Q: Won't this be like Jammin' Oldies, a fad format that dies off quickly when people get sick of it?
A: I don't think it's going to be another Jammin' Oldies fad. What gets overlooked with Jammin' Oldies is that it hit the nostalga factor so hard for the 25-54 demo, but what in hindsight will be remembered is the 1½ to 2 year burnout factor that the format had in most of its markets.
What I believe will keep the Variety Hits format from burnout is the following: it has a much, much larger playlist than gold-based fad formats of the past; it has enough new material added in that there will be a continuing base of new material filtering in; music targeting the 35-44 narrow and 25-54 wider demo changes over time, so what is played today would be different than what would be five years from now, assuming that the given station is programmed correctly. All of those factors, I believe, will give Variety Hits the legs to last indefinitely as a viable format.
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