Adult hits

Adult hits (sometimes also called variety hits) is a radio format that draws from a wide variety of different musical genres. Most adult hits stations play a mix of rock, pop, pop rock, soft rock, classic rock, adult contemporary, and new wave hits as well as select oldies hits, predominantly drawing on music from the late 1960s through the present day. Adult hits is akin to classic hits, although the classic hits format uses a slightly older and often narrower playlist (1960s to 1980s).

Companies associated with the format in Canada include NewCap, Rogers, Bell Media, Corus Entertainment, and other various companies. Companies in the United States include Clear Channel Communications, CBS Radio, Cumulus Broadcasting, Newsweb radio, and Entercom.

History

Forerunners of the adult hits format appeared on radio during the 1970s. At the time, enough of a backlog of popular music from the rock and roll era had developed to support a format based on them; oldies stations, however, were still very rare, and instead, stations that did not want to bind themselves to the current top 40 playlist would mix in current hits with the hits of the past two decades. This hybrid format began to fall out of favor in the 1980s as self-contained oldies stations rose to prominence.

The Adult Hits format dates back to 1990 when 98.9 WMMO was launched in Orlando, Florida.

Male first name FM brand

The adult hits format as it is known in the 21st Century rose to prominence in the early 2000s (decade), with the “Male First Name” FM format. One of the earliest was BOB FM; originating in Canada, BOB was intended to be an acronym for “best of the best.” Following Bob was Jack FM, a proprietary format from the U.S.-based company Sparknet Communications. Jack FM, which originated from an Internet radio station, became widely popular as a “flavor of the month” format on a number of U.S. radio stations in the mid-2000s. The popularity (and significant media attention) Jack FM drew soon led to a litany of imitators, as stations that did not want to pay Sparknet for format rights adopted brands with other male first names, including but not limited to "Frank", "Joe", "Mike", "Ed", "Max", "Mac", "Dave", "Giant", "Simon", "Sam", "Charlie", "Ben" and so on.

Adult hits stations often go under monikers that consist of "(Male Name) FM", but there are some that use another name such as "Playlist FM" and "Jill FM" in Los Angeles, "My FM", "Rewind," or call themselves "Adult Hits 92.7" after the format itself. Adult hits stations target adults 25-54, and more specifically at 35- to 44-year-olds. (When the format originally rose to prominence it was intended to be targeted at women, but this distinction is no longer followed.)

Related formats

A variation of adult hits, known within the industry as Traditional Country, has made inroads into the country format, typified by the "Hank FM" and "Nash Icon" stations. A Spanish-language version, "Jose FM", is syndicated by Entravision.

Formatting

The adult hits format draws from a wide playlist of broad appeal, consisting primarily of adult contemporary, pop, and rock hits spanning from the 1970s to present. The size of their music library and their focus on older music provide a contrast to other stations, which may heavily play certain popular songs throughout the day.

As the format can be easily automated due to its relatively free-form nature, Adult hits stations often have fewer on-air personalities and disc jockeys than other radio stations, or even none at all. This characteristic can be beneficial for the station owner, as they do not have to hire as many staff members beyond those needed to perform internal tasks such as station operations, advertising sales, and promotional presences. The station may also openly promote the fact that it features "less talk" and more music than other stations in their market.

Radio stations

Note: the below listing of radio stations is subject to change.

Canada

Location Call sign Frequency Brand Name
Belleville, Ontario CJOJ 95.5 FM "95-5 Hits FM"
Brockville, Ontario CJPT 103.7 FM "Bob FM"
Calgary, Alberta CJAQ 96.9 FM "Jack FM"
Chatham/Windsor, Ontario CKUE 95.1 and 100.7 FM "Cool FM"
Edmonton, Alberta CKNG 92.5 FM "Joe FM"
Espanola, Ontario CJJM 99.3 FM "Moose FM"
Halifax, Nova Scotia CFLT 92.9 FM "Jack FM"
Kawartha Lakes, Ontario CKLY 91.9 FM "Bob FM"
Kelowna, British Columbia CJUI 103.9 FM "Juice FM"
London, Ontario CHST 102.3 FM "Jack FM"
Montreal, Quebec CKDG 105.1 FM "Mike FM"
North Bay, Ontario CFXN 106.3 FM "Moose FM"
Ottawa, Ontario CKKL 93.9 FM "Bob FM"
Parry Sound, Ontario CKLP 103.3 FM "Moose FM"
Red Deer, Alberta CKRI 100.7 FM "Cruz FM"
Regina, Saskatchewan CKCK 94.5 FM "Jack FM"
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan CFWD 96.3 FM "Cruz FM"
Smiths Falls, Ontario CJET 92.3 FM "Jack FM"
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador CKSJ 101.1 FM "Coast 101.1"
Timmins, Ontario CHMT 93.1 FM "Moose FM"
Toronto, Ontario CHBM 97.3 FM "boom 97-3"
Vancouver, British Columbia CJAX 96.9 FM "Jack FM"
Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec CJVD 100.1 FM "CJVD 100,1"
Victoria, British Columbia CHTT 103.1 FM "Jack FM"
Wainwright, Alberta CKWY 93.7 FM "Wayne FM"
Winnipeg, Manitoba CFWM 99.9 FM "Bob FM"

CKGD 105.1 Mike FM only uses adult hits format during drive times. All other times the station serves as a multicultural radio station.

United States

Location Call sign Frequency Brand Name
Albuquerque, New Mexico KDRF 103.3 FM "Ed FM"
Athol, Massachusetts WFNX (FM) 99.9 FM "99.9 WFNX"
Auburn, Alabama WQNR 99.9 FM "Kate FM"
Austin, Texas KBPA 103.5 FM "Bob FM"
Bad Axe, Michigan WLEW-FM 102.1 FM "Cruise 102.1"
Baltimore, Maryland WQSR 102.7 FM "Jack FM"
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois WBBE 97.9 FM "Bob FM"
Bismarck, North Dakota KKBO 105.9 FM "Bob FM"
Boise, Idaho KSRV-FM 96.1 FM "Bob FM"
Bowling Green, Kentucky WKLX 100.7 FM "Sam FM"
Buffalo, New York WBUF 92.9 FM "Jack FM"
Burlington, Vermont WWMP 103.3 FM "MP-103"
Calabash, North Carolina WYNA 104.9 FM "Bob FM"
Cape Cod, Massachusetts WFRQ 93.5 FM "Frank FM"
Charleston, South Carolina WAVF 101.7 FM "Chuck FM"
Charlotte, North Carolina WLKO 102.9 FM "The Lake"
Chico, California KBQB 92.7 FM "Bob FM"
Cleveland, Ohio WHLK 106.5 FM "The Lake"
Clinton, Iowa KMCN 94.7 FM "Mac FM"
Columbia, Missouri KWJK 93.1 FM "Jack FM"
Columbia, South Carolina WLTY 96.7 FM "Steve FM"
Columbus, Ohio WJKR 103.9 FM "Jack FM"
Dallas, Texas KJKK 100.3 FM "Jack FM"
Dayton, Ohio WGTZ 92.9 FM "Fly 92.9"
Des Moines, Iowa KDRB 100.3 FM "The Bus"
Eugene, Oregon KEUG 105.5 FM "Bob FM"
Fairbanks, Alaska KTDZ 103.9 FM "Ted FM"
Fayetteville, North Carolina WFLB 96.5 FM "Bob FM"
Fort Myers, Florida WJGO 102.9 FM "Bob FM"
Gladstone, Michigan WGKL 105.5 FM "Kool 105"
Grand Forks, North Dakota KGFK 95.7 FM/1590 AM "The Forks"
Greensboro, North Carolina WSMW 98.7 FM "98.7 Simon"
Greenville, South Carolina W258CB 99.5 FM "Chuck FM"
Hampton Roads-Norfolk, Virginia WNOB 93.7 FM "Bob FM"
Joplin, Missouri KMXL 95.1 FM "Mike FM"
Kansas City, Missouri KCJK 105.1 FM "Jack FM"
Lafayette, Indiana WBPE 95.3 FM "Bob FM"
Lansing, Michigan WHZZ 101.7 FM "Mike FM"
Lakeland, Florida WWRZ 98.3 FM "Max FM"
Las Vegas, Nevada KYMT 93.1 FM "The Mountain"
Lompoc, California KBOX 104.1 FM "Pirate Radio"
Los Angeles, California KCBS-FM 93.1 FM "Jack FM"
Loudonville, New York WVCR 88.3 FM "The Saint"
Louisa, Virginia WOJL 105.5 FM "Sam FM"
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota KZJK 104.1 FM "Jack FM"
Nashville, Tennessee WCJK 96.3 FM "Jack FM"
Norwalk/Sandusky/Port Clinton, Ohio WLKR-FM 95.3 FM "95-3 WLKR"
Omaha, Nebraska KOOO 101.9 FM "The Big O"
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania WBEN-FM 95.7 FM "Ben FM"
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania WRRK 96.9 FM "Bob FM"
Portland, Oregon KYCH 97.1 FM "Charlie FM"
Rainier, Oregon KPPK 98.3 FM "The Peak"
Raleigh, North Carolina WBBB-FM 96.1 FM "Radio 96.1"
Redding, California KESR 107.1 FM "Jack FM"
Reno, Nevada KZTQ 97.3 FM "Bob FM"
Rochester, New York WFKL-FM 93.3 FM "Fickle 93.3"
Rolla, Missouri KDAA 103.1 FM "Sam 103.1 (FM)"
Sacramento, California KQJK 93.7 FM "Jack FM"
Saginaw, Michigan WMJO 97.3 FM "Joe FM"
San Antonio, Texas KJXK-FM 102.7 FM "Jack FM"
Seattle, Washington KJAQ 96.5 FM "Jack FM"
Sedalia, Missouri KSDL 92.3 FM "Bob FM"
Smyrna, Delaware WRDX 92.9 FM "Tom-FM"
Spokane, Washington KBBD 103.9 "Bob FM"
Springfield, Missouri KRVI 106.7 FM "The River"
St. Louis, Missouri WARH 106.5 FM "The Arch"
Watertown, New York WBLH 92.5 FM "Tunes 92.5"
West Plains, Missouri KSPQ 93.9 FM "Jack FM"
Whitefield, New Hampshire WNYN-FM 99.1 FM "Free 99.1"
Wichita, Kansas KIBB 97.1 FM "Bob FM"

Mexico

Location Call sign Frequency Brand Name Website
Mexico City XHDFM 106.5 FM "Mix 106.5"

Other countries

Europe

New Zealand

Russia

Satellite Radio

See also

External links

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