hour of radio!  I'd ditch the 80's at 8 and go with the Mix for 2 hours from 8pm until 10pm if I had access to the Zoomer suggestion box!!!  

 

May 6, 2020 4:29 pm  #7


Re: Zoomer Radio

PaulR wrote:

What's wrong with playing a song from 1976 that peaked at 22 on Billboard?  Nothing! 

Nothing wrong with it so long as you don't care about your ratings.
 

 

May 6, 2020 5:26 pm  #8


Re: Zoomer Radio

RadioAaron wrote:

PaulR wrote:

What's wrong with playing a song from 1976 that peaked at 22 on Billboard?  Nothing! 

Nothing wrong with it so long as you don't care about your ratings.
 

Not "ratings",  but instead, ratings in a very specific listening group.  

 


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

May 6, 2020 5:52 pm  #9


Re: Zoomer Radio

A few of the retired CHUM guys had been helping revamp the station up till about a year ago.

Yeah, nice that ZoomerRadio is playing more 70’s and 80’s in the mix but I hope they don’t totally alienate the older audience.   Some radio station has to still offer some 50’s and 60’s with a few big band or MOR artists thrown in.

 

May 6, 2020 5:53 pm  #10


Re: Zoomer Radio

People that listen to Zoomer are listening for more than just music. If some songs were not in the top 20 or 30 is not a big deal in my opinion. Zoomer listeners are there for the personalities, the information and some of the quirky programming like Fight Back, Garden Show, Dave's Corner Garage and Face the Music etc. 
 
AM stations that still  play music don't really need to worry about the chart position of all the songs since they will never be a contender for the top tier in ratings anyway.  But Zoomer is successful because they have found a real niche that was not being served, and their music, along with general programming fills that gap quite well.  Stations that play all gold need to keep the music interesting and straying outside of the top hits occasionally is a plus and not a negative.

As Paul Jeffries noted above BOOM seems to be opening up their music a little, as they should since they were getting too predictable and have seen some softening in their ratings. You can only listen to Dancing With Myself,  Right Here Right Now  and Black Betty so many times.

 

May 6, 2020 6:01 pm  #11


Re: Zoomer Radio

grilled.cheese wrote:

The older audience is alienating themselves from living.  It's better to focus on the youth of today; those that remember the Beatles before they became hippies.   

COVID may be taking more of a toll on 740's audience than I thought. Anyhow, it's nice to be reminded. Thanks!

 

May 6, 2020 7:20 pm  #12


Re: Zoomer Radio

Peter the K wrote:

I remember when I was a kid, someone in their 50s would be listening to "the strings, the singers and the orchestra"
Now that I'm in that age bracket, I would be just as likely to rock out with some deep purple ior some classic Queen instead.
... 

Yep, totally agree Peter the K.

Yet here's a young gal who embracing a rock era of days gone bye : )) .. I can't stop watching! She rocks!





 
 

 

May 6, 2020 8:07 pm  #13


Re: Zoomer Radio

Radiowiz wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

PaulR wrote:

What's wrong with playing a song from 1976 that peaked at 22 on Billboard?  Nothing! 

Nothing wrong with it so long as you don't care about your ratings.
 

Not "ratings",  but instead, ratings in a very specific listening group.  

 

Nothing that's sellable. They're #10 35-64 and in zero share range 25-54.
 

 

May 6, 2020 8:09 pm  #14


Re: Zoomer Radio

paterson1 wrote:

P But Zoomer is successful because they have found a real niche that was not being served, and their music, along with general programming fills that gap quite well.  Stations that play all gold need to keep the music interesting and straying outside of the top hits occasionally is a plus and not a negative.

As Paul Jeffries noted above BOOM seems to be opening up their music a little, as they should since they were getting too predictable and have seen some softening in their ratings. You can only listen to Dancing With Myself,  Right Here Right Now  and Black Betty so many times.

What about Zoomer is successful? 

A Stingray Breeze station would wipe out what's left of their audience in one book.

And Boom isn't opening up...their playlist has been about the same size for years. They're just really great at making it sound fresh.
 

Last edited by RadioAaron (May 6, 2020 8:14 pm)

 

May 6, 2020 8:48 pm  #15


Re: Zoomer Radio

 Zoomer Media is successful, in fact in their latest quarter had an increase in sales and net income over the same quarter last year. Comparing a Stingray Breeze station and AM 740 would be a little tricky since the Breeze stations are all FM and other than the booster frequency for downtown 740 has all of the limitations of AM radio.  And 740 has much more content and real programming other than just music which is about all the the Breeze stations offer.  Is the Breeze station in Vancouver making money?
Here is Zoomers latest financial report and for a small company they seem to be doing alright....
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/zoomermedia-limited-announces-second-quarter-220853606.html

 

May 6, 2020 8:57 pm  #16


Re: Zoomer Radio

Zoomer media is making money because most of us are involuntarily sending Vision TV a little bit of money every month. 96.3 is also likely modestly profitable. 740 would never stand on its own.

Regardless, I'm not sure how a station managing to survive despite a lack of ratings is an argument for larger playlists anywhere else.

Last edited by RadioAaron (May 6, 2020 8:58 pm)

 

May 6, 2020 9:25 pm  #17


Re: Zoomer Radio

True 740 as a stand alone would be a struggle but that would be true of any single stand alone AM outlet. Anyway I think overall they are a good station with unique programming and are more like a smaller town station.  In terms of ratings they don't have a lot of national advertising anyway and they do have accounts that you don't hear on other stations. As long as the advertisers are happy with the results and feel they are getting value for money spent the ratings are not always that important. Sort of like in smaller markets where many stations dropped Numeris years ago but still manage to remain profitable.

 

May 6, 2020 10:23 pm  #18


Re: Zoomer Radio

I find the announcers at AM740 talk TO the listener while announcers at most other stations talk AT the listener.

 

May 6, 2020 10:35 pm  #19


Re: Zoomer Radio

Norm played this song from Nelly Furtado a few days ago. It is from 2000 and he remarked that is was the first time he played it.



 

 

May 6, 2020 11:38 pm  #20


Re: Zoomer Radio

RadioAaron wrote:

Boom isn't opening up...their playlist has been about the same size for years. They're just really great at making it sound fresh.
 

Troy hand picks every single song.  The human touch makes a big difference.

 

May 7, 2020 3:09 am  #21


Re: Zoomer Radio

Prod Guy wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

Boom isn't opening up...their playlist has been about the same size for years. They're just really great at making it sound fresh.
 

Troy hand picks every single song.  The human touch makes a big difference.

The thing to note is that Boom is being very slight. Their format is 70's 80's 90's, but yet they'll slip in Shaggy's It wasn't me and also a song from a band called the Killers...even though that's 2000's. 
There may be others, but those are the two I've noticed so far. 
 


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

May 7, 2020 8:17 pm  #22


Re: Zoomer Radio

Radiowiz wrote:

RadioAaron wrote:

PaulR wrote:

What's wrong with playing a song from 1976 that peaked at 22 on Billboard?  Nothing! 

Nothing wrong with it so long as you don't care about your ratings.
 

Not "ratings",  but instead, ratings in a very specific listening group.  

 

Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith peaked at #36 on Billboard on July 19th, 1975.  Gimme All Your Lovin’ by ZZ Top peaked at #37 on May 21st 1983 on Billboard.  Daisy Jane by America peaked at #20 in 1975.  Working at the Carwash Blues by Jim Croce peaked at #32 in July 1974.  You’re telling me a listener wouldn’t like to hear these songs on Classic Hits radio now?  I think Zoomer listeners appreciate the variety.  I liked hearing “Linda Put the Coffee On” by Ray Materick the other night.  It was better than hearing “Cuts Like A Knife” again.