FORMAT GRID

Formats/ Elements	Music	Announcing	News	Jingles	Contests & Promotions
AC	Rock music aimed at an adult audience. Softer than CHR. Heavy reliance on oldies and recurrents.	Ranges from light where announcers just read liners to personality. Announcing style often depends upon daypart.	Still important in this format. Heavy emphasis on traffic and weather. Headlines during drive time primarily morning drive.	Stations use jingles as a regular part of the format.	Cash and ticket giveaways are big. Lifestyle prizes, trips, cars, etc. Remote broadcasts. Billboards, transit, bumper stickers, direct mail and TV ads.
CHR/ Top 40	Hits of a pop/rock nature. Current best sellers. Some reliance on oldies and recurrents. Stations will either skew dance or rock oriented.	Upbeat. Announcing style is rapid and hip in keeping with the format. Also varies across daypart.	Seen as something of very little interest to their audience. Emphasis on lifestyle "gossip" news.	Jingles used heavily by most CHR stations. Jingles are required to be as contemporary as the music played by the station.	Big on contests and promotions. Cash and ticket giveaways. Lifestyle prizes, trips, cars, etc. Remote broadcasts. Billboards, transit, bumper stickers and TV ads.
MOR/ VINTAGE/ NOSTALGIA	Music from the Big Band Era popular with adults prior to rock 'n' roll. Artists like Sinatra, Bennett and Nat King Cole.	Light. Designed to evoke a less frenetic times. Announcers allowed to show personality but it is in keeping with mood of the format.	This audience expects news. Stations provide headlines during drive times to keep listeners informed. During emergencies these stations expect to lose the audience to the all-news format.	Jingles used to evoke memories of a gentler time.	Audience is less interested in contests. Some cash and lifestyle giveaways. Stations promote themselves by involvement in community events that reach a senior audience.
BLACK/ URBAN	Rhythm & Blues, rap, hip hop, dance, mellow, jazz fusion, gospel/inspirational. Stations will either skew toward adults or teens/young adults.	Ranges from light to heavy. Varies by daypart. Announcers on stations that skew toward teen/young adults can be as upbeat as CHR. Those on adult stations laid-back.	News is treated here the same way it is treated by the CHR stations. Adult stations will provide news in a manner similar to AC.	Some stations use jingles. Others prefer to use voicers. Some stations use both. Male and female voicers used.	Big on Contests and Promotions. Cash and ticket giveaways. Lifestyle prizes, trips, cars, etc. Remote broadcasts from dance clubs and community events. Billboards, transit, bumper stickers.
AOR/ CLASSIC ROCK	Rock ranging from mainstream to metal, guitar-based bands. Heavy reliance on oldies and recurrents from "Rock's heyday." Some stations called "Alternative" play newer and electronic bands.	Ranges from light to heavy. Announcers on some stations take the laid-back approach of a music authority. On other stations the attempt is to be as energetic as the music. Varies according to daypart.	Seen as something of very little interest to their audience. Emphasis on lifestyle "rock music" news.	This is the format least likely to use jingles. The audience sees them as clutter and a detraction from the "rock" they want to hear. Stations use voicers. Usually "macho" male voice.	Big on contests and promotions. Cash and ticket giveaways. Lifestyle prizes, trips, cars, etc. Heavy involvement with concert promoters. Billboards, transit, bumper stickers print and TV ads.
COUNTRY	Range from traditional Country and Western to modern urban country. Heavily promoted by the Country Music Association "CMA."	Ranges from light to heavy. Personality DJs sound like old friends who appreciate the same music and things in life that the audience does.	Audience expects to be kept informed of major events and traffic and weather. Headline service during drive times.	Jingles used have a familiar feel that fits the country format.	Cash and ticket giveaways. Lifestyle prizes, trips, cars, etc. Remote broadcasts from community events. Concert tie-ins.
BEAUTIFUL MUSIC/EZ	Essentially a dead format. Typically referred to as "Dentist Office" or "elevator" music. Soft string versions of pop standards. "Smooth Jazz" has become the new "elevator music" format.	Light. Announcers were there to set a relaxing tone.	The audience tuned to these stations to escape. News was not expected. Stations provided headlines.	Some jingles were used but this format used sound elements like rushing wind, ocean waves and birds to set the mood.	Some giveaways. Stations used print, billboards, transit and TV to promote themselves.
SMOOTH JAZZ/NAC	Called New Adult Contemporary or Smooth Jazz. The Beautiful Music Format for the Baby Boom Generation. Light instrumental music mixed with ballads.	Light. Announcers there to set a relaxing tone. Most read liners. Personality is pleasant but not pronounced.	Audience tunes to these stations as background. Audience can still feel young and hip while at the same time soothed.	Stations often use jingles composed and performed by the artists that appear on the format.	Lots of lifestyle giveaways such as trips, dinners, cruises. Use print, transit, billboards, web and some TV to promote themselves.
NEWS/ TALK/ SPORTS	Spoken programming is the draw here.	Talk personalities can range from supportive to outrageous. Some take a combative approach. News announcers are to sound credible. Sports announcers are allowed to be fans along with the listeners. Sports talk hosts take role of experts.	These stations are in the information business. News is integral to the format. During normal times news is heavily formatted. "Give us 22 minutes, we'll give you the world." Formats are easily broken during emergencies.	Jingles are used as break from talk. KYW in Philadelphia actively promotes its jingle, "KYW NEWS RADIO 1060."	Stations promote their ability to cover news and respond to emergencies. Some remote broadcasts. Billboards, transit, bumper stickers print and TV ads.
PUBLIC/ NON- COM- MERCIAL	Wide range of formats ranging from National Public Radio to College Alternative. Some NPR stations have developed News/Talk format. Others play classical, folk and jazz.	Widely ranging depending upon format. High energy screamers are rare.	Wide range. Some stations are in the information business. Others serve as training grounds for students.	Wide range depending upon station.	Wide range depending upon station. NPR stations promote more heavily than others.
ETHNIC/ RELIGIOUS	Programs are often presented by independents who purchase time from the owner and then resell to advertisers interested in reaching ethnic or religious audiences. There is a recent rise in the number of of Contemporary Christian Music Stations.	Widely ranging depending upon format. Generally these announcers are from the communities they serve.	Widely ranging depending upon station and audience served. Some stations serve as the only source of information for their community.	Wide range depending upon station and independent producer.	Wide range depending upon station. Some stations directly tied to the community.
Classical	Classical Music. Many commercial classical music stations have developed a reliance on popular 19th century music. It is often referred to as Classical Top 40.	Generally very subdued and knowledgeable.	Commercial Classical Music stations provide news during drive times. It tends to be a headline service.	Very rare. Format tends to use voice overs and incidental music and sounds.	Contests will include concert and giveaways of music collections. Trips and other luxury items. Audience is perceived as affluent.
Formats/ Elements	Features	Commercials	Public Affairs	History	Future
AC	"Love song" request and dedication shows, countdown shows, artist spotlights, oldies weekends.	Generally spot clusters. Some stations use distributed spot schedule.	Not as common as before deregulation. Sunday A.M. time slot.	Format's precursor is "Chicken Rock" Soft Rock Stations later evolved into AC.	Some stations will choose to follow their audience as it ages. Others will elect to stay with the same demographic group.
CHR/ Top 40	Countdown shows,artist spotlights, request and dedication shows.	Generally spot clusters. Some stations use distributed spot schedule. Designed to fit station's image.	Nearly nonexistent since deregulation. Sunday A.M. time slot.	Programmers noticed that bar patrons chose the same songs over and over. Named CHR when format moved to FM.	As long as there are hits, this format should exist. It is good at reinventing itself to stay current.
MOR/ VINTAGE/ NOS- TALGIA	Artist spotlights, reflections on past eras and events, programs hosted by celebrities.	Generally spot clusters. Some stations use distributed spot schedule.	Very little. Targeted at senior audiences. Sunday A.M. time slot.	Traces its beginnings back to Martin Block's Make Believe Ballroom.	The audience for this format is made up of senior citizens.
BLACK/ URBAN	Countdown shows,artist spotlights, request and dedication shows, programs hosted by celebrities, oldies weekends.	Generally spot clusters. Some stations use distributed spot schedule. Spots designed to target specific audience.	Stations with close ties to their communities produce exemplary Public Affairs programs. Others do poorly in this area.	Traces its origins to the Rhythm and Blues radio of the 1950s, the soul radio of the 1960s and the Progressive Black and Disco radio of the 1970s.	This format reinvents itself by developing sub formats.
AOR/ CLASSIC ROCK	Live rock concerts, retro shows, artist spotlights, album sides, unreleased tracks,rock news updates.	One of the first formats to use spot clusters and music sweeps.	At one time a source for alternative information and viewpoints. Lost much of its Public Affairs focus when it became mainstream.	Traces its origins to college radio the late 1960s, and Freeform and Progressive radio of the late 1960s and 1970s.	This format reinvents itself by developing sub formats.
COUNTRY	Countdown shows artist spotlights,oldies shows, bluegrass and other traditional music shows.	Uses both spot clusters and distributed spot schedule.	Full service stations produce Public Affairs programs. Music stations tend to do poorly.	Traces its origins to stations broadcasting during the early days of radio. WSM, WSB, WLS, WBAB.	This format is well supported by the CMA. Should exist as long as there is a demand for the music.
BEAUTIFUL MUSIC/EZ	Holiday and seasonal specials	The original spot cluster/music sweeps format.	These were music intensive feel good "soothing" stations. Public Affairs was not a major element.	The first format other than classical music on FM. The string-instrumental versions of pop standards led people to believe they were listening to classical music. (McLendon)	This is essentially a dead format.
SMOOTH JAZZ/NAC	No commercial hours during the workday. Sunday Brunch, lifestyle shows, smooth weekend shows	Plays long music sweeps and spot clusters.	Music intensive stations. Public affairs programs relegated to early Sunday Mornings.	Stations are fairly recent. Format developed in the late 1980s. Gained popularity in the	These stations should have a good but perhaps short future. They are a recent format serving and aging population.
NEWS/ TALK/ SPORTS	Health, financial, consumer, year in review, weather, science, political shows.	Distributed spot schedule. Commercials are less of an intrusion on stations where talk is the primary program element.	Public Affairs is a regular part of the service provided by these stations.	News began as experiment on Mexican clear XETRA (McLendon) Talk putting phone calls on air. Sports a variation of talk.	There should always be a demand for the information and services provided by is format.
PUBLIC/ NON- COM- MERCIAL	Widest variety. Much of what these stations do is specialty or "Feature" in nature.	These stations do not air commercials. Underwriting is becoming increasingly more common. Most underwriter announcements are scheduled at beginning or end of programs or during natural breaks.	NPR, Pacifica & PRI stations place great emphasis on Public Affairs. Others don't have the same resources but all see it as part of their mission.	Colleges and Universities were among first owners of stations. Noncommercial band created in 1938. 1967 Public broadcasting act creates CPB, NPR, 1970.	These stations should continue but there character may change as regulations permit more freedom with underwriting. They may become less distinguishable from commercial stations.
ETHNIC/ RELIGIOUS	Varies depending upon independent producer.	Some religious stations are noncommercial. Scheduled at discretion of independent producer.	These stations are service oriented. Public Affairs is part of their mission.	The concept of selling blocks of time to independents who serve specific communities dates back to toll broadcasting.	Stations serving large ethnic communities are moving into the mainstream. Many religious stations are taking up residence in the noncommercial spectrum.
Classical	Concert broadcasts such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra or the Metropolitan Opera. Programs about specific composers, conductors or orchestras.	Commercial clusters are scheduled around the music. Certain dayparts (drivetimes) have shorter music selections to allow for more advertising time.	Scheduled during the Sunday Morning time slot.	Classical music appeared on radio from the beginning. Radio was intended to bring culture to the masses. Classical Music was also the first music on FM.	The future for commercial Classical Music stations is not good. There are now fewer than 42 stations left nationwide. Major markets like Philadelphia and Detroit do not have commercial classical stations.