Free-form, or free-form radio, is a radio stationprogrammingformat in which the disc jockey is given wide or total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no influence over programming structure or playlists. In the United States, freeform DJs are still bound by Federal Communications Commission regulations.
Many shows claim to be the first free-form radio program, but the earliest on record is "Nightsounds" on KPFA-FM in Berkeley, California, D.J.'d by John Leonard. Probably the best-remembered in the Midwest is Beaker Street, which ran for almost 10 years on KAAY "The Mighty 1090" in Little Rock, Arkansas, beginning in 1966, making it also probably the best-known such show on an AM station; its signal reached from Canada to Mexico and Cuba, blanketing the Midwest and Midsouth of the U.S. WFMU is currently the longest-running freeform radio station in the United States. WNEW-FM 102.7 in NYC was the first commercial station in the US to introduce a free-form format. It stayed that way under the ownership of Metromedia Broadcasting until it was sold and the new owners were not interested. WNEW-FM was a leader in introducing new music and making household names of a good deal of the bands we know from the 1960s and '70s. Jim Ladd of KLOS in Los Angeles, California was one of the most notable freeform DJs. Tom Petty wrote a song about Jim Ladd called "The Last DJ". The only time Jim Ladd didn't have complete control over what music is being played is when he turned control over to his faithful listeners commonly referred to as "The Tribe".[1] On October 26, 2011, Ladd was among various staffers let go from KLOS following the acquisition of station owner Citadel Broadcasting by Cumulus Media. From 2012 until shortly before his death in 2023, Ladd hosting a daily freeform show on Sirius XM'sDeep Tracks.[2]
"FM's free-form progressivism had proven essential to the pop process. But the new radio was only another example of the quirkish vitality of a new mass culture (call it youth, call it pop) that seemed destined to defy the status quo."
The free-form ethos tends to disdain playlists confined to a single music genre. However, DJs may opt to play selections according to an arbitrary theme (e.g., Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" followed by Radiohead's "Subterranean Homesick Alien"). Freeform-ish stations that played only or almost only rock music were known as progressive rock stations, while those that play mostly folk and/or country-leaning cuts are known as Americana stations.
Commercial free-form radio stations were common in the late 1960s and early '70s, particularly on the FM band, but are rare today. An exceptional case was Indie 103.1FM of Santa Monica and Newport Beach, California. Indie 103.1 broadcast radio programs in which famous musicians from the world of popular music host radio programs and choose the playlist. Indie 103.1 recently left the FM airwaves, but currently continues on the internet.
Another commercial free-form radio station is KHUM, "radio without the rules", at 104.3 and 104.7 FM in Ferndale, California. KHUM has transmitted since 1996 and is the most popular station in Humboldt County, California.
Internet radio and, to a lesser extent, college radio are sanctuaries of the free-form format (although even the latter has lost much of its independence as stations begin modeling corporate stations in their presentation). On Sirius XMsatellite radio, the weekly Bob Dylan-hosted Theme Time Radio Hour featured a freeform format, as do several specialty programs on The Loft. The nationally syndicated Undercurrents, distributed by Native Voice One, follows a freeform format. Many terrestrial freeform stations are small and lack corporate backing, and therefore have relatively weak radio transmitters (especially around metropolitan areas where corporate radio signals dominate, but at the same time have enough of a population density to cover enough people to support such a station), a problem that has caused numerous broadcasters to transition to Internet radio, pirate radio or both.
The full service format can be seen as a variant of the free-form format, though since most full-service stations are located in rural areas, country music, adult standards, classic hits (oldies or classic rock), and occasionally adult contemporary music tend to form the bulk of the music on a full-service station, and the vast majority of full-service stations focus primarily on mainstream, popular music (whereas freeform stations often put the emphasis on less widely known or more exotic selections).
The adult hits brand can be considered a "sequel" of sorts to the freeform format. Many of these stations play a wide variety of music ranging from many formats that includes, but is not limited to: Oldies/classic hits, classic rock, adult contemporary, Mainstream Top 40/Adult Top 40, etc. Most of the music played on these stations are from the years 1970–2020, although a few 1960s tracks may be sprinkled in. Unlike freeform radio, adult hits stations emphasize familiar hit songs from researched playlists, and sometimes operate without disk jockeys.
The most notable adult hits station brand is Jack FM, which has many affiliates across the world. Several imitators of the Jack brand and its associated slogan "Playing What We Want" have also emerged. These imitators often use the name of a person, place or a historical site and can include: Mac (E.G. Mac 94.7Clinton, Iowa) historical figures (E.G. The Chief 92.5Champaign, Illinois), etc.
Eclectic radio describes radio programming encompassing diverse music genres. Unlike freeform radio, the eclectic radio format involves prescribed playlists. While freeform radio stands in contrast to commercial radio formats, a number of commercial radio stations offer programs showcasing an eclectic variety of music. While Eclectic radio, like free-form is mainly limited to North America, the digital radio stationsBBC Radio 6 Music and Double J operated by the BBC and the ABC in the UK and Australia respectively resemble attempts at a similar broader format with both having a wide range of music played.
Some eclectic radio stations in the United States are:
^"A Brief History of Freeform Radio", Lowest Common Denominator, Issue #21 (c. 1998)
^"Rock Radio Pioneer Jim Ladd to Join SiriusXM – NEW YORK, Dec. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/" (Press release). New York. PR Newswire. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
Brief History of the Broadcast Music Revolution Introduction to the concepts for young listeners.
January 01, 1970
free, form, radio, other, uses, freeform, disambiguation, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, ple. For other uses see Freeform disambiguation This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Free form radio news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2008 Learn how and when to remove this message The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject You may improve this article discuss the issue on the talk page or create a new article as appropriate September 2009 Learn how and when to remove this message Learn how and when to remove this message Free form or free form radio is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given wide or total control over what music to play regardless of music genre or commercial interests Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations in which DJs have little or no influence over programming structure or playlists In the United States freeform DJs are still bound by Federal Communications Commission regulations Contents 1 History in the United States 2 Adult hits Jack FM 3 Freeform stations 3 1 United States 3 2 Canada 3 3 Europe 3 4 Australia 4 Freeform radio vs eclectic radio 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHistory in the United States editMany shows claim to be the first free form radio program but the earliest on record is Nightsounds on KPFA FM in Berkeley California D J d by John Leonard Probably the best remembered in the Midwest is Beaker Street which ran for almost 10 years on KAAY The Mighty 1090 in Little Rock Arkansas beginning in 1966 making it also probably the best known such show on an AM station its signal reached from Canada to Mexico and Cuba blanketing the Midwest and Midsouth of the U S WFMU is currently the longest running freeform radio station in the United States WNEW FM 102 7 in NYC was the first commercial station in the US to introduce a free form format It stayed that way under the ownership of Metromedia Broadcasting until it was sold and the new owners were not interested WNEW FM was a leader in introducing new music and making household names of a good deal of the bands we know from the 1960s and 70s Jim Ladd of KLOS in Los Angeles California was one of the most notable freeform DJs Tom Petty wrote a song about Jim Ladd called The Last DJ The only time Jim Ladd didn t have complete control over what music is being played is when he turned control over to his faithful listeners commonly referred to as The Tribe 1 On October 26 2011 Ladd was among various staffers let go from KLOS following the acquisition of station owner Citadel Broadcasting by Cumulus Media From 2012 until shortly before his death in 2023 Ladd hosting a daily freeform show on Sirius XM s Deep Tracks 2 FM s free form progressivism had proven essential to the pop process But the new radio was only another example of the quirkish vitality of a new mass culture call it youth call it pop that seemed destined to defy the status quo Christgau s Record Guide Rock Albums of the Seventies 1981 3 The free form ethos tends to disdain playlists confined to a single music genre However DJs may opt to play selections according to an arbitrary theme e g Bob Dylan s Subterranean Homesick Blues followed by Radiohead s Subterranean Homesick Alien Freeform ish stations that played only or almost only rock music were known as progressive rock stations while those that play mostly folk and or country leaning cuts are known as Americana stations Commercial free form radio stations were common in the late 1960s and early 70s particularly on the FM band but are rare today An exceptional case was Indie 103 1 FM of Santa Monica and Newport Beach California Indie 103 1 broadcast radio programs in which famous musicians from the world of popular music host radio programs and choose the playlist Indie 103 1 recently left the FM airwaves but currently continues on the internet Another commercial free form radio station is KHUM radio without the rules at 104 3 and 104 7 FM in Ferndale California KHUM has transmitted since 1996 and is the most popular station in Humboldt County California Internet radio and to a lesser extent college radio are sanctuaries of the free form format although even the latter has lost much of its independence as stations begin modeling corporate stations in their presentation On Sirius XM satellite radio the weekly Bob Dylan hosted Theme Time Radio Hour featured a freeform format as do several specialty programs on The Loft The nationally syndicated Undercurrents distributed by Native Voice One follows a freeform format Many terrestrial freeform stations are small and lack corporate backing and therefore have relatively weak radio transmitters especially around metropolitan areas where corporate radio signals dominate but at the same time have enough of a population density to cover enough people to support such a station a problem that has caused numerous broadcasters to transition to Internet radio pirate radio or both The full service format can be seen as a variant of the free form format though since most full service stations are located in rural areas country music adult standards classic hits oldies or classic rock and occasionally adult contemporary music tend to form the bulk of the music on a full service station and the vast majority of full service stations focus primarily on mainstream popular music whereas freeform stations often put the emphasis on less widely known or more exotic selections Adult hits Jack FM editMain articles Adult Hits and Jack FM See also Adult Album Alternative Album Oriented Rock and Classic hits The adult hits brand can be considered a sequel of sorts to the freeform format Many of these stations play a wide variety of music ranging from many formats that includes but is not limited to Oldies classic hits classic rock adult contemporary Mainstream Top 40 Adult Top 40 etc Most of the music played on these stations are from the years 1970 2020 although a few 1960s tracks may be sprinkled in Unlike freeform radio adult hits stations emphasize familiar hit songs from researched playlists and sometimes operate without disk jockeys The most notable adult hits station brand is Jack FM which has many affiliates across the world Several imitators of the Jack brand and its associated slogan Playing What We Want have also emerged These imitators often use the name of a person place or a historical site and can include Mac E G Mac 94 7 Clinton Iowa historical figures E G The Chief 92 5 Champaign Illinois etc Freeform stations editUnited States edit KALX Berkeley California KAOS Olympia Washington KBGA Missoula Montana KBMF FM Butte Montana KBOO Portland Oregon KBUT Crested Butte Colorado KBVR Oregon State University Corvallis Oregon KCOU University of Missouri Columbia Missouri KCR San Diego State University San Diego California KCRW Santa Monica College Santa Monica California KCSB FM University of California Santa Barbara Goleta California KDHX St Louis Missouri KDVS University of California Davis Davis California KDEO Radio Free Hawaii Waipahu Oahu Hawaii KFAT defunct Gilroy California KFFP LP Portland Oregon Freeform Portland KFJC Foothill College Los Altos Hills California KHUM Ferndale California KJHK University of Kansas Lawrence Kansas KKCR Hanalei Hawaii KMMT Mammoth Lakes California KMNO Wailuku Hawaii KMNR Missouri University of Science and Technology Rolla Missouri KMRD Madrid New Mexico KMUD Garberville California KNON Dallas Texas KOPN Columbia Missouri KPSU Portland State University Portland Oregon KRBX Boise Idaho KRHV Big Pine California KRLX Carleton College Northfield Minnesota KRUI University of Iowa Iowa City Iowa nbsp Recording studio at KSPC a free form campus radio station based at Pomona College in CaliforniaKSPC Pomona College Claremont California KSSU Sacramento State Sacramento California KTEC Oregon Institute of Technology Klamath Falls Oregon KTEQ FM South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Rapid City South Dakota KTRM Truman State University Kirksville Missouri K UTE University of Utah Salt Lake City Utah KUCI University of California Irvine Irvine California KUOI University of Idaho Moscow Idaho KURE Iowa State University Ames Iowa KVRX University of Texas at Austin Austin Texas KVSC St Cloud State University St Cloud Minnesota KWCW FM Whitman College Walla Walla WA KWUR Washington University in St Louis St Louis Missouri KWVA University of Oregon Eugene Oregon KXLU Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles California KXRY Portland Oregon KUTZ LP Sacramento California KZSU Stanford University Stanford California Radio Free Brooklyn Brooklyn New York Radio Paradise Paradise California WARC Allegheny College Meadville Pennsylvania WBAR Barnard College New York New York WBGU Bowling Green State University Bowling Green Ohio WCAL California University of Pennsylvania California Pennsylvania WCBN FM University of Michigan Ann Arbor Michigan WCNI Connecticut College New London Connecticut WCKS Grand Valley State University Grand Rapids Michigan WESS East Stroudsburg University East Stroudsburg Pennsylvania WESU Wesleyan University Middletown Connecticut WETX LP Tri Cities Tennessee WEVL Memphis Tennessee WERA LP Arlington Virginia WEXP Philadelphia Pennsylvania WFCF St Augustine Florida Flagler College Radio WFMU Jersey City New Jersey WGDR Plainfield Vermont WHCM William Rainey Harper College Palatine Illinois WHRW Binghamton University Binghamton New York WIIT Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago Illinois WIKD LP Embry Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Beach Florida WJVS FM Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development Sharonville Ohio WKCO Kenyon College Gambier Ohio WKDU Philadelphia Pennsylvania WLHI Lehigh Carbon Community College Schnecksville Pennsylvania WLRA Lewis University Romeoville Illinois WLSO Lake Superior State University Sault Sainte Marie MI WMBR MIT Cambridge Massachusetts WMFO Tufts University Medford Massachusetts WMMT FM Appalshop Whitesburg Kentucky WMSC Montclair State University Upper Montclair New Jersey WMSR Miami University Oxford Ohio WMSE Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee Wisconsin WMTU Michigan Technological University Houghton Michigan WMUA University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst Massachusetts WMUC University of Maryland College Park Maryland WMUH Muhlenberg College Allentown Pennsylvania WOWD LP Takoma Park Maryland WNJR Washington amp Jefferson College Washington Pennsylvania WOBC Oberlin College Oberlin Ohio WOWI Norfolk VA WPCR Plymouth State University Plymouth New Hampshire WPKN Bridgeport Connecticut WPRK Rollins College Winter Park Florida WRCT Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh Pennsylvania WRCU Colgate University Hamilton New York WREK Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta Georgia WRFL University of Kentucky Lexington Kentucky WRFW University of Wisconsin River Falls WRMC Middlebury College Middlebury Vermont WRNC LP defunct Northland College Wisconsin Ashland Wisconsin WRPI Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy New York WRUR University of Rochester Rochester New York WRUV University of Vermont Burlington Vermont WRVU Vanderbilt University Nashville Tennessee WSBF Clemson University Clemson South Carolina WSPN Skidmore College Saratoga Springs New York WSFX Luzerne County Community College Nanticoke Pennsylvania WSUM University of Wisconsin Madison Madison Wisconsin WTJU University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia WTTU Tennessee Technological University Cookeville Tennessee WTUL Tulane University New Orleans Louisiana WUMD University of Michigan Dearborn Dearborn Michigan WUPX RadioX Northern Michigan University Marquette Michigan WUSB Stony Brook University Stony Brook New York WUSC University of South Carolina Columbia South Carolina WUVT Virginia Tech Blacksburg Virginia WVBR Ithaca New York WVKR Vassar College Poughkeepsie New York WVPH The Core Rutgers University Piscataway WVYC York College of Pennsylvania York Pennsylvania WWFD Frederick Maryland WWPT Staples High School Westport Connecticut WXBC Bard College Annandale on Hudson New York WXDU Duke University Durham North Carolina WXYC UNC Chapel Hill Chapel Hill North Carolina WUAG UNC Greensboro Greensboro North Carolina WXZY Kane Pennsylvania WZBC Boston College Newton Massachusetts WZBT Gettysburg College Gettysburg Pennsylvania WZRD Northeastern Illinois University Chicago Illinois WDCE University of Richmond Richmond Virginia Canada edit CFCR FM Saskatoon Saskatchewan CKCU FM Ottawa Ontario CJAM FM Windsor Ontario CKIA FM Quebec Quebec CKUA Radio Network Edmonton Alberta CKUT FM Montreal Quebec CKRL FM Quebec Quebec is the longest running French speaking community radio station CJTR FM Regina Saskatchewan Europe edit KilRock s Gravendeel The Netherlands Radio Centraal Antwerp Belgium Subcity Radio Glasgow Scotland RUC Coimbra Portugal Australia edit PBS 106 7FM Melbourne Victoria 3RRR Melbourne Victoria 4zzz Brisbane Queensland Radio Adelaide Adelaide South Australia North West FM Hadfield Victoria Freeform radio vs eclectic radio editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed May 2023 Learn how and when to remove this message Eclectic radio describes radio programming encompassing diverse music genres Unlike freeform radio the eclectic radio format involves prescribed playlists While freeform radio stands in contrast to commercial radio formats a number of commercial radio stations offer programs showcasing an eclectic variety of music While Eclectic radio like free form is mainly limited to North America the digital radio stations BBC Radio 6 Music and Double J operated by the BBC and the ABC in the UK and Australia respectively resemble attempts at a similar broader format with both having a wide range of music played Some eclectic radio stations in the United States are KCRW Santa Monica California KEOS College Station Texas KEXP Seattle Washington KFAI Minneapolis Minnesota KGLT Bozeman Montana KNYE Pahrump Nevada KGSR Austin Texas KPIG Freedom California KUOM University of Minnesota Minneapolis Minnesota KXUA Fayetteville Arkansas WERS Boston Massachusetts WHPK University of Chicago Chicago Illinois WJCU University Heights Ohio WMLB Avondale Estates Georgia WUSM Hattiesburg Mississippi WRAS Atlanta Georgia WXPN Philadelphia Pennsylvania WNCW Spindale North Carolina The Loft Sirius XM See also editProgressive rock radio format Jack FM Adult hits A radio format very similar to the freeform format Album oriented rock Adult album alternative Public broadcasting Independent radio Jim Ladd Anything Anything with Rich Russo Tom Donahue PayolaReferences edit A Brief History of Freeform Radio Lowest Common Denominator Issue 21 c 1998 Rock Radio Pioneer Jim Ladd to Join SiriusXM NEW YORK Dec 2 2011 PRNewswire Press release New York PR Newswire Retrieved October 2 2012 Christgau Robert 1981 The Guide Christgau s Record Guide Rock Albums of the Seventies Ticknor amp Fields ISBN 0899190251 Retrieved March 30 2019 via robertchristgau com External links editHistory of Freeform Radio from WFMU Brief History of the Broadcast Music Revolution Introduction to the concepts for young listeners Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Free form radio amp oldid 1191515628, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
