I’ll admit it. I never listen to Classic Rockers except for professional reasons, even though I’m right in their target demo.

Hey, it’s great music. I was listening to Doug FM in the car with my daughter a few weeks ago when Won’t Get Fooled Again came on. I was curious about her reaction to it, so I left it on, and was once again reminded of what a killer cut it is.

And whenever I conduct a Classic Rock music test, I say to myself: “Yeah, that really was great music!”

But if I never hear The Who or The Doors again, it’ll be just fine. I grew up with that music. I lived it. But 40 years later, I never need to hear it again.

Fortunately, I’m not typical. And while I’m not into Classic Rock personally, I am very interested in it professionally.

Because it is amazing.

Back in the late ’80s when the format was emerging and scoring big wins, there were lots of skeptics around. “It’ll burn out,” they said.

Wrong. Classic Rock remains super-strong 20 years later. In most of our strategic research, classic genres are consistently at or near the top. (I guess that’s what makes it “classic.”)

One reason is that the music keeps finding new fans. More often than not, we find that 18-24 men are as enthusiastic about classic genres as their dads. This reminds me of when my (then) 17-year-old stepson said: “Mark, have you ever heard of a group called The Doors? They’re really hot!”

Another reason is that this ‘library” format — unlike Oldies — has been able to evolve. Early on, ’80s music was not a major aspect of the format…now, of course, it is.

If there’s a cloud on the horizon, it’s that the next step in the evolution — integrating early ’90s alternative-based rock (like grunge) — is controversial with listeners. Typically, half think this music is classic; half don’t. I do think this is the move for Classic Rockers, but it must be done cautiously and won’t work in all markets just yet.

Even when it does happen, though, Classic Rock will still bore the s**t out of me.

Not that it matters.

I’ve got to admit it: I’m not a country music fan…as a listener. But as a radio researcher and strategist, I do admire the Country format.

I was reminded of Country’s strength by a blurb in this morning’s Inside Radio email: “From the new edition of the 2006-2007 Radio Book - for Country, the most-programmed format at U.S. commercial radio, this is literally the first time Inside Radio shows a year-to-year gain since the early 1990s. Country grows from 2019 stations to 2035.”

Then there’s Arbitron’s Format Trends Report. From Fall 2000 to Fall 2005 across the U.S., Rock formats lost 10% of their average quarter-hour persons nationwide. A/C’s lost 9%. CHR’s lost 5%. Country is down just 2%.

And check out Albright & O’Malley’s Country 2006 report: “For most programmers, the old adage ‘25-54 isn’t a target demo, it’s a family reunion’ is true. But for Country, the fact is that 18 to 75+ is indeed our target demo and at least to this point the format continues to resist fragmentation.”

They’re so right. Country has broad demographic appeal. In strong country markets, the Country station can be #1 in every cell from 18 to 64. And Country hasn’t suffered the fragmentation that splits other formats. Going back to the Fall ‘05 ARB, 94% of the format’s AQH Persons are simply credited to “Country.” Only 5% are credited to “Classic Country” and a mere 1% to “New Country.”

Why does country have such broad appeal? How has it avoided fragmentation? Because OLDER COUNTRY LISTENERS LIKE TODAY’S COUNTRY!

This is in stark contrast to other formats. For example, the typical 45-54 rock fan thinks today’s rock flat-out sucks! That’s why he’s listening to a Classic Rock station that plays no new rock at all, and spending little or no time with AOR.

Older Country fans are more than happy to listen to Rascal Flatts, Sara Evans, Brad Paisley and other new artists. As are younger Country fans. That’s how a station can dominate “18 to whatever.”

And because older country fans like the “new stuff,” they have less motivation to prefer stations that specialize in the “old stuff.” So gold-based Country — while a viable niche in some markets — isn’t as big as Oldies, Classic Rock, Jack and other gold-based pop and rock formats. Country just doesn’t fragment that way.

Country did fragment on the young end in the early ’90s, because younger Country fans do not like the “old stuff.” Some of those Young Country stations became the dominant Country stations, then broadened their appeal. And heritage Country stations often moved younger as a response to Young Country. Either way, the vast majority ended up as simply “Country.”

Many further broadened their appeal with strong information, community involvement and personalities. As a result, they have become the “Full Service” stations for their markets. These stations are tough to challenge because it’s hard to find a powerful music flank against them, and service credentials take years to build.

Big appeal, broad appeal, and (in many cases) little vulnerability. That’s why I admire Country.

Is the Jack phenomenon ushering in a new era of “eclecticism” in radio? I don’t think so.

When Jack first launched, many thought it couldn’t succeed because it seemingly ran counter to the established “rules” of successful radio — Play The Hits and Stay Focused.

But did it really? Not that much.

Let’s look at a recent hour of Doug FM in Detroit…which claims: “We Play…Everything” …

GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU — GEORGE HARRISON
WHO ARE YOU — WHO
TROUBLE ME — 10,000 MANIACS
YOU’RE THE FIRST, THE LAST, MY EVERYTHING — BARRY WHITE
JUST LIKE PARADISE — DAVID LEE ROTH
SATURDAY IN THE PARK — CHICAGO
YOU GOT LUCKY — TOM PETTY
I HATE MYSELF FOR LOVING YOU — JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS
I’LL BE AROUND — SPINNERS
I GOT YOU — SPLIT ENZ
ADDICTED TO LOVE — ROBERT PALMER
TIME — HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH

Everything? Hardly. What we have here is a Classic Hits station that plays a lot of ’80s, is willing to play R&B (it is Detroit, after all) and the occasion marginal cut — in this hour, I Got You. Yes, it has some “car crash segues” — for example, I Hate Myself for Loving You into I’ll Be Around. But they’re just “fender benders”…nothing you wouldn’t have heard on CHR back in the day.

Jack succeeds (when it does, that is) because its attitude — “Playing What We Want,” “Playing Everything,” etc. — appeals to listeners tired of the safe predictability of most stations. But Jack isn’t much of a rebel, really…he’s The Fonz, not James Dean!

The established “rules” of successful radio — Play The Hits and Stay Focused — can rest easy.