Here in the Cleveland area, I think the most notable format absence would be jazz ever since WNWV ditched "107.3 The Wave" in favor of the hot AC format known as "JenY 107.3" at the beginning of this year. Curious as to what notable formats are missing on the radio dial in your neck of the woods.
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Notable Format Absences in Your Local Market's Radio Selection
- Thread starter Scott2013
- Start date
Hartford and New Haven have never had an adult album alternative station, commercial or noncommercial or even on an HD subchannel. Americana and other genres played on stations like WFUV in New York or WERS and WUMB in Boston are limited to once-a-week specialty shows on a couple of college stations.
When looking at the radio dial, don't overlook the non-commercial stations. A lot of niche formats such as jazz and Americana are more likely to be found among your non-commercial stations. I know WCPN plays jazz in overnights and weekends.
Commercial radio stations pick formats based on the audience demos they're trying to reach, not the genre of music that's missing. So if jazz disappeared from commercial radio, it's because the money for that format disappeared, and they decided to go after a different audience.
Nashville hasn't had a Hot AC station in well over a decade.
AAA in San Francisco since KFOG-FM left in 2019 and Cumulus converted 104.5 FM to KNBR-FM sports/talk.
But then again Cumulus was placing a bet that Sports/talk will be a main stay on FM to lower the median age before the COVID-19 shut down the sports leagues and had to comply with state orders.
Sports/talk format is in a rough spot given that they are left with issues surrounding which leagues having uncertain futures as athletes and coaches have to worry about having a COVID-19 positive test directly.
But then again Cumulus was placing a bet that Sports/talk will be a main stay on FM to lower the median age before the COVID-19 shut down the sports leagues and had to comply with state orders.
Sports/talk format is in a rough spot given that they are left with issues surrounding which leagues having uncertain futures as athletes and coaches have to worry about having a COVID-19 positive test directly.
With the popularity of soft AC, I guess it's worth mentioning that Charlotte NC doesn't have it.
I guess the only thing missing in Charlotte is standards, if you count HD, AM stations heard only during the day, and FM stations too far away for a good signal. And even standards was available on an AM whose signal could not be heard at night, until the fundraisers were no longer enough to keep it going.
Jazz is only available on an HD-2 channel and I'm not sure which type.
Several oldies stations can be heard during the day with an AM signal that isn't the best quality in some areas, and on a distant FM in other areas.
Classic country is on an AM that can be heard during the day but doesn't have the best signal. Same for Southern gospel.
AAA is on an FM whose tower is way up in the mountains and there is a local translator.
Active rock is also on a distant station whose tower is high up, though some say alternative WEND in Charlotte which covers sounds more like an active rocker than an alternative station.
I also live close to Greensboro NC which doesn't have soft AC either. I'm not sure whether jazz is available but classical is on an HD channel for those not in range of one of two classical stations that reach part of the market.
Greensboro doesn't have AAA but it does have small college radio stations. It doesn't have Hot AC either. The "we play everything" station is mostly classic hits but has some of what would be considered Hot AC. The site I go to for ratings thinks it's Hot AC but it's much more of a classic hits station.
Greensboro also doesn't have active rock on a local signal. It has a mainstream rock station which mixes active (mostly classics) and classic rock. WEND which I mentioned above covers part of the area.
I guess the only thing missing in Charlotte is standards, if you count HD, AM stations heard only during the day, and FM stations too far away for a good signal. And even standards was available on an AM whose signal could not be heard at night, until the fundraisers were no longer enough to keep it going.
Jazz is only available on an HD-2 channel and I'm not sure which type.
Several oldies stations can be heard during the day with an AM signal that isn't the best quality in some areas, and on a distant FM in other areas.
Classic country is on an AM that can be heard during the day but doesn't have the best signal. Same for Southern gospel.
AAA is on an FM whose tower is way up in the mountains and there is a local translator.
Active rock is also on a distant station whose tower is high up, though some say alternative WEND in Charlotte which covers sounds more like an active rocker than an alternative station.
I also live close to Greensboro NC which doesn't have soft AC either. I'm not sure whether jazz is available but classical is on an HD channel for those not in range of one of two classical stations that reach part of the market.
Greensboro doesn't have AAA but it does have small college radio stations. It doesn't have Hot AC either. The "we play everything" station is mostly classic hits but has some of what would be considered Hot AC. The site I go to for ratings thinks it's Hot AC but it's much more of a classic hits station.
Greensboro also doesn't have active rock on a local signal. It has a mainstream rock station which mixes active (mostly classics) and classic rock. WEND which I mentioned above covers part of the area.
Not sure that anyone even misses it here.
Knoxville being a midsize market, we don't seem to be missing a lot of formats.
Country---we've got redundant Country stations, 2 current (WIVK, WCYQ) and two classic classic 80s-90s (WDKW, Duke 95.7; Merle 96.7 FM). Several more in the outlying areas, like almost every caucasian-dominant southern market.
Classic Rock---The perennial powerhouse WIMZ, and Classic Hits 93.1 WNOX, with their revised playlist under Summit being more light Classic Rock than Classic Hits (no black artists other than Prince).
Jack----Got one of those in WNFZ
Adult Contemporary---WJXB/B97.3
Contemporary Christian--Knoxville must really need savin', we've got K-Love and Air 1, Victory 92.7/1240/94.7tr, WFGW (co-owned with WMIT, Asheville NC.
Not so contemporary Christian---Got a Bible Broadcasting Network station, maybe the only Southern Gospel station on FM with a decent signal in a big market. Several preacher stations on the left side of the dial, and an AM with fire and brimstone preaching, and a larger Christian talk/teaching station
Top 40, we have WWST but it leans hot A/C. Hip hop now has a 3 way race in a non-ethnic market. The new Jump, WJBE (more classic hip-hop), and Summit's Hot 104.5
Americana--It doesn't get better than WDVX
Adult Album Alternative---Still in the market on 105.3.
News-Talk: WOKI, 98.7, with 3 locals shows and Rush during the day, Hannity, Levin and Red-Eye by night). Also, WETR, 760 and 92.3tr, has the second tier talk show host. To their credit, they tried to do a "Knoxville Morning News" but it flopped.
Sprots talk: Anybody can broker out time to talk sports, but the perrenial Sports Talk leader is WNML. There are several other sports stations with brokered hosts. We have left-wing talk in the 2 LPFMs that share a frequency but function as one radio station, WOZO/WOZW.
Oldies--yep, although I find Mid-Century Radio a lot to be desired, with it's obscure playlist, and even more obscure old country. The high school station plays a little better mix of 60s-80s but it's still hodge podge.
Classical---takes up the bulk of NPR affiliate and the University of Tennessee's WUOT, with pauses. for Morning and Edition and All Things Considered.
Then we have college radio----in WUTK, "The Rock".
Rock---The new WVLZ.
I declare the missing formats to be:
Fulltime NPR talk/features, like Chattanooga's WUTC.
A straight-ahead CHR Top 40
A decent oldies station
Soft A/C-but you'd really need a building-penetrating signal, and this may not be the best time to launch an "at-work" format.
Classic Hits that's not Classic Rock
Smooth Jazz but very few do that.
Country---we've got redundant Country stations, 2 current (WIVK, WCYQ) and two classic classic 80s-90s (WDKW, Duke 95.7; Merle 96.7 FM). Several more in the outlying areas, like almost every caucasian-dominant southern market.
Classic Rock---The perennial powerhouse WIMZ, and Classic Hits 93.1 WNOX, with their revised playlist under Summit being more light Classic Rock than Classic Hits (no black artists other than Prince).
Jack----Got one of those in WNFZ
Adult Contemporary---WJXB/B97.3
Contemporary Christian--Knoxville must really need savin', we've got K-Love and Air 1, Victory 92.7/1240/94.7tr, WFGW (co-owned with WMIT, Asheville NC.
Not so contemporary Christian---Got a Bible Broadcasting Network station, maybe the only Southern Gospel station on FM with a decent signal in a big market. Several preacher stations on the left side of the dial, and an AM with fire and brimstone preaching, and a larger Christian talk/teaching station
Top 40, we have WWST but it leans hot A/C. Hip hop now has a 3 way race in a non-ethnic market. The new Jump, WJBE (more classic hip-hop), and Summit's Hot 104.5
Americana--It doesn't get better than WDVX
Adult Album Alternative---Still in the market on 105.3.
News-Talk: WOKI, 98.7, with 3 locals shows and Rush during the day, Hannity, Levin and Red-Eye by night). Also, WETR, 760 and 92.3tr, has the second tier talk show host. To their credit, they tried to do a "Knoxville Morning News" but it flopped.
Sprots talk: Anybody can broker out time to talk sports, but the perrenial Sports Talk leader is WNML. There are several other sports stations with brokered hosts. We have left-wing talk in the 2 LPFMs that share a frequency but function as one radio station, WOZO/WOZW.
Oldies--yep, although I find Mid-Century Radio a lot to be desired, with it's obscure playlist, and even more obscure old country. The high school station plays a little better mix of 60s-80s but it's still hodge podge.
Classical---takes up the bulk of NPR affiliate and the University of Tennessee's WUOT, with pauses. for Morning and Edition and All Things Considered.
Then we have college radio----in WUTK, "The Rock".
Rock---The new WVLZ.
I declare the missing formats to be:
Fulltime NPR talk/features, like Chattanooga's WUTC.
A straight-ahead CHR Top 40
A decent oldies station
Soft A/C-but you'd really need a building-penetrating signal, and this may not be the best time to launch an "at-work" format.
Classic Hits that's not Classic Rock
Smooth Jazz but very few do that.
The bigger format hole in SFO is the lack of a full-market country station
Proof that just because there's a format hole doesn't mean there's an audience for it.
Not just AAA, and Country missing from San Francisco market, San Francisco is missing a full market Classic Hits format, I know there's i-heart 80s & 103.7, but it focuses only on the 80s unlike the South Bay 94.5 BAY-FM focuses music from the 70s to the 90s. Also, San Francisco doesn't have Adult Hits, Mainstream rock (AOR), or Active Rock format, last time we had an adult hits format was 95.7 BEN-FM before it flip to 95.7 THE WOLF then 95.7 THE GAME. Also, I want to add CHR-Rhythmic, Wild 94.9 morphed into CHR-Pop almost a decade ago and 100.7/105.7 flipped back to Spanish CHR form CHR-Rhythmic a year ago.
There's a really weird format hole in Springfield, Mass. -- CHR. This western Massachusetts market has commercial AAA (WRSI), active rock (WLZX) and even smooth jazz (WEIB) stations available, but must rely on WKSS Meriden/Hartford for its mainstream pop hits, and that's not a city-grade signal in Springfield and fades to fringe status in Northampton. WLZX has an on-the-cheap CHR format-in-a-broom-closet on its HD2 and a 250-watt translator on 94.3 to relay it, but the translator -- way out in the boonies -- is a fringe signal in Springfield proper.) Why is Springfield such a dead zone for Top 40?
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Here in Jackson, MS we have an over abundance of some sort of Urban format. 3 hip hop/Ra[, one classic hip hop, 2 Southern soul/blues, Urban AC. A couple of Urban variaty, and a couple of black gospel station. we have news talk sports, new and classic country and a "franken fm" playing classic hits. We have CHR and Hot AC. we don't have a southern gospel but we do have a bluegrass station that plays some gospel. We have K-Love and Air one. Jazz but not classical unless you use HD. We could use a traditional oldies, Adult Standards or Lite AC or easy listening but those may be dead since most of their listeners are also dead. But I like them since I hate most of the crap on top 40 these days.
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I wish that 93.1 would flip to CHR.
In the Tyler/Longview, TX market, we do not have a true CHR station or an AC station.
The "CHR" station in East Texas is really Adult Top 40.
The last AC station in East Texas was Sunny 106.5. However, they changed to Classic Hits and, eventually, Jack FM.
The "CHR" station in East Texas is really Adult Top 40.
The last AC station in East Texas was Sunny 106.5. However, they changed to Classic Hits and, eventually, Jack FM.
In San Diego, the format hole is definitely oldies and, most recently, classical music. Classical music can still be heard on KPBS HD-2, but not on a regular AM or FM signal. There is no station, HD subchannel or otherwise, broadcasting oldies anywhere throughout the San Diego market and it has been that way for a long time now. To me, it would make sense for one of the many local FM stations broadcasting in HD to throw an oldies format on an HD subchannel.
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