Format Names

[lanceventa]

"CHR Pop" is not a Nielsen or MediaBase accepted format. CHR, Churban, Hot AC are real options.

Churban has not really used since the 1990s. It's CHR/Rhythmic or Rhythmic CHR. CHR-Pop is usually really defined as Mainstream CHR although that isn't really needed anymore as the music has evolved. If anything, as we approach a broader convergence of CHR and Hot AC due to the former moving in a more gold heavy and 25-54 focus away from 18-34, new terms may be needed there.

In 2020, I began changing definitions of Urban and Urban AC (and a few station groups have followed suit) as Hip Hop, Hip Hop/R&B, and Adult R&B due to the racist connotations behind "Urban" as a code word for Black.

But since this is so far off the original topic, perhaps this should be spun into its own thread.

 

[davideduardo]

Churban has not really used since the 1990s. It's CHR/Rhythmic or Rhythmic CHR.

But in many places, the two word descriptions don't fit. So Churban is often a substitute

I looked at the Nielsen reports for several markets with the "format" field activated and got

Adult Contemporary
Adult Hits
Alternative
All News
AAA
AOR
All Sports
Active Rock
Classic Rock
Classic Hits
Country
Classical
Contemporary Christian
HAC
Jazz
Mexican Regional
N/T
New Country
Other
Pop CHR
Rhythmic CHR
Rhythmic Oldies
Rhythmic AC
Religious
Spanish Religious
Spanish Hot AC
Spanish News Talk
Spanish Adult Hits
Spanish Tropica
Spanish Contemp
Spanish Sprots
Talk / Përsonality
UAC
Variety
Urban Contemp

CHR-Pop is usually really defined as Mainstream CHR although that isn't really needed anymore as the music has evolved. If anything, as we approach a broader convergence of CHR and Hot AC due to the former moving in a more gold heavy and 25-54 focus away from 18-34, new terms may be needed there.

And Nielsen requires a minimum number of stations and petitioning owners to add an "official format description". I have done this several times with Spanish language formats, and it takes a while to get it done... think 18 months if all the competing owners can agree.

In 2020, I began changing definitions of Urban and Urban AC (and a few station groups have followed suit) as Hip Hop, Hip Hop/R&B, and Adult R&B due to the racist connotations behind "Urban" as a code word for Black.

But, so far, Nielsen does not seem to be motivated to make the change and that would likely be due to owner inertia. For example, Urban One is unlikely to want this change since the title actually promotes their own corporate identity.

When questioned, they say "urban" means "big city" and that is where they operate.

It's a long way from when, in the 50's, "Sponsor" magazine had an annual edition for "Race Stations" and formats were called "Race Music".

 

[nd2023]

I think they should add “classic hip hop” and “electronic dance music” as formats.

 

[CTListener]

But in many places, the two word descriptions don't fit. So Churban is often a substitute

I looked at the Nielsen reports for several markets with the "format" field activated and got

Adult Contemporary
Adult Hits
Alternative
All News
AAA
AOR
All Sports
Active Rock
Classic Rock
Classic Hits
Country
Classical
Contemporary Christian
HAC
Jazz
Mexican Regional
N/T
New Country
Other
Pop CHR
Rhythmic CHR
Rhythmic Oldies
Rhythmic AC
Religious
Spanish Religious
Spanish Hot AC
Spanish News Talk
Spanish Adult Hits
Spanish Tropica
Spanish Contemp
Spanish Sprots
Talk / Përsonality
UAC
Variety
Urban Contemp


And Nielsen requires a minimum number of stations and petitioning owners to add an "official format description". I have done this several times with Spanish language formats, and it takes a while to get it done... think 18 months if all the competing owners can agree.

But, so far, Nielsen does not seem to be motivated to make the change and that would likely be due to owner inertia. For example, Urban One is unlikely to want this change since the title actually promotes their own corporate identity.

When questioned, they say "urban" means "big city" and that is where they operate.

It's a long way from when, in the 50's, "Sponsor" magazine had an annual edition for "Race Stations" and formats were called "Race Music".

And it must be asked if the objections to "urban" as offensively stereotypical are coming from Black radio people or from white academia making assumptions about non-white attitudes, as is the case with "Latinx" among academics vs. among actual Hispanics.

 

[Michi]

Asian Pop - I know of at least two running this format.

 

[davideduardo]

Asian Pop - I know of at least two running this format.

I did not find this in use in the Nielsen format list of stations with ratings. I was just limiting definitions to ones ad buyers would see in their Nielsen data if they pick to list "format".

 

[davideduardo]

I think they should add “classic hip hop” and “electronic dance music” as formats.

Nielsen needs a minimum number of stations in a format with at least several petitioning owners to approve a new format name.

Stations can call themselves whatever they want, and news sites and newspapers that do ratings rankers can also apply whatever format name they want to better define stations. But Nielsen purposely limits format names to broader terms because their principal user of that data is at the agency level.

 

[Identnut]

Asian Pop - I know of at least two running this format.

Technically KSJO San Jose and KUCD Honolulu would both be "Asian Pop", but no one would mistake Bollywood for K-Pop.

 

[vchimpanzee]

And it must be asked if the objections to "urban" as offensively stereotypical are coming from Black radio people or from white academia making assumptions about non-white attitudes, as is the case with "Latinx" among academics vs. among actual Hispanics.

I can remember when "urban" meant what "churban" meant nearly a decade later. At the time, WPEG, the big station with African Americans in Charlotte NC, played Van Halen's "Jump".

 

[vchimpanzee]

I think they should add “classic hip hop” and “electronic dance music” as formats.

Right.

 

[TheBigA]

Mediabase tracks airplay of 22 music formats, so not all genres covered by Nielsen. Of course they don't include any of the talk formats, but also don't include all of the subgenres. They do Latin Urban, which isn't a Nielsen format. They only do Rhythmic and Rhythmic AC.