AW: 2005 - Urknall in NRW???
Lieber db,
Hauptformate findest Du in den USA vorwiegend auf kleinen Märkten. Also solchen, die eine weitere Spezialisierung mangels grosser technischer Reichweite nicht zulassen.
Haben sie sich zunächst nicht auf eine gewisse Musikrichtung festgelegt, definieren sie sich über den abzudeckenden Zeitraum, wie das o.g. Beispiel Top 40. In dem Moment, wo eine Konzentration auf Rock oder Rhythmic Top 40 stattfindet, bildet sich ein abgeleitetes (Unter-) Format.
Aus einem Oldieformat könnte so bspw. ein Classic Rock-Sender "herausgebrochen" werden, wobei die Rocktitel in einem Oldieformat meist auf die populären beschränkt sind, wohingegen Classic Rock verstärkt Albumtitel einstreut.
Haupftformate können auch innerhalb einer gewissen Musikrichtung verschiedene Unter-Stielrichtungen auf sich vereinigen. Rock Antenne ist weder ein Classic Rock-Sender, noch bringen die ausschliesslich Modern Rock. Somit ist der Sender eine Art Grundversorgung mit Rockmusik.
Hauptformate sind also die innerhalb ihres abzudeckenden Zeitraumes oder ihrer abzudeckenden Musikrichtung am breitesten aufgestellten Programme.
Hier werden die wesentlichen US-Formate sehr präzise und übersichtlich vorgestellt und auch die vier Kriterien genau definiert:
Format Guide
What a radio station's music format sounds like is governed by four parameters: music style, music time period, music activity level, and music sophistication.
Music Style refers strictly to the type of music played, regardless of how the music is packaged for airplay.
Music Time Period refers to the time of the music's release.
Music Activity Level is a measure of the music's dynamic impact, ranging from soft & mellow to loud & hard-driving. Some names of music styles include built-in descriptions of the music's activity level: "hard rock", "smooth jazz".
Music Sophistication is a reflection of whether the musical structure and lyrical content of the music played is simple or complex. Although difficult to quantify, this factor often determines the composition of a station's audience. It is also reflected in the presentation of the station`s air staff.
Active Rock :
Term often used for stations which play rock music designed to be played loudly, such as "hard rock", "metal", and "heavy metal".
Adult Album Alternative (AAA) :
A station which plays primarily current music which tends to appeal more to adults than to teenagers. AAA playlists are much broader than the limited playlists of hit radio, and therefore depend on album tracks as well as music released or designated as singles. Stylistically, such stations may play rock, folk-rock, country-rock, modern rock, blues, folk, and world music. Some publications refer to the adult-oriented rock music heard on AAA stations as "Progressive Rock", not to be confused with the 70's music of the same name.
Adult Alternative (AA) :
A station which plays current hits, whether single releases or popular album tracks, which tend to appeal to adults more than to teenagers. Playlists are drawn from rock, pop, country-rock, folk- rock and blues releases.
Adult Contemporary (AC) :
A station playing non-offensive popular and rock music released during the past ten or fifteen years, designed for general listeners rather than for listeners interested in hearing the current hits. Some AC stations add current releases and older hits.
Album Oriented Rock (AOR) :
This is a format so named as to distinguish itself from Top 40 stations of the past, which played singles. AOR stations thrived between the late 60's through the 80's, during the heyday of FM Rock Radio.
Alternative Rock :
A station which plays rock music which is stylistically derivative of the Seattle grunge bands of the late 80's, and to some extent, the punk/new wave artists of the late 70's, rather than the "classic" rock artists of the 60's and 70's. These stations are aimed primarily at teenage audiences and feature mostly current single releases and popular album cuts. Since the Alternative Rock peak of the mid-90's, many alternative rock bands (and stations) have evolved in the direction of modern rock, or in some cases, hard rock.
Classic Rock :
A station which plays rock music released during the 60's, 70's and 80's. These stations recreate the sound of Album Oriented Rock stations of that period (although often with a much more limited playlist) and appeal mainly to adults rather than to teenagers. Some Classic Rock stations play a very limited amount of current releases stylistically consistent with the station's format.
Contemporary Hit Radio(CHR) :
A station which plays a significant amount of current popular music, usually singles rather than album cuts. As it is no longer unusual for a single to remain on the charts for 30-40 weeks or longer, "current" refers to music released within the last year. A more accurate description for "CHR" would be "Current Hit Radio". This format is the descendent of the Top 40 stations popular from the 50's through the 80's. Contemporary Hit Radio stations tend to concentrate on specific music styles, such as Rock or Urban, or a range of styles, such as Rock/Pop/Dance or R&B/Rap/Dance. Some CHR stations play a significant amount of hits released during the past ten or fifteen years, particularly if there are insufficient current hit releases which fall within the station's stylistic range. CHR stations in competitive markets cannot be successful without intensive callout music research.
Dance :
A station which plays music, whether or not current, produced primarily to be played for dancing. This type of music is stylistically derived from Disco music. Stations which play mostly current Dance music are sometimes referred to as "CHR-Rhythmic".
Ethnic/International :
Programs which feature music, whether traditional or popular, of a particular ethnic group, nation, or region, and are aimed at listeners from the featured group or place.
Hot Adult Contemporary (Hot AC) :
A station which plays commercial popular and rock music released during the past ten or fifteen years which is more lively than the music played on the average Adult Contemporary station, but is still designed to appeal to general listeners rather than listeners interested in hearing the current hits. Another definition of "Hot Adult Contemporary" used in the radio industry is an Adult Contemporary station which plays a significant amount of new rock/pop releases. There is no strict rule as to how much new material a station needs to play in order to be considered "CHR" rather than "Hot AC". To confuse matters further, you will often see an "Adult Contemporary" music chart, which tracks current songs which appeal to adults but are more pop-oriented than songs found on the "Adult Alternative" chart. Billboard Magazine also compiles an "Adult Top 40" Chart, which tracks rock singles and album cuts which appeal to an adult audience. This chart reflects airplay on rock-oriented CHR stations as well as the new release airplay component of Hot AC stations.
Lite Adult Contemporary (Lite AC) :
A station playing particularly easy-going popular and rock music released during the past ten or fifteen years designed to appeal to general listeners. This format is the descendent of the not- quite-extinct "Easy Listening" format of years past.
Oldies :
A station which plays popular, rock 'n roll, and rock music released during the 50's, 60's and 70's. These stations recreate the sound of popular AM stations of the period and tend to be popular with listeners who grew up during that time and their pre-teen children. Across the country, the format of various Oldies stations vary, some playing 50's and 60's music, others 60's and 70's music, 70's music only, "rock oldies", or r&b oldies. A popular format which has been adopted by a number of industry broadcasters is the "Jammin' Oldies" format, which features r&b oldies from the late 60's and 70's.
Personality :
Programs or formats which rely on the personalities of an on-air host or hosts to entertain listeners, often with humor, parody, satire, or commentary on current events. Personality programming may also include music, interviews, and other features.
Rock :
A station which plays mostly current rock music, whether single releases or album cuts. Due to the diversity within rock music today, the playlists of different rock stations will tend to fall within different stylistic ranges.
Smooth Jazz :
A station which plays easy-going popular music with a "jazzy" feel, designed to set a mood rather than to invite critical listening. "Smooth Jazz" is often set to a medium-tempo or "hip-hop" beat. This format is often referred to as New Adult Contemporary, or "NAC".
Talk :
A format or program which features one or more hosts discussing current events and other topics, often in the context of a particular political ideology. Talk programs frequently feature in- studio guests and calls from members of the audience, representing varying degrees of expertise. Health, medical, and financial topics are especially popular.
Urban :
Stations or programs which plays music, such as rap, hip-hop, r&b, and soul, in the styles which are the descendents of rhythm & blues music of past decades. Some of the more dance-oriented genres include club, house, jungle, and trip-hop. The mix favored by any given station depends in large part upon the age of the station's audience. Many Urban stations which appeal to adults rather than to teenagers include soul/r&b hits dating back twenty years or longer, and are sometimes characterized as "Urban AC".
World Music :
Programs which play music which evokes musical styles of one or more regions of the world, but is not necessarily performed by musicians from those regions or aimed solely at listeners from those regions.
Other Music Formats :
Other popular music station formats include Jazz, Classical, News, etc. There are even sub-categories within these formats.
