What's Playing on the Radio?

American Demographics, July 1, 1998 by Susan Moran

Shania and Garth can rest easy. Country is still king. One in four commercial radio stations in America plays country music-and it's been this way for almost a decade, according to the latest National Format Trends Study conducted by M-Street Corporation, a Nashville research company.

Adult Contemporary (AC) remains the number-two radio format, and is currently heard on 15 percent of America's 10,350 commercial stations. However, the number of stations that program AC music has declined from 2,058 in 1989 to 1,508 in 1997. Top 40 was the other big loser, declining from 951 stations in 1989 to 358 today.

"Some of this decline is due to the diversification of radio formats," says Tom Taylor, editor of M Street's M Street Daily. "There are now more stations that program the newer, hybrid formats like Classic Hits and Classic Rock." Those formats play popular and rock music from the 1970s and 1980s.

Holding onto fourth place is religion, with 1,063 stations. This format includes stations that play Gospel music and those that feature instructional religious programs.

Americans are hopping and bopping to Oldies stations in record numbers (927). But stations looking to reach more mature audiences are now programming Adult Standards (Sinatra, Bennett, and Williams) over "easy listening" (instrumental and cover versions of popular songs).

Radio continues to reflect the changes in America's population. The number of stations that program to Spanish listeners (515) has increased 75 percent since 1989, making it the seventh most programmed radio format. The most dramatic increase in station format growth came in the non-music category (news, talk, sports, and business). Growing over 300 percent, non-music stations now account for 13 percent of all commercial radio station formats.

For more information, contact M Street Corporation at (609) 883-3321 or send e-mail to MStreetTom@aol.com.