I have a lot of conflicting info on this. Can someone tell me what defines an AC, HOT AC and Soft AC? Is the music that different? Generally, does one format on average earn more than the others? Do “currents’ have to be a part of the playlist in order to qualify as contemporary? None of this has anything to do with any of the N Fla markets, I’m just curious. Depending on the answers received, that may just have to be enough for now. I've been thinking about something that's a little far-fetched even for me, so for now I'll just keep it to myself. Thanks!
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AC, HOT AC & Soft AC Questions
- Thread starter John FL
- Start date
AC: Large mix of music from 70's (depending on station) to now. With mostly "safe" songs.
Soft AC: More ballads, a lot less upbeat music and more selections from the 70's and 80's you wouldn't find on a normal AC station.
Hot AC: 80's, 90's, Now. With emphasis on pop/rock leaning current records and playing more Top-40 records.
Again, this varies station to station, market to market-- but this should help.
Soft AC: More ballads, a lot less upbeat music and more selections from the 70's and 80's you wouldn't find on a normal AC station.
Hot AC: 80's, 90's, Now. With emphasis on pop/rock leaning current records and playing more Top-40 records.
Again, this varies station to station, market to market-- but this should help.
AC= Mandatory Rob Thomas.
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Guy on the Radio, Thank you - your explanation made it easy follow and understand. "Safe" songs - I'm not realy sure what that means anymore. I guess it was a few weeks ago I heard Bon Jovi in normal programming on an out of town AC via streaming. Talk about a wow factor. I came to find out some ACs have been playing this kind of music for awhile now. I never noticed and I really wasn't paying much attention to the format. But it's not your mom's AC anymore.
Hot AC - with the exception of going into the 80s, they don't appear too different from CHR. I wonder too where Gen X formats fit in all of this. I can't recall what marketing designation Gen X has - I don't recall seeing Gen X in ratings listings so I guess it would either be AC or CHR or maybe something else.
Hot AC - with the exception of going into the 80s, they don't appear too different from CHR. I wonder too where Gen X formats fit in all of this. I can't recall what marketing designation Gen X has - I don't recall seeing Gen X in ratings listings so I guess it would either be AC or CHR or maybe something else.
DToTheJ said:
I like Pina Coladas & getting caught in thr rain too!!!
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With Hot A/C it's more of a matter of playing less hip-hop and trendy music than CHR..tempo is very close.
Now we have Smooth A/C - what the WAVE in LA, WSJT in Tampa are doing along with a few others - WLOQ in Orlando is evolving toward this too. EZ listening for people who don't want to hear Bread, Air Supply, and Neil Diamond - very soft, an occasional instrumental and more urban leaning than Mainstream A/C
Now we have Smooth A/C - what the WAVE in LA, WSJT in Tampa are doing along with a few others - WLOQ in Orlando is evolving toward this too. EZ listening for people who don't want to hear Bread, Air Supply, and Neil Diamond - very soft, an occasional instrumental and more urban leaning than Mainstream A/C
Truth is, these three formats--or sub-formats--vary significantly from market to market. So, in a very real sense, AC--or Soft AC or Hot AC--is whatever you want it to be.
But, yeah, if you think of it as being a continuum using two axes--old to new... and down-tempo to up-tempo--a programmer can position or re-position within the general realm of AC depending on what the market gives you or takes away.
Adding or subtracting 40 or 50 tunes allows you to shade the format one way or another. Adding or subtracting 100 songs allows you to make a major shift without requiring a public "format change" announcement.
This is an enormous advantage on the sales & cash flow fronts. Instead of needing to throw out a large (if not large enough) audience and advertising client base and start all over--as in switching from Hip-Hop to Country, for instance--you can re-position an AC significantly with minimal disruption.
Some years back we had one of the major programming research outfits (Edison or Paragon or one of them) conduct a market study for an AC and they came back with a grid showing about a dozen-or-so versions of Adult Contemp--you know, Rock AC, Urban AC, Modern AC, et cetera. So it's not just the Soft/Mainstream/Hot tags. Lots of options with Adult Contemp.
But, yeah, if you think of it as being a continuum using two axes--old to new... and down-tempo to up-tempo--a programmer can position or re-position within the general realm of AC depending on what the market gives you or takes away.
Adding or subtracting 40 or 50 tunes allows you to shade the format one way or another. Adding or subtracting 100 songs allows you to make a major shift without requiring a public "format change" announcement.
This is an enormous advantage on the sales & cash flow fronts. Instead of needing to throw out a large (if not large enough) audience and advertising client base and start all over--as in switching from Hip-Hop to Country, for instance--you can re-position an AC significantly with minimal disruption.
Some years back we had one of the major programming research outfits (Edison or Paragon or one of them) conduct a market study for an AC and they came back with a grid showing about a dozen-or-so versions of Adult Contemp--you know, Rock AC, Urban AC, Modern AC, et cetera. So it's not just the Soft/Mainstream/Hot tags. Lots of options with Adult Contemp.
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