Back in the early 70s, I remember hearing lots of Springsteen on WMMR, and in particular, the live recordings of some of the band’s legendary performances at the Main Point, courtesy of Ed Sciaky. I remember the night that "Born To Run" leaked, and both WMMR and WYSP were simultaneously tracking the whole album. In the 80s, when I was in radio, I recall frantically driving to meet legendary Columbia Philly rep Herbie Gordon to pick up an advance copy of "The River," and then rushing back to the station so that we could get it on the air before the competition. A Springsteen album release was a major event. Fast-forward 20 years. With a huge media blitz, including a first-ever Today show remote broadcast from Asbury Park, a new Springsteen album release was still a major event. But who was going to play it on the radio in Philly?

Props to Classic Rock WMGK, as the station stepped up and played "The Rising" single upon its release, and subsequently, other tracks from the album. But ‘MGK, to their credit, didn’t stop there. They also played new music from the Rolling Stones when it came out. I found such programming to be truly a breath of fresh air. As a baby boomer who enjoys Classic Rock, I’ve found myself listening to a lot less Classic Rock radio in recent years because I’m burned on all of the pasteurized, homogenized, research-proven songs that have been pounded to death. If I hear "Bad Moon Rising" one more time, I’m gonna scream, OK?

The fact that new music from Bruce and the Stones had cracked the Classic Rock format got me thinking. Why can’t Classic Rock stations play more new music? Granted, by definition, Classic Rock is a Gold format. A song has to be of a certain vintage to become a classic. That said, we’ve seen a lot of great new music released by core Classic Rock artists in recent years. And there have been other quality releases from new artists whose music could be said to fit the Classic Rock style, and who appeal to the format’s target demo.

Rick Strauss

If Classic Rock stations could integrate some relevant currents and recurrents into the mix, thereby increasing their hipness quotent and slowing down the rotation a bit on fried-to-a-crisp faves such as "Don’t Fear The Reaper" and "Rockin’ Me," would this not be a good thing? I thought I’d ask some Classic Rock PDs their opinion of my theory. Isn’t there a curiosity factor among Classic Rock listeners when an artists such as Springsteen, John Mellencamp and Eric Clapton release new music? "I think there is," said WMGK’s new PD Rick Strauss, "more so with some artists than others. With Springsteen, absolutely. The audience was very excited and eager to hear his new music. The same is true with artists of the magnitude of the Rolling Stones." ‘MGK is still playing "Lonesome Day" and "The Rising" from the album. Strauss said, "We played a few other tracks as well, including ‘Mary’s Place’ and ‘Into The Fire.’" In addition to playing new Stones music, Strauss is also playing Tom Petty’s "The Last DJ."

Does this open the door for Classic Rock stations to be more musically aggressive, and maybe start doing callout? Strauss says, "It’s tough enough to get a true reaction on a record – even if you’re an Active Rock station – until you get 150 to 200 spins on it. When you’re not rotating records to that extent, you have to go a little bit on gut, and a little bit on faith. You’ll have some people call and make requests, but by and large it’s tough to get a read on how a new song is going over on a Classic Rock station by using the traditional measurement methods utilized by current-intensive radio stations."

While playing new music by major star artists seems like a natural for Classic Rock stations in many cases, how about playing new music by newer artists who tend to fit the Classic Rock mold? Dave Matthews Band and Government Mule certainly come to mind. Strauss says, "I can’t speak for other stations, but for WMGK right now, that wouldn’t be something that we’re looking to do. The station recently transitioned from Classic Hits to Classic Rock, and we’re still establishing our new identity. That kind of move would certainly be confusing for a station at our stage of growth."

Fred Jacobs

Classic Rock consultant Fred Jacobs of Jacobs Media weighs in on the topic by saying, "Every now and then, there’s a deluge of current material from heritage artists. Classic Rock is experiencing this phenomenon right now. However, it’s important for Classic Rock PDs to remember that listeners are not tuning in their stations for new music. At best, this music is bonus material. At worst, it’s a tune-out. Most Classic Rock stations have researched this concept of new music from their core artists. Some have found that in limited quantities, it can be effective. Others, however, have determined that under no circumstances is it a good plan."

Jacobs adds, "While your audience may have interest in new Bruce, selling them on someone like Dave Matthews is a whole different story. While you may try to rationalize that a contemporary artist has a "classic sound," there is simply going to be a significant percentage of your core who won’t buy in. Why would you want to fight this battle?"

A station that has fought this battle – and won – is Heritage rocker WEZX/Wilkes-Barre (Rock 107). ‘EZX has successfully remained true to its roots while updating its sound by carefully layering relevant new music over a Classic Rock foundation. PD Rob Lipshutz, who is typically playing 15-20 new titles at any given time, says, "We’re looking for the straight-ahead Classic Rock sound: good songs, good singers… hits! We’ve been around since 1980, starting as an 18-34 Rock station, and evolving into a 25-54 Rock station, and more of a Classic Rock station. But we’ve never given up playing new music through the evolution. We found that our audience wants to hear new music, and we look to our audience to tell us what new music they like." Auditorium music tests have yielded valuable information regarding new music compatibility, and artists such as Creed, Nickelback, Pearl Jam, and even the new Nirvana are played on Rock 107. "We’re also playing ‘Where Are You Going’ by Dave Matthews because it’s a hit," says Lipshutz.

Rob Lipshutz

However, Lipshutz doesn’t go hog wild with new music. "It isn’t like you’re hearing three currents an hour. We’re very careful with them. With heritage acts, we’ll often play a ‘yesterday and today’ set. If an act breaks through and is really hot, we’ll expose them whether they have a heritage pedigree or not." New songs by heavier bands tend to play at the end of a set, and not out of something from the 60s or early 70s.

Another unique Classic Rock station that is utilizing new music is WMXV/Atlanta, which evolved from Rock AC into a Classic Rocker only last Spring. Mix 105.7 has taken an aggressive musical stance, albeit only on Sunday. PD Paul Kriegler has recently expanded the station’s Sunday night Adult Alternative-flavored program, "The Adventure, " which features lots of new music, and made it an all-day Sunday format. The station’s website heavily promotes the feature, and describes it as new music from "your favorite Classic Rock artists like Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Peter Gabriel, plus some new artists we think you'll like too." Kriegler says, "The choice to do ‘The Adventure’ on Sundays is based solely upon the fact that it’s just that… an adventure! We’re dipping our big toe into the waters of AAA in Atlanta. People have said over and over that what Atlanta sorely lacks is an alternative for adults." The station basically doesn’t feature any new music on the other six days of the week, although Kriegler says, "We sprinkled in the new Stones here and there, because it’s very compatible with the old Stones on the station. It doesn’t sound out of place." Response to "The Adventure" so far has been "pretty glowing," according to Kriegler. "The press has been positive, and the listener response has been positive."

Paul Kriegler

One potential benefit of playing new music on Classic Rock stations is the "benchmark" potential. You can plug the fact that your afternoon jock will be premiering the new Stones track at 5, or that your night personality will be featuring tracks from the new Peter Gabriel album. These "appointment listening" opportunities can boost TSL, while enhancing the stations’ music image. Kriegler says, "On a Classic Rock station, you should really play up the fact that you’re going to play a new release from a major artist. And after you play it, you should backsell it. You have to take credit for it." Lipshutz says, "Classic Rock stations have to find ways to refresh themselves, whether it’s recycling titles, tapping into depth cuts, or going after new stuff from classic artists, otherwise you get very stale. For us, playing new music not just from heritage acts, but from newer bands really injects some nice fresh lifeblood into the radio station, and keeps us from being a museum. New music involves us with current events, especially in regard to the concert scene, as well as record stores. People who are big fans of music don’t necessarily think like programmers. When they hear a good song, they don’t necessarily file it away into a category that’s ‘classic’ or ‘non-classic.’"

Urging caution, Fred Jacobs says, "We always recommend that Classic Rock stations move very slowly and methodically. Once you set aside ‘current slots’ on your clocks, you’re asking for trouble. New music on a Classic Rock station is strictly a supply-and-demand issue. If there’s nothing good to play, stop playing currents. If there’s a lot of good stuff to play, pick and choose carefully. Finally, this area shouldn’t consume a Classic Rock PD’s thinking. It’s a very small part of the big picture, and too much emphasis can take a Classic Rock station out of position. It’s nice to have ‘current events’ – a new CD, a concert appearance, or a news item – about a core artist. But tipping the station too far in a new music direction runs contrary to why people like Classic Rock stations in the first place."

Kriegler also urges caution, adding, "The general Classic Rock audience doesn’t want a ton of currents thrown at them. A segment of the audience is extremely comfortable with never hearing an unfamiliar song. They like that comfort factor."

But Lipshutz, whose station currently has a 9 share 12+ despite signal limitations, says, "Yes, we play music from four or five decades, and it’s quite disparate, but we use sound codes and thought-out sequencing of categories and eras, and we make it all work. Sometimes we may go a little too far, but I’d rather offer a great variety than be in the business of denying people this or that because we don’t think it fits."