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What makes a radio station "Urban"? Seems like all of the stations cited are "Urban", as they are all in large cities...
An Urban station vs a Rhymthic station.
It a plays more RnB and more bass heavy hip hop. They only air in markets that are 11% or more black. Less in some occasions if the market is big enough. These stations tend to rely heavily on live on air personalities, and are very community oriented and can get a bit political. An Urban cume is usually 90%+ African American. Rhythmic relies on more tracks from 5+ years ago, more multiracial target demo, faster paced songs apolitical and less community oriented. They play more Top 40 crossover hip hop. In my experience they both promote “urban” shows equally but they do not promote community event on Rhythmic radio.
For a long time 2006-2016 Boston was the largest city without a Full power urban FM. An urban came online from 2017-2019 and then was bought by iHeart media and changed to Rhythmic. It’s ratings as an urban were 3x higher but they couldn’t get enough people to advertise on an Urban in Boston so it switched the station to rhyming where it tanked (it went from 3.4 as an Urban Adult to 1.1 as Rhythmic AC) on the ratings but it flanks their existing Rhythmic CHR (JAMN 945) and Top 40 station(KISS108). In that time Phoenix became a larger city than Boston and also has no Urban station.
You also have “urban leaning-rhythmics” some good examples of that are WZMX in Hartford (sometimes number 1 in the metro), Hot 97 in NYC, WPGC in DC and Hot 96.9 in Boston. Urban leaning rhythmic have bigger bolder personalities, and play some slower/bass heavy songs but still aren’t political or community oriented. You find these in a lot of metros that are around 10% black, or already have a popular Urban Contemporary radio station. Las Vegas recently got its first “Urban” station.
Basically if you notice a lot more Drake, Rihanna, Post Malone, Chris brown, BoB, DojaCat you’re listening to a rhythmic. If you hear more MoneybaggYo, Queen Naija, Wale, Blacc Youngsta- you’re in an urban.
Most Urban Adult plays slow RnB and music from the 1990s-like WHUR or MAGIC 95.9 in Bmore. Urban oldies in less black cities like LA/Boston play more mainstream 1980s soul/boogie. Or they play more mainstream hip hop and dance tracks from the 1990s
And even what's portrayed as "country" these days is watered down '80s/'90s pop-rock with some twang. In fact, the late Tom Petty described contemporary country as "bad rock with a fiddle", so in essence, a lot of the middle aged folks who listen to modern country grew up on Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Its still seen as the Fox News (along with classic rock) of musical radio formats. Surprised that country is ranked so high in Baltimore, despite some Appalachian roots since few people under 40 pay much attention to that format. Unfortunately, it basically is code for whiteness since few non-whites listen to that format (I'm white BTW and don't listen to Baltimore's country station). I prefer 102.7 JACK FM (Adult Hits), MAGIC, WUHR, or occasionally WIYY "98 Rock", but like KISW, it's usually the same "semi-modern" rock songs over and over again, and haven't been relevant since they had that cool logo in red.
I'd do something similar for December when this format includes Christmas formats if possible; I'd imagine it would do well in Dallas and Indianapolis, but less so in Seattle or Portland.
Thanks to the corporatization of media in general, the advent of satellite radio, not to mention how ridiculously easy it's become for people to download and listen to their own music / podcasts via the internet, Americans don't really listen to mainstream radio like they used to 20 - 30 years ago.
In other words, I'd take these ratings with a tiny grain of salt with respect to any inference.
sPeople are forgetting the list the OP gave and what we are to gather from those being the main stations in some metro markets. Like I gathered from it by saying that.... what use to be called Top 20 radio format or the term Urban used. This is not the growing market in FM radio.
Though nothing about age is given in states of those who still tune into FM radio? It reasons it is more the over 40 crowd vs those under 40. Downloads on one Phone etc rule far more in those most likely to listen to the new Urban which is highly Rap/Hip Hop and whatever comes next.
9 times out of 10 if I am walking like this summer though my downtown and hear cars with music inside and even with window open. If it is older Rock etc.? Even Country..... it is more likely the Radio. If it is Rap? It is most likely not radio.
I purposely surfed though my radio stations offered by me in a region far from major cities. I had every format of radio options from Classical, Jazz offerings thru Modern Christian to Gospel options, Country and already some who went all Seasonal/Christmas already. One I pulled in was on Rap songs featured. I am sure there was others perhaps. Just going by strongest stations my car radio pulled in as I traveled.
Home I can only get couple stations being in a valley. Traveling many more come in. With my Amazon Echo I can pull in the radio stations by me I cannot otherwise at home by asking for them by name .... if I so chose. Still with Amazon offering any type of musical format you wish that is not a radio station. I can just say play a certain type of music of decade or more music from that era. I said the one day play Church music and old hymns I knew started playing. So FM at home I do not need. In my car I am fine with it and surf for the music of my mood that day. No doubt those in major cities who commute will desire traffic updates on roadways etc also that they can get from basic radio too. Still I would say the younger one is ..... or more into new artist of today and especially Rap/Hip Hop ect.? The less likely basic FM will be their choice with just so many other options just on their phones.
It was once said that MTV and videos would kill radio as even Queen the group once sung on. It never completely happened of course. Still there are more signs today it could in this era much more.
If I hadn't been to either and just had this list I'd say Houston sounds like a much more fun town than Dallas. I think I would kill myself if I had to listen to Christian Adult Contemporary and Top 40 music all day.
I think you need to sum by category for this to really be meaningful, though.
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Originally Posted by Gaylord_Focker
Yep. One city could have 8 of a certain genre while another has 4
Agreed. That will be my next post after this one.
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Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars
Are there any rock stations left anywhere in the country that play predominantly modern rock (2010s-20)? I've been disappointed listening to KISW, it's all '90s and early '00s songs that I've heard a million times.
I get why that's true, though, rock in general is less popular nowadays so you're not gonna find modern artists getting the streaming numbers that rap artists do, and the demographics that listen to the few popular newer rock artists are also listening to rap and pop, so those genres win out for those markets. Maybe college campuses still have stations playing recent indie rock.
There are quite a few stations that play modern rock across the country. There just arent many in major markets. Most of them are in smaller markets. KZRK in Amarillo, KBRQ in Waco, KICT in Wichita, KATT in Oklahoma City, WJJO in Madison, and KCPR in Gulfport are examples. WJJO might be my favorite rock station in the US and I often stream it. They bust out really hard and heavy music which I love. Not afraid to play All that Remains or Slipknot at 9 am on a Tuesday.
For bigger markets, KUPD in Phoenix, KXXR in Minneapolis, KEGL in Dallas, KISS in San Antonio, KQRC in Kansas City, WXTB in Tampa, and WMMR in Philadelphia are examples.
Radio may have diminished in terms of popularity vs. 20 years ago, but it will always be with us. Why? Two reasons:
1) It is made profitable by the amount of advertising revenue it gets and that hasnt changed.
2) Civic Pride. People in various cities take pride in many of their radio stations and radio personalities.
Ill post more data in an upcoming post.
#2 is increasingly no longer the case since most mainstream stations are now owned by the same 4 or 5 conglomerates. Clear Channel and Radio One in particular have been notorious for firing local talent/personalities and replacing them with generic nationally syndicated shows.
As far as #1, it's true that radio will never go away completely, but it's likely going the way of the newspaper and cable.
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