Dees playing some songs, but not others?

[spt72]

Ok, I like Dees, but in his countdown he skips songs like its no big deal. I understand if it doesnt appeal to the market... I get that... but check this out....

He DOES play the current Bon Jovi song thats on the country charts

He DOESNT play Keith Urban or Leanne Rimes

He DOES play Bo Bice

He DOESNT play Carrie Underwood

He DOESNT play the song by Sting/Sheryl Crow

He DOESNT play the current song by Train thats on the charts

Does anyone understand this? Many of you are experts on programming and such; please lend your expertise here. I guess I just dont get it.

Thanks,
Shawn

[Jeffster]

Yes, I understand it perfectly. Rick Dees has a staff made up entirely of monkeys who throw darts at a big board with the songs printed on them. Whichever songs the darts hit are the ones Rick plays on his show.

[BrettVW]

I am pretty sure you are talking about the Hot AC countdown. Based on our Hot AC station, here are some answers I can attempt to give you:

-Who Says You Can't Go Home is really anyone's game. You can play the pop version or country version and be safe. When we added the song we played the pop version but at the end of April switched over. Casey played the pop version until mid March. But either way it has proven to be a huge hit for Hot AC as well as country and I don't know a single HAC station that doesn't have it in power rotation right now, regardless of what version is used. Personally I prefer the pop version, but even non-country people love that version as well.

-Not many Hot AC stations that I know play Keith Urban or Leanne Rimes. Keith hit on Hot AC with "You'll Think of Me" but "Making Memories of Us" just hasn't taken off as a Hot AC hit. We spun it for a very short time and it just didn't do it for us. We never even considered the new Leann Rimes. It is definately "safer" in the mindset of today's programmers to skip over those songs and play a well known recurrent or gold song as an extra.

-We spun "Some Hearts" by Carrie Underwood for a few weeks in select dayparts and it didn't do well. It never hit the official R&R Hot AC Top 20 (although Casey did use it as an extra a couple of shows ago) Again, it may be on whatever chart Dees is using but he feels it is "safer" to skip it.

-After a slow start, "The Real Thing" by Bo Bice has taken off. It is climbing each week on AT20 and is a power song for us. It's got an appeal and although it is not one of my favorites it definately has some life in it.

-"Always On Your Side" by Sheryl Crow/Sting has faded. It's off of AT20 and we stopped spinning it all together a couple weeks before that. It had a good run but it's not one of those songs that seems to have lasting power. So again, PD's don't want it anymore and the Dees crew knows that. Pretty much the same with "Cab" by Train. We never even added it even though it went to #13 I believe on the HAC chart. But unlike many of Train's other songs (such as Calling All Angels and Drops of Jupiter), it doesn't have the lasting power and isn't a song that will be heard on HAC stations for the next 30 years.

Basically, the songs on the Dees Hot AC Top 40 chart that aren't being played on many stations because they are new/not as close to the format OR have already charted and are now just falling may be seen in the eyes of the Dees crew to be frowned upon by Hot AC PD's. They would rather hear a recurrent or gold that is most likely on the playlist of at least 80% of the Hot AC stations around the world and familiar to all listeners. Personally, my PD has never has a problem with songs that are on AT20 that we are not necessarily playing. But that is the exception and not the rule.

Now - if this is happening on a regular basis (I haven't heard Dees in months) and Dees is still creating his own chart, then perhaps he should retool it so he just has 40 numbered songs that he can play. If he is using an airplay chart, then there is a good chance that some of those songs in the 31-40 range are simply not songs he may want to send to all of the Hot AC stations.

Now, to compare with CHR and the original "Top 40", there is a big difference between the two formats, if nothing else simply in the speed of the chart. A song at # 38 on the CHR chart one week can easily be in the 20's the next week. That is extremely rare on Hot AC. Therefore, many of the songs in the 30's on the HAC chart often times don't make it any further, whereas when a song hits the CHR Top 40 there is a much greater chance of it having at least a decent chart run into the Top 20.

I hope this has helped a little bit. I'm still learning more and more every week and there is no way I consider myself an expert with this, but if it helped a little bit than my radio classes and experience at the station is indeed paying off!!

[spt72]

I guess I do understand it, but again, growing up as an AT40 fan, I cant imagine NOT playign a song becaue some stations werent playing it or because it was falling off he charts....

So Hot AC is more... "stable" for lack of a better word? Then does thatmake Anna Nalick's run on the CHR charts with "Breathe (2 a.m.)" even more remarkable? That has been on the charts and in the countdowns for - what - almost a year? I think thats a great, great song. I wish "Scar" by Missy Higgins and "Us" by regina Spektor could have done the same... they are similar to Nalick, except both are less pop-idol and more "great young songwriter."

[By the way, Dees had Anna Nalick on this past weekend and she did a great in-studio acoustic performance of "Breathe (2 a.m.)." I have it if anyone is interested in the show.

Thanks for the info though... its appreciated. I expected the anser to be "format"... i.e. not playing country on Hot AC and such.... but then when I got thinking about it, the ones he did play and didnt play were the same formats... but apparantly now its more about "what are the big AC stations playing?" and not really about "Is it too country?"

Interesting info though... thanks.....
shawn

[Deleted]

jeffster said:

Yes, I understand it perfectly. Rick Dees has a staff made up entirely of monkeys who throw darts at a big board with the songs printed on them. Whichever songs the darts hit are the ones Rick plays on his show.

Hey, since when did ABC start producing his show??

[spt72]

Another question regarding this....

If the chart he uses IS real, then the songs on it would be on it because they are being played at AC stations, correct? So, obviosuly someone im America is playing them enough to get on the chart.

If the chart ISNT real, then (as you said) why would he put songs on it that he wasnt going to play?

Either way, it doesnt seem to make sense.

[BrettVW]

Again, that is a question I am curious about myself.

[mstgator]

It's just the way Rick Dees (or whoever puts his shows together) does things. He skips over some songs on the CHR version too, although usually not the same ones week after week.

[spt72]

Ok, I know Dees is Dees and he is his own thing, but I feel compelled to discuss this again if anyone is interested....

This weekend he DID play the Sheryl Crow/Sting song.... he hasnt played it al the way up to the Top 10... he didnt play it when it peaked in the Top 10.... but now that its fallen to #35 and its probably in its last week on the chart, Dees decides its a good week to play it.

Huh???

I know, I know.... par for the course. I guess I just wish there was a rhyme or reason sometimes. I know radio is and should be spontaneous by nature... but there is good spontaneous and "what the heck are you doing" spontaneous. Sometimes I think the "cast of idiots" is in latter.

Anyway, just thought the interested would like to know.

Thanks,
Shawn

[mstgator]

Yeah, that's just odd. Why he would pick that song to give the shaft to during nearly its entire run makes no sense. Maybe Rick has a bone to pick with either Sheryl or Sting...