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Radio format

April 14, 2023

A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station.[1] The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelled to develop new and exclusive ways to programming by competition with television.[2] The formula has since spread as a reference for commercial radio programming worldwide.[1]

A radio format aims to reach a more or less specific audience according to a certain type of programming, which can be thematic or general, more informative or more musical, among other possibilities.[nb 1] Radio formats are often used as a marketing tool and are subject to frequent changes.[3]

Except for talk radio or sports radio formats, most programming formats are based on commercial music.[1] However the term also includes the news, bulletins, DJ talk, jingles, commercials, competitions, traffic news, sports, weather and community announcements between the tracks.[1]

Background

Even before World War II, radio stations in North America and Europe almost always adopted a generalist radio format.

However, the United States witnessed the growing strengthening of television over the radio as the major mass media in the country by the late 1940s.[2] American television had more financial resources to produce generalist programs that provoked the migration of countless talents from radio networks to the new medium. Under this context, the radio was pressured to seek alternatives to maintain its audience and cultural relevance.[2]

As a consequence, AM radios stations began to emerge in the United States and Canada – many of which "independents", that is not affiliated with the network – developed a format which targeted audiences with programming consisted of music, news, charismatic disc jockeys to directly attract a certain audience.[2]

For example, by the 1960s, the Easy listening obtained a stable position on FM radio – a spectrum considered ideal for good music and high fidelity listening as it grew in popularity during that period[nb 2] – and the Middle of the road (MOR) rose as a radio industry term to discern radio stations that played mainstream pop songs from radio stations whose programming was geared towards teenagers and was dominated by rock and roll,[4] the most popular musical genre of the period in the United States and which held the first successful radio format called Top-40. In reality, the Top-40 format was conscientiously prepared to attract the young audience, who was the main consumer of the records sold by the American record industry at that time.[2] Soon, playlists became central to programming and radio formats,[5] although the number of records in a playlist really depends on the format.[nb 3]

By the mid-1960s, American FM radio's penetration began achieving balance with AM radio since the Federal Communications Commission required that co-owned AM and FM stations be programmed independently from each other.[2] This resulted in huge competition between radio stations in the AM and FM spectrum to differentiate themselves for both audiences and advertisers.[4] At that time, it proliferated many radio formats, which included presentation, schedule and target audience, as well as repertoire.[4] Within a few years, FM radio stations were supplying program formats completely analogous to their AM stations counterparts, increased to more than 50% in 1970 and reached 95% in 1980.[4]

During the 1970s and 1980s, radio programming formats expanded into commercially successful variations, for example, adult contemporary (AC), album-oriented rock (AOR) and urban contemporary (UC), among others, which spread to most AM and FM radio stations in the United States.[2]

Over time, FM radio came to dominate music programming, while AM radio switched to news and talk formats.[6]

Regulation

In some countries such as the UK, licences to broadcast on radio frequencies are regulated by the government, and may take account of social and cultural factors including format type, local content, and language, as well as the price available to pay for the spectrum use. This may be done to ensure a balance of available public content in each area, and in particular to enable non-profit local community radio to exist alongside larger and richer national companies. On occasions format regulation may lead to difficult legal challenges when government accuses a station of changing its format, for example arguing in court over whether a particular song or group of songs is "pop" or "rock".[citation needed]

List of formats

United States and Canada

Formats constantly evolve and each format can often be sub-divided into many specialty formats. Some of the following formats are available only regionally or through specialized venues such as satellite radio or Internet radio.[7]

Pop/Adult Contemporary
Rock/Alternative/Indie
Country
Urban/Rhythmic
Dance/Electronic
Jazz/Blues/Standards
Easy Listening/New Age
Folk/Singer-Songwriters
  • Folk music
Latin
International
Christian/Gospel
Classical
Seasonal/Holiday/Happening

Seasonal formats typically celebrate a particular holiday and thus, with the notable exception of Christmas music (which is usually played throughout Advent), stations going to a holiday-themed format usually only do so for a short time, typically a day or a weekend.

Miscellanies
Spoken word formats

United Kingdom

Music-oriented

The UK has several formats that often overlap with one another. The American terms for formats are not always used to describe British stations or fully set specified by RAJAR.[8][9]

Spoken-words

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Music radio, old time radio, all-news radio, sports radio, talk radio and weather radio describe the operation of different genres of radio format and each format can often be sub-divided into many specialty formats.
  2. ^ At that time, there were several American FM stations that belonged to owners of AM stations, so the programming of the AM station was broadcast simultaneously with the station FM. Owners who programmed FM stations independently often did so using avant-garde, underground, jazz or highbrow (generally, classical music) program formats as a form to attract the few listeners who owned FM receivers and who were specific about signal quality they heard.[2]
  3. ^ The figure 40 was established by Todd Storz and Bill Stewart n their station KOWH-AM in Omaha, Nebraska, inspired by the fact that there were 40 records in a bar jukebox. In the 1960s, some radio formats reduced the figure to 30 records, or even just 10.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Shepherd, John; Horn, David; Laing, Dave, eds. (2003). "Programming". Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. p. 499. ISBN 9781501329234.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Margaret A., ed. (2013). "Radio Entertainment". History of the Mass Media in the United States: An Encyclopedia. p. 564. ISBN 9781135917494.
  3. ^ "What is a radio format?" 2010-01-02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d "7.3 Radio Station Formats". The University of Minnesota Libraries. 1 May 2019. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
  5. ^ a b Shepherd, John; Horn, David; Laing, Dave, eds. (2003). "Playlist". Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World. p. 499. ISBN 9781501329234.
  6. ^ Beisbier, Paul F Frank, ed. (2019). The Value of History: Values and Beliefs. ISBN 9781645446378.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "New York Radio Guide: Radio Format Guide", NYRadioGuide.com, 2009-01-12, webpage: NYRadio-formats.
  8. ^ Stewart, Peter (29 May 2010). Essential Radio Skills: How to Present a Radio Show. A&C Black. ISBN 978-1-4081-2179-5.
  9. ^ "Radio stations in the UK, by format". media.info. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  10. ^ "Heart FM London 106.2 live". www.radio-uk.co.uk. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Smooth Radio London". media.info. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  12. ^ "BBC radio 1Xtra - listen live". radio-live-uk.com. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  13. ^ "How the King of Breakfast is waking up Asian Britain". The Independent. 28 June 2009. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  14. ^ Aujla-Sidhu, Gurvinder (July 2019). Delivering a Public Service? The BBC Asian Network and British Asian audiences (PDF) (PhD). De Montfort University.
  15. ^ "Celebrations for Britain's First-Ever Licensed Ethnic Radio Station | LGR 103.3 FM". Retrieved 5 July 2022.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Radio formats.

April 14, 2023
radio, format, radio, format, programming, format, confused, with, broadcast, programming, describes, overall, content, broadcast, radio, station, radio, format, emerged, mainly, united, states, 1950s, time, when, radio, compelled, develop, exclusive, ways, pr. A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station 1 The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s at a time when radio was compelled to develop new and exclusive ways to programming by competition with television 2 The formula has since spread as a reference for commercial radio programming worldwide 1 A radio format aims to reach a more or less specific audience according to a certain type of programming which can be thematic or general more informative or more musical among other possibilities nb 1 Radio formats are often used as a marketing tool and are subject to frequent changes 3 Except for talk radio or sports radio formats most programming formats are based on commercial music 1 However the term also includes the news bulletins DJ talk jingles commercials competitions traffic news sports weather and community announcements between the tracks 1 Contents 1 Background 2 Regulation 3 List of formats 3 1 United States and Canada 3 2 United Kingdom 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksBackground EditEven before World War II radio stations in North America and Europe almost always adopted a generalist radio format However the United States witnessed the growing strengthening of television over the radio as the major mass media in the country by the late 1940s 2 American television had more financial resources to produce generalist programs that provoked the migration of countless talents from radio networks to the new medium Under this context the radio was pressured to seek alternatives to maintain its audience and cultural relevance 2 As a consequence AM radios stations began to emerge in the United States and Canada many of which independents that is not affiliated with the network developed a format which targeted audiences with programming consisted of music news charismatic disc jockeys to directly attract a certain audience 2 For example by the 1960s the Easy listening obtained a stable position on FM radio a spectrum considered ideal for good music and high fidelity listening as it grew in popularity during that period nb 2 and the Middle of the road MOR rose as a radio industry term to discern radio stations that played mainstream pop songs from radio stations whose programming was geared towards teenagers and was dominated by rock and roll 4 the most popular musical genre of the period in the United States and which held the first successful radio format called Top 40 In reality the Top 40 format was conscientiously prepared to attract the young audience who was the main consumer of the records sold by the American record industry at that time 2 Soon playlists became central to programming and radio formats 5 although the number of records in a playlist really depends on the format nb 3 By the mid 1960s American FM radio s penetration began achieving balance with AM radio since the Federal Communications Commission required that co owned AM and FM stations be programmed independently from each other 2 This resulted in huge competition between radio stations in the AM and FM spectrum to differentiate themselves for both audiences and advertisers 4 At that time it proliferated many radio formats which included presentation schedule and target audience as well as repertoire 4 Within a few years FM radio stations were supplying program formats completely analogous to their AM stations counterparts increased to more than 50 in 1970 and reached 95 in 1980 4 During the 1970s and 1980s radio programming formats expanded into commercially successful variations for example adult contemporary AC album oriented rock AOR and urban contemporary UC among others which spread to most AM and FM radio stations in the United States 2 Over time FM radio came to dominate music programming while AM radio switched to news and talk formats 6 Regulation EditIn some countries such as the UK licences to broadcast on radio frequencies are regulated by the government and may take account of social and cultural factors including format type local content and language as well as the price available to pay for the spectrum use This may be done to ensure a balance of available public content in each area and in particular to enable non profit local community radio to exist alongside larger and richer national companies On occasions format regulation may lead to difficult legal challenges when government accuses a station of changing its format for example arguing in court over whether a particular song or group of songs is pop or rock citation needed List of formats EditThe examples and perspective in this article may 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 December 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message United States and Canada Edit Formats constantly evolve and each format can often be sub divided into many specialty formats Some of the following formats are available only regionally or through specialized venues such as satellite radio or Internet radio 7 Pop Adult ContemporaryContemporary hit radio CHR occasionally still informally known as top 40 hot hits 7 7 Adult contemporary music AC 7 Adult variety hits Broad variety of pop hits spanning multiple eras and formats Jack FM Bob FM Classic hits 1970s 1980s centered previously 1960s 1970s pop music Hot adult contemporary Hot AC 7 Lite adult contemporary Lite AC 7 Modern adult contemporary Modern AC Oldies Late 1950s to early 1970s pop music 7 Soft adult contemporary soft AC Rock Alternative IndieActive rock 7 Adult album alternative or just adult alternative AAA or Triple A 7 Album rock album oriented rock AOR 7 Alternative rock 7 Classic alternative Classic rock 7 Lite rock Mainstream rock Modern rock 7 Progressive rock Psychedelic rock Rock 7 Soft rockCountryAmericana 7 Bluegrass Country music 7 Classic country exclusively older music New country Young country Hot country top 40 country with some non country pop and no older music Mainstream country top 40 country with some older music Traditional country mix of old and new music Regional country formats Texas New Mexico Oklahoma Red Dirt NewfoundlandUrban RhythmicClassic hip hop Quiet storm most often a daypart late night format at urban and urban AC stations i e 7 p m 12 a m midnight Rhythmic adult contemporary Rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic Top 40 Rhythmic oldies Urban 7 Urban contemporary mostly rap hip hop soul and contemporary R amp B artists Urban adult contemporary Urban AC 7 R amp B both newer and older soul and sometimes gospel music without hip hop and rap Urban oldies sometimes called classic soul R amp B oldies or old school Soul musicDance ElectronicDance dance top 40 7 Space music Carolina beach music regional in the Carolinas mostly R amp B and some pop country with shuffle beat Jazz Blues StandardsBig band 7 Blues Jazz 7 Smooth jazz 7 Traditional pop musicEasy Listening New AgeAdult standards nostalgia pre rock 7 Beautiful music Easy Listening Middle of the road MOR Folk Singer SongwritersFolk musicLatinHispanic rhythmic Ranchera Regional Mexican Banda mariachi norteno etc Rock en Espanol Romantica Spanish AC Spanish sub formats 7 Tejano music Texas Mexican music Also see Ranchera Regional Mexican Romantica and Tropical Tropical salsa merengue cumbia etc Urbano reggaeton Latin rap etc InternationalCajun Caribbean reggae soca merengue cumbia salsa etc Indian music Asian pop Japanese music J pop J rock Anisong city pop etc Korean music K pop K rock etc Original Pilipino music Polka World music 7 Christian GospelChristian music Christian rock Contemporary Christian which is also known as CCM Praise and Worship Urban Gospel Southern Gospel Traditional hymns e g Bible Broadcasting Network Fundamental Broadcasting Network ClassicalClassical 7 Contemporary classical musicSeasonal Holiday HappeningSeasonal formats typically celebrate a particular holiday and thus with the notable exception of Christmas music which is usually played throughout Advent stations going to a holiday themed format usually only do so for a short time typically a day or a weekend Christmas music usually seasonal mainly late November into December American patriotic music short term format usually adopted around holidays such as Fourth of July and Memorial Day Halloween music usually only on or around 31 October Irish folk music usually only on or around 17 March to celebrate Saint Patrick s Day Summer music June to August in the Northern Hemisphere MiscellaniesEclectic Freeform radio DJ selected Spoken word formatsAll news radio Children s Christian radio College radio Comedy radio Educational Ethnic International 7 Freeform Experimental Full service talk and variety music Old time radio Paranormal radio shows Radio audiobooks see also radio reading service Radio documentary Radio drama Radio soap operas Religious radio Sports Sports talk News Talk Conservative talk radio Progressive talk radio Public talk radio Hot talk shock jocks Weather radioUnited Kingdom Edit Music orientedThe UK has several formats that often overlap with one another The American terms for formats are not always used to describe British stations or fully set specified by RAJAR 8 9 Contemporary hit radio CHR Top 40 e g Capital BBC Radio 1 Hits Radio Rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic CHR e g Kiss Capital Xtra Adult contemporary music AC e g BBC Radio 2 Magic Hot adult contemporary hot AC middle ground between CHR and soft AC e g Heart 10 Virgin Radio Soft adult contemporary soft AC e g Smooth Radio 11 Urban black adult contemporary with stronger leaning to urban and hip hop e g BBC Radio 1Xtra 12 Modern adult contemporary modern AC with stronger leaning to rock e g Absolute Radio Oldies which can range from the 1950s to the 2000s depending on the station e g Gold Greatest Hits Radio Kisstory Absolute 80s Alternative sometimes confused with rock e g Radio X BBC Radio 6 Music Classical e g Classic FM BBC Radio 3 Asian referring to content for British Asian communities including Indian Pakistani Sri Lankan Bangladeshi Afghan Nepalese 13 14 e g BBC Asian Network Sunrise Radio Ethnic referring to content for specific ethnic communities e g London Greek Radio 15 Spectrum Radio Community radio stations for localised communities which can be in various formats including ethnicSpoken wordsNews and talk e g LBC BBC Radio 5 Live Times Radio Sports broadcasting and talk e g BBC Radio 5 Live talkSPORT News talk documentaries and drama e g BBC Radio 4 Christian broadcasts for Christian religious interests with occasional music e g Premier Christian RadioSee also Edit Radio portalRadio broadcasting The Evolution of Format Radio Canadian Communication Foundation Radio personality Television format Top 40Notes Edit Music radio old time radio all news radio sports radio talk radio and weather radio describe the operation of different genres of radio format and each format can often be sub divided into many specialty formats At that time there were several American FM stations that belonged to owners of AM stations so the programming of the AM station was broadcast simultaneously with the station FM Owners who programmed FM stations independently often did so using avant garde underground jazz or highbrow generally classical music program formats as a form to attract the few listeners who owned FM receivers and who were specific about signal quality they heard 2 The figure 40 was established by Todd Storz and Bill Stewart n their station KOWH AM in Omaha Nebraska inspired by the fact that there were 40 records in a bar jukebox In the 1960s some radio formats reduced the figure to 30 records or even just 10 5 References Edit a b c d Shepherd John Horn David Laing Dave eds 2003 Programming Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World p 499 ISBN 9781501329234 a b c d e f g h Margaret A ed 2013 Radio Entertainment History of the Mass Media in the United States An Encyclopedia p 564 ISBN 9781135917494 What is a radio format Archived 2010 01 02 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 April 2012 a b c d 7 3 Radio Station Formats The University of Minnesota Libraries 1 May 2019 Retrieved 16 December 2020 a b Shepherd John Horn David Laing Dave eds 2003 Playlist Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World p 499 ISBN 9781501329234 Beisbier Paul F Frank ed 2019 The Value of History Values and Beliefs ISBN 9781645446378 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa New York Radio Guide Radio Format Guide NYRadioGuide com 2009 01 12 webpage NYRadio formats Stewart Peter 29 May 2010 Essential Radio Skills How to Present a Radio Show A amp C Black ISBN 978 1 4081 2179 5 Radio stations in the UK by format media info Retrieved 5 July 2022 Heart FM London 106 2 live www radio uk co uk Retrieved 5 July 2022 Smooth Radio London media info Retrieved 5 July 2022 BBC radio 1Xtra listen live radio live uk com Retrieved 5 July 2022 How the King of Breakfast is waking up Asian Britain The Independent 28 June 2009 Retrieved 5 July 2022 Aujla Sidhu Gurvinder July 2019 Delivering a Public Service The BBC Asian Network and British Asian audiences PDF PhD De Montfort University Celebrations for Britain s First Ever Licensed Ethnic Radio Station LGR 103 3 FM Retrieved 5 July 2022 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Radio formats Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Radio format amp oldid 1147114643, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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