Techniques For Today's Talent Playing Yesterday's Music

Oldies and Classic Hits personalities face special challenges. How do you sound fresh and "current," when you're playing 30 or 40-year-old music?

When you think about it, Oldies personalities face many of the same issues that talent playing tight lists of currents face. How do you intro the same songs, in different ways, time after time?

Energy

Jock delivery in Oldies formats demands fun and energy. Plain and simple.

I'm not suggesting that today's talent emulate the boss jocks of old. That approach sounds more dated than the music itself. But a genuinely enthusiastic, upbeat delivery without motor-mouthing, and a heartfelt embracing of the music is an absolute must.

Most Oldies tunes provide very personal and mostly positive memories and images for the listener. The jock attitude must reflect that vibe -- set the mood and the pace without trying to re-live the moment for the listener by waxing nostalgic.

A so-called "real and conversational" delivery is just as phony as a hyped-up boss-jock sound when it comes to oldies. Most of the music from the '60s and '70s is upbeat, and exudes a natural energy in and of itself. If the jock isn't in synch with that vibe, then the jock sounds out of place.

You can be upbeat without sounding forced. You can be real and still be upbeat. That's the art in crafting a style to match the flow of the music, without trying to re-create a 30-year-old presentation style.

Content

How many times can you intro Aretha Franklin as the "Queen of Soul," or tell the story of how Tommy James came up with the name "Mony Mony" without becoming boring and old-sounding? These are the crutches we can avoid all together ... or at least build-in a 52-week separation in your mental scheduler in using this type of material. One of these clever history lessons goes a long, long way!

Equally to be used sparingly are the "where are they now" references. I think it's better to make a reference to a star or band that is STILL active and perhaps touring in the area. There are a few out there who merit mentioning, but only when and where appropriate.

When it comes to the music, I find it refreshing to hear how the jock's 17-year-old daughter got into the song for the first time, and how a whole new generation is getting their collective arms around the music for the very first time.

The best way to keep fresh and topical is to stick to current events, water-cooler stuff, and things of general interest that transcend the music. This is a solid jock principle that applies to all formats. You may be playing older songs, but your content should be anything but old.

Keep an eye open for things that bring some current sense to older music and artists, besides references to their obituaries when they pass. For example, a "new" Elvis album is coming out in time for Christmas. It will feature many of today's artists singing a duet with the King, (digitally re-mixed, of course) and breathing new life into some of Elvis' old Christmas favorites. That's worthy of some on-air talk. Relevant and targeted.

A technique I've used successfully over the years, even in all different types of musical formats, is finding ways to smoothly or cleverly tie in lyrics or a song title to something current. Right now, my Oldies station is playing the Grassroots "I'd Wait a Million Years." We also happen to be working with a local charity involved in a big 5K run-walk. So when the song is fading and the line is sung, "I'd wait a million years, walk a million miles..." you could jump in and say "we won't make you walk a million miles ... how 'bout just a few kilometers this Saturday as WXXX helps raise some money for MS?" You get the idea. It's a tried-and-true technique that really does help. By the way, contrary to old-fashioned programming maxims, you really DON'T have to open every break with the call letters or slogan! But, like anything else, if you base too much of your content on playing off lyrics, you suddenly have another crutch.

Living In The Past?

Most Oldies and Classic Hits listeners are over 40. Generally speaking, they are well into their established life patterns. On the younger end of the spectrum, they are entering their peak earning years. The older listeners are enjoying the fruits of their labors, perhaps planning for or already entering retirement.

The one thing they have in common is that while they relish their memories, their friends, their high school and college recollections (check out the popularity these days of the reunion sites on the web), these people are very much into living in the here and now. They face the same realities as everyone else, and while their preference in music may be dated for whatever reason, they don't consume this music because of a mid-life crisis or as a denial of their own mortality. They simply like it. Yesterday's music in their "today's" world. They choose to make this music "their" soundtrack.

As a part of the here and now, Oldies air personalities must reflect the attitudes, issues, and concerns of today. By keeping "today" clearly in view, and presenting the hits of yesterday in an entertaining manner, we keep the whole thing in balance. Maybe we should refer to the Classic Hits and Oldies formats as "C-H-O" -- Contemporary Hit Oldies, with an emphasis on Contemporary in terms of content and attitude.

Thoughts?