True Oldies 106.7 now officially Atlanta’s Greatest Hits 106.7 with 1970s the focus
The word “oldies” apparently sounds too old.
True Oldies 106.7 is no more. It’s now dubbed Atlanta’s Greatest Hits 106.7 24/7. (The phrase “Atlanta’s Greatest Hits” was already being used in mornings and late afternoons, where Tripp West recently took over for Fred Brooks. )
On Thanksgiving, the music became much more heavily 1970s mix as opposed to a blend of 1960s and 1970s.
So fans of the Dave Clark 5, Herman’s Hermits and the like won’t be hearing much from that crew anymore. A few choice cuts from big ’60s acts such as the Supremes, Elvis Presley and the Beatles remain but now it’s more about Elton John, Fleetwood Mac and the Doobie Brothers.
On Thanksgiving, only 49 songs, or about two an hour, were from the 1960s. The 1970s? 256 songs, or more than 10 an hour. There were also 37 songs from the 1980s or one to two an hour. The average age of a song was 1973 and 74% of the songs were from the 1970s, up from 44% the previous Monday.
On November 22, in comparison, six songs were from the ’50s, 175 were from the 1960s, 157 were from the 1970s and nine were from the 1980s. The average age of a song was 1970.
UPDATE on Dec. 4, 2010: It appears the weekly playlist is about 800 songs, still considered very deep, though less so than under the old format. The core music used to be 1964 to 1974. Now, it’s 1969 to 1979. On Friday, Dec. 3, the top 9 most played artists were the Eagles, Elton John, James Taylor, the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Chicago, Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac and Paul McCartney. The average age of the song that day was 1974.
The station, whose listeners had been naturally skewing older with its music mix, is chasing after people in their 40s and 50s by adding more 1970s and ’80s music. The hope is to draw more advertisers who prefer younger listeners. Greatest Hits is also targeting a similar audience as that of 97.1/The River (which is dubbed “classic hits” and is all rock) though the sound is much softer and includes R&B and pop on top of rock.
The station will presumably continue to play a deeper playlist. As True Oldies, it would often play more than 1,000 different songs a given week. The River has only about 250 different songs on its playlist.
Here was a typical hour of True Oldies a week ago Nov. 22, before the shift, according to Mediabase 24/7:
4:01 p.m. Beatles “Good Day Sunshine” 1966
4:04 p.m. Billy Preston “Nothing From Nothing” 1974
4:06 p.m. Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale” 1967
4:10 p.m. Linda Ronstadt “That’ll Be the Day” 1976
4:13 p.m. Four Tops “Baby I Need Your Loving” 1964
4:15 p.m. Johnny Nash “Stir it Up” 1972
4:18 p.m. Arthur Conley “Sweet Soul Music” 1967
4:25 p.m. Stories “Brother Louie” 1973
4:28 p.m. Mamas & Papas “California Dreamin’ ” 1966
4:31 p.m. Three Dog Night “One” 1969
4:40 p.m. Crystals “Da Doo Ron Ron” 1963
4:42 p.m. Seals & Crofts “Get Closer” 1976
4:45 p.m. Natalie Cole “This Will Be” 1975
4:48 p.m. Badfinger “Baby Blue” 1971
4:57 p.m. Pointer Sisters “Fire” 1978
Here is an hour of Atlanta’s Greatest Hits from Sunday November 28:
4:01 p.m. Leo Sayer “When I Need You” 1977
4:04 p.m. Eagles “Witchy Woman” 1972
4:09 p.m. Bread “Make It With You” 1970
4:12 p.m. Wilson Pickett “In the Midnight Hour” 1965
4:14 p.m. Roberta Flack/Donny Hathaway “Where is the Love” 1972
4:17 p.m. Sly & the Family Stone “I Want to Take You Higher” 1969
4:20 p.m. Men at Work “Down Under” 1982
4:23 p.m. America “A Horse With No Name” 1972
4:27 p.m. Vicki Lawrence “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” 1973
4:31 p.m. Hall & Oates “Private Eyes” 1983
4:38 p.m. Cliff Richard “We Don’t Talk Anymore” 1979
4:42 p.m. Dr. Hook “When You’re In Love With a Beautiful Woman” 1979
4:45 p.m. Three Dog Night “One” 1969
4:48 p.m. Elton John “The Bitch is Back” 1974
4:55 p.m. Pilot “Magic” 1975
4:58 p.m. Beatles “Something” 1969
The station has also extended Randy & Spiff to 10 a.m. from 9 a.m. And local jock Kristen Charles takes over the mid-day slot today at 10 a.m. from Scott Shannon, as reported last week.
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By Rodney Ho, rho@ajc.com, AJCRadioTV blog
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80 comments Add your comment
Doobie Bixby III
November 29th, 2010
7:14 pm
Hall & Oates……..wooooooooooooooohoooooooooooooooooooo…best group ever !!!
loves oldies
November 29th, 2010
7:41 pm
I’m very disappointed that they are changing the format. I’ve been listening to oldies since the days of Fox 97. I was thrilled when Randy and Spiff came back together and I loved Scott Shannon and Fred Brooks. I quit listening to 97.1 The River because of their small playlist. I’m in my 50’s and I like 50’s, 60’s and 70’s music but very little of the 80’s. I’ll keep listening but I’m not happy about it.
finally
November 30th, 2010
4:21 am
I am happy with the changes, there are a lot of 70’s songs that are awesome, no I don’t want to hear the same Boston/Fleetwood Mac/ELO song at the same time every day, that is just lazy. I heard Moonlight Feels Right yesterday, which is a good song that never gets played. Hopefully they will do some “theme” weekends too that would be cool. Hey, if 106.7 is gonna push the station then that seems like they want to stay in the market. I think Scott was good, but if some local jocks get a job as opposed to a “streaming” jock then l say Yay! They are definately going after the river as a good local alternative that businesses can play during the work day. I am all for the variety on 106.7!
Brad
November 30th, 2010
9:47 am
Atlanta has to be the most fickle market in both music and food. While Randy and Spiff might not be the best they are ( were ? ) entertaining enough. Believe it or not Waycross has TWO oldies stations, My biggest problem with Shannons format is that he didn’t go deep enough and while you heard many songs you still got many repeats. I agree with an earlier comment – Dave FM or Sirius here I come
Comatoes
November 30th, 2010
11:48 am
What? There is a “New” station 97.1 The River? I’ll have to check it out!
Ric Hansen
November 30th, 2010
12:42 pm
Nothing like a format adjustment to get people riled up. Just shows how important and personal radio is. Listeners don’t just listen, they adopt a station as theirs. Radio should cherish that special relationship they develop with listeners. Radio Parties is a division of the new “Atlanta’s Greatest Hits” that manages the station’s “Party Patrol” (our team of talented DJs) who take the fun and music on the road to private parties, company parties, reunions etc. Look to us to nurture that personal relationship with listeners by providing the personality and music of the 60s and 70s to a party near you!! http://www.radioparties.com
HENRY
November 30th, 2010
4:41 pm
THESE PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS………..MAY AS WELL GO BACK TO MOBY IN THE MORNING.
HENRY
November 30th, 2010
4:42 pm
WHAT THIS TOWN NEEDS IS “JOHN BOY AND BILLY”.
Kittycat49
November 30th, 2010
9:12 pm
I HATE what they’ve done to my beloved 106.7! I’m 61 and I miss the ’50’s and ’60’s music, so … goodbye. I’ll be streaming TOC during the day at work, and I guess it’s back to NPR in the car …
ynot
November 30th, 2010
10:24 pm
I love the 70’s music and we need a station that plays a large selection of the best top 40 hits from that decade. It will be welcomed on my radio. Just don’t make the play list so small that we have to hear the same songs over and over (like the 97.1 the river…excuse me, the new 97.1 the river). Some 60’s and 80’s; no problem. One more thing…don’t ever play ‘Blinded by the Light’. I’m going to get Stewie and Brian. The three of us will go out and smash that record to bits.
Leigh
November 30th, 2010
10:59 pm
Sorry to see the TOC leave ATL–listened to the ‘new’ 106.7 for 12 minutes this morning and heard one song, DJ babble, and ads!! I switched to 97.1
TheLazyComic
November 30th, 2010
11:06 pm
Repeat after me. Citadel has not a clue… Citadel has not a clue. Remember, they are the new ABC Radio. Don’t even get me started. Look, if you have a turd, no matter what you call it, it’s still a turd. Lesson over.
Mr. E
December 1st, 2010
4:53 am
To HENRY: Amen, brother! Preach on! JB&B are on everywhere in the south (and some places outside the south) EXCEPT Atlanta. What’s up with that??
Clint Baughman
December 1st, 2010
10:58 am
Hey guys,
There is another station in the Atlanta area that plays classic rock. The thing that set you guys apart was Scott Shannon. He’s the reason I started listening. It’s disturbing that you would change formats. Scott made the mundane world of music exciting with his stories about the artists and his themes. It’s not the same without him. Go back while you still can.
seadawg
December 1st, 2010
11:48 am
I enjoyed listening to Scott Shannon and the TOC at work and most of the time driving to/from work etc. I’m one of the old farts that the sales weasels think don’t count anymore. I still enjoy the 60’s music and maybe they will get their act together and play more of our music. You would think in a city the size of Atlanta they would have a better choice of music. I wish Z-93 and 96 Rock would come back in their original format and drop the DaveFM and Project 9-6-1 bull squeeze.
ken blankenship
December 1st, 2010
3:10 pm
I really liked Scotts comments and addtuional comments ,the best weekend of forgotten oldies was cancelled so fffoey 106.7
Iris
December 1st, 2010
7:24 pm
No more Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny…hallelujah! Here I am in my 50’s and lovin’ the new change in music on 106.7. I am so sick of Scott Shannon and his 24/7 nonsense and music that I could care less about. I was born in the 50’s – I didn’t grow up in the 50’s – the 70’s is my music and now I get it with Randy and Spiff to entertain me in the mornings. I don’t know Kristen but have always enjoyed Tripp West. I think this was a fabulous change and thrilled to listen! You know what else is great…this station is one of the only ones in town that is actually employing Atlantans and not streaming from somewhere else. Way to go Citadel – employ people – don’t voice track or use syndication!
So let’s organize a itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini burning – it would do my heart good!
elise
December 2nd, 2010
7:17 am
are they crazy? Scott Shannon did a wonderful job of playing songs, trivia etc…
Mark
December 2nd, 2010
7:35 am
Ok- in all fairness I gave 106.7 a shot this morning. Music was “ok” though still heard a bit more of the 60’s than the 70’s music but maybe I tuned in at a bad time. The worst part though was the fake laughing between the 2 DJ’s. SERIOUSLY dudes- you are not that funny. Please just don’t talk and play music! The incessant giggling really sounds forced and takes away from me wanting to listen to the show. That is all.
Michael
December 2nd, 2010
12:43 pm
I discovered True Oldies 106.7 in 2007, right after I ordered my iPod connection for my car stereo. Needless to say, I never got the iPod connection installed. Looks like I’ll have to do that now. It was a great 3 years of great late 50s, 60s and 70s music. We have B98.5 for 80s music, so why duplicate what’s already being done.? 106.7 was unique for awhile. I suggest all you listeners and lovers of 60s music load your iPods and don’t look back. Scott and Fred, I’ll miss you.
John
December 2nd, 2010
4:11 pm
Bring Scott back………………………..
Justina
December 2nd, 2010
8:35 pm
Well, here we go again Atlanta ! The same old crap, what is this , the 3rd time this has happened,ripping true 60’s music from the airwaves? Not one-NOT ONE of all the radio stations or DJ’s in Atlanta could come close to Scott Shannon. This is the one radio station …TOC who hit the mark with its listeners. It wasn’t just about the music, Scott really gave us what we wanted, he had personality,never boring..he was a pleasure to listen to. Scott Shannon had/has class…too bad Atlanta…STILL hasn’t figured it out…. you went from class to trash!
Justina
December 2nd, 2010
9:05 pm
I forgot…not only did you insult us you added injury as well! You just had to do this at the Holidays!
Phil
December 3rd, 2010
8:57 am
I searched on Google and was able to find a number of stations that stream Scott Shannon’s radio program, including his own website. There are also sites for related phone apps to access his show.
JAP
December 3rd, 2010
12:02 pm
The radio experience in Atlanta continues to deteriorate.
River: Classic Rock is really soft rock, 106.7 Greatest Hits: is really 70’s top forty and Rock 100.5: is really classic/greatest hits combined with a slight bent towards heavier rock, but all in all the same stuff that has played for years. Isn’t there a radio suit somewhere with the intestinal fortitude to do something different? How about a station that plays deeper cuts to set it itself apart from all the others?
Bobby
December 3rd, 2010
12:17 pm
Go to their website and click on “Contact” and send a message how you think. They must not know 97.1FM and 98.5FM plays the same music. Plus, us retirees who listen to oldies have money to spend on their sponsors.
mmorga3
December 3rd, 2010
4:10 pm
My daughter (who is in her 20’s) loved the music from the 60’s and 70’s. She is the one who told me about 106.7 in the first place. We enjoyed listening when we walked, in the car and any other place we could listening. I do not agree with the format change. If I wanted to listen to that type of music, I would turn on the River. Which I do not listen to. Please incorporate more of the 60’s.
PHIL
December 4th, 2010
1:03 am
I CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO THE BEST RADIO PROGRAM ATLANTA HAS EVER HAD. GUESS THEY HAVE HIRED SOME EX GENERAL MOTORS EXECUTIVES. YOU WOULD THINK THEY COULD TELL MOST PEOPLE LOVE THE MUSIC FROM THAT ERA JUST FROM ALL THE SUCCESS OF THE MOVIES SET BACK IN THAT TIME. AMERICAN GRAFFITI,THE BIG CHILL,STAND BY ME,PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED ETC; I WILL TRULY MISS THE TOC & SCOTT SHANNON. HE DID A GREAT JOB
Bob
December 4th, 2010
12:43 pm
It’s too bad that that they changed the format…Scott Shannon was( is) a genius…Not only did he play lower top 100 songs but also gave alot of information about songs and artists.
I bet the new format will NEVER play Make Believe by Wind, Love Machine by The Roosters or My Cup Runneth Over by Ed Ames.
That was the joy with Scott…you never knew what he would bring back to life.
I will now either listen to Scott online or play my oldies CD’s in the car.
106.7 has definitely lost me as a listener…and I hope your advertisers see this posting.
Bill Miller
December 5th, 2010
1:33 pm
I guess this means another radio station that gets replaced on my radio dial. Really too bad. Guess the people running the radio stations today have no clue as to what made Rock & Roll great.