The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 25

5-B Atlanta consiih ion. 2 1982 Open Daity Sua 12-6 Nostal Continued From Pge I-B The Saving PlaceP ke that of WJAF in Pittsburgh, which dropped rock in favor of "Music of Your Life" and jumped in a year from a 1.6 percent share of he total audience there to S.S percent 1 Then there! WMLX in Cincinnati. It went from a 0.7 percent share with a country format to a t.l share in just seven months. And WHLY in Long Island, N.Y., doubled its monthly advertising billings after adapting (-)The key to success it filling a void in the marketplace. And in Atlanta, as in other markets, we're doing that.

I Nobody's been catering to this audience, which hasn't had any music oh the radio for a long time. Linda Jacksoa 9, AAs iA-" AVAILABLE AT GREEKDRM t-si-" i Vk ut Wk jMW: 'yMWf'jJ A I BAKKKEA0. CLEVELAND AVE, T. VC VO Jfev AC Hr I -t jSiVn i BROADVIEW V' VK'Jk-C WU-l -Vinoro Insect Vigoro Insect Control Plus Lavn Fertilizer IISHI lStl- Will kill fleas and ticks as it fertilizes your lawn. Save today! it u.

this nostalgia format This format is phenomenal," says Frank Ward of Devlin Allen Communications, which bought WJYI late last year and converted it from playing strictly Big Band music to "Music of Your Life." "In Daytona," Ward says, "we put in this format in September and went from 11th place to fourth place in one ratings book. It's mind-boggling." But wait competitors say. "Music of Your Life" stations may aim for all. adults over the age of 35, but they have a core audience of listeners aged 45-65. Most advertisers prefer the 25-54 age group.

1 That's when the "Music of Your Life" people with the 1980 census, showing 50 percent of the nation's population over and a Torbet study indicating 20 percent of the population is between 45 and 64 and that this age group controls 53 percent of all discretionary income. "Music of Your Life" is credited with saving a number of marginal AM stations having trouble competing with the FM dial, where as much as 75 percent of today's radio listeners are estimated to spend most of their time. A lot of older hits aren't in stereo making FM's advantage there somewhat meaningless. And if yon grew up before the '60s, you're probably more used to listening to the older AM dial anyway. The key to success," says Linda Jackson, Devlin Allen's chief operating officer, "is filling a void in the marketplace.

And in Atlanta, as in other, we're doing that Nobody's been catering to this audience, which hasn't had any music on the radio for a long time." The format, designed by Al Hamf a former Big Band musician and record producer for the likes of Tony Bennett, includes only about 20 percent Big Band music Mostly it concentrates on vocal bits (including some live recordings by performers such as Eartha Kitt and Ella Fitzgerald taped at local performances), making for a marked contrast to instrumental ''beautiful music" stations, the main radio stronghold for older listeners up to now. That's background music," Ms. Jackson says, this is foreground music. It evokes an emotional involvement on the part of the listener." "Music of Your Life" stations watch their on-air sound carefully, striving for what Ms. Jackson calls "a warmth; There's a great deal of involvement with the listeners.

We are their pals." Varying from the prescribed format is discouraged, as WJYI general manager Paul Kunkler found out earlier this week when he was dismissed after only two and a half months on the job and replaced by Ms. Jackson. ''You don't mess with the format' she says. GUPER SUPER Of course, buying the "Music of Your Life" format (with the music on tape but live announcers) for anywhere from 3600 to $3,000 a month (depending on market size WJYI pays $1,200) isn't a guarantee of success. But Ms.

Jackson says, "at least 80 percent of stations with this format have done very welL And the others certainly bavent done any Ms. Jackson has high hopes that WJYI, covering most of Atlanta with a 10,000 watt daytime-only signal, will move up in the upcoming Arbitron local ratings, where the old WCOB never had enough audience to register in the past "We already know what to do. It's just a matter of doing it in another city. I think well move up. We certainly can't go dowa And we'd rather have ratings because you cant get national advertisers like McDonald's without them.

"But" she says, "you can make a living without ratings. Local advertisers don't even know what ratings are. And response from local advertisers has been phenomenal We got a letter from one advertiser who sold nine washing machines as a result of an ad run last week." Response from listeners is even greater, she says. "We get cards and letters all the time thanking us for playing this music In Daytona we have 7,000 'Music of Your Life Club' cards out and we're preparing to start sending out cards in Atlanta." All you have to do to get one of these cards, making yon eligible for discounts and prizes, is to send the station a listing of your three favorite songs. That way we can give people what they want" Ms.

Jackson says, "and constantly update the music" Some broadcasters may question just how long a format geared to an older, aging audience can last But Ms. Jackson feels "Music of Your Life" can shift with the audience Ten years from now nobody will know songs from the '20s and '30s, and we won't play them. We'll probably play hits from the '40s on up through the '80s." Current hits that, become standards will one day be suitable for "Music of Your Life," she says. "We play Barbra Streisand and some Kenny Rogers and Barry Manilow and Debby Boone now." 1 1 Eventually, she says, there's no reason why a Paul McCartney song wouldn't qualify as today's 30-year-olds reach middle age. "I don't think this format will burn out I think it will be around for a long time." PERLITE READY TO USE A SPECIAUY SElECTEDf MORTICULTLWM.

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