Adult contemporary music
Encyclopedia
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a broad style of popular music
that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal
music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock
influence, as well as a radio format
that plays such music.
AC radio plays mainstream music excluding hip hop
, heavy metal
, youth-oriented Hard Rock
, some teen pop
music and rhythmic dance tracks
(though since the 2000s, some of these genres have begun to be included), which is intended for a more adult audience. Radio stations playing this format will often target 18-54 year-olds, the demograpic most valued by advertisers.
Over the years, AC has spawned several sub-genres: "hot AC", "soft AC" (also known as "lite AC"), "modern AC", "urban AC
", "rhythmic AC
", "smooth AC" (i.e., smooth jazz
), and "Christian AC" (i.e., a softer type of Contemporary Christian music
). Some radio station
s play only hot AC; some play only soft AC; and some play both. Thus it is not usually considered a specific genre of music, since it is merely an assembly of selected tracks of musicians of many different genres.
with a minority of new songs. In the Philippines
, it is a format for the masses.
In the 1990s, these stations stopped playing 1960s music, and in the 2000s, they stopped playing music from the 1970s (however, a select few hot AC stations still play small amounts of 1970s music, such as WRVE
in Albany, New York
).
Today, hot AC radio stations tend towards some soft rock
, such as ballads from Goo Goo Dolls
, Bon Jovi
, Def Leppard
and Aerosmith
, and may occasionally play dance hits, such as those by Kylie Minogue
and some of Madonna
's more upbeat, dance-oriented songs, such as "Music
" and "Ray of Light
". Hot AC is now also slightly more alternative
than soft AC, for a more Generation Y
target audience; examples of alternative or harder-edged artists played on hot AC but unlikely to be heard on soft AC stations include Green Day
, Red Hot Chili Peppers
, 30 Seconds to Mars
, All-American Rejects, Linkin Park
, Third Eye Blind
and Fall Out Boy
. However, the line between hot AC and soft AC continues to blur, as alternative and rock artists such as Lifehouse
("You and Me"), Nickelback
("Far Away"), Avril Lavigne
("Complicated"), 3 Doors Down
("Here Without You
"), and The Fray
("How to Save a Life
") have all released singles which received substantial soft AC airplay, and somewhat blurred the line between the formats.
Since the 2000s, some hot AC stations have begun phasing out 80s music, for a more Generation Y centric audience than a Baby Boomer and Generation X centric audience; with some adding R&B and hip hop music to their playlists, from such artists as Akon
, Amy Winehouse
, Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas
, Chris Brown, Flo-Rida, Mariah Carey
, Ne-Yo
, Pussycat Dolls
and Rihanna
to compete with top-40 stations. This has occurred more in African American areas. For example, CHUM-FM
in Toronto was the first station in Canada
to use this solution, and since then, it is the country's most listened to radio station. After the success of this, other Hot AC stations began leaning towards heavy rhythmic content, such as CKFM and CKZZ-FM
.
Hot AC is reasonably successful in the United States
, but in Canada, it is the most-listened-to radio format. WPLJ
in New York City
, KBIG in Los Angeles
, KHMX in Houston, and WTMX
in Chicago
are four of the best-known hot AC stations in the US. The Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel The Pulse also offers the format.
Modern adult contemporary can be seen as a variation of hot AC, and includes modern rock
titles in its presentation. In the format's early days in 1997, Mike Marino of KMXB
in Las Vegas
described the format as reaching "an audience that has outgrown the edgier hip-hop
or alternative music but hasn't gotten old and sappy enough for the soft ACs." The target audience was 25 to 39, and the format's artists included The Cranberries
, Better Than Ezra
, Alanis Morissette
, Seal
, The Wallflowers
, Hootie & the Blowfish
, Modern English
, Counting Crows
, No Doubt
, Gin Blossoms
, Blues Traveler
, Sarah McLachlan
, Jewel
and Sheryl Crow
. Unlike modern rock, which went after 18-34 men, modern adult contemporary appealed to women. Many of the stations played 80s music at first just to make people notice, but dropped the music later. Among the early modern AC stations were KTNP in Omaha, Nebraska
, KBBT
Portland, Oregon
, and KPEK
Albuquerque.
Another variation on hot adult contemporary is adult hits
, also called variety hits.
in Philadelphia in 1975. WEEI-FM
in Boston was the first station to use the term "soft rock
", with ad slogans such as, "Fleetwood Mac
...without the yack" and "Joni
...without the baloney". The longest-running AC format in the top ten markets in America is "103.7 Lite FM" KVIL in Dallas-Fort Worth. "KVIL" in DFW first went on the air in 1962, and adopted its current format in 1969. In 1982, WMJX
"Magic 106.7" in Boston made its debut with a soft adult contemporary format and within a few years became the most popular music-formatted station in the market. The following year, the "Lite" format made its debut in New York WLTW
, Chicago WLIT
, and many other major markets. KOST
in Los Angeles, a onetime "Beautiful Music
" station, also switched to soft AC that year. Other popular names for the format include "Warm", "Sunny", "Bee" (or "B") and (particularly in Canada) "EZ Rock
". The format can be seen as a more contemporary successor to and combination of the middle of the road (MOR), beautiful music
, easy listening
and soft rock
formats.
In 1995, Broadcast Programming introduced a syndicated format called AC45+. BP programmer and consultant Mike Bettelli said adult contemporary stations in recent years had dropped Neil Diamond
, Kenny Rogers
, Barbra Streisand
, Anne Murray
and Barry Manilow
while adding Take That
and Bon Jovi
. Adult standards
and easy listening
were for older listeners, and women 45-54 were being left out. A sample hour of the format included Chicago
, Olivia Newton-John
, Elton John
, Smokey Robinson
, Bobby Darin
, Christopher Cross
, Vanessa L. Williams
, Simon & Garfunkel, Manilow, Whitney Houston
, Charlie Rich
, Billy Joel
, Maureen McGovern
, and Lionel Richie
. Some songs by Frank Sinatra
, Mariah Carey
and Michael Bolton
were also played.
A Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel called Sirius XM Love (formerly Sirius Love) is one of the examples of a soft AC format. Prior to the Sirius/XM channel merger on November 12, 2008
, XM had its own soft AC channel called The Heart
.
Some easy listening stations such as WDUV
in the Tampa, Florida
market have actually categorized as soft AC, though WDUV's playlist has evolved into a very soft version of AC which leans heavily toward older songs.
in Boston
, KOSI
in Denver, WLTW
in New York City
, WLIT
in Chicago
, WSB-FM
in Atlanta, and KOST
in Los Angeles
have started to mix in more hot AC songs into their playlists and have dropped the older, softer AC artists, such as Barbra Streisand
and Barry Manilow
, who may be perceived as campy. The majority of these stations no longer play large amounts of 1960s
music, and select stations play little or no 1970s
music. This is somewhat common in markets with strong Classic Hits
stations, which often focus on playing 1970s
, taking away the audience for traditional AC formats, especially when both are owned by the same company. One such market is Dallas, where AC KVIL shares much of the same audience as Classic Hits KLUV, which is also owned by CBS Radio
. Artists such as Daughtry, Nickelback
, and Kelly Clarkson
, who were played exclusively on hot AC as recently as 2006, are staples on what is now known as mainstream AC. These stations often have the highest ratings among adults 25-54. Some AC stations in Canada
, such as CHQM-FM
Vancouver
, CFQR-FM
Montreal
, CHFM-FM
Calgary
and CJMJ-FM
Ottawa
have mixed in hot AC material to the playlist. In addition, the Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel The Blend is one of the examples of a mainstream AC format. Prior to the Sirius/XM channel merger on November 12, 2008
, Sirius had a separate AC channel called StarLite
.
During most of the 2000s, Canadian adult contemporary radio stations have been dropping in the ratings due to the recent addition of top 40 and hot AC content on the playlist. Stations such as CJEZ-FM
Toronto and CFQR-FM Montreal dropped from the top spot and lost several listeners. Most recent adult contemporary stations in Canada have dropped the format entirely, including CJUK-FM
in Thunder Bay
(which moved to hot AC) back in 2006
, and for 2007
, CFLY-FM
in Kingston
(which also moved to hot AC, causing Corus
to launch a new AC station for that market) and CJTN-FM
in Trenton
(which became classic rock, also causing My Broadcasting Corporation
to launch another new AC station
for that market). In addition, 2008
marked the flip of CKCL-FM
Vancouver from adult contemporary to classic hits
, leaving Vancouver as the largest Canadian market with only one adult contemporary station (which is CHQM-FM
), as well as for CFQM-FM
in Moncton
(the market's only AC station) changing formats to classic hits
for 2009
. The final adult contemporary station in Canada
of the 2000s to flip formats was CJEZ-FM in Toronto
, which became adult hits
CHBM-FM on Boxing Day 2009. CHFI-FM
in Toronto
remains the most-listened-to radio station in Canada
, most likely because of its heritage adult contemporary format.
AC stations in the Canadian province of Quebec
include the Rythme FM
and RockDétente
networks. The jocks are French-speaking, but English music can also be found, as on all music-based FM radio stations in Quebec. Satellite radio
French AC equivalents are XM's
Sur La Route
and RockDétente's satellite radio counterpart on Sirius Canada
called RockVelours. CFGL-FM
, a Rythme FM
station in Montreal
is the most-listened to French-language station in North America
. Sur La Route excludes English-language music from the playlist.
is a form of AC music that is geared towards adult African-American audiences, and therefore, the artists that are played on these stations are most often African-American. A good example of an urban AC artist is Des'ree
, whose album I Ain't Movin'
was massively popular amongst both African American audience as well as the wider national audience. The urban AC stations are more similar to soft AC than they are to hot AC, and the music they play is predominantly R&B and soul music
with little hip-hop. This is reflected in many of the urban AC radio stations' tagline
s, such as "Today's R&B and classic soul", "The best variety of R&B hits and oldies" and "(City/Region)'s R&B leader". Some popular nicknames for urban AC stations include "Magic" (borrowed from Soft AC), "Mix" (borrowed from hot AC), and "Kiss" (borrowed from Top-40). Urban AC's core artists include Luther Vandross
, Dionne Warwick
, Patti LaBelle
, Toni Braxton
, Kem
, Whitney Houston
, Regina Belle
, Robin Thicke
, Sade
, Aretha Franklin
, Janet Jackson
, Brian McKnight
, Teena Marie
, Mary J. Blige
, Gerald Levert
and Mariah Carey
. Examples of urban AC stations include WBLS
in New York, WHUR in Washington D.C., and KHHT
in Los Angeles. Sirius XM Satellite Radio features the format on its Heart & Soul channel.
A slightly hotter variation of the urban AC is the rhythmic adult contemporary
format, often branded as "MOViN". This focuses on uptempo hits such as disco, early hip-hop and R&B, and dance music, and it caters to African-American, Hispanic and white audiences. Noteworthy examples of Rhythmic AC stations include WKTU
in New York, WISX
in Philadelphia, and KQMV
in Seattle (which pioneered the MOViN format).
A more elaborate form of urban AC is the rhythmic oldies
format, which focuses primarily on "old school" R&B and soul hits from the 1960s to the 1990s, including Motown and disco
hits. At its peak of nationwide popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the format was often referred to as "jammin'" or "groovin'" oldies. The concept of jammin' oldies was pioneered in 1997 by KCMG-FM
"Mega 100" in Los Angeles
(1). The format, which included white soul or disco artists such as ABBA
and the Bee Gees
in addition to Black artists, subsequently spread to many major markets, but has since cooled down; the decline of jammin' oldies popularity is often attributed to overly tight playlists which increased listener burnout. Rhythmic oldies stations still exist today, but usually more specifically target African-Americans as opposed to a mass audience; examples include WRBO
-FM in Memphis, TN, and WWWS
-AM in Buffalo, NY.
Usually embedded within the urban adult contemporary format is another format called quiet storm
. This format is most played during the evening beginning at 7:00 pm or 8:00 pm hours into late night. The quiet storm format is primarily a mix of the urban AC and soft AC styles of music. The music that is played is strictly ballads and slow jams, mostly but not limited to Black and Latino artists. Popular artists played on the quiet storm format are Teena Marie
, Whitney Houston
, Angela Bofill
, Miki Howard
, Regina Belle
, Howard Hewett
, Freddie Jackson
, Johnny Gill
, Anita Baker
, Sade
, Patti LaBelle
, Tamia
, Lalah Hathaway
, Vanessa L. Williams
, Dru Hill
, Toni Braxton
, and En Vogue
among others. Another of the genre's core artists, Keith Sweat
, hosts a nightly syndicated "quiet storm" program titled The Keith Sweat Hotel which is featured on many urban AC stations.
vs. hard rock
. This evolved into specialized radio stations that played specific genres of music, and generally followed the evolution of artists in those genres.
One big impetus for the development of the AC radio format was the fact that when rock and roll music first became popular in the mid-1950s, many more conservative radio stations wanted to continue to play current hit songs while shying away from rock. These stations also frequently included older, pre-rock-era adult standards
and big band
titles to further appeal to adult listeners who had grown up with those songs. In those days, middle of the road or "MOR" was the formatic term used to describe such stations, which included powerhouse broadcasters like WJR
in Detroit, WGN
and WBBM
in Chicago, KGO
in San Francisco, WNEW
in New York, and WCCO in Minneapolis. Billboard magazine first published an adult-contemporary music chart
in 1961, although it was not until 1979 that the chart took on the name "Adult Contemporary".
While most popular MOR stations were, like Top 40 stations of the day, on the AM dial, another big impetus for the evolution of the AC radio format was the popularity of easy listening or "beautiful music
" stations, stations with music specifically designed to be purely ambient
, listened to while at work or otherwise in the background. These stations were largely found on the FM dial alongside classical music
stations because the music they played sounded better on FM. Whereas most easy listening music was instrumental, created by relatively unknown artists (except for occasional MOR vocal hits), and rarely purchased, AC was an attempt to create a similar "lite" format by choosing certain tracks (both hit singles and album cuts) of popular artists.
The growth of AC was also a natural result of the generation that first listened to the more "specialized" music of the mid-late 70s growing older and not being interested in the heavy metal, rap and hip-hop music that a new generation helped to dominate the top-40 charts (this effect has also altered the oldies
format; as there are now two kinds of oldies stations, those who will not play songs from after the early 1970s vs. those who will play songs up to the early 1980s while still having occasional pre-1964 songs in rotation). Fans of harder rock music often derogatorily referred to AC stations in the early days of the format as "chicken rock".
Among the earliest examples of the Adult Contemporary format as it is known today (as opposed to MOR) included such stations as WHAS
in Louisville, KY, and KDKA
in Pittsburgh, former MOR stations which in the late 1960s and early 1970s began to play fewer standards and more contemporary music without venturing all the way into hard rock. WHAS in the mid-1970s called its format "Good and Gold" and also included many rock and roll oldies in its mix; the station also eventually moved into playing some harder rock songs on weekends. The mid-1970s also saw the emergence of so-called "mellow rock" stations on the FM band, such as WMGK
in Philadelphia, WBBM-FM
in Chicago, KNX-FM
in Los Angeles, and WCCO-FM
in Minneapolis, which mixed current AC chart hits with album tracks by singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Carly Simon, Carole King, Janis Ian, Paul Simon, and Elton John. These stations pioneered the concept of "soft rock" or "lite rock" that would become an AC hallmark.
The music video channel VH1
began as an AC version of MTV
. Originally, it was strictly soft AC, as it strove to appeal to people who were in their 30s and 40s during its early years in the mid 1980s. For similar reasons as explained above with radio, in the mid 1990s, it reformed itself as something closer to hot AC, during which time it began to play videos by Hootie & The Blowfish
, the Gin Blossoms
, Alanis Morissette
, Melissa Etheridge
, the Spin Doctors
, Amy Grant
, Ace of Base
, and some other artists that were slightly harder rock or more avant garde than they had previously played.
Mainstream AC itself has evolved in a similar fashion over the years; traditional AC artists like Barbra Streisand
, the Carpenters
, Barry Manilow
, Captain & Tennille
, and Olivia Newton-John
found it harder to have hits (on AC as well as top 40) as the 1980s wore on, and due to the influence of MTV, artists who were staples of the contemporary hit radio
format, such as Madonna
, Culture Club
, Cyndi Lauper
, Tears for Fears
, and Whitney Houston
, began crossing over to the AC charts with greater frequency.
However, with the combination of MTV and AC radio, adult contemporary appeared harder to define as either, established soft-rock artists of the past (who were still charting pop hits), or the mainstream radio fare from newer artist at the time, such as Madonna, Sheena Easton, Cyndi Lauper and Whitney Houston. In 1989, Linda Ronstadt
recorded Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
, described by critics as the first true adult contemporary album and featuring American soul singer Aaron Neville
on four of the twelve tracks. It had duets including "Don't Know Much" (Billboard Hot 100 chart No. 2 hit) and "All My Life" (Billboard Hot 100 chart No. 11 hit), these singles were also equally long-running number 1 adult contemporary hits. With the mixture of radio friendly AC tunes with some rock and pop fare also landing on the pop charts, the album won over many critics in the need to define AC, and appeared to change the tolerance and acceptance of AC music into mainstream day to day radio play.
In recent years, VH1 has moved away from its AC format by playing artists such as Destiny's Child
, Eminem
, Jay-Z
, and Snoop Dogg
. With this popular rap, and R&B, VH1 resembles top 40 Rap radio. Led by Toronto
powerhouse CHUM-FM
, Canadian
Hot AC radio has also taken steps towards a similar diverse and top 40-inclusive position.
Part of the reason why more and more hot AC stations are forced to change is that less and less new music fits their bill. Most new rock is too alternative for mainstream radio, including hot AC, and only gets played on modern rock
radio; and most new pop is now influenced heavily by hard rock
, in an attempt to become upbeat and rhythmic crossover hits, if not featuring guest vocals from singers. One example is that "Look What You've Done
" by Jet
is played on Hot AC stations, but other tracks like "Cold Hard Bitch
" are played on modern rock stations. However, soft AC, which has never minded keeping songs in high rotation literally for years in some cases, does not appear necessarily to be facing similar pressures to expand its format. Soft AC includes a larger amount of older music, especially classic R&B, soul
, and 60s and 70s music, than hot AC.
However, several soft AC stations have begun to add more guitar-driven (but still relatively quiet) music into their playlists, such as "Broken
" by Seether
, "You and Me" by Lifehouse
, "Here Without You
" by 3 Doors Down
, "Complicated" and "I'm with You" by Avril Lavigne
, "Wherever You Will Go
" by The Calling
, "My Immortal
" by Evanescence
, "Home
" and "It's Not Over
" by Daughtry and "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith
, somewhat resembling the Hot AC stations of the 1990s. Stations like WSB-FM
in Atlanta play songs such as "Hella Good
" by No Doubt
, "Tubthumping
" by Chumbawamba
, and "Semi-Charmed Life
" by Third Eye Blind
.
In this sense, the soft AC format may soon be facing the demographic pressures that the jazz
and big band
formats faced in the 1960s and 1970s and that the oldies
format is starting to face today, with the result that one may hear soft AC less on over-the-air radio and more on satellite radio
systems in coming years. Much of the music and artists that were traditionally played on soft AC stations has been relegated to the adult standards
format, which is itself disappearing because of aging demographics. Some soft AC stations have found a niche by incorporating more oldies into their playlists and are more open to playing softer songs that fit the "traditional" definition of AC. Examples include the former WLTM-FM in Atlanta (which added many oldies titles to its playlist after the death of oldies sister station WLCL
) and the former WSNI
in Philadelphia with soft rock station WBEB
.
In the meantime, such artists as Nick Lachey
and Josh Groban
have become successful thanks to a ballad heavy sound. So, adult contemporary may likely not go anywhere since it is still prevalent on recording artists' albums in almost every music style including dance music
. Another popular trend of remixing dance music
hits into adult contemporary ballads—mostly piano
ballads but sometimes keyboard ballads—is now popular, especially in the US (for example, the "Candlelight Mix" versions of "Heaven" by DJ Sammy
, "Listen To Your Heart" by D.H.T.
, and "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada
).
Much as some hot AC and modern rock artists have crossed over into each other, so too has soft AC crossed with country music
, more commonly among the female artists. Musicians such as Faith Hill
, LeAnn Rimes
, Martina McBride
, Jewel
, Barbara Mandrell
, Dolly Parton
, and Carrie Underwood
have had success on both charts, as have male artists such as Rascal Flatts
, Kid Rock
(primarily a rock musician, though "All Summer Long
" has been played on rock, AC, pop and country formats), co-ed trio Lady Antebellum
, Keith Urban
, and Darius Rucker
(who had pop and AC hits as lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish and is currently having a successful solo career as a country artist). This crossover has its roots in the countrypolitan/Nashville sound
pop styles of years past.
Also in response to the pressure on Hot AC, a third kind of AC format has cropped up among American radio recently. The aforementioned urban adult contemporary
format (a term coined by Barry Mayo
) usually attracts a large number of African Americans and sometimes Caucasian
listeners through playing a great deal of R&B (without any form of rapping), gospel music
, classic soul and dance music
(including disco
).
A fourth AC format, "rhythmic AC", in addition to playing all the popular hot and soft AC music, past and present, places a heavy emphasis on disco
as well as 1980s and 90s
dance hits, such as those by Amber
, C&C Music Factory and Black Box
, and includes dance remixes
of pop songs, such as the Soul Solution
Mix of Toni Braxton
's "Unbreak My Heart". The format also occasionally features popular 80s and early 90s rap songs that were popular mainstream, rhythmic, or club hits. New York City
's WKTU
and the now-defunct WNEW-FM are examples of this evolving format. The rapidly growing MOViN format, pioneered at Seattle's KQMV
and now in use at stations such as WMVN St. Louis, and KMVQ San Francisco, is another example of rhythmic AC, and has spawned imitators such as WISX
in Philadelphia.
In its early years of existence, the smooth jazz
format was considered to be a form of AC, although it was mainly instrumental, and related a stronger resemblance to the soft AC-styled music than it did to what purists call "real jazz". For many years, artists like George Benson
, Kenny G
and Dave Koz
had crossover hits that were played on both smooth jazz and soft AC stations. In addition, David Sanborn
had a saxophone solo on James Taylor
's remake of the Marvin Gaye
classic, "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"; and Grover Washington, Jr.
teamed up with Bill Withers
to perform a classic hit song, entitled "Just the Two of Us". This song has gone on to become one of the most-played radio hits of all time - in particular the most acclaimed and modern cover by Regina Belle/George Duke/Steve Cole - as it frequently shows up on soft AC, urban AC and smooth jazz playlists. Anita Baker
, Sade
, Regina Belle
, and Luther Vandross
are other examples of artists who appeal to mainstream AC, urban AC and smooth jazz listeners. Some soft AC and urban AC stations like to play smooth jazz on the weekends, in cities that currently do not have a full-time smooth jazz station. Warm 98
in Cincinnati, Ohio
, Majic 95.5
in Austin, Texas
, WCXT
in South Haven, Michigan
, 103.7 Lite FM in Dallas, Texas
, WMAG
in Greensboro, North Carolina
, and Q101.9
in San Antonio, Texas
are soft AC stations that also play smooth jazz; and V101.9
in Charlotte, North Carolina
and Majic 104.9
in St. Louis, Missouri
, are urban AC stations that play smooth jazz on the weekends as well. (However, a new smooth jazz station had served the Cincinnati area, under the call letters WCIN
.) In recent years, the Smooth Jazz format has been renamed to Smooth AC, as an attempt to lure younger listeners, and some stations, like WLOQ
in Orlando, Florida
, have dropped the "Jazz" part from their nicknames; on the other hand, KWJZ in Seattle, Washington
has completely abandoned the "Smooth Jazz" title in its branding.
Some soft AC (and a few urban AC) stations, like Sunny 99.1
in Houston, Texas
and Magic 106.7
in Boston, Massachusetts, also have the smooth jazz format on their HD2
subchannels. This is far more common in recent years, as full-time smooth jazz stations are being discontinued in US markets where the format once thrived. In addition, these HD2 stations are basically expanded (24/7) versions of weekend programming as offered by their traditional FM/HD1 counterparts.
Contemporary Christian music
(CCM) has several sub-genres, one being "Christian AC". Radio & Records
, for instance, lists Christian AC among its format charts. Too, there has been crossover to mainstream and hot AC formats by many of the core artists of the Christian AC genre, notably Amy Grant
, Michael W. Smith
, Kathy Troccoli
, Steven Curtis Chapman
, Plumb, and more recently, MercyMe
.
Since the mid 2000s, the mainstreaming of bands like Wilco
and Feist
have pushed indie rock
into the adult contemporary conversation.
during November and December. While these tend mostly to be contemporary seasonal recordings by the same artists featured under the normal format, most stations will also air some vintage holiday tunes from older pop, MOR, and adult standards
artists – such as Nat King Cole
, Bing Crosby
, Dean Martin
, The Carpenters
, Percy Faith
, Johnny Mathis
and Andy Williams
– many of whom they would never play during the rest of the year.
These Christmas music marathons typically start during the week before Thanksgiving Day
(individual station practices vary) and end after Christmas Day, or sometimes extending to New Year's Day
. Afterwards, the stations usually resume their normal music fare at midnight on December 26. Several stations begin the holiday format much earlier, at the beginning of November, with a few stations (KOSY-FM
in Salt Lake City, and WNIC
in Detroit, Michigan being among them, although neither was in 2010) having a reputation of regularly being among the "first in the nation" to change to the format. It is extremely rare for stations to change on or before Halloween
(although WSMM
in South Bend, Indiana
switched a week before Halloween in 2010, and WEZW in Ocean City, New Jersey
did so in 2011); stations that do so generally receive backlash from listeners, as this is generally recognized to be well outside the accepted Christmas and holiday season, though it is common as a stunt
.
The roots of this tradition can be traced back to the beautiful music
and easy listening
stations of the 1960s and '70s. Until the early 21st century, however, radio stations typically began introducing only some Christmas music into their regular playlists around Thanksgiving, and moved to an all-Christmas playlist, if at all, only for 36 hours (sometimes 48 hours) around Christmas. Such all-Christmas programming usually was broadcast between Noon local time on Christmas Eve (sometimes starting as early as 00:00) and ending at 00:00 on December 26. The practice of moving to a 24/7 Christmas format as early as (or even before) Thanksgiving began at a few stations in the mid-1990s; becoming a widespread phenomenon in 2001, with many stations promoting their Christmas music marathons as a sort of musical comfort in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Some such stations may also extend their Christmas music format as late as New Year's Day
, although in the US this is most commonly a stunt
which signals that the station will relaunch in January with a different format than it held before going all-Christmas. (British broadcasters, by contrast, have a Christmas holiday schedule from First Monday of the school holidays to New Year's Day.) Stations that are not stunting may mix in some holiday songs, particularly those that do not explicitly mention Christmas (such as winter songs like "Let It Snow!" and "Jingle Bells
") or that have mainstream appeal (such as "Same Old Lang Syne
" and "Better Days"), into their regular format between Christmas and the new year.
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
influence, as well as a radio format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
that plays such music.
AC radio plays mainstream music excluding hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, youth-oriented Hard Rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, some teen pop
Teen pop
Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
music and rhythmic dance tracks
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
(though since the 2000s, some of these genres have begun to be included), which is intended for a more adult audience. Radio stations playing this format will often target 18-54 year-olds, the demograpic most valued by advertisers.
Over the years, AC has spawned several sub-genres: "hot AC", "soft AC" (also known as "lite AC"), "modern AC", "urban AC
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
", "rhythmic AC
Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
Rhythmic adult contemporary is a format used on stations in the United States and Canada. It usually gears toward an older audience, ages 25 to 54. Stations using this format play disco from the 1970s and early 1980s, dance/pop music, adult-friendly hip hop/old school tracks, R&B, dance/freestyle...
", "smooth AC" (i.e., smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
), and "Christian AC" (i.e., a softer type of Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
). Some radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s play only hot AC; some play only soft AC; and some play both. Thus it is not usually considered a specific genre of music, since it is merely an assembly of selected tracks of musicians of many different genres.
Hot adult contemporary
Hot adult contemporary, or hot AC, is a format designation given to various radio stations. It is often referred to as a balanced variety of music from the 1980s to today's hits, although most radio stations include more classic hitsClassic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
with a minority of new songs. In the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, it is a format for the masses.
In the 1990s, these stations stopped playing 1960s music, and in the 2000s, they stopped playing music from the 1970s (however, a select few hot AC stations still play small amounts of 1970s music, such as WRVE
WRVE
WRVE is a Hot Adult Contemporary radio station licensed to Schenectady, New York and serving the Capital District and Upper Hudson Valley of New York. It broadcasts at 99.5 FM at 14.5 kilowatts ERP from a transmitter in Guilderland, New York...
in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
).
Today, hot AC radio stations tend towards some soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
, such as ballads from Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
, Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
, Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
and Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, and may occasionally play dance hits, such as those by Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
and some of Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's more upbeat, dance-oriented songs, such as "Music
Music (Madonna song)
"Music" is the first single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her 8th studio album Music and was released on August 21, 2000, by Maverick Records. It was also released on DVD single, a debut in this format by Madonna. It earned two Grammy Award nominations in 2001, for Record of the Year...
" and "Ray of Light
Ray of Light (song)
A high-speed electronic dance song, "Ray of Light" has received stylistic comparisons to rave, psychedelic and acid music. The track contains strong techno elements, as well as disco, trance and Eurodance influences, and it sees Madonna deepen her dance roots and go for a more electronic sound...
". Hot AC is now also slightly more alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
than soft AC, for a more Generation Y
Generation Y
Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation , Generation Next, Net Generation, or Echo Boomers, describes the demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates for when the Millennial generation starts and ends, and commentators have used birth dates ranging somewhere...
target audience; examples of alternative or harder-edged artists played on hot AC but unlikely to be heard on soft AC stations include Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
, 30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars
30 Seconds to Mars is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1998. Since 2007, the band has consisted of actor Jared Leto , Shannon Leto and Tomo Miličević...
, All-American Rejects, Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
, Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...
and Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy
Fall Out Boy is an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, formed in 2001. The band consists of vocalist, guitarist and composer Patrick Stump, bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz, guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer Andy Hurley. The band released five studio albums from 2003–2008...
. However, the line between hot AC and soft AC continues to blur, as alternative and rock artists such as Lifehouse
Lifehouse (band)
Lifehouse is an American rock band from Los Angeles. The band came to mainstream prominence in 2001 with the hit single "Hanging by a Moment" from their debut studio album, No Name Face. The single won a Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year, beating out Janet Jackson and Alicia...
("You and Me"), Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
("Far Away"), Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
("Complicated"), 3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , Todd Harrell , Chris Henderson , and Greg Upchurch ....
("Here Without You
Here Without You
"Here Without You" is the title of a song recorded by American rock band 3 Doors Down. It was released in August 2003 as the third single from the album Away from the Sun. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending November 8, 2003. Only their songs "Kryptonite" and "When...
"), and The Fray
The Fray
-Literature:*Fray, a phenomenon in Terry Pratchett's The Carpet People*Fray , a comic book series by Joss Whedon**Melaka Fray, titular character of the comic book series-Music:*"Fray", a song from the album 14 Shades of Grey by Staind...
("How to Save a Life
How to Save a Life (song)
"How to Save a Life" is a song by American rock band The Fray. It is the title track from their debut album and was released as the second single from it. The song is one of their most popular airplay songs and peaked in the top 3 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States...
") have all released singles which received substantial soft AC airplay, and somewhat blurred the line between the formats.
Since the 2000s, some hot AC stations have begun phasing out 80s music, for a more Generation Y centric audience than a Baby Boomer and Generation X centric audience; with some adding R&B and hip hop music to their playlists, from such artists as Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
, Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
, Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
, Chris Brown, Flo-Rida, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
, Pussycat Dolls
Pussycat Dolls
The Pussycat Dolls are an American pop girl group and dance ensemble based in Los Angeles; currently consisting of Lauren Bennett, Vanessa Curry, Kristal "Lyndriette" Smith, Tiffany "Taz" Zavala, Kia Hampton and Paula Van Oppen. The Pussycat Dolls were founded by choreographer Robin Antin in 1995...
and Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
to compete with top-40 stations. This has occurred more in African American areas. For example, CHUM-FM
CHUM-FM
CHUM-FM is a Canadian radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario and operated by Bell Media. It broadcasts at 104.5 MHz with a hot adult contemporary format that leans towards rhythmic adult contemporary...
in Toronto was the first station in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to use this solution, and since then, it is the country's most listened to radio station. After the success of this, other Hot AC stations began leaning towards heavy rhythmic content, such as CKFM and CKZZ-FM
CKZZ-FM
CKZZ-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 95.3 MHz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 71,300 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour, and its studios are located in Richmond. The station has had a hot adult...
.
Hot AC is reasonably successful in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, but in Canada, it is the most-listened-to radio format. WPLJ
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, KBIG in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, KHMX in Houston, and WTMX
WTMX
WTMX is an adult top 40 radio station licensed to Skokie, IL in the Chicago market. It is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting.-History:...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
are four of the best-known hot AC stations in the US. The Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel The Pulse also offers the format.
Modern adult contemporary can be seen as a variation of hot AC, and includes modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
titles in its presentation. In the format's early days in 1997, Mike Marino of KMXB
KMXB
KMXB is a commercial radio station located in Southwest Las Vegas, Nevada, broadcasting to the Las Vegas, Nevada area on 94.1 FM. KMXB airs a Hot adult contemporary music format.-History:...
in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
described the format as reaching "an audience that has outgrown the edgier hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
or alternative music but hasn't gotten old and sappy enough for the soft ACs." The target audience was 25 to 39, and the format's artists included The Cranberries
The Cranberries
The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...
, Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra
Better Than Ezra is an American alternative rock trio based in New Orleans, Louisiana.-Formation and early success:Better Than Ezra was formed in 1988 by its four original members - vocalist and guitarist Kevin Griffin; Joel Rundell, the lead guitarist; bassist Tom Drummond; and drummer, Cary...
, Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
, Seal
Seal (musician)
Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel , known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background. Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an...
, The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers
The Wallflowers is a rock band from Los Angeles, California, fronted by Jakob Dylan. Formed in 1989 and originally known as The Apples, the ensemble has gone through numerous personnel changes with Dylan the only constant....
, Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has...
, Modern English
Modern English (band)
Modern English are an English rock band best remembered for their songs "I Melt with You", "Hands Across the Sea", and "Ink and Paper". The group disbanded for a period in 1991, but later recorded in 1995 and 2002 with new members...
, Counting Crows
Counting Crows
Counting Crows is an American rock band originating from Berkeley, California. Formed in 1991, the group gained popularity following the release of its debut album in 1993, August and Everything After, which featured the hit single "Mr. Jones"...
, No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms is an American pop rock band formed in 1987, in Tempe, Arizona. They took their name from a photo of W.C. Fields which bore the caption "W.C. Fields with gin blossoms", referring to what appeared to be the actor's gin-ravaged nose, but was actually a skin condition known as rosacea...
, Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler
Blues Traveler is a rock band, formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987. The band has been influenced by a variety of genres, including blues-rock, psychedelic rock, folk rock, soul, and Southern rock...
, Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
, Jewel
Jewel (singer)
Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
and Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
. Unlike modern rock, which went after 18-34 men, modern adult contemporary appealed to women. Many of the stations played 80s music at first just to make people notice, but dropped the music later. Among the early modern AC stations were KTNP in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, KBBT
KXJM
KBFF is an Adult Top 40 radio station licensed to Portland, Oregon, USA, and serving the Portland area. The station is currently owned by Alpha Broadcasting.-Current Lineup:* Mornings 6a-10a: More Music Mornings with CJ & Nikki...
Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and KPEK
KPEK
KPEK is a commercial radio station located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, broadcasting on 100.3 FM. KPEK airs a hot adult contemporary music format branded as "The Peak".-History:...
Albuquerque.
Another variation on hot adult contemporary is adult hits
Adult hits
Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
, also called variety hits.
Soft adult contemporary
A more adult-oriented version of AC, called "soft AC" was born in the late 70s and grew in the early 80s. Greater Media introduced "Magic" as an AC format name at WMGKWMGK
WMGK, known as "Classic Rock 102.9 MGK" or "Philadelphia's Classic Rock: 102.9 MGK", is a Classic rock formatted radio station which is broadcast in the Philadelphia area. The station features popular Philadelphia radio personality John DeBella and former Howard Stern Show censor Andre Gardner. ...
in Philadelphia in 1975. WEEI-FM
WODS
- External links :****...
in Boston was the first station to use the term "soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
", with ad slogans such as, "Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
...without the yack" and "Joni
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
...without the baloney". The longest-running AC format in the top ten markets in America is "103.7 Lite FM" KVIL in Dallas-Fort Worth. "KVIL" in DFW first went on the air in 1962, and adopted its current format in 1969. In 1982, WMJX
WMJX
WMJX is a radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. It has an Adult Contemporary format. The station's transmitter is located atop the Prudential Tower in Downtown Boston...
"Magic 106.7" in Boston made its debut with a soft adult contemporary format and within a few years became the most popular music-formatted station in the market. The following year, the "Lite" format made its debut in New York WLTW
WLTW
WLTW is a radio station with an Adult Contemporary format in New York City.The station is often number one or close to it in Arbitron ratings for New York City. From 2002 to 2004, the station generated more revenue than any other radio station in the New York market...
, Chicago WLIT
WLIT
WLIT-FM is a radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, featuring a format of adult contemporary music. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications.In February 2006, WLIT began broadcasting in HD Radio...
, and many other major markets. KOST
KOST
KOST is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, with an adult contemporary musical format. It is one of three adult contemporary formatted radio station in the Los Angeles/Orange County area, the others being sister station KBIG and CBS-owned KTWV...
in Los Angeles, a onetime "Beautiful Music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
" station, also switched to soft AC that year. Other popular names for the format include "Warm", "Sunny", "Bee" (or "B") and (particularly in Canada) "EZ Rock
EZ Rock
EZ Rock is a brand of adult contemporary music radio stations heard primarily in Canada. The branding was originally created by Telemedia in the mid-1990s for its adult contemporary stations, and based on the call sign of its former Toronto flagship CJEZ .Telemedia was later acquired by Standard...
". The format can be seen as a more contemporary successor to and combination of the middle of the road (MOR), beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
, easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
and soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
formats.
In 1995, Broadcast Programming introduced a syndicated format called AC45+. BP programmer and consultant Mike Bettelli said adult contemporary stations in recent years had dropped Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
, Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, Anne Murray
Anne Murray
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....
and Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
while adding Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
and Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
. Adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
and easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
were for older listeners, and women 45-54 were being left out. A sample hour of the format included Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
, Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
, Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin
Bobby Darin , born Walden Robert Cassotto, was an American singer, actor and musician.Darin performed in a range of music genres, including pop, rock, jazz, folk and country...
, Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross
Christopher Cross is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him five Grammys. He is perhaps best known for his Top Ten hit songs, "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind", and "Arthur's Theme ", the last of which he performed for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore...
, Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
, Simon & Garfunkel, Manilow, Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Charlie Rich
Charlie Rich
Charles Rich was an American country music singer and musician. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres.In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver...
, Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, Maureen McGovern
Maureen McGovern
Maureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her premier renditions of the Oscar winning songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure, and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974.-Early life:McGovern was...
, and Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
. Some songs by Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
and Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton
Michael Bolton is an American singer and songwriter. Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, both on his early solo albums and those recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack...
were also played.
A Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel called Sirius XM Love (formerly Sirius Love) is one of the examples of a soft AC format. Prior to the Sirius/XM channel merger on November 12, 2008
2008 in radio
Several events occurred in radio in 2008.- Events :* January 2: WWFT finished Christmas music stunting, rolling out the red carpet for Adult contemporary music branded as "Warm."...
, XM had its own soft AC channel called The Heart
The Heart
The Heart though often considered a good conversationalist was in fact shaped like a dinosaur. Doctor Allan Biganus discovered this in 1846 after stabbing his wife with a pencil because she burnt his chicken pie. He then removed the heart and cooked it in a pie to show her how it was done. The...
.
Some easy listening stations such as WDUV
WDUV
WDUV, "The Dove," is a radio station serving the Tampa Bay media market in Florida.Broadcasting on 105.5 FM, the station specializes in playing the "easy listening" format, which announcers for the station describe as "continuous relaxing easy favorites." The format is actually a very gold-leaning...
in the Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
market have actually categorized as soft AC, though WDUV's playlist has evolved into a very soft version of AC which leans heavily toward older songs.
Mainstream adult contemporary
In recent years, most "Soft Rock" or "Lite" stations, such as WMJXWMJX
WMJX is a radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. It has an Adult Contemporary format. The station's transmitter is located atop the Prudential Tower in Downtown Boston...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, KOSI
KOSI
KOSI is a commercial radio station located in Denver, Colorado, broadcasting on 101.1 FM. KOSI airs a soft adult contemporary music format branded as "KOSI 101". As of 2011, airplay extensively uses radio edit versions of songs; usually 2-3 min of length, and emphasizing the...
in Denver, WLTW
WLTW
WLTW is a radio station with an Adult Contemporary format in New York City.The station is often number one or close to it in Arbitron ratings for New York City. From 2002 to 2004, the station generated more revenue than any other radio station in the New York market...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, WLIT
WLIT
WLIT-FM is a radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, featuring a format of adult contemporary music. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications.In February 2006, WLIT began broadcasting in HD Radio...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, WSB-FM
WSB-FM
WSB-FM is an Atlanta radio station. Along with several other Atlanta radio stations, WSB-FM is owned by Cox Enterprises' Cox Media Group subsidiary, and is the group's flagship FM station...
in Atlanta, and KOST
KOST
KOST is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, with an adult contemporary musical format. It is one of three adult contemporary formatted radio station in the Los Angeles/Orange County area, the others being sister station KBIG and CBS-owned KTWV...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
have started to mix in more hot AC songs into their playlists and have dropped the older, softer AC artists, such as Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
and Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
, who may be perceived as campy. The majority of these stations no longer play large amounts of 1960s
1960s in music
For music from a year in the 1960s, go to 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1960s....
music, and select stations play little or no 1970s
1970s in music
For music from a year in the 1970s, go to 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1970s....
music. This is somewhat common in markets with strong Classic Hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
stations, which often focus on playing 1970s
1970s in music
For music from a year in the 1970s, go to 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1970s....
, taking away the audience for traditional AC formats, especially when both are owned by the same company. One such market is Dallas, where AC KVIL shares much of the same audience as Classic Hits KLUV, which is also owned by CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
. Artists such as Daughtry, Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
, and Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, who were played exclusively on hot AC as recently as 2006, are staples on what is now known as mainstream AC. These stations often have the highest ratings among adults 25-54. Some AC stations in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, such as CHQM-FM
CHQM-FM
CHQM-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 103.5 megahertz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour and airs an adult contemporary format...
Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, CFQR-FM
CFQR-FM
CKBE-FM is an English language Canadian radio station located in Montreal, Quebec.Owned and operated by Cogeco, it broadcasts on 92.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 41,400 watts using an omnidirectional antenna...
Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, CHFM-FM
CHFM-FM
CHFM-FM is a radio station in Calgary, Alberta, which broadcasts at 95.9 MHz FM with a repeater at Banff on 99.3 MHz. With the motto "Today's Best Music", CHFM features an adult contemporary format....
Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and CJMJ-FM
CJMJ-FM
CJMJ-FM is an adult contemporary radio station at 100.3 FM in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The station uses the brand name Majic 100, and promotes itself as "Today's Soft Rock". It is also one of three adult contemporary outlets owned by Bell Media Radio...
Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
have mixed in hot AC material to the playlist. In addition, the Sirius XM Satellite Radio channel The Blend is one of the examples of a mainstream AC format. Prior to the Sirius/XM channel merger on November 12, 2008
2008 in radio
Several events occurred in radio in 2008.- Events :* January 2: WWFT finished Christmas music stunting, rolling out the red carpet for Adult contemporary music branded as "Warm."...
, Sirius had a separate AC channel called StarLite
Starlite
Starlite is a material claimed to be able to withstand and insulate from extremes of heat.Starlite was invented by amateur chemist Maurice Ward during the 1970s and 1980s, and received a large amount of publicity in 1993 thanks to Tomorrow's World...
.
During most of the 2000s, Canadian adult contemporary radio stations have been dropping in the ratings due to the recent addition of top 40 and hot AC content on the playlist. Stations such as CJEZ-FM
CJEZ-FM
CHBM-FM is a radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada owned by Astral Media. It broadcasts an adult hits format at 97.3 FM and is branded as boom 97.3 - 70's, 80's, 90's, and is also the only adult hits station owned by Astral...
Toronto and CFQR-FM Montreal dropped from the top spot and lost several listeners. Most recent adult contemporary stations in Canada have dropped the format entirely, including CJUK-FM
CJUK-FM
CJUK-FM is a Canadian radio station, broadcasting at 99.9 FM in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The station broadcasts a hot adult contemporary/adult CHR format with the brand name Magic 99.9...
in Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
(which moved to hot AC) back in 2006
2006 in radio
The year 2006 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*January 3 - The BJ Shea Morning Experience switches to KISW in Seattle, Washington, from the former FM Talk station KKWF....
, and for 2007
2007 in radio
The year 2007 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 8: Nanci "The Fabulous Sports Babe" Donnellan returns to radio after a six-year absence, filling in for local hosts in Florida....
, CFLY-FM
CFLY-FM
CFLY-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts at 98.3 FM in Kingston, Ontario. The station broadcasts a hot adult contemporary radio format branded as 98.3 FLY FM. The station broadcasts with 95,500 watts of power from its trasmitter located in Harrowsmith.-History:The station was launched...
in Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
(which also moved to hot AC, causing Corus
Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. is a publicly traded Canadian media and entertainment conglomerate.Corus is a leading Canadian specialty television and radio producer, with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's...
to launch a new AC station for that market) and CJTN-FM
CJTN-FM
CJTN-FM is a radio station at FM 107.1 MHz, serving the Belleville/Quinte West region in Ontario. Owned by Quinte Broadcasting, the station is a classic rock format branded as Rock 107.-History:...
in Trenton
Trenton, Ontario
Trenton is a community in Southern Ontario in the municipality of Quinte West, Ontario, Canada. Located on the Bay of Quinte, it is the main population centre in Quinte West....
(which became classic rock, also causing My Broadcasting Corporation
My Broadcasting Corporation
My Broadcasting Corporation is a Canadian broadcasting company founded in 2004 by Jon Pole and Andrew Dickson. Based in Renfrew, Ontario, the company currently operates a number of radio stations, branded as myFM, in smaller markets in Ontario...
to launch another new AC station
CKYM-FM
CKYM-FM is the call sign of a radio station located in Napanee, Ontario on the FM dial at 88.7 FM. Owned by My Broadcasting Corporation, the station airs an adult contemporary format branded as myFM....
for that market). In addition, 2008
2008 in radio
Several events occurred in radio in 2008.- Events :* January 2: WWFT finished Christmas music stunting, rolling out the red carpet for Adult contemporary music branded as "Warm."...
marked the flip of CKCL-FM
CKCL-FM
CFUN-FM is a Canadian radio station. Officially licenced to Chilliwack, British Columbia and operating at 107.5 FM and 640 watts in that city, the station's main studios and listening area are in Metro Vancouver, where its rebroadcasting transmitter operates at 104.9 FM on 31,000 watts of power...
Vancouver from adult contemporary to classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
, leaving Vancouver as the largest Canadian market with only one adult contemporary station (which is CHQM-FM
CHQM-FM
CHQM-FM is a Canadian radio station in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia. It broadcasts at 103.5 megahertz on the FM band with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts from a transmitter on Mount Seymour and airs an adult contemporary format...
), as well as for CFQM-FM
CFQM-FM
CFQM-FM is a Canadian radio station broadcasting from Moncton, New Brunswick on 103.9 MHz. It currently plays classic hits music branded as 103.9 Max FM and is part of the Maritime Broadcasting System family of radio stations.-History:...
in Moncton
Moncton, New Brunswick
Moncton is a Canadian city, located in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. The city is situated in southeastern New Brunswick, within the Petitcodiac River Valley, and lies at the geographic centre of the Maritime Provinces...
(the market's only AC station) changing formats to classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
for 2009
2009 in radio
The following events occurred in radio in 2009.- Events :* January 1: Kurdish TV starts broadcasting in Turkey.* January: Michael Smerconish, morning host at talk radio WPHT Philadelphia, begins syndication of his morning show to WHFS in Washington and WOR in New York City.* January 17: Two well...
. The final adult contemporary station in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
of the 2000s to flip formats was CJEZ-FM in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, which became adult hits
Adult hits
Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
CHBM-FM on Boxing Day 2009. CHFI-FM
CHFI-FM
CHFI-FM is a Canadian radio station, which broadcasts an adult contemporary format at 98.1 on the FM dial in Toronto, Ontario. Like most Toronto radio and TV channels, it broadcasts atop the CN Tower with and ERP of 44 kW and has a sizeable amount of American listeners...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
remains the most-listened-to radio station in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, most likely because of its heritage adult contemporary format.
AC stations in the Canadian province of Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
include the Rythme FM
Rythme FM
Rythme FM is a network of French-language adult contemporary FM radio stations broadcasting throughout most of the province of Quebec. They are owned and operated by Cogeco....
and RockDétente
RockDétente
Rouge FM is a network of French-language adult contemporary radio stations broadcasting throughout Quebec, Canada. Established in 1990 as RockDétente, they are owned by Astral Media....
networks. The jocks are French-speaking, but English music can also be found, as on all music-based FM radio stations in Quebec. Satellite radio
Satellite radio
Satellite radio is an analogue or digital radio signal that is relayed through one or more satellites and thus can be received in a much wider geographical area than terrestrial FM radio stations...
French AC equivalents are XM's
XM Radio Canada
XM Radio Canada was the operating name of Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. , a Canadian communications and media company, which was incorporated in 2002 to broadcast satellite radio in Canada...
Sur La Route
Sur La Route
Sur La Route is a Sirius XM Canada channel featuring hit music, new and old. It was born in November 2005 as part of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission's regulations for Canadian content on the XM platform, as well as 50% French language content. Due to bandwidth...
and RockDétente's satellite radio counterpart on Sirius Canada
Sirius Canada
Sirius Canada is a Canadian company, a partnership between Slaight Communications, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Sirius Satellite Radio, which was one of three services licensed by the CRTC on June 16, 2005 to introduce satellite radio service to Canada.On November 24, 2010, following...
called RockVelours. CFGL-FM
CFGL-FM
CFGL-FM is a French language Canadian radio station located in Laval, Quebec, near Montreal. While the station's city of licence is Laval and its studios are actually in that city, it operates as a de facto Montreal station...
, a Rythme FM
Rythme FM
Rythme FM is a network of French-language adult contemporary FM radio stations broadcasting throughout most of the province of Quebec. They are owned and operated by Cogeco....
station in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
is the most-listened to French-language station in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Sur La Route excludes English-language music from the playlist.
Urban and rhythmic adult contemporary and related formats
Urban ACUrban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
is a form of AC music that is geared towards adult African-American audiences, and therefore, the artists that are played on these stations are most often African-American. A good example of an urban AC artist is Des'ree
Des'ree
Des'ree is an English pop/soul singer who was popular during the 1990s. She is well known for her hits: "Feel So High", "You Gotta Be", "Life", and "Kissing You"...
, whose album I Ain't Movin'
I Ain't Movin'
I Ain't Movin is a full-length album by soul singer-songwriter Des'ree. It was released on July 5 1994 on Epic Records, and features the top 5 smash hit, "You Gotta Be"...
was massively popular amongst both African American audience as well as the wider national audience. The urban AC stations are more similar to soft AC than they are to hot AC, and the music they play is predominantly R&B and soul music
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
with little hip-hop. This is reflected in many of the urban AC radio stations' tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
s, such as "Today's R&B and classic soul", "The best variety of R&B hits and oldies" and "(City/Region)'s R&B leader". Some popular nicknames for urban AC stations include "Magic" (borrowed from Soft AC), "Mix" (borrowed from hot AC), and "Kiss" (borrowed from Top-40). Urban AC's core artists include Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
, Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
, Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
, Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
, Kem
Kem (singer)
KEM Owens , professionally known as "'KEM'", is an American R&B/soul singer, songwriter, and producer...
, Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Regina Belle
Regina Belle
Regina Belle is a singer-songwriter who first surfaced in the late 1980s. She is notable for her Grammy award winning duet with Peabo Bryson, "A Whole New World".-Biography:Regina Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey...
, Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
, Sade
Sade Adu
Helen Folasade Adu OBE , is a British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit and Grammy Award winning English group Sade.-Biography:Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
, Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
, Teena Marie
Teena Marie
Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...
, Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
, Gerald Levert
Gerald Levert
Gerald Levert was an American R&B singer. Gerald Levert sang with his brother, Sean Levert, and friend Marc Gordon in the R&B trio LeVert. He was also a part of LSG, an R&B supergroup comprising Keith Sweat, Johnny Gill, and Levert...
and Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
. Examples of urban AC stations include WBLS
WBLS
WBLS is an urban adult contemporary FM radio station in New York City, operating on 107.5 MHz. WBLS is owned by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation along with sister station WLIB...
in New York, WHUR in Washington D.C., and KHHT
KHHT
KHHT is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA with a Rhythmic Oldies musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications.-KFAC:...
in Los Angeles. Sirius XM Satellite Radio features the format on its Heart & Soul channel.
A slightly hotter variation of the urban AC is the rhythmic adult contemporary
Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
Rhythmic adult contemporary is a format used on stations in the United States and Canada. It usually gears toward an older audience, ages 25 to 54. Stations using this format play disco from the 1970s and early 1980s, dance/pop music, adult-friendly hip hop/old school tracks, R&B, dance/freestyle...
format, often branded as "MOViN". This focuses on uptempo hits such as disco, early hip-hop and R&B, and dance music, and it caters to African-American, Hispanic and white audiences. Noteworthy examples of Rhythmic AC stations include WKTU
WKTU
WKTU is a radio station based in New York City that plays an upbeat, gold-based CHR format. The station's broadcast transmitter is located on the top of the Empire State Building and its city of license is Lake Success, New York, with offices formerly in the "Newport" section of Jersey City, New...
in New York, WISX
WISX
WISX is a Hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are owned by Clear Channel Communications.-Beautiful Music Era: WQAL/WWSH:...
in Philadelphia, and KQMV
KQMV
KQMV , known as "Movin' 92.5," is a Rhythmic-leaning CHR radio station serving the Puget Sound area. The Sandusky Radio outlet operates at 92.5 MHz with an ERP of 56.8 kW and its community of license is Bellevue, Washington...
in Seattle (which pioneered the MOViN format).
A more elaborate form of urban AC is the rhythmic oldies
Rhythmic oldies
Rhythmic Oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, disco or dance genres of music. Playlists may span from the 1970s through the early 1990s...
format, which focuses primarily on "old school" R&B and soul hits from the 1960s to the 1990s, including Motown and disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
hits. At its peak of nationwide popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the format was often referred to as "jammin'" or "groovin'" oldies. The concept of jammin' oldies was pioneered in 1997 by KCMG-FM
KKBT
KSWD is a Bonneville International-owned radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA. The station currently broadcasts a wide-ranging classic rock format...
"Mega 100" in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
(1). The format, which included white soul or disco artists such as ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
and the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
in addition to Black artists, subsequently spread to many major markets, but has since cooled down; the decline of jammin' oldies popularity is often attributed to overly tight playlists which increased listener burnout. Rhythmic oldies stations still exist today, but usually more specifically target African-Americans as opposed to a mass audience; examples include WRBO
WRBO
WRBO is a radio station serving the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area with an Urban Oldies format. It is under ownership of Cumulus Media....
-FM in Memphis, TN, and WWWS
WWWS
WWWS is a radio station broadcasting a Rhythmic Oldies format. Licensed to Buffalo, New York, USA, the station serves the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area...
-AM in Buffalo, NY.
Usually embedded within the urban adult contemporary format is another format called quiet storm
Quiet storm
Quiet storm is a late-night radio format, featuring soulful slow jams, pioneered in the mid-1970s by then-station-intern Melvin Lindsey at WHUR-FM, in Washington, D.C. Smokey Robinson's like-titled hit single, released in 1975 as the title track to his third solo album, lent its name to the format...
. This format is most played during the evening beginning at 7:00 pm or 8:00 pm hours into late night. The quiet storm format is primarily a mix of the urban AC and soft AC styles of music. The music that is played is strictly ballads and slow jams, mostly but not limited to Black and Latino artists. Popular artists played on the quiet storm format are Teena Marie
Teena Marie
Mary Christine Brockert, better known by her stage name Teena Marie, was an American singer, songwriter and producer...
, Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Angela Bofill
Angela Bofill
Angela Bofill is an American R&B vocalist and songwriter.Bofill was born to a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother; one of the first Latina singers to find success in the R&B market.She performed with Ricardo Marrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem chorus prior to her 1978 debut album,...
, Miki Howard
Miki Howard
Alicia Michelle "Miki" Howard is an American R&B/jazz singer and actress who had a string of Top 10 hit songs in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Howard's string of hits also included Baby,Be Mine", "Come Share My Love" and "Love Under New Management"...
, Regina Belle
Regina Belle
Regina Belle is a singer-songwriter who first surfaced in the late 1980s. She is notable for her Grammy award winning duet with Peabo Bryson, "A Whole New World".-Biography:Regina Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey...
, Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett is an American R&B and gospel singer and former lead vocalist of the R&B group Shalamar.Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles. He would eventually meet Soul Train dancer and future first wife Rainey Riley-Cunningham, then a secretary of the show's creator and original...
, Freddie Jackson
Freddie Jackson
Frederick Anthony "Freddie" Jackson is an American soul singer. He was an important figure in R&B during the 1980s and early 1990s...
, Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...
, Anita Baker
Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
, Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
, Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
, Tamia
Tamia
Tamia Hill , and known professionally as Tamia, is a four-time Grammy-nominated Canadian R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, model, entrepreneur and philanthropist, as well as an occasional actress.She is best known for her 2000 hit "Stranger In My House" and Fabolous' 2003...
, Lalah Hathaway
Lalah Hathaway
Eulaulah Donyll Hathaway best known as Lalah Hathaway referred to as the First Daughter of Soul, is a contemporary R&B and jazz singer. She is the daughter of soul singer Donny Hathaway and a classically trained vocalist. In 1990, Lalah Hathaway released a self-titled album. The album's first...
, Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
, Dru Hill
Dru Hill
Dru Hill is an American singing group, most popular during the late 1990s, whose repertoire included R&B, soul, and gospel music. Founded in Baltimore, Maryland, and active since 1992, Dru Hill recorded seven Top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B #1 hits "In My Bed", "Never Make a Promise", ...
, Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
, and En Vogue
En Vogue
En Vogue is an American female R&B vocal group from Oakland, California assembled by music producers Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy.The group has won more MTV Video Music Awards than any other female group in MTV history, a total of seven, along with four Soul Train Awards, six American Music...
among others. Another of the genre's core artists, Keith Sweat
Keith Sweat
Keith Sweat is an American R&B/soul, singer-songwriter, record producer, radio personality and a major contributor to the new jack swing era.-Music career:...
, hosts a nightly syndicated "quiet storm" program titled The Keith Sweat Hotel which is featured on many urban AC stations.
History
Early radio stations played top-40 hits regardless of genre; although, most were in the same genre until the mid-1970s when different forms of popular music started to target different demographic groups, such as discoDisco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
vs. hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
. This evolved into specialized radio stations that played specific genres of music, and generally followed the evolution of artists in those genres.
One big impetus for the development of the AC radio format was the fact that when rock and roll music first became popular in the mid-1950s, many more conservative radio stations wanted to continue to play current hit songs while shying away from rock. These stations also frequently included older, pre-rock-era adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
and big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
titles to further appeal to adult listeners who had grown up with those songs. In those days, middle of the road or "MOR" was the formatic term used to describe such stations, which included powerhouse broadcasters like WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
in Detroit, WGN
WGN (AM)
WGN is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is the only radio station owned by the Tribune Company, which also owns the flagship television station WGN-TV, the Chicago Tribune newspaper and Chicago magazine locally. WGN's transmitter is located in Elk Grove Village, Illinois...
and WBBM
WBBM (AM)
WBBM is an all-news CBS radio station in Chicago, Illinois broadcasting on the AM dial at 780 kHz. It is owned by CBS along with WBBM-TV....
in Chicago, KGO
KGO (AM)
KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
in San Francisco, WNEW
WBBR
WBBR is a radio station broadcasting at 1130 AM in New York City. It airs Bloomberg Radio, a service of Bloomberg L.P. WBBR's format is general and financial news, offering local, national and international news reports along with financial market updates and interviews with corporate executives,...
in New York, and WCCO in Minneapolis. Billboard magazine first published an adult-contemporary music chart
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
in 1961, although it was not until 1979 that the chart took on the name "Adult Contemporary".
While most popular MOR stations were, like Top 40 stations of the day, on the AM dial, another big impetus for the evolution of the AC radio format was the popularity of easy listening or "beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
" stations, stations with music specifically designed to be purely ambient
Background music
Although background music was by the end of the 20th century generally identified with Muzak or elevator music, there are several stages in the development of this concept.-Antecedents:...
, listened to while at work or otherwise in the background. These stations were largely found on the FM dial alongside classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
stations because the music they played sounded better on FM. Whereas most easy listening music was instrumental, created by relatively unknown artists (except for occasional MOR vocal hits), and rarely purchased, AC was an attempt to create a similar "lite" format by choosing certain tracks (both hit singles and album cuts) of popular artists.
The growth of AC was also a natural result of the generation that first listened to the more "specialized" music of the mid-late 70s growing older and not being interested in the heavy metal, rap and hip-hop music that a new generation helped to dominate the top-40 charts (this effect has also altered the oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
format; as there are now two kinds of oldies stations, those who will not play songs from after the early 1970s vs. those who will play songs up to the early 1980s while still having occasional pre-1964 songs in rotation). Fans of harder rock music often derogatorily referred to AC stations in the early days of the format as "chicken rock".
Among the earliest examples of the Adult Contemporary format as it is known today (as opposed to MOR) included such stations as WHAS
WHAS (AM)
WHAS, known by the on air branding as "84 WHAS", is an AM radio station broadcasting in Louisville, Kentucky. It is a 50,000 Watt clear channel radio station assigned to frequency 840 kHz. With clear channel status, its nighttime signal can be heard in most of the continental U.S...
in Louisville, KY, and KDKA
KDKA (AM)
KDKA is a radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Created by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation on November 2, 1920, it is one of the world's first modern radio stations , a distinction that has also been challenged by other stations, although it has claimed to be the first in...
in Pittsburgh, former MOR stations which in the late 1960s and early 1970s began to play fewer standards and more contemporary music without venturing all the way into hard rock. WHAS in the mid-1970s called its format "Good and Gold" and also included many rock and roll oldies in its mix; the station also eventually moved into playing some harder rock songs on weekends. The mid-1970s also saw the emergence of so-called "mellow rock" stations on the FM band, such as WMGK
WMGK
WMGK, known as "Classic Rock 102.9 MGK" or "Philadelphia's Classic Rock: 102.9 MGK", is a Classic rock formatted radio station which is broadcast in the Philadelphia area. The station features popular Philadelphia radio personality John DeBella and former Howard Stern Show censor Andre Gardner. ...
in Philadelphia, WBBM-FM
WBBM-FM
WBBM-FM, known on air as "B96", is a Rhythmic Contemporary outlet in Chicago, Illinois with a Rhythmic based playlist. The station is owned by CBS Radio and broadcasts at 96.3 MHz with an ERP of 4.2 kW. WBBM's main competition is WKSC-FM "103.5 Kiss FM", as well as urban rivals WGCI-FM &...
in Chicago, KNX-FM
KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM is a radio station in Los Angeles, California broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area on 93.1 FM. KCBS-FM airs an adult hits music format branded as "Jack-FM"....
in Los Angeles, and WCCO-FM
WLTE
WLTE is a radio station in Minneapolis-St. Paul that carries a "Lite rock" adult contemporary format and has done so for more than two decades. WLTE is owned by CBS Corporation, which also owns WCCO radio today...
in Minneapolis, which mixed current AC chart hits with album tracks by singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Carly Simon, Carole King, Janis Ian, Paul Simon, and Elton John. These stations pioneered the concept of "soft rock" or "lite rock" that would become an AC hallmark.
The music video channel VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
began as an AC version of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. Originally, it was strictly soft AC, as it strove to appeal to people who were in their 30s and 40s during its early years in the mid 1980s. For similar reasons as explained above with radio, in the mid 1990s, it reformed itself as something closer to hot AC, during which time it began to play videos by Hootie & The Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish
Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band that enjoyed popularity in the second half of the 1990s. They were originally formed in 1986 at the University of South Carolina by Darius Rucker, Dean Felber, Jim Sonefeld, and Mark Bryan. The band has recorded five studio albums to date, and has...
, the Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms is an American pop rock band formed in 1987, in Tempe, Arizona. They took their name from a photo of W.C. Fields which bore the caption "W.C. Fields with gin blossoms", referring to what appeared to be the actor's gin-ravaged nose, but was actually a skin condition known as rosacea...
, Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
, Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...
, the Spin Doctors
Spin Doctors
Spin Doctors is an American alternative rock band formed in New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits, "Two Princes," and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong," which peaked the Billboard Hot 100 charts at #7 & #17 respectively....
, Amy Grant
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
, Ace of Base
Ace of Base
Ace of Base is a pop band based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Its original lineup consisted of Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg, and three siblings, Jonas "Joker" Berggren, Malin "Linn" Berggren and Jenny Berggren...
, and some other artists that were slightly harder rock or more avant garde than they had previously played.
Mainstream AC itself has evolved in a similar fashion over the years; traditional AC artists like Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, the Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow
Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
, Captain & Tennille
Captain & Tennille
Captain & Tennille are American pop music recording artists who achieved chart success from 1975 to 1980. The duo consists of husband and wife duo "Captain" Daryl Dragon , and Cathryn Antoinette "Toni" Tennille . They are best known for their singles "Love Will Keep Us Together" and "Do That to Me...
, and Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
found it harder to have hits (on AC as well as top 40) as the 1980s wore on, and due to the influence of MTV, artists who were staples of the contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
format, such as Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Culture Club
Culture Club
Culture Club are a British rock band who were part of the 1980s New Romantic movement. The original band consisted of Boy George , Mikey Craig , Roy Hay and Jon Moss...
, Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears
Tears for Fears are an English new wave band formed in the early 1980s by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith.Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, they were initially associated with the New Wave synthesiser bands of the early 1980s but later branched out into...
, and Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, began crossing over to the AC charts with greater frequency.
However, with the combination of MTV and AC radio, adult contemporary appeared harder to define as either, established soft-rock artists of the past (who were still charting pop hits), or the mainstream radio fare from newer artist at the time, such as Madonna, Sheena Easton, Cyndi Lauper and Whitney Houston. In 1989, Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
recorded Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind is a Grammy award winning, Triple Platinum-certified 1989 album by American singer/songwriter/producer Linda Ronstadt featuring American soul singer Aaron Neville. This album was taken out of print in 2009—twenty years after release.-History:The album is a...
, described by critics as the first true adult contemporary album and featuring American soul singer Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
on four of the twelve tracks. It had duets including "Don't Know Much" (Billboard Hot 100 chart No. 2 hit) and "All My Life" (Billboard Hot 100 chart No. 11 hit), these singles were also equally long-running number 1 adult contemporary hits. With the mixture of radio friendly AC tunes with some rock and pop fare also landing on the pop charts, the album won over many critics in the need to define AC, and appeared to change the tolerance and acceptance of AC music into mainstream day to day radio play.
In recent years, VH1 has moved away from its AC format by playing artists such as Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
, Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, and Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
. With this popular rap, and R&B, VH1 resembles top 40 Rap radio. Led by Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
powerhouse CHUM-FM
CHUM-FM
CHUM-FM is a Canadian radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario and operated by Bell Media. It broadcasts at 104.5 MHz with a hot adult contemporary format that leans towards rhythmic adult contemporary...
, Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Hot AC radio has also taken steps towards a similar diverse and top 40-inclusive position.
Part of the reason why more and more hot AC stations are forced to change is that less and less new music fits their bill. Most new rock is too alternative for mainstream radio, including hot AC, and only gets played on modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
radio; and most new pop is now influenced heavily by hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, in an attempt to become upbeat and rhythmic crossover hits, if not featuring guest vocals from singers. One example is that "Look What You've Done
Look What You've Done
"Look What You've Done" is the third single by the Australian rock band Jet, from their 2003 album Get Born.-History:The single was released in 2004 worldwide, and in 2005 in the US...
" by Jet
Jet (band)
Jet are an Australian rock band formed in 2001 while attending St Bede's College Mentone in Melbourne, . The band consists of lead guitarist Cameron Muncey, bassist Mark Wilson, and brothers Nic and Chris Cester on vocals/rhythm guitar and drums respectively...
is played on Hot AC stations, but other tracks like "Cold Hard Bitch
Cold Hard Bitch
"Cold Hard Bitch" is the fourth single by the Australian rock band Jet, from their 2003 album Get Born. It was released in 2004. The song reached #1 on Billboards Hot Modern Rock Tracks, giving the band their only #1 Modern Rock hit...
" are played on modern rock stations. However, soft AC, which has never minded keeping songs in high rotation literally for years in some cases, does not appear necessarily to be facing similar pressures to expand its format. Soft AC includes a larger amount of older music, especially classic R&B, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, and 60s and 70s music, than hot AC.
However, several soft AC stations have begun to add more guitar-driven (but still relatively quiet) music into their playlists, such as "Broken
Broken (Seether song)
"Broken" is a song by post-grunge/alternative metal South-African band Seether featuring American singer Amy Lee. The original acoustic version is the twelfth track on Seether's debut album Disclaimer. It was re-recorded with Amy Lee, the future girlfriend of Seether vocalist Shaun Morgan, for The...
" by Seether
Seether
Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...
, "You and Me" by Lifehouse
Lifehouse (band)
Lifehouse is an American rock band from Los Angeles. The band came to mainstream prominence in 2001 with the hit single "Hanging by a Moment" from their debut studio album, No Name Face. The single won a Billboard Music Award for Hot 100 Single of the Year, beating out Janet Jackson and Alicia...
, "Here Without You
Here Without You
"Here Without You" is the title of a song recorded by American rock band 3 Doors Down. It was released in August 2003 as the third single from the album Away from the Sun. It peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending November 8, 2003. Only their songs "Kryptonite" and "When...
" by 3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down
3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa formed in 1996. The band consists of Brad Arnold , Matt Roberts , Todd Harrell , Chris Henderson , and Greg Upchurch ....
, "Complicated" and "I'm with You" by Avril Lavigne
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
, "Wherever You Will Go
Wherever You Will Go
"Wherever You Will Go" is a song by The Calling released on the first single of their debut album Camino Palmero. It remains their most renowned and their most successful hit, peaking at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Adult Top 40 for 23 weeks, setting a record for that chart behind...
" by The Calling
The Calling
The Calling is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, best known for their hit single, "Wherever You Will Go." The group formed in 2000 and have released two albums. They have been on an indefinite hiatus since 2005.-Band history:...
, "My Immortal
My Immortal
"My Immortal" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on December 8, 2003 as the third single from their debut studio album Fallen. The song was entirely written by former guitarist Ben Moody, with the exception of the bridge, which was later added by Amy Lee, and it was...
" by Evanescence
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...
, "Home
Home (Daughtry song)
"Home" is a 2007 song by American rock band Daughtry from their self-titled debut album. The song had been climbing up the U.S. charts for a few weeks before the song was announced as the second single from the album.- Background and production :...
" and "It's Not Over
It's Not Over (Daughtry song)
"It's Not Over" is the first official single from Daughtry's first album, Daughtry. The song was used as a teaser to the second season fall finale of Prison Break. It was certified Platinum in April 2007...
" by Daughtry and "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, somewhat resembling the Hot AC stations of the 1990s. Stations like WSB-FM
WSB-FM
WSB-FM is an Atlanta radio station. Along with several other Atlanta radio stations, WSB-FM is owned by Cox Enterprises' Cox Media Group subsidiary, and is the group's flagship FM station...
in Atlanta play songs such as "Hella Good
Hella Good
"Hella Good" is a song written by Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, and The Neptunes for No Doubt's fifth studio album Rock Steady . The song draws influence from electro, rock, and funk music...
" by No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, "Tubthumping
Tubthumping
"Tubthumping", informally known by its prominent lyric "I Get Knocked Down", is the title of a song released by the Anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba on 11 August 1997 through Universal Records and EMI Electrola. It was their most successful single, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart...
" by Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba
Chumbawamba is a British musical group who have, over a career spanning nearly three decades, played punk rock, pop-influenced music, world music, and folk music...
, and "Semi-Charmed Life
Semi-Charmed Life
"Semi-Charmed Life" is Third Eye Blind's first single off their self-titled debut album, released in 1997. It was a major hit of the 1990s, reaching number four in the U.S., number one on the Modern Rock Tracks and the Top 40 in the UK. Furthermore, it has had a pervasive cultural impact, being...
" by Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind
Third Eye Blind is an American alternative rock band formed in the early 1990s in San Francisco. The songwriting duo of Kevin Cadogan and Stephan Jenkins signed the band's first major label recording contract with Elektra records in 1996 resulting in two multi platinum albums. The band's lineup...
.
In this sense, the soft AC format may soon be facing the demographic pressures that the jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
formats faced in the 1960s and 1970s and that the oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
format is starting to face today, with the result that one may hear soft AC less on over-the-air radio and more on satellite radio
Satellite radio
Satellite radio is an analogue or digital radio signal that is relayed through one or more satellites and thus can be received in a much wider geographical area than terrestrial FM radio stations...
systems in coming years. Much of the music and artists that were traditionally played on soft AC stations has been relegated to the adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
format, which is itself disappearing because of aging demographics. Some soft AC stations have found a niche by incorporating more oldies into their playlists and are more open to playing softer songs that fit the "traditional" definition of AC. Examples include the former WLTM-FM in Atlanta (which added many oldies titles to its playlist after the death of oldies sister station WLCL
WWVA-FM
WWVA-FM is an Atlanta radio station broadcasting a Rhythmic contemporary radio format which features R&B, Pop and Dance hits. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications and is licensed to serve Canton, Georgia...
) and the former WSNI
WRFF
WRFF is a modern rock FM radio station located in and licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and is known on-air as "Radio 104.5."-WRCP-FM:...
in Philadelphia with soft rock station WBEB
WBEB
WBEB is a radio station broadcasting a Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it serves the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1963 under the call sign WDVR. The station is currently owned by Jerry Lee...
.
In the meantime, such artists as Nick Lachey
Nick Lachey
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Lachey is an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and television personality. Lachey rose to fame as a member of the boy band 98 Degrees. He later starred in the reality television series Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica with his then-wife, Jessica Simpson. He has released...
and Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
have become successful thanks to a ballad heavy sound. So, adult contemporary may likely not go anywhere since it is still prevalent on recording artists' albums in almost every music style including dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
. Another popular trend of remixing dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
hits into adult contemporary ballads—mostly piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
ballads but sometimes keyboard ballads—is now popular, especially in the US (for example, the "Candlelight Mix" versions of "Heaven" by DJ Sammy
DJ Sammy
Samuel Bouriah , professionally known as DJ Sammy Is a DJ and producer. He has released five albums and has had five Top 10 hits with "Heaven" reaching number one in the UK in 2002. His career started with former spouse Marie José in the making of his first singles, under the stage name of DJ Sammy...
, "Listen To Your Heart" by D.H.T.
DHT (band)
DHT is a Belgian duo, consisting of singer, Edmée Daenen and Flor Theeuwes . They had a hit in the US and in Australia in 2005, with their cover version of "Listen to Your Heart", originally recorded by Roxette. The track reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart in December of that year...
, and "Everytime We Touch" by Cascada
Cascada
Cascada is a German Eurodance act most famous for their hit singles "Everytime We Touch", "What Hurts the Most", and "Evacuate the Dancefloor"...
).
Much as some hot AC and modern rock artists have crossed over into each other, so too has soft AC crossed with country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, more commonly among the female artists. Musicians such as Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
, LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes
LeAnn Rimes is an American country/pop singer. She is known for her rich vocals and her rise to fame as an eight-year-old champion on the original Ed McMahon version of Star Search, followed by the release of the Patsy Cline-intended single "Blue" when Rimes was only age 13, resulting in her...
, Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
, Jewel
Jewel (singer)
Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
, Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...
, Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
, and Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
have had success on both charts, as have male artists such as Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band that originated in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox , Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney...
, Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
(primarily a rock musician, though "All Summer Long
All Summer Long (Kid Rock song)
"All Summer Long" is the title of a song recorded by Kid Rock. It was released in 2008 as the third single from his ninth studio album Rock n Roll Jesus. The song contains musical and lyrical references to several hit songs of the 1970s, including Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London", and Lynyrd...
" has been played on rock, AC, pop and country formats), co-ed trio Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum
Lady Antebellum is an American country pop music group formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 2006. The trio is composed of Charles Kelley , Dave Haywood and Hillary Scott .The group made its debut in 2007 as guest vocalists on Jim Brickman's single "Never Alone", before signing to Capitol...
, Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
, and Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker
Darius Rucker is an American musician. He first gained fame as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Hootie & the Blowfish, which he founded in 1986 at the University of South Carolina along with Mark Bryan, Jim "Soni" Sonefeld and Dean Felber...
(who had pop and AC hits as lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish and is currently having a successful solo career as a country artist). This crossover has its roots in the countrypolitan/Nashville sound
Nashville sound
The Nashville sound originated during the late 1950s as a sub-genre of American country music, replacing the chart dominance of honky tonk music which was most popular in the 1940s and 1950s...
pop styles of years past.
Also in response to the pressure on Hot AC, a third kind of AC format has cropped up among American radio recently. The aforementioned urban adult contemporary
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
format (a term coined by Barry Mayo
Barry Mayo
Barry Mayo is a United States radio executive. In 1981 he helped launch WRKS-FM in New York as the first station to play rap music on a regular basis. The station's success led him to be promoted as the first black general manager of RKO General....
) usually attracts a large number of African Americans and sometimes Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
listeners through playing a great deal of R&B (without any form of rapping), gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
, classic soul and dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
(including disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
).
A fourth AC format, "rhythmic AC", in addition to playing all the popular hot and soft AC music, past and present, places a heavy emphasis on disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
as well as 1980s and 90s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
dance hits, such as those by Amber
Amber (performer)
Marie-Claire "Amber" Cremers is a Dutch-German singer, songwriter, label owner and executive producer. She is best known for her hits "This Is Your Night," "If You Could Read My Mind," and "Sexual ."-Career:Amber's music career took off when one of her demos, "This Is Your Night" gained interest...
, C&C Music Factory and Black Box
Black Box (band)
Black Box was an Italian house music group popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The members of the group included a trio made up of a club DJ , a classically trained clarinet teacher , and a keyboard and electronic music "wiz"...
, and includes dance remixes
RemixeS
RemixeS is a compilation of French singer Mylène Farmer's singles by various famous DJ's, including JXL, Felix Da Housecat and Paul Oakenfold.-Brackground, writing and release:...
of pop songs, such as the Soul Solution
Soul Solution
Soul Solution is a dance/electronica/house production duo from New York City.As artists they made six trips to the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart .Five times under the Soul Solution name:* "Love, Peace & Happiness"...
Mix of Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
's "Unbreak My Heart". The format also occasionally features popular 80s and early 90s rap songs that were popular mainstream, rhythmic, or club hits. New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's WKTU
WKTU
WKTU is a radio station based in New York City that plays an upbeat, gold-based CHR format. The station's broadcast transmitter is located on the top of the Empire State Building and its city of license is Lake Success, New York, with offices formerly in the "Newport" section of Jersey City, New...
and the now-defunct WNEW-FM are examples of this evolving format. The rapidly growing MOViN format, pioneered at Seattle's KQMV
KQMV
KQMV , known as "Movin' 92.5," is a Rhythmic-leaning CHR radio station serving the Puget Sound area. The Sandusky Radio outlet operates at 92.5 MHz with an ERP of 56.8 kW and its community of license is Bellevue, Washington...
and now in use at stations such as WMVN St. Louis, and KMVQ San Francisco, is another example of rhythmic AC, and has spawned imitators such as WISX
WISX
WISX is a Hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are owned by Clear Channel Communications.-Beautiful Music Era: WQAL/WWSH:...
in Philadelphia.
In its early years of existence, the smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
format was considered to be a form of AC, although it was mainly instrumental, and related a stronger resemblance to the soft AC-styled music than it did to what purists call "real jazz". For many years, artists like George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
, Kenny G
Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986...
and Dave Koz
Dave Koz
Dave Koz is an American smooth jazz saxophonist.- Life and career :Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in Encino, California....
had crossover hits that were played on both smooth jazz and soft AC stations. In addition, David Sanborn
David Sanborn
David Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
had a saxophone solo on James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
's remake of the Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
classic, "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)"; and Grover Washington, Jr.
Grover Washington, Jr.
Grover Washington, Jr. was an American jazz-funk / soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with George Benson, John Klemmer, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.He wrote some of his material and...
teamed up with Bill Withers
Bill Withers
William Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...
to perform a classic hit song, entitled "Just the Two of Us". This song has gone on to become one of the most-played radio hits of all time - in particular the most acclaimed and modern cover by Regina Belle/George Duke/Steve Cole - as it frequently shows up on soft AC, urban AC and smooth jazz playlists. Anita Baker
Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
, Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
, Regina Belle
Regina Belle
Regina Belle is a singer-songwriter who first surfaced in the late 1980s. She is notable for her Grammy award winning duet with Peabo Bryson, "A Whole New World".-Biography:Regina Belle was born in Englewood, New Jersey...
, and Luther Vandross
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
are other examples of artists who appeal to mainstream AC, urban AC and smooth jazz listeners. Some soft AC and urban AC stations like to play smooth jazz on the weekends, in cities that currently do not have a full-time smooth jazz station. Warm 98
WRRM
WRRM is an adult contemporary station located at 98.5 FM in Cincinnati, Ohio. The station is owned by Cumulus Media, which acquired the station from Susquehanna Radio Corporation.-History:...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Majic 95.5
KKMJ
KKMJ-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station operating an Adult Contemporary format playing music from mainly the 1970s through today. Better known as "Majic 95.5," is licensed to the city with an ERP of 50,000 Watts at 95.5 MHz from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, Texas, and is owned by...
in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, WCXT
WCXT
WCXT is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format, serving the southwestern Michigan area. WCXT is licensed to Hartford, Michigan and focuses on the cities of St. Joseph, Benton Harbor and South Haven...
in South Haven, Michigan
South Haven, Michigan
South Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city is in Van Buren County, although a small portion extends into Allegan County. The population was 5,021 at the 2000 census....
, 103.7 Lite FM in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, WMAG
WMAG
WMAG is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station licensed to High Point, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad region, including Greensboro and Winston-Salem...
in Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, and Q101.9
KQXT
KQXT-FM is a San Antonio, Texas, adult contemporary/christmas radio station operating with 100,000 watts from a transmitter site on the Tower of the Americas in downtown San Antonio...
in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
are soft AC stations that also play smooth jazz; and V101.9
WBAV
WBAV-FM is an Urban Adult Contemporary radio station licensed to Gastonia, North Carolina and serving the Charlotte market on 101.9FM. Syndicated programs include Steve Harvey in mornings, and Michael Baisden in afternoons...
in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
and Majic 104.9
KMJM-FM
KMJM-FM is an FM radio station licensed to Columbia, Illinois, USA better known as "Majic 104.9". The station airs an Urban Adult Contemporary format, and has been the top-rated station in St...
in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, are urban AC stations that play smooth jazz on the weekends as well. (However, a new smooth jazz station had served the Cincinnati area, under the call letters WCIN
WDJO
WQRT is a radio station licensed to Florence, Kentucky in the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area that carries a conservative talk format primarily from Talk Radio Network.-At 1180 AM:...
.) In recent years, the Smooth Jazz format has been renamed to Smooth AC, as an attempt to lure younger listeners, and some stations, like WLOQ
WHKQ
WHKQ is a radio station, playing Spanish CHR music, under the name "KQ 103". WHKQ licensed to Windermere, Florida and is serving the Orlando area.-History:...
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, have dropped the "Jazz" part from their nicknames; on the other hand, KWJZ in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
has completely abandoned the "Smooth Jazz" title in its branding.
Some soft AC (and a few urban AC) stations, like Sunny 99.1
Koda
Koda may refer to:*Ehretia acuminata , a tree from China, Japan, New Guinea and Australia*KODA, callsign of a Houston FM radio station*KODA , the collecting society for songwriters, composers and music publishers of Denmark...
in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and Magic 106.7
WMJX
WMJX is a radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. It has an Adult Contemporary format. The station's transmitter is located atop the Prudential Tower in Downtown Boston...
in Boston, Massachusetts, also have the smooth jazz format on their HD2
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
subchannels. This is far more common in recent years, as full-time smooth jazz stations are being discontinued in US markets where the format once thrived. In addition, these HD2 stations are basically expanded (24/7) versions of weekend programming as offered by their traditional FM/HD1 counterparts.
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
(CCM) has several sub-genres, one being "Christian AC". Radio & Records
Radio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
, for instance, lists Christian AC among its format charts. Too, there has been crossover to mainstream and hot AC formats by many of the core artists of the Christian AC genre, notably Amy Grant
Amy Grant
Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, media personality and actress, best known for her Christian music. She has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop"...
, Michael W. Smith
Michael W. Smith
Michael Whitaker Smith is a Billboard top ten Billboard Hot 100 recording artist and Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in Contemporary Christian music. Smith also has achieved a considerable amount of...
, Kathy Troccoli
Kathy Troccoli
Kathleen Colleen "Kathy" Troccoli is a contemporary Christian singer, author, and speaker.-Personal:Born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 24, 1958, Troccoli moved at age three and was raised in Islip Terrace, Long Island, New York, graduating from East Islip High School. At 15, she lost her father...
, Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, actor, author, and social activist.After starting his career in the late 1980s as a singer/songwriter of contemporary Christian music, Chapman has since been recognized as one of the most prolific singers in the genre,...
, Plumb, and more recently, MercyMe
MercyMe
MercyMe is an American Christian rock band founded in Greenville, Texas. The band consists of vocalist Bart Millard, keyboardist James Bryson, percussionist Robby Shaffer, bassist Nathan Cochran and guitarists Michael Scheuchzer and Barry Graul....
.
Since the mid 2000s, the mainstreaming of bands like Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
and Feist
Feist
Feist may refer to:* Feist , a specific class of small hunting dogs, though not a recognized pedigree* Feist Publications, a United States telephone directory publisher acquired by Yellow Book in 2004...
have pushed indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
into the adult contemporary conversation.
Christmas music
In recent years it has become common for many AC stations, particularly soft AC stations, to play primarily or exclusively Christmas musicChristmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
during November and December. While these tend mostly to be contemporary seasonal recordings by the same artists featured under the normal format, most stations will also air some vintage holiday tunes from older pop, MOR, and adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
artists – such as Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
, Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
, Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, Percy Faith
Percy Faith
Percy Faith was a Canadian-born American bandleader, orchestrator, composer and conductor, known for his lush arrangements of pop and Christmas standards. He is often credited with creating the "easy listening" or "mood music" format which became staples of American popular music in the 1950s and...
, Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
and Andy Williams
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
– many of whom they would never play during the rest of the year.
These Christmas music marathons typically start during the week before Thanksgiving Day
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
(individual station practices vary) and end after Christmas Day, or sometimes extending to New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
. Afterwards, the stations usually resume their normal music fare at midnight on December 26. Several stations begin the holiday format much earlier, at the beginning of November, with a few stations (KOSY-FM
KOSY-FM
KOSY-FM is a commercial radio station broadcasting to the Salt Lake City, Utah area on 106.5 FM. The station's city of license is Spanish Fork, Utah. KOSY airs an adult contemporary music format branded as "Today's 106.5"...
in Salt Lake City, and WNIC
WNIC
WNIC is an American radio station based in Detroit, Michigan broadcasting at 100.3 MHz FM. WNIC's studios and offices are located in Farmington Hills, MI. WNIC's transmitter is located near Schoolcraft and Livernois Avenue in the City of Detroit on the near west side. WNIC broadcasts with an...
in Detroit, Michigan being among them, although neither was in 2010) having a reputation of regularly being among the "first in the nation" to change to the format. It is extremely rare for stations to change on or before Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
(although WSMM
WSMM
WSMM is an FM radio station licensed to New Carlisle, Indiana. The station broadcasts at 102.3 MHz and broadcasts an oldies format branded as Oldies 102.3, The Stream. The station's programming is derived from Dial Global Local's Oldies Plus format. It is owned by Artistic Media Partners. On...
in South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
switched a week before Halloween in 2010, and WEZW in Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is the principal city of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Cape May County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 11,701...
did so in 2011); stations that do so generally receive backlash from listeners, as this is generally recognized to be well outside the accepted Christmas and holiday season, though it is common as a stunt
Stunting (broadcasting)
In radio broadcasting, stunting occurs when a station abruptly airs programming that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play...
.
The roots of this tradition can be traced back to the beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
and easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
stations of the 1960s and '70s. Until the early 21st century, however, radio stations typically began introducing only some Christmas music into their regular playlists around Thanksgiving, and moved to an all-Christmas playlist, if at all, only for 36 hours (sometimes 48 hours) around Christmas. Such all-Christmas programming usually was broadcast between Noon local time on Christmas Eve (sometimes starting as early as 00:00) and ending at 00:00 on December 26. The practice of moving to a 24/7 Christmas format as early as (or even before) Thanksgiving began at a few stations in the mid-1990s; becoming a widespread phenomenon in 2001, with many stations promoting their Christmas music marathons as a sort of musical comfort in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Some such stations may also extend their Christmas music format as late as New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
, although in the US this is most commonly a stunt
Stunting (broadcasting)
In radio broadcasting, stunting occurs when a station abruptly airs programming that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play...
which signals that the station will relaunch in January with a different format than it held before going all-Christmas. (British broadcasters, by contrast, have a Christmas holiday schedule from First Monday of the school holidays to New Year's Day.) Stations that are not stunting may mix in some holiday songs, particularly those that do not explicitly mention Christmas (such as winter songs like "Let It Snow!" and "Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
") or that have mainstream appeal (such as "Same Old Lang Syne
Same Old Lang Syne
"Same Old Lang Syne" is a song sung by Dan Fogelberg released as a single in 1980. It was also included on his 1981 album The Innocent Age. The song is a narrative ballad told in the first person and tells the story of two long-ago lovers meeting by chance in a supermarket on Christmas Eve...
" and "Better Days"), into their regular format between Christmas and the new year.
Syndicated radio shows and networks carrying the adult contemporary format
- DelilahDelilah ReneDelilah Rene Luke , almost always known mononymously as Delilah, is an American radio personality, author, and songwriter, best known as the host of a nationally syndicated nightly U.S...
- One of America's most popular radio shows, Delilah airs primarily in the evening. - John Tesh Radio Show - Hosted by John TeshJohn TeshJohn Frank Tesh is an American pianist and composer of pop music, as well as a radio host and television presenter. His 10-year-old 'Intelligence for Your Life Radio Show' reaches 14.2 Million listeners/week, and is syndicated by Teshmedia on 400 stations in US, Canada, and the UK...
, this show also airs evenings and also on weekends. - Your Weekend with Jim BrickmanJim BrickmanJim Brickman is an American songwriter and pianist. He has been named the most charted male Adult Contemporary artist to date, with six of his albums receiving Gold and Platinum status. He is known for his solo piano compositions, pop-style instrumentals, and vocal collaborations with artists...
- A weekly three-hour weekend radio show syndicated by Impact Radio Networks. - American Top 40American Top 40American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
with Ryan SeacrestRyan SeacrestRyan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
- One version of AT40 airs on hot AC stations, which is a little different from its Top-40/CHR counterpart. - Rick Dees Weekly Top 40Rick Dees Weekly Top 40Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40 is an internationally-syndicated radio program created and hosted by American radio personality Rick Dees. It is currently heard on over 200 radio stations worldwide and the American Forces Network. It is distributed domestically by Citadel Media Networks and...
/Weekly Top 30 - Began offering Hot AC versions of the popular countdown show in June 1996. These shows feature the top 20 Hot AC songs in the nation along with about 10 past hits from the '80s, '90s and early 2000s. A softer "AC" version was added in July 2009 to try to fill in the void left by Casey KasemCasey KasemKemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
ending his AC countdown. - Backtrax USABacktrax USABacktrax USA is a two hour radio program hosted by former WHTZ DJ Kid Kelly that premiered in 1993.The show originally highlighted hit music from the 1980s. Since 2003, however, Backtrax USA has offered a 1990s version of the show featuring hit music from this decade alongside that of the '80s...
with Kid Kelly - Weekend programs focusing on the 80s1980s in musicFor music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89For a history of music in all times, see Timeline of musical events....
and 90s1990s in musicFor music from a year in the 1990s, go to 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99This article includes trends in popular music in the 1990s....
, targeted for hot AC stations. - Absolutely 80s with Nina BlackwoodNina BlackwoodNina Blackwood is an American disc jockey and music journalist, who was the first of the original five MTV VJs. She has also been an actress and model.-Early life and career:...
- A three-hour weekend program, hosted by the former MTV VJ, that also takes requests, a fairly rare occurrence for a taped program. - ABC and Dial GlobalDial GlobalDial Global is a radio syndication company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triton Media Group and is a sister company to Townsquare Media, both of which are owned by Oaktree Capital Management....
both offer AC 24-hour networks programming soft and hot AC. - Tom JoynerTom JoynerThomas "Tom" Joyner is an American radio host, host of the nationally syndicated The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and also founder of REACH Media Inc., the Tom Joyner Foundation, and BlackAmericaWeb.com.-Early life:...
and Steve HarveySteve HarveyBroderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, television and radio personality and best-selling author. He is best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...
have popular morning shows that air on urban AC (and sometimes Hip-Hop) stations. Both shows are often heard on competing stations in the same city, such as St. Louis, PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
and AtlantaAtlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. Joyner's show is syndicated by ABC Radio, and Harvey's show by Premiere Radio NetworksPremiere Radio NetworksPremiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
. - Retro RewindRetro rewindRetro Rewind is an American nationally syndicated radio show hosted by Dave Harris. Retro Rewind features music from the 80s and 90s and also the popular segment, "7 Minutes of 70s". The show usually features interviews and sometimes performances from the artists from the time period...
with Dave Harris is weekend based radio show highlighting a massive playlist of songs from the 80s1980s in musicFor music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89For a history of music in all times, see Timeline of musical events....
and 90s1990s in musicFor music from a year in the 1990s, go to 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99This article includes trends in popular music in the 1990s....
, interviews, spotlights and contests. The show is done LIVE across the nation on Saturday nights, taking audience requests. The show is targeted towards HOT AC and AC radio stations. - The EZ RockEZ RockEZ Rock is a brand of adult contemporary music radio stations heard primarily in Canada. The branding was originally created by Telemedia in the mid-1990s for its adult contemporary stations, and based on the call sign of its former Toronto flagship CJEZ .Telemedia was later acquired by Standard...
network is a brand/network of soft AC heard in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. - Heart FM NetworkHeart NetworkHeart is a radio network of 17 adult contemporary independent local radio stations in central & southern England and north Wales. Each station broadcasts local breakfast and drive time shows and simulcasts network programming at all other times...
A radio network in the UK that grew throughout 2009 as more stations were rebranded as "Heart". - Smooth Radio A UK wide radio network that formed from six regional Smooth Radio stations.
See also
- Adult Contemporary, a chart appearing in BillboardBillboard (magazine)Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
since 1961. This chart is typically (but not exclusively) closer to soft AC. - Hot Adult Top 40 TracksHot Adult Top 40 TracksAdult Top 40 is a variation on the United States Billboard charts...
, a chart appearing in Billboard since 1996. This chart is typically (but not exclusively) closer to hot AC. - Soft rockSoft rockSoft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
- Easy ListeningEasy listeningEasy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...