Kid Kelly is thinking about ending Backtrax USA

[kani]

unfortunately yes, i thought it was going to end, but it's still airing currently every weekend.

[BrettVW]

Why unfortunately? The show sounds better than ever.

[kani]

Nov 7, 2020 15:58:36 GMT -5 BrettVW said:

Why unfortunately? The show sounds better than ever.

I was talking to dth1971, not you.

And I meant unfortunately, meaning I thought it would end, but its not.

And yes the recent different songs were added and been awhile since that's been heard, been like this for weeks at least for 80s.
This weekend 80s tube test: was theme of Magnum PI (1980) the show started Dec 1980, though that song was in top 40 in 1982 though..

[kani]

I don't want to rant or complain about backtrax usa, but it seems a little ridiculous to have same repeated songs, not just months ago, but few weeks repeat.. (and I thought radio stations played segments repeat week or few weeks ago, but apparently not) I've been keeping track of backtrax 80s.

baxktrax 80s 2/21/21:
Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
The Bangles - Walking Down Your Street
bk
Spandau Ballet - True
Prince - Let's Go Crazy
Georgia Satelites - Keep Your Hands to Yourself
bk
Animotion - Obsession
Van Halen - Jump
SOS Band - Just Be Good to Me
bk
Huey Lewis and News - If This is It
Journey Don't Stop Believin
Big Country In a Big Country
endhr
Janet Jackson what have you done for me lately
Daryl Hall and John Oates - Kiss on My List
toto africa
bk
Queen - Another One Bites the Dust
genesis invisible touch
bk
rick james super freak part 1
peter wolf lights out
stevie nicks stand back
bk
dexys midnight runners come on eileen
Wham! - Freedom
get down on it
Men at Work - Who Can It Be Now

backtrax 80s 2/28/21:
Glenn Frey - The Heat is On
Madonna - Into the Groove
Culture Club - Miss Me Blind
bk
Starship - We Built This City
Human League - Don't You Want Me
Donna Summer - She Works Hard for the Money
bk
Toni Basil - Mickey
Bon Jovi - You Give Love a Bad Name
Depeche Mode - People Are People
bk
DeBarge - Rhythm of the Night
Pat Benatar - We Belong
Howard Jones Life in One Day
endhr
Pointer Sisters Im So Excited
Blondie Call Me
The Tubes She's a Beauty
bk
Rick Springfield Dont Talk to Strangers
Billy Ocean Get Outta My Dreams
bk
Duran Duran Is There Something I Should Know
Paula Abdul Cold Hearted
Prince 1999
bk
Twisted Sister Were Not Gonna Take It
Rick Astley Never Gonna Give You Up
The System Dont Disturb This Groove
Berlin Take My Breath Away

Backtrax 80s: 3/6/21:
Wang Chung - Everybody Have Fun Tonight
Prince - Raspberry Beret
Matthew Wilder - Break My Stride
bk
Daryl Hall and John Oates - Kiss on My List
Georgia Satellites - Keep Your Hands to Yourself
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
bk
Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
The Bangles - Walking Down Your Street
Spandau Ballet - True
bk
Huey Lewis and the News - The Power of Love
Til Tuesday - Voices Carry
Gregory Abbott - Shake You Down
endhr
Queen - Another One Bites the Dust
Glass Tiger - Someday
Men at Work - Who Can It Be Now
bk
Madonna - Material Girl
Jermaine Stewart - We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off
bk
U2 - Pride (In the Name of Love)
Wham! - Freedom
SOS Band - Just Be Good to Me
bk
Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Dead or Alive You Spin Me Round
Crowded House - Dont Dream Its Over
The Jets Rocket 2 U

[mkarns]

I think Kid Kelly or whoever picks the music here are simply going along with what radio research tells them people want to hear, which is mostly familiar stuff. Most of what's on here is fine but ranges from familiar to massively overplayed, with only a few songs that seemed surprising or at least not too predictable ("Lights Out", "Life In One Day", and "Just Be Good To Me" among them, though the latter was featured twice.)

And I really don't get why they play the same songs a few weeks apart from artists like Michael Jackson or Hall & Oates who have many big and much-replayed hits to choose from.

[BrettVW]

They're playing what tests well. Most folks aren't listening to the show start to finish every weekend. If Hall and Oates test well, they'll play them. If Kiss on My List tests well but Private Eyes doesn't (just throwing random titles out there) they'll spin Kiss On My List any chance they can and never touch Private Eyes. It's just the way it is. They play what the affiliates want, which is what tests well and is safe.

[Jessica]

Sadly safe is what Backtrax has been for a long time.

[BrettVW]

Even going back 15-20 years, the music rotation was usually about a month for Backtrax. Seeing songs play every other week or back to back weeks isn't shocking, but may have been a music scheduling error.

[Michael1973]

Mar 8, 2021 19:02:29 GMT -5 mkarns said:

And I really don't get why they play the same songs a few weeks apart from artists like Michael Jackson or Hall & Oates who have many big and much-replayed hits to choose from.

This is one of my biggest pet peeves with radio in general. I get that they have to stick with the most familiar songs, but I don't see how core artists only get a few of their songs in rotation. Are listeners so fussy that one classic Billy Joel song is a keeper but another will cause them to switch the station immediately?

[BrettVW]

The research says yes.

[kani]

Don't know where to post this, but I checked as of last Aug 15 this year, WCBS seemed to dropped backtrax 80s. It was the only station that had tracked for mediabase what was that song listings...

Now I'm unable to find which of the stations that aired backtrax 80s and 90s have mediabase what was that song listings. WKHI that I listen, and sometimes KLSS, KHND never even list those on mediabase what was that song listings.

[OldSchoolAT40Fan]

I know two radio stations in Newfoundland and Labrador aired Backtrax USA over the years. VOCM-FM (when it was called Magic 97) aired the two-hour show on Saturday evenings from sometime in 1997 until the end of 2000, after which it was replaced by a local version of Backtrax - just over a year before Magic 97 signed off and switched to a classic rock format known as K-ROCK. Backtrax USA was strictly 80s then.

CKIX-FM (known as HITS-FM since 2002) did air Backtrax USA (both the 80s and 90s eras, despite the radio station playing mostly modern material) for a few years during the latter half of the 2000s until it was dropped in late 2009 in favor of American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest. It makes me wonder if CKSJ-FM (Coast 101.1) may someday consider Backtrax USA after they lose the rights to the Casey Kasem hosted American Top 40 rebroadcasts? As far as I know, Coast-FM aired retro AT40 for over five years now (they started playing them in February 2017, and I am not sure if Charlie Tuna's recent death at the time had anything to do with the decision to pull Charlie Tuna: The 70s off the schedule in favor of Casey's AT40 rebroadcasts.

The way things are going, the only way Backtrax USA may end its run is when the day comes that there are very few or no radio stations playing anything from pre-2000. Many current radio stations don't play much material from the 1970s (including disco), so chances are in about 15 years' time there will be virtually nothing from the 1980s played on the radio anymore, and Backtrax USA may likely discontinue the 80s series, but the 90s series will continue for a few more years.

Or, Kid Kelly may retire at some point.

[UnknownEric]

Man, I'm getting old. I remember back when he used to be known as "Kid Crockett" and hosted the night-time slot on Kiss 98.5 in Buffalo. His "weather forecast" was often "cloudy... like my mind... cool... like my job."

[dth1971]

Why not a Backtrax USA 2000's version?

[OldSchoolAT40Fan]

If Kid Kelly had considered a 2000s version, it would have happened by now.

If it hasn't happened yet, chances are it never will.