FEEDBACK ON POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THE RETRO ATTIC

The poll results in my Facebook group(http://facebook.com/groups/retroatticrareoldiesradio) have been interesting so far, and I think I know how I'm going to proceed with The Retro Attic and the two other streams I have possession of(1 is on Shoutcast and I'm paying for it - the other is on Icecast and I got it for free, complete with tons of storage!). Here goes:

1. The Retro Attic will stay primarily focused on the 60's and 70's. There will be no 50's or 80's weekend specials; however, there is an interest in having some 50's and 80's tunes back in the rotation. I think this is doable. The late 50's had sounds that carried over into the early 60's, right up through '63(Sam Cooke, Dion, Jackie Wilson, general doo wop, crooner material, etc.). The late 70's brought us some westcoast/adult contemporary/album oriented rock acts with sounds that continued into the early 80's, up until MTV made its first full impact in '83. 80's new wave acts and 80's metal bands wouldn't be a good fit on The Retro Attic, but the softer sounds should be acceptable.

2. I am all for doing weekend specials, but I think everyone will be happier if the specials stick with the station's overall theme. Dave Oplinger will be sending me some suggestions and Joe Marshall would like to see a non top 10 disco/dance show. I think other things such as a 60's garage rock showcase or a soul/country chart countdown from years past could also be fun.

3. I could do a "No Repeat Monday" and still include bottom 45's and tracks from the Featured Artist Of The Month. I'll try it sometime in March and see what the reception is. It will take a while before I could add any other "no repeat" days; my playlists still need a lot of work, there are many key hits I haven't included yet, etc.

4. Right now the ratio of 70's tunes to 60's tunes in the rotation is almost 2:1. I know that the 70's are going to be more familiar to people, but I should do better with the 60's. If I got the percentages to 55/45 with the 70's being the majority, would that be satisfactory to everyone?

5. If I was to feature more bottom 45's, then I think they would serve their purpose better on the weekends. During the weekdays, I get listeners who are at work, and I think they prefer hearing more of the top 40 material. Any additional bottom 45's during the weekdays could alienate some of these listeners.

6. As some of you know, I'm an 80's MTVaholic and a huge fan of traditional hard rock/heavy metal/AOR. I think that I have something to offer in these areas, so I will get those two streams that I mentioned in the first paragraph developed. The Shoutcast one will be a definitive guide to the 80's, featuring just about any band that charted on Billboard and/or got some MTV exposure. The Icecast one will be an all-rock channel featuring classics and obscurities from the late 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and bands of today with obvious nostalgic leanings. This covers classic rock, melodic rock, traditional heavy metal, westcoast AOR, and power pop...there will be no grunge, death metal, hardcore punk, or bizarre alternative rock featured. Both of these stations will be launched once I have at least 500 songs in each station's database; this way I shouldn't get complaints right away about hearing the same songs over and over again. I'll handle the initial licensing startup costs and hopefully these formats will gain supporters!

I know this is a lot to take in, but hopefully it shows that I care about my listeners. The floor is now yours!