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What is a TRUE rhythmic station supposed to sound like?

J

J. Rob

Is the Rhythmic Top 40 chart really a good representative of rhythmic radio? I've noticed that it's hard to find a station that sticks to it. The stations are either "rhythmic pop" stations that play very little urban music (B96), or full-fledged Urbans (Hot 97)

Songs like Black & Yellow (Wiz Khalifa), Aston Martin Music (Rick Ross), Can't Be Friends (Trey Songz), Lay It Down (Lloyd), and Make A Movie (Twista) are all in the Rhythmic Top 40, but it seems like they only "Rhythmic" stations that play these songs are full-fledged Urbans that are somehow on the rhythmic panel. Would a true rhythmic station play balance Pop and Urban?

(BTW, I personally don't think any of the songs I listed belong on the Rhythmic Top 40, and I think they're only there because there are so many Urban stations on the Rhythmic Panel. They're just too urban sounding to be on the chart, IMO)
 
A true Rhythm station is what that certain market can handle. Hot 97 is not a true Rhythm just like B96 is not a true Rhythm. End of the day stations have to do what is going to get them the most listeners and cume. If you are a rhythm and play nothing but hip hip and r&b in a market that has a rhythm Top 40 that is playing all the hits for the most part you are losing. It is such a fine line now a days on what a station really is and if ask the most important person of all....the listener they don't care! Just play the songs they like!
 
One thing about format classifications is that a station on the "border" of a particular format has more in common with a station in the neighboring format than it does with another station in the same format. Your example, Hot 97, is borderline Rhythmic/Urban, and thus has more in common with Urban WWPR than it does with Rhythmic B96, which is borderline Rhythmic/Mainstream CHR.

Given the recent popularity of CHR, I think Rhythmics that want to go in that direction are more than happy to change their format label to Mainstream CHR. That means a disproportionate number of the remaining stations in the Rhythmic space are actually quazi Urban, which supports your point.
 
I also think that Rhythmics want to pick up where Urbans fell off as hip hop began to decline in popularity. So, the rhythmics that didn't lean chr, or the ones within towns with multiple pop chr's or a town that used to have an urban hip hop format, probably try to "make up for" the lack of an urban while also trying to pull in the rhythmic listeners as well.

I'm not sure about KZON, but I believe WPOW and KYLD are examples of true rhythmic stations.
 
I agree with K that WPOW and KYLD are what a true rhythmic should sound like.
 
AM FM listener said:
What about KPWR?
Click to expand...

Very hip hop leaning

WPOW, WRDW, WJQM....these stations seem to have a pretty good balance of rhythmic pop and urban music, which is what always thought a rhythmic top 40 was supposed to play. But stations these ones are pretty rare, especially in the larger markets
 
How about WPYO in Orlando? They seem to have a good balance. Maybe a slight Urban lean. Shortly after Jill Strada left and went to Hot 97, she had Hot97 sounding just like WPYO, didn't last though, guess NYC is just too Urban of a market.
 
KPWR and Hot 97 and KMEL all used to be good rhythmics but they have all went too urban,,, KPWR is starting to come around but the imaging and slogan dont match the playlist.. WBBM B-96 Chicago used to be really great during the 90s as well, but today its too pop leaning,, but WBBMs mixshows are unique and dancy.
 
Also XHTO wherever it is located,, somewhere on the texas mexico boarder is good,, as is Wild 104 Mccallin.
 
Mid West Clubber said:
KPWR and Hot 97 and KMEL all used to be good rhythmics but they have all went too urban,,, KPWR is starting to come around but the imaging and slogan dont match the playlist.. WBBM B-96 Chicago used to be really great during the 90s as well, but today its too pop leaning,, but WBBMs mixshows are unique and dancy.
Click to expand...

Well, KMEL honestly went after the hip-hop/R&B crowd and stuck with it. KYLD is now the rhythmic station of the Bay Area.
 
Today the CHR chart has become so rhythmic that from my observations rhythmics do better when they lean urban. Several excellent sounding rhythmics that were once strong have failed when they moved too far in the pop direction. The exception is in a market that either doesn't have a full-powered urban (Oklahoma City) or doesn't have a true CHR (San Francisco).
 
With B96 and WKSC going head to head, they've been wiped off my presets. I have no interest in either station, jusst as well they do what they do the best. They can continue with the pop, my focus has turned exclusively to WPWX WGCI WVAZ WSRB WYRB.. and WKKV & WNOV.
 
The way I see it, no two Rhythmics sound alike: in Albany, WAJZ tends to lean more urban (not too much Kesha or Lady Gaga on that station), while WKKF-FM (considered a mainstream CHR by Arbitron and Mediabase) throws in the occasional non-rhythmic artist like Neon Trees, Taylor Swift or Sara Barielles about once an hour to maintain presence on the Mainstream CHR panel despite its playlist being ~95% Rhythmic :)

I really enjoy listening to 103.5 WKTU online... perhaps one of the best Rhythmics in the country :D
 
KYLD in San Franscio and KKWD in Oklahoma City sound like true Rythnmic stations despite the pop hits but good choices
 
Very good example,, the old kkfr when it was on 92.3 was one of the best
 
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