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I’ve been in my new job about two weeks now, it’s fine, it’s a job, I like it, I like the people. I don’t like having to listen to Heart FM.
I was flabberghasted when I found myself hearing the same songs over and over and over again on the station that’s tagline is “more music variety”. After another day of hearing LeAnne Rimes I decided a letter had to be sent.
Heart FM has the tagline “more music variety”, well since I started working in this office that plays this station I have to say you are victim of false advertising.
Every day, EVERY DAY, you play the same songs over and over again. Let me guess what’s lined up next, ‘Can’t Fight The Moonlight’?
It’s not just your three hours, it’s every hour of the day playing the same things over and over again. Maroon 5, Cheryl Cole, Michael Jackson, JLS.
Please, for goodness sake, play something differnet! Give us more music variety for the love of God!
I didn’t expect a reply. But I got one.
Neil
Many Thanks for your recent enquiry via the Heart website.
Im sorry that you feel that Heart isnt the station for you and that our music policy leaves you feeling cold.
We do use More Music Variety as a positioning statement for the station but as it doesnt appear in any paid-for adverts we are certainly not guilty of false advertising.
With regard to our music policy its certainly true that Cheryl Cole and JLS are artists that feature heavily on the station at the moment. However, a few weeks ago, neither of them was on the station at all; JLS hadnt released a single and Cheryl Cole had never released any solo work. In time, their material will be played less and less and different artists will feature with their own work. Currently, JLS are the biggest-selling group in the country and Cheryls part of the most-watched TV show. It is unsurprising that we choose to play them on a regular basis.
We also play Michael Jackson a number of times a day. In part, this is down to an increased interest in his work since his unfortunate passing earlier this year. However, for a station playing pop music from the 70s, 80s, 90s and now it is to be expected that an artist that has spanned all of those decades and is responsible for some of the most critically-acclaimed and best-selling music ever will be featured heavily.
I would disagree that Leanne Rimes and Maroon 5 are on over and over again. A look over the logs for the last week shows that the Leanne Rimes track you mention has been played 9 times. Thats 9 times in 168 hours or around once every 19 hours. The figure for Maroon 5 is even less with just 8 plays in the last 7 days.
All of our music is tested heavily before going to air. We know our audience and we know what they want to hear. They like to be able to sing-a-long to music they already know and love. We are not a station that breaks new music and make no claims to be. The fact that your office as a whole chooses to listen to Heart shows that we have a broad appeal that works for many people. It is impossible to programme a radio station that would appeal to everyones taste. Many stations in the West Midlands have different music policies to ours. None of them have as many listeners.
Kind Regards
John Collins
Thank you John for your words of concern however I can’t believe that you don’t think playing a song 9 times in 168 hours on a station that supposedly offers “more music variety”, not to mention that you’ve just claimed to play songs from FOUR DECADES, is excessive. Is LeAnne Rimes really what Heart FM listeners enjoy? Sure, once a week maybe, but twice daily? Come on.
I will formulate a reply because I feel that John Collins has missed the point, I also feel that he wrote this reply in spite thinking I never expected anything and now I have something I’ll shut up. Not that easy dude.
Oh, and we’ve switched to Radio One in the office now. Heart FM Fail.