Adult hits
Adult hits (sometimes also called variety hits) is a radio format that draws from a wide variety of different musical genres. Most adult hits stations play a mix of rock, pop, pop rock, soft rock, classic rock, adult contemporary, and new wave hits as well as select oldies hits, predominantly drawing on music from the late 1960s through the present day. Adult hits is akin to classic hits, although the classic hits format uses a slightly older and often narrower playlist (1960s to 1980s).
Companies associated with the format in Canada include NewCap, Rogers, Bell Media, Corus Entertainment, and other various companies. Companies in the United States include iHeartMedia, CBS Radio, Cumulus Media, Newsweb radio, and Entercom.
History
Forerunners of the adult hits format appeared on radio during the 1970s. At the time, enough of a backlog of popular music from the rock and roll era had developed to support a format based on them; oldies stations, however, were still very rare, and instead, stations that did not want to bind themselves to the current top 40 playlist would mix in current hits with the hits of the past two decades. This hybrid format began to fall out of favor in the 1980s as self-contained oldies stations rose to prominence.
The Adult Hits format dates back to 1990 when 98.9 WMMO was launched in Orlando, Florida.
Male first name FM brand
The adult hits format as it is known in the 21st Century rose to prominence in the early 2000s (decade), with the “Male First Name” FM format. One of the earliest was BOB FM; originating in Canada, BOB was intended to be an acronym for “best of the best.” Following Bob was Jack FM, a proprietary format from the U.S.-based company Sparknet Communications. Jack FM, which originated from an Internet radio station, became widely popular as a “flavor of the month” format on a number of U.S. radio stations in the mid-2000s. The popularity (and significant media attention) Jack FM drew soon led to a litany of imitators, as stations that did not want to pay Sparknet for format rights adopted brands with other male first names, including but not limited to "Frank", "Joe", "Mike", "Ed", "Max", "Mac", "Dave", "Giant", "Simon", "Sam", "Charlie", "Ben", and "Chuck".
Adult hits stations often go under monikers that consist of "(Male Name) FM", but there are some that use another name such as "Playlist FM" and "Jill FM" in Los Angeles, "My FM", "Rewind", or call themselves "Adult Hits 92.7" after the format itself. Adult hits stations target adults 25-54, and more specifically at 35- to 44-year-olds. (When the format originally rose to prominence it was intended to be targeted at women, but this distinction is archaic.)
Related formats
A variation of adult hits, known within the industry as Traditional Country, has made inroads into the country format, typified by the "Hank FM" and "Nash Icon" stations. A Spanish-language version, "Jose FM", is syndicated by Entravision.
Formatting
The adult hits format draws from a wide playlist of broad appeal, consisting primarily of adult contemporary, pop, and rock hits spanning from the 1970s to present. The size of their music library and their focus on older music provide a contrast to other stations, which may heavily play certain popular songs throughout the day.
Due to its relatively free-form nature, the adult hits format can be easily automated. This means that the station can be run with little to no on-air personalities, leaving only staff involved in station operations, advertising sales, and promotional presences. An adult hits station may openly promote the fact that it features "less talk" and more music than other stations in their market.
Radio stations
Note: the below listing of radio stations is subject to change.
Canada
United States
Mexico
| Location | Call sign | Frequency | Brand Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico City | XHDFM-FM | 106.5 FM | "Mix 106.5" |
Philippines
| Location | Call sign | Frequency | Brand Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pasig City | DZRJ-FM | 100.3 FM | "100.3 RJFM" |
| Quezon City | DWNU | 107.5 FM | "Wish 107.5" |
Europe
- Oxfordshire, England – Jack FM
- Cambridgeshire, England – Affinity
- West Leicestershire, England – Oak FM
- Coventry, England – Touch FM
- North Yorkshire, England – Coast & County Radio
- The Netherlands – Jack FM
- Gdynia, Poland – Jack FM
- Berlin, Germany – Jack FM
- Vienna, Austria – Radio 88.6
New Zealand
- New Zealand (Nationwide) – Classic Hits FM
Russia
- Moscow, Russia – KEKC 89.9
- Saint Petersburg, Russia – KEKC 91.1
Satellite Radio
- Sirius Satellite Radio – Sirius Super Shuffle channel 12
- XM Satellite Radio – Pink channel 24