They played music on WTOA; contemporary music with lovely harmonious melodies and understandable lyrics. WTOA didn't place ALL of their emphasis on the 18 to 49 demographic group as is the norm in the current operation of FM radio stations today. Our musical tastes in America didn't change. What changed was the marketing. Stations wanted to target a specific listening audience. "Demographics" was the answer, and the younger generation was the answer. "Easy listening" was replaced with "Be-Bop," "Rock and Roll," and music with a rowdy "beat," Goodbye to Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Don Cornell, Andy Williams, Patti Page, Anne Murray, Dinah Shore, Rosemary Clooney and other singers of melodic music with understandable lyrics and musical beauty. Lawrence Welk's "ah one ah two a three" type music was replaced with very popular in your face vocalists with strobe lights, physical gyrations, and other talents which captured the imagination of a generation who has a much different perception of what constitutes music. As a card-carrying member of "wrinkle city," who are not fortunate enough to be in the "18 to 49" demographic, we are grateful that we have CD's and MP3 players; to each his own.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS: tglover320@optimum.net
Monday, November 14, 2011
1949: BEFORE THERE WAS A WPST!
They played music on WTOA; contemporary music with lovely harmonious melodies and understandable lyrics. WTOA didn't place ALL of their emphasis on the 18 to 49 demographic group as is the norm in the current operation of FM radio stations today. Our musical tastes in America didn't change. What changed was the marketing. Stations wanted to target a specific listening audience. "Demographics" was the answer, and the younger generation was the answer. "Easy listening" was replaced with "Be-Bop," "Rock and Roll," and music with a rowdy "beat," Goodbye to Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Don Cornell, Andy Williams, Patti Page, Anne Murray, Dinah Shore, Rosemary Clooney and other singers of melodic music with understandable lyrics and musical beauty. Lawrence Welk's "ah one ah two a three" type music was replaced with very popular in your face vocalists with strobe lights, physical gyrations, and other talents which captured the imagination of a generation who has a much different perception of what constitutes music. As a card-carrying member of "wrinkle city," who are not fortunate enough to be in the "18 to 49" demographic, we are grateful that we have CD's and MP3 players; to each his own.
3 comments:
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Ralph Lucarella said...
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HI TOM...I WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ABOUT THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW. IN ALL THE YEARS THAT I'VE LISTENED TO SHOWS ON RADIO AND TV, I NEVER SAW OR HEARD ANYTHING THAT COULD COMPARE TO A PROGRAM THAT SHOWED THE TALENT DISPLAYED BY SO MANY PEOPLE DURING A SINGLE PROGRAM. YOU OFTEN MENTION YOUR LOVE OF MUSIC IN SCHOOL AND THE PROFESSIONAL SINGERS OF OUR TIME BUT THERE WAS A GROUP WHERE MOST OF THE PERFORMERS EXCELLED AT EVERYTHING. TODAY IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHAT;S WRONG WITH THIS WORLD. THEY DO NOT APPRECIATE WHAT THE OLDER GENERATION REPRESENTED. WHAT A SHAME
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
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Tom Glover said...
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I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY, RALPH. I DON'T EVEN WATCH THE JUNK THAT PASSES A "MUSIC" TODAY. IT IS A DISGRACE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO THE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FROM THE 40'S AND 50'S. "DANCING WITH THE STARS" IS A GYMNASTIC DISPLAY.
TOM GLOVER -
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
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Anonymous said...
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Someone sent me a link to Johnny Mathis and his Twelfth of Never the other day. What struck me was that my son will never know such sweet sentiment. I was young then and only a year old when WTOA began so I don't remember it and doubt if we could afford an FM set in 1949! Rock was certainly the music of my generation but I was lucky enough to experience that lovely music through my parents.
I still have a hard time believing that Lawrence Welk was not Polish or Austrian with that accent; testament to the isolation of small Nebraska towns of that era.
Ed Millerick -
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
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HI TOM...I WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ABOUT THE LAWRENCE WELK SHOW. IN ALL THE YEARS THAT I'VE LISTENED TO SHOWS ON RADIO AND TV, I NEVER SAW OR HEARD ANYTHING THAT COULD COMPARE TO A PROGRAM THAT SHOWED THE TALENT DISPLAYED BY SO MANY PEOPLE DURING A SINGLE PROGRAM. YOU OFTEN MENTION YOUR LOVE OF MUSIC IN SCHOOL AND THE PROFESSIONAL SINGERS OF OUR TIME BUT THERE WAS A GROUP WHERE MOST OF THE PERFORMERS EXCELLED AT EVERYTHING. TODAY IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHAT;S WRONG WITH THIS WORLD. THEY DO NOT APPRECIATE WHAT THE OLDER GENERATION REPRESENTED. WHAT A SHAME
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
I AGREE WITH YOU COMPLETELY, RALPH. I DON'T EVEN WATCH THE JUNK THAT PASSES A "MUSIC" TODAY. IT IS A DISGRACE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO THE BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FROM THE 40'S AND 50'S. "DANCING WITH THE STARS" IS A GYMNASTIC DISPLAY.
TOM GLOVER
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Someone sent me a link to Johnny Mathis and his Twelfth of Never the other day. What struck me was that my son will never know such sweet sentiment. I was young then and only a year old when WTOA began so I don't remember it and doubt if we could afford an FM set in 1949! Rock was certainly the music of my generation but I was lucky enough to experience that lovely music through my parents.
I still have a hard time believing that Lawrence Welk was not Polish or Austrian with that accent; testament to the isolation of small Nebraska towns of that era.
Ed Millerick
Wednesday, November 16, 2011