Yep. This is why I laugh when posters here say it would be a success in the capital cities. Pigs bottom.
You sort of have to feel for these people though because they clearly wouldnât know great radio even if it bit them on the bottom. I get the impression they mistakenly think that slapping obscure songs around willy-nilly makes great programming. They are philistines to technology, research and listener feedback.
I feel like contacting Rebel Media and requesting a song specially for them.
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Yet to be tested. And I think youâre dead wrong.
The closest to it in a metro market (albeit fewer new tracks) is 4BH, and we all know where that is in the ratings, on AM. I would argue 4BH is more âeclecticâ/random or country AM sounding than Breeze.
And similar community stations like 2NUR or Sunshine FM. I suppose you would argue theyâre not rating their asses off? We all know they are
Iâm also not sure why people who say they donât like the format are spending so much time listening to it and posting criticisms. If you donât like it just listen to Triple M all day if thatâs your thing.
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Cap city Radio exec poring over research and audience data:
âYou know what Riick, the audience is telling us they want to hear 9 obscure songs per hour and 2 well known songs. Shit. Better give it to them thenâŚâ
If it was going to work someone would already be doing it.
You know I enjoy The Breeze. But itâs not fit for purpose as a cap city offering.
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Thatâs so true. If it was such a great format, weâd be hearing it.
The fact is it has been tried before. The whole idea of throwing selector into random mode is nothing new. And itâs been tried. In Brisbane we had 4IP which had a very similar format to the Breeze in the early 90s. Similarly, Radio 102/X102 in Adelaide tried the same thing. Both failed miserably.
Sure nothingâs been tried since. But thereâs a very good reason for that.
People are loving 4BH at the moment because itâs a very well programmed station. Thereâs rhythmic balance to the songs, no sudden juxtapositions. 4BH is a station that plays to itâs audience very well, and every single song it plays is a great one.
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Iâve not heard a single person on this forum say they like hearing the same stuff day in day out.
I know we have a greater interest in radio than the average listener, but are we really that different to them in our musical tastes?
And i think thereâs a reason why commercial radio stations donât want community radio stations like 2NUR to be included in the ratings. Because they donât want to be shown up.
But having said that, i think a hybrid Triple M/Rebel format would work (as Breeze/Gold). Mix the more obscure with the safe stuff, maybe 2 safer songs and 1 rarer song in between.
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I would hardly call songs on the Breeze âobscureâ.
Someone is already doing it, just not here. Itâs called BBC Radio 2 and is by far the most listened to radio station in the UK, indeed all of western Europe. They play exactly that formula! 70% obscure and 30% well known. Have you seen what they rate?
Just because it hasnât been tried here doesnât mean it wouldnât work. I donât have the faith you seem to have in the judgement of commercial radio operators in this country.
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As a radio announcer, when you start hating a song, thatâs when the audience is starting to love it.
Thereâs a big difference between repetition and rotation. And youâre right, people tell us they donât want to hear the same thing day in day out. But these are also the very same people who love the familiarly of radio and when push comes to shove, find themselves singing along to âliving on a prayerâ while theyâre driving or busy at work and changing stations when they hear a Breeze B-side (Like Plain White Ts 1234 which they played in Breakfast yesterday).
A post was split to a new topic: Other International Radio
Has Beeeze tightened up, particularly overnight?
Iâve been listening for several nights and itâs much more palatable for longer listening - and I havenât heard a song out of place yet.
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Looks like their normal playlist to me.
They generally play less new stuff on weekends and overnight.
I find them the only station I can listen to for long periods, along with Rebel
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Wow! Are Breeze suddenly playing âsongs that you know and loveâ? Where have all the obscure B-sides and mediocre Aussie B-grades gone?
Checking Lava and even a quick glance at the current playlist shows there were twice as many tracks without a spin ID twelve months ago.
I was at the local council library the other day and they had Breeze on and it actually sounded a lot less erratic than normal. Every song they had on was familiar (surprisingly).
A quick comparison to the same time 12 moths ago:
Journeyâs faithfully was never a hit in Australia. Neither was the Sugarbabesâ When the rain comes. Both obscure. Similarly with Doug Ashdown - mediocre Aussie 2nd-rate tat. The rest of the hour ainât that bad, but when youâve started with three flops, I guess you have to make amends somehow.
So yes, I think youâre on to something. The Breeze certainly do seem to be tightening up their playlist. The mere fact the library has them on these days shows theyâre definitely becoming more palatable.
Flops? Doug Ashdown? Winter In America is very well known and did very well here!
You seemed to be easily triggered by radio stations who dare to play something, that in your opinion is obscure, yet you seem to bang on about someone called Shane Codd who in this part of the world has never had a hit - who would be best described as obscure.
Just because you think something is obscure doesnât make it so. I may think Shane Codd is obscure, but in your opinion, it isnât necessarily so.
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Opinions are one thing. But letâs look at the facts. Wikipedia:
It was originally titled âLeave Love Enough Aloneâ and released as a single in 1974, but failed to chart.
Failed to chart = flop. Thatâs not just my opinion. Thatâs fact.
Weâre talking about programming. And surely if you have âradioâ in your user name you must have some appreciation for programming and how it works. TOH is king. Power hits. Not flops.
And if youâre going to play flops - fine. But buffer them. Surround them either side with power hits and core artists.
Three flops at the TOH is just bad programming in anyoneâs language.
People switch off. They honestly do. And if you suggest otherwise then you are clearly ignoring the research and evidence that says they do.
I need to go listen to slam! (Theyâre due to play Shane Codd again!).
Winter In America has had a lot of airplay in Australia for decades. Itâs irrelevant that it didnât reach Top 10. The fact is itâs been heard on radio for decades and would definitely not be obscure or unknown to any Australian over 40. I remember it being played a lot on radio in the 70s and 80s. And since then itâs been a staple on 4KQ and 4BH for years. Chart positions literally 50 years ago mean nothing as to whether a song is well known or radio friendly. There are countless examples of songs that get big airplay without charting that well, and thatâs as it should be.
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That Doug Ashdown song didnât even chart. Honestly. Sure it didnât make top 10. It didnât make top anything. It did not chart. Not top 100. Not top 200. Not top anything.
Name me one song that is currently on the 4BH playlist that never charted.
Just one. That 4BH plays and never charted. Countless examples? You canât count them because they donât exist. Real radio stations and real programmers donât play flops at the TOH.
Sure youâll find them on the Breeze and Rebel. Youâll even find them at the top of the hour.
But go for a browse on the 4BH playlist. You will not find a single song that hasnât charted.
Winter in America was definitely played on Top 40 radio in Australia in the 70s.
According to the site https://rateyourmusic.com/
The song made the the Australian top 100 chart 28 times from October 1976 to April 1977.
It made the top 40, 4 times.
It also made city radio station charts including 3XY, 3DB, 4IP, 5KA. In some of those charts it made the top 10.
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Youâll probably have a coronary when you see my playlists. I deliberately play âno hittersâ like Journey!
(But I do start the show with a well known banger, and relegate the Wrong Song to the arse end).
On âWinter In Americaâ, the Doug Ashdown version is definitely well known. Thereâs also a cover by the Robertson Brothers that Breeze probably digs out as well.
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Thatâs great. But where are the actual charts showing that? Whereâs the evidence? Iâm quite happy to concede the shite song was played on Australian radio⌠cheeez, it was even played on Breeze. But where is the proof it was in the charts? Kent? 1974? Where?
You say it made the top 40 four times? So what? It made it, then left. Then made it, then left, Then made it, then left. Then made it then left? What does that even mean? No one says that about a hit. Whatâs the highest charting position?
And it made it to 3XY, 3DB, 4IP, 5KA charts.
I am currently checking charts from those radio stations in those years (1976 to 1977).
Nothing.
The song was released in 1974. So why the delay if itâs so great?
What was the highest charting position? Thatâs what really counts
My rule is that if it sounds interesting on the radio, it gets played. Of course I do community radio so I have a fair bit of latitude compared to commercial outlets.
Itâs often a case of luck as to whether a song charts highly (or not). One of my absolute favourites from the 90s didnât even crack the Top 50 (The Badloves-Lost). Nevertheless it was played regularly.
Having said that âflowâ is important and probably 75% familiar music is the way to go for most commercial outlets. Rebel Media is a small operation that serves its niche well. You should take a listen to Flow FM- they are truly all over the placeâŚno flow at all 
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