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Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a
radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
music charts A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include ...
. There are several subcategories, dominantly focusing on
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
,
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
, or
urban music Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...
. Used alone, ''CHR'' most often refers to the CHR-pop format. The term ''contemporary hit radio'' was coined in the early 1980s by ''
Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...
'' magazine to designate
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
stations which continued to play hits from all musical genres as pop music splintered into
adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
,
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...
,
contemporary Christian Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...
and other formats. The term "top 40" is also used to refer to the actual list of hit songs, and, by extension, to refer to
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.S. Frith, W. Straw, and J. Street, eds, ''iarchive:cambridgecompani00frit, The Cambridge Companion to Pop ...
in general. The term has also been modified to describe top 50; top 30; top 20; top 10; hot 100 (each with its number of songs) and hot hits radio formats, but carrying more or less the same meaning and having the same creative point of origin with
Todd Storz Robert Todd Storz (May 8, 1924 – April 13, 1964) headed a very successful chain of American radio broadcasting stations and is generally credited with being the foremost innovator of the Top 40 radio format in 1951. The selection of records t ...
as further refined by
Gordon McLendon Gordon Barton McLendon (June 8, 1921 – September 14, 1986Texas State Historical AssociationMcClendon, Gordon Barton/ref>) was an American radio broadcaster. Nicknamed "the Maverick of Radio", McLendon is widely credited for perfecting, during ...
as well as
Bill Drake Bill Drake (January 14, 1937 – November 29, 2008), born Philip Yarbrough, was an American radio programmer who co-developed the Boss Radio format with Gene Chenault via their company Drake-Chenault.Douglas, Susan, ''Listening In: Radio and ...
. The format became especially popular in the mid-sixties as radio stations constrained
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
s to numbered play lists in the wake of the
payola Payola, in the music industry, is the name given to the illegal practice of paying a commercial radio station to play a song without the station disclosing the payment. Under U.S. law, a radio station must disclose songs they were paid to pla ...
scandal.


Variations


Mainstream CHR

Also known as CHR/pop or teen CHR. Plays
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
, and
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
, and sometimes
urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...
,
alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...
,
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
, and
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
crossover as well. Often referred as "
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
"; in terms of incorporating a variety of genres of music, CHR/pop is the successor to the original concept of top 40 radio which originated in the 1950s. Examples of CHR/pop stations in the United States, Canada, and Brazil include
WHTZ WHTZ (100.3 FM) is a commercial contemporary hit radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and broadcasting to the New York metropolitan area. It is owned by iHeartMedia. WHTZ is the flagship station for ''Elvis Duran and the Morning Show' ...
in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
(NY),
KIIS-FM KIIS-FM (102.7 FM broadcasting, FM, "102.7 KIIS FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States, and broadcasts to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format. Owned by i ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
(CA),
KYLD KYLD (94.9 FM) is a commercial radio station in San Francisco, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area and owned by San Antonio–based iHeartMedia. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format on its analog primary signal. The s ...
and
KMVQ-FM KMVQ-FM (99.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California. It is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International, and broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format branded ''99.7 Now''. KMVQ-FM's studios are l ...
in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
(CA),
KHKS KHKS (106.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a contemporary hit radio station city of license, licensed to Denton, Texas. Branded "KISS-FM (brand), KISS-FM" the station serves the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is owned by iHeartMedia. The station is ...
in
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
(TX),
KRBE KRBE (104.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format. The studios are located in Suite 700 at 9801 Westheimer Road in western Houston. KRBE has an ...
in
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
(TX),
CFBT-FM CFBT-FM (94.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Owned by Bell Media, the station broadcasts a Top 40/CHR format branded as ''94.5 Virgin Radio''. The radio studios and offices are at Robson and Burrard ...
in
Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
(BC),
CKFM-FM CKFM-FM (99.9  FM ''99.9 Virgin Radio'') is a Canadian radio station in Toronto, Ontario. The station is owned by Bell Media. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format, and is the flagship of Canada's "Virgin Radio" stations. CKFM's ...
and
CKIS-FM CKIS-FM (92.5 FM, ''Kiss 92.5'') is a radio station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Rogers Radio, a division of Rogers Sports & Media, the station broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format. The station was founded on January 26, 1993, ...
in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
(ON),
KSMG KSMG (105.3 FM, "Hits 105.3") is a commercial radio station serving the San Antonio area, licensed to Seguin. It is owned by Cox Media Group and broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format. Its transmitter is in near Elmendorf in far northwe ...
in
San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
(TX),
WIOQ WIOQ (102.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station broadcasts a contemporary hit radio radio format, format and is owned by iHeartMedia. The radio studio, studios and off ...
in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
(PA),
WPRO-FM WPRO-FM (92.3 MHz "92 PRO-FM") is a commercial contemporary hit radio American radio station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, owned by Cumulus Media. The station's studios and offices are located in the Brine Broadcasting Center ...
in
Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...
(RI),
WXKS-FM WXKS-FM (107.9 MHz), branded ''Kiss 108'', is a commercial contemporary hit radio station licensed to serve Medford, Massachusetts, and covering Greater Boston. Owned by iHeartMedia, the WXKS-FM studios are in Medford and the station transmits f ...
in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
(MA), WIFC in Wausau (WI),
WWPW WWPW (105.3 FM, "Power 105-3") is an Atlanta contemporary hit radio station. The station's transmitter is located in Newnan, Georgia and targets metro Atlanta, also covering its city of license of Bowdon, Georgia. It is owned by iHeartMedia ...
and
WWWQ WWWQ (99.7 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia, United States, carrying a contemporary hit radio format known as "Q99.7". Owned by Cumulus Media, WWWQ serves the Atlanta metropolitan area as the regio ...
in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
(GA),
WKSC-FM WKSC-FM (103.5 MHz) – branded "103.5 Kiss FM" – is a commercial contemporary hit radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex on Michigan Avenue in Downtown Ch ...
in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
(IL),
WFLZ WFLZ-FM (93.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Tampa, Florida. It airs a contemporary hit radio (CHR/Top 40) format and is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. The station's studios and offices are located on Gandy Boulevard in South Tampa. ...
in
Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...
/
St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...
(FL),
WHYI-FM WHYI-FM (100.7 MHz) is a heritage contemporary hit radio station. The station is licensed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and owned by iHeartMedia. Y100 broadcasts at an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts from its 1,007 foot transmitter, wh ...
in
Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...
(FL),
KLUC KLUC-FM (98.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada, airing a Top 40/CHR format. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station's studios are on South Tenaya Way at West Warm Springs Road in Spring Valley, using a Las Vegas address. KL ...
in
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
(NV),
WNCI WNCI (97.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a Commercial broadcasting, commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio, featuring a Contemporary hit radio, top 40 (CHR) format known as "WNCI 97.9". Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., the ...
in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...
(OH),
WZPL WZPL (99.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Greenfield, Indiana, and serving the Indianapolis metropolitan area. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format. WZPL is owned by Cumulus Media. Its studios are located on North Shadeland Ave ...
(IN) in
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
,
KDWB KDWB-FM (101.3 MHz) is an commercial radio station broadcasting in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, licensed to suburban Richfield. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, and airs a contemporary hit radio format. KDWB has an effective radi ...
in
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
/
St. Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...
(MN), and
Jovem Pan FM Jovem Pan FM is a large Brazilian Radio Network, with 25 million listeners and 87 broadcasters, it is the largest FM radio network in Brazil, Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere, and is also one of the largest radio stations on the planet. ...
(with language) in
Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. The stations generally gain large popularity with this format.


Adult CHR

These stations typically are hybrids of the contemporary hit radio (CHR/pop) and
Hot AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...
formats. This format contains a strong focus on current charts, contemporary and recurrent hits as well as placing a minority of older, classic hits from the 2000s and early to mid 2010s onto the playlist. Adult CHR stations play pop-friendly rhythmic, dance and hip hop titles alongside standard mainstream pop and pop rock fare, and often shying away from the most rhythmic CHR titles until they are established hits on the format. Examples in the U.S. include
WIXX WIXX (101.1 FM) is an adult Top 40/ CHR radio station licensed to and serving Green Bay, Wisconsin and the Fox Cities region of Northeast Wisconsin. The station is owned and operated by Wausau, Wisconsin-based Midwest Communications, and is ...
in Green Bay,
WKRQ WKRQ (101.9 FM, "Q102") is a radio station located in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area. The station is licensed to Cincinnati and broadcasts from the WKRQ Tower. It airs an adult-leaning Top 40 (CHR) format and is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. T ...
in Cincinnati and
KZZO KZZO (100.5 MHz "Now 100.5") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Sacramento, California. It broadcasts an Adult Top 40 radio format and is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International, a profit-making subsidiary of the Chur ...
in Sacramento. United Kingdom (UK) media regulator
Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-rang ...
states: "where a format requires a contemporary and chart music service, the main diet must be of modern music, reflecting the charts of today and recent months. Older, classic tracks would not be out of place, but only as spice to the main offering."Ofcom, About radio formats
/ref> The adult CHR format is sometimes utilized by stations which are heritage Top 40/CHR outlets in their respective markets which have been in the format since the 1970s or 1980s or FM successors to former AM top 40s, with examples in the UK including the
Hits Radio Network Hits Radio is a network of 26 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. The network launched in 2018 with the rebranding of Bauer's Manchester station Key 103 and its merger with The Hi ...
compiled of heritage radio stations including
Clyde 1 Clyde 1 is an Independent Local Radio station based in Glasgow, Scotland, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Glasgow and West Central Scotland. As of September 2024, the station ...
in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
and Radio City in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
.


Rhythmic CHR

Also known as CHR/rhythmic, rhythmic crossover, or CHR/urban. These stations focus on
hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
and
dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...
. There are differences between CHR/rhythmic and the
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...
format; urban stations will often play R&B and
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
songs that CHR/rhythmic stations will not, and CHR/rhythmic stations, despite playlists heavy with urban product, sometimes have white disc jockeys and will include EDM and rhythmic pop music that urban outlets will not play.
WQHT WQHT (97.1 FM broadcasting, FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding, a subsidiary of the Standard General hedge ...
in
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, and
KPWR KPWR (105.9 FM broadcasting, FM) – branded as ''Power 106'' – is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. KPWR is owned and operated by Alex Meruelo's Meruelo Group, t ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
are among the most successful CHR/rhythmic stations in the U.S. and among the pioneers of the format.


Bilingual CHR

Bilingual Spanish CHRs (such as
WPOW WPOW (96.5 FM) – branded Power 96 – is a commercial classic hip-hop radio station licensed to Miami, Florida. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves Miami-Dade County, the Miami metropolitan area, and much of surrounding South Florida. ...
in Miami,
KHHM KHHM (101.9 Hertz, MHz) is a commercial radio, commercial FM broadcasting, FM radio station city of license, licensed to Shingle Springs, California, and serving the Sacramento metropolitan area. It is owned by Entravision Communications and air ...
in Shingle Springs, California,
KKPS KKPS (99.5 FM broadcasting, FM) "Fuego 99.5" is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary hit radio, Bilingual Rhythmic CHR format. Licensed to Brownsville, Texas, United States, the station serves the McAllen-Brownsville-Harlingen area. The s ...
and
KBFM KBFM (104.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Edinburg, Texas, United States, carrying a bilingual English/Spanish language rhythmic CHR format known as "Wild 104". Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves the Rio Grande Valley. K ...
in Brownsville, Texas, WKAQ and WXYX in San Juan, Puerto Rico, KBHH in Fresno, California,
WRUM WRUM (100.3 FM) is a commercial radio station in Orlando, Florida, known as "Rumba 100.3". It airs a Spanish-language radio format featuring Latin pop and reggaeton. It is owned by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are on Maitland Center Pa ...
-HD2 in Orlando, Florida and
KLLI (FM) KLLI (93.9 FM, ''Cali 93.9'') is a radio station in Los Angeles, California. Owned by the Meruelo Group, it broadcasts a bilingual Latin pop/rhythmic contemporary format. The station has studios located in Burbank, while its transmitter is ...
in Los Angeles) combine current and recent mainstream and rhythmic CHR hits with recent Latin pop hits, targeting young Latina listeners. Similarly, bilingual French CHRs (such as
CKOI-FM :For the CKOI radio network, see '' CKOI (network)''. CKOI-FM (96.9 FM) is a commercial radio station in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It airs a French-language contemporary hit radio format and is owned and operated by Cogeco. The studios are in Pl ...
in Montreal) are common in some Canadian markets, and combine anglophone and French pop hits. Filipino-based CHR stations (such as
DWTM DWTM (89.9 FM), on-air as Magic 89.9, is a radio station owned and operated by Quest Broadcasting Incorporated. It serves as the flagship station of Magic Nationwide and the flagship partner station of Tiger 22 Media. The station's studios ...
,
DWRX DWRX (93.1 FM), broadcasting as Monster RX 93.1, is a radio station owned and operated by Audiovisual Communicators, Inc. It serves as the flagship station of Monster Radio. The station's studio and transmitter are located at the 17th floor, ...
,
DWRT-FM DWRT (99.5 FM), broadcasting as 99.5 XFM, is a commercial radio station owned by Real Radio Network Inc. and operated by Y2H Broadcasting Network, Inc. under an airtime lease agreement. Its studio is located at Unit 906-B, Paragon Plaza Buil ...
, DWCZ, and
DYIO DYIO (101.1 FM) - broadcasting as Y101 - is a radio station owned by GVM Radio/TV Corporation and operated by Y2H Broadcasting Network, Inc. The station's studio and transmitter are located at the BSP Camp, Capitol Hills, Brgy. Lahug, Cebu Ci ...
) are also common in major Philippine market areas, which feature current mainstream and rhythmic CHR hits with recent OPM and P-Pop hits.


Gold-based CHR

Gold-based CHRs combine a more limited base of currents and recurrents from the mainstream, rhythmic and/or adult CHR formats with a broader playlist of gold from the 2000s and 2010s. Stations from this format may also be called
rhythmic hot AC Rhythmic adult contemporary, often abbreviated as rhythmic AC or RAC, is an adult contemporary radio format. The format focuses primarily on rhythmic hits aimed towards an adult audience, often resembling a mixture of the classic hits and hot adul ...
if their library is particularly rhythmic-leaning. Examples include
WPOW WPOW (96.5 FM) – branded Power 96 – is a commercial classic hip-hop radio station licensed to Miami, Florida. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves Miami-Dade County, the Miami metropolitan area, and much of surrounding South Florida. ...
and
WFLC WFLC (97.3 MHz, "Hits 97.3") is a radio station in Miami, Florida. Owned by Cox Media Group, it broadcasts a rhythmic adult contemporary, rhythmic hot AC format. WFLC's studios and offices are located on North 29th Avenue in Hollywood, Florida, ...
in Miami,
WKFS WKFS (107.1 FM, "Kiss 107.1") is a radio station in the Cincinnati, Ohio, market, licensed to nearby Milford. It broadcasts a gold-based Top 40 format and is owned by iHeartMedia. The WKFS studios are located in Kenwood Towne Centre, and th ...
in Cincinnati, Ohio,
WBBM-FM WBBM-FM (96.3 MHz, "B96") is a gold-based contemporary hit radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 3,300 watts, transmitting from atop the Willis Tower (formerly th ...
in Chicago, WMOV in Hampton Roads and
WKTU WKTU (103.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a rhythmic adult contemporary formatted radio station city of license, licensed to Lake Success, New York, a suburb of New York City. WKTU is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios at 125 West 55th ...
in New York City.


CHR/dance

Playing
dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
remixes of popular songs with perhaps some current hits from the dance charts. Pure dance-music radio stations (as opposed to CHR/rhythmic and
rhythmic AC Rhythmic adult contemporary, often abbreviated as rhythmic AC or RAC, is an adult contemporary radio format. The format focuses primarily on rhythmic hits aimed towards an adult audience, often resembling a mixture of the classic hits and hot adu ...
formats such as MOViN) are not very common but tend to have loyal audiences in the markets where they do exist. Examples include WPTY on
Long Island, NY Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land area. The island exte ...
and
KNHC KNHC (89.5 FM) is a Class C1 high school radio station based in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's oldest, still remaining, dance music station. C89.5 offers a hybrid of current-based EDM product and Rhythmic Top 40 remixes, as well as ...
in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
. This format is very popular on internet radio stations such a
KVPN Digital Broadcasting (VPN Digital 1) Los Angeles


CHR/rock

Stations with this format, a modernized Rock 40 format, are similar in some ways to the Adult CHR and Mainstream CHR/Pop formats, but also incorporate
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...
/
alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (Kamen Rider), Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an altern ...
/
active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
and
modern AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...
titles in an upbeat presentation. Examples include
KSXY KSXY (100.9 FM broadcasting, FM, "Latino 100.9") is a Spanish language in the United States, Spanish contemporary hit radio formatted radio station licensed to Forestville, California, United States. It is owned by Wine Country Radio. History W ...
in Santa Rosa, California, WDJQ in Canton, Ohio,
WIXX WIXX (101.1 FM) is an adult Top 40/ CHR radio station licensed to and serving Green Bay, Wisconsin and the Fox Cities region of Northeast Wisconsin. The station is owned and operated by Wausau, Wisconsin-based Midwest Communications, and is ...
in Green Bay, Wisconsin,
KKCK KKCK (94.7 FM) is a radio station in Marshall, Minnesota ( licensed to Springfield), serving the Marshall and Redwood Falls areas. The station is owned by John Linder and operated from the KMHL/KKCK studios in Marshall. From 1982–2019, KKC ...
in Marshall, Minnesota, and
WMOM WMOM (102.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Mainstream Contemporary hit radio, CHR format. Licensed to Pentwater, Michigan, it serves the Ludington, Michigan area. It first began broadcasting in 1999. History WMOM is owned by Hit Radio Me ...
in Ludington, Michigan. An early version of rock-leaning CHR is Rock 40, which was popular in the late 1980s. This format, developed by Joint Communications who service marked the name in 1987, is a young-male-targeted hybrid of CHR and
album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. US rad ...
(AOR) that combines the formatics of the former with the music mix of the latter. After a short period of successful ratings, the Rock 40 format began to decline because it was too similar to conventional AOR yet lacked appeal among CHR fans who desired less emphasis on rock. According to
Lee Abrams Lee Abrams (born 1952) is an American media executive who has held a number of posts for large and influential companies, and is generally credited with developing the Album Oriented Rock format first heard at WQDR Raleigh and thereafter emplo ...
, a pioneer of the AOR format, Rock 40 was "too wimpy for the real rockers and too hard for the mainstream people". Stations that previously broadcast the format include
KEGL KEGL (97.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is an iHeartMedia commercial radio station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, and serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The station's studios are located along Dallas North Tollway, Dallas Parkway in Farmers Bra ...
in Dallas, KQLZ (Pirate Radio) in Los Angeles,
KRZR KRZR (1400 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Visalia, California. It airs a talk radio format, simulcasting sister station KALZ 96.7 FM in Fowler. KRZR and KALZ are owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. KRZR is powered at 1,000 watts. ...
in Fresno, California,
KXXR KXXR (93.7 FM) is an active rock/mainstream rock radio station broadcasting to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. It is owned by Cumulus Media, which also owns KQRS-FM. Its transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota. Its studi ...
in Kansas City, and
WMMS WMMS (100.7 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, commonly identified as "The Buzzard". Widely regarded as one of the most influen ...
in Cleveland. Rock 40 stations eventually segued to CHR or an AOR spinoff format such as
active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
or
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...
.


Other variations

There are also variations targeting minority ethnic groups, such as CHR/español (
Latin pop Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
), and CHR/Tejano ( Tex-Mex and Tejano) which are commonly found in
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
,
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, and
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. In Greater China (People's Republic of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
,
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, and
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
), there is also
Mandopop Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; later influences came from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop ...
and
Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") is a genre of pop music sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption. The genre began in the 1970s and became associated with Hon ...
which are the top 40 variants in that language.


Key contributors


Todd Storz

Credit for the format is widely given to
Todd Storz Robert Todd Storz (May 8, 1924 – April 13, 1964) headed a very successful chain of American radio broadcasting stations and is generally credited with being the foremost innovator of the Top 40 radio format in 1951. The selection of records t ...
, who was the director of radio station KOWH-AM in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
in 1951. At that time typical AM radio programming consisted largely of full-service "
block programming Block programming (also known as a strand in British broadcasting) is the arrangement of programs on radio or television so that those of a particular genre, theme, or target audience are united. Overview Block programming involves scheduling a ...
": pre-scheduled, sponsored programs of a wide variety, including
radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the liste ...
s and variety shows. Local popular music hits, if they made it on the air at all, had to be worked in between these segments. Storz noted the great response certain songs got from the record-buying public and compared it to the way certain selections on
jukebox A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a user-selected song from a self-contained media library. Traditional jukeboxes contain records, compact discs, or digital files, and allow user ...
es were played over and over. He expanded his domain of radio stations, purchasing WTIX-AM in
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, Louisiana, gradually converted his stations to an all-hits format, and pioneered the practice of surveying record stores to determine which singles were popular each week. Storz found that the more people heard a given song on the radio or from the jukebox, the more likely they were to buy a copy; a conclusion not obvious in the industry at the time. In 1952 he purchased what was then WLAF-AM in Lafayette, Indiana and constructed WAZY-AM/FM which is still the longest running top 40 FM station in existence to this day. In 1954, Storz purchased
WHB WHB (810 AM) is a commercial radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, airing an all-sports radio format. Its studios are on West 121st Street in Overland Park, Kansas, also the headquarters of its owner, Union Broadcasting. For most of the 19 ...
-AM, a high-powered station in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
, which could be heard throughout the Midwest and Great Plains, converted it to an all-hits format, and dubbed the result "top 40". Shortly thereafter WHB debuted the first "top 40 countdown", a reverse-order playing of the station's ranking of hit singles for that week. Within a few years, top 40 stations appeared all over the country to great success, spurred by the burgeoning popularity of
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
music, especially that of
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
. A 1950s employee at WHB, Ruth Meyer, went on to have tremendous success in the early to mid-60's as program director of New York's premiere top 40 station at that time, WMCA. Storz Broadcasting Company consisted of six AM radio stations, all featuring top 40 in the sixties.


Gordon McLendon

Although Todd Storz is regarded as the father of the top 100 format,
Gordon McLendon Gordon Barton McLendon (June 8, 1921 – September 14, 1986Texas State Historical AssociationMcClendon, Gordon Barton/ref>) was an American radio broadcaster. Nicknamed "the Maverick of Radio", McLendon is widely credited for perfecting, during ...
of
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
, Texas, is regarded as the person who took an idea and turned it into a mass media marketing success in combination with the development in that same city of
PAMS PAMS Productions, Inc. (an acronym for Production, Advertising and Merchandising Service), based in Dallas, Texas, was one of the most famous jingle production companies in American broadcasting. It produced identification packages for radio stat ...
jingles. McLendon's successful Mighty 1190
KLIF The Norwegian Climate and Pollution Agency (, ''Klif''), named Norwegian Pollution Control Authority (, ''SFT'') until 2010, was a Norway, Norwegian etat, government agency from 1974 to 2013 when it was merged into the Norwegian Environment Agency ...
in Dallas, along with his two other
Texas Triangle The Texas Triangle is a region of Texas that contains the state's five largest cities and is home to over half of the state's population. The Texas Triangle is formed by the state's four main urban centers, Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston ...
stations, 610
KILT (AM) KILT (, "SportsRadio 610") is a commercial AM radio station in Houston, Texas. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and carries a sports radio format. KILT shares its call sign with its sister station KILT-FM (100.3 FM), which airs a country mu ...
Houston and 550
KTSA KTSA (550 AM "107.1 and 550 KTSA") is a commercial radio station in San Antonio, Texas. KTSA is owned by Alpha Media and airs a news/talk radio format. Its studios, offices and three-tower transmitter site are on Eisenhauer Road in San Antoni ...
San Antonio, which went top 40 during the mid to late 1950s, soon became perhaps the most imitated radio stations in America. With careful attention to programming, McLendon presented his stations as packages to advertisers and listeners alike. It was the combination of top 40 and PAMS jingles which became the key to the success of the radio format itself. Not only were the same records played on different stations across America, but so were the same jingle music beds whose lyrics were resung repetitively for each station to create individual station identity. To this basic mix were added contests, games and
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...
patter. Various groups (including
Bartell Broadcasters The Bartell Group, later known as Bartell Broadcasters, Bartell Family Radio, Macfadden-Bartell, and the Bartell Media Corporation, was a family-owned company that owned a number of radio stations in the United States during the 1940s through the 1 ...
) emphasized local variations on their top 40 stations. Gordon McLendon would operate approximately a dozen and a half AM, FM and TV stations at various times, experimenting with formats other than top 40 (including beautiful music and all-news).


Rick Sklar

In the early 1960s
Rick Sklar Rick Sklar (November 21, 1929 – June 22, 1992) was an American radio program director who, while at New York City's WABC, was one of the originators of the Top 40 radio format. Biography Sklar grew up in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn. He graduated ...
also developed the Top 40 format for radio station WABC in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
which was then copied by stations in the eastern and mid-western United States such as WKBW and WLS.


Bill Drake

Bill Drake Bill Drake (January 14, 1937 – November 29, 2008), born Philip Yarbrough, was an American radio programmer who co-developed the Boss Radio format with Gene Chenault via their company Drake-Chenault.Douglas, Susan, ''Listening In: Radio and ...
built upon the foundation established by Storz and McLendon to create a variation called "
Boss Radio Boss Radio was the name of two radio programming formats, both launched in the early 1960s: One in the United States, and one in the United Kingdom. Although the names were the same, the formats were quite different. The word "boss" was early 196 ...
". This format began in California in early 1961 at KSTN in Stockton, then expanded in 1962–63 to
KYNO KYNO (940 AM) is a radio station licensed to Fresno, California and is owned by John Ostlund and Katrina Ostlund. KYNO airs an oldies format, switching to Christmas music for much of December. KYNO's radio studios and offices are on Fulton ...
in Fresno, in 1964 to
KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...
in
San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, and finally to KHJ in Los Angeles in May 1965; it was further adapted to stations across the western US. Boss Radio was later broadcast by American disc jockeys as a hybrid format on
pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...
station
Swinging Radio England Swinging Radio England ("SRE") was a top 40 offshore commercial station billed as the "''World's Most Powerful''" that operated from 3 May 1966 to 13 November 1966 from a ship in the North Sea, four and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, En ...
, broadcasting from on board a ship anchored off the coast of southern England in international waters. At that time there were no commercial radio stations in the UK, and
BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...
offered only sporadic top 40 programming. Other noteworthy North American top 40 stations that used the Drake approach included KFRC in
San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
;
CKLW CKLW (800 AM) is a commercial radio station in Windsor, Ontario, serving Southwestern Ontario and Metro Detroit. CKLW is owned by Bell Media and has a news/talk radio format. It features local hosts in morning and afternoon drive times, with ...
in
Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...
;
WRKO WRKO (680 AM) is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by iHeartMedia, WRKO is a Class B AM station that provides secondary coverage to portio ...
in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
; WHBQ in Memphis;
WOLF The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the grey wolf or gray wolf, is a Canis, canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of Canis lupus, subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, includin ...
in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...
; and
WOR-FM WEPN-FM (98.7 FM broadcasting, FM, "La Exitosa 98.7") is a radio station in New York City, owned by Emmis Corporation. The station carries a Spanish-language format with a gold-based mix of Latin pop and English-language adult contemporary musi ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. Most listeners identified Boss Radio with less talk, shorter jingles and more music.


Mike Joseph and hot hits

Mike Joseph's "hot hits" stations of the late 1970s and early 1980s attempted to revitalize the format by refocusing listeners' attention on current, active "box-office" music. Thus, hot hits stations played only current hit songs—no oldies unless they were on current chart albums—in a fast, furious and repetitive fashion, with fast-talking personalities and loud, pounding jingles. In 1977,
WTIC-FM WTIC-FM (96.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Hartford, Connecticut. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a hot adult contemporary radio format. The station's studios and offices are located on Executive Drive in Farmington. WTIC ...
in Hartford, CT, dropped its long-running classical format for Joseph's format as "96 Tics" and immediately became one of the top radio stations in the market. The first Joseph station to use the term "hot hits" on the air was
WFBL WFBL (1390 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Syracuse, New York, and owned by Wolf Radio, Inc. The studios and offices are on Smokey Hollow Road in Baldwinsville. Since September 2017. the station has simulcast Craig Fox's " ...
("Fire 14", which played its top 14 hits in very tight rotation) in Syracuse, NY, in 1979. Then
WCAU-FM WOGL (98.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, owned by Audacy, Inc. The station broadcasts a classic hits radio format. WOGL's transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia, an ...
in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
switched to hot hits as "98 Now" in the fall of 1981 and was instantly successful. Other major-market stations which adopted the hot hits format in the early 1980s included
WBBM-FM WBBM-FM (96.3 MHz, "B96") is a gold-based contemporary hit radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 3,300 watts, transmitting from atop the Willis Tower (formerly th ...
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, WHYT (now
WDVD WDVD (96.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a hot adult contemporary radio station in Detroit, Michigan. Owned and operated by Cumulus Media, WDVD's studios and offices are located in the Fisher Building in Detroit's New Center district near Downtown Detr ...
)
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, WMAR-FM (now
WWMX WWMX (106.5 FM), known on-air as Mix 106.5, is a commercial radio station in Baltimore, Maryland. It broadcasts a hot adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The studios and offices are on Clarkview Road off Jones Falls ...
)
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
, which we might add was not successful against market leader WBSB B104,
KITS KITS (105.3 FM broadcasting, FM, "Live 105") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock radio format known as "Live 105". The studios ...
San Francisco, and WNVZ
Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
.


Don Pierson

Don Pierson Donald Grey Pierson (October 11, 1925 – March 30, 1996) was an American businessman and civic leader in Eastland, Texas. He founded the British pirate stations Wonderful Radio London, Swinging Radio England and Britain Radio during the 196 ...
took the formats of Gordon McLendon, boss radio and PAMS jingles to the UK in the form of
Wonderful Radio London Radio London, also known as Big L and Wonderful Radio London, was a top 40 (in London's case, the "Fab 40") offshore commercial station that operated from 23 December 1964 to 14 August 1967, from a ship anchored in the North Sea, off Frin ...
, (a
pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...
ship) and subsequently revolutionized the popular music format. On 14 August 1967 The Marine Offences Act was introduced in the UK and the pirate stations were shut down. The British Broadcasting Corporation were chosen by the UK government to come up with a station to replace the pirates, and so in 1967
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
started broadcasting, employing many of the DJ's from the pirate stations (
Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and television presenter, whose career spans over 60 years. Blackburn first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio Londo ...
,
Kenny Everett Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English radio Disc Jockey, DJ and television entertainer, known for his zany comedic style. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the m ...
and
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...
etc.) and obtaining re-sings of the PAMS jingles. In fact it was Tony Blackburn who played the first pop record on Radio 1, the Move's "Flowers In The Rain".


Countdowns, shows and personalities

*
List of number-one hits (United States) This is a list of songs that have peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the magazine's national singles charts that preceded it. Introduced in 1958, the Hot 100 is the pre-eminent singles chart in the United States, currently m ...
*
Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 ''Rick Dees Weekly Top 40'' (sometimes known as ''The Weekly Top 40'') is an internationally syndicated radio program created and hosted by American radio personality Rick Dees. It is currently heard on over 200 radio stations worldwide. It is ...
*
American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally radio syndication, syndicated, independent song countdown radio programming, radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs (broadcaster), Ron Jaco ...
* Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton *
The Official Big Top 40 ''The EE Official Big Top 40 from Global'' is a radio chart show broadcast every Sunday from 4 to 7pm on Global's Capital and Heart networks, presented by Will Manning. The show started on 14 June 2009, with "When Love Takes Over" by David Gu ...
, Global Radio's nationally syndicated chart show in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, airing on both the
Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...
and
Capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...
networks. It was previously known as
Hit40UK ''Hit40UK'' was a networked Top 40 chart show broadcasting on around 130 UK commercial radio stations every Sunday from 4pm to 7pm. It was also a TV programme shown on 4Music. The radio version was produced in house by Global Radio (formerly G ...
. * Asia Pop 40, a Top 40 chart program in the Asian region *The World Chart Show *Pânico, Hit Parade And The 7 Best in
Jovem Pan FM Jovem Pan FM is a large Brazilian Radio Network, with 25 million listeners and 87 broadcasters, it is the largest FM radio network in Brazil, Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere, and is also one of the largest radio stations on the planet. ...


Formats and radio stations

National public/
state-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...
radio networks in bold.


America

*''See :Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States, :Contemporary hit radio stations in Canada, and :Contemporary hit radio stations in Mexico.''


Brazil

*
Jovem Pan FM Jovem Pan FM is a large Brazilian Radio Network, with 25 million listeners and 87 broadcasters, it is the largest FM radio network in Brazil, Latin America and the Southern Hemisphere, and is also one of the largest radio stations on the planet. ...
-
Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
*
Band FM Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...
- Eclectic *
Rádio Globo Rádio Globo is a Brazilian contemporary hit radio network, owned by Sistema Globo de Rádio, a division of Grupo Globo. It was launched on 2 December 1944. Its journalists anchors are Roberto Canázio and Rosana Jatobá. The company employs ...
- Eclectic * Mix FM -
Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
* Clube FM - Eclectic * Atlântida FM -
Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...


South Korea

*
SBS Power FM HLSQ-FM, also known as ''SBS Power FM'' (), is a K-pop music radio station of the Seoul Broadcasting System. The station is heard nationwide via syndication with local FM stations in Korea via HLDG-FM in Busan, HLDE-FM in Daegu, HLDH-FM in G ...
, South Korea


Trinidad and Tobago

*
95 The Ultimate One 95 The Ultimate One ( 95.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting from Trinidad and Tobago owned and operated by Guardian Media Limited. It is currently the oldest station in Trinidad and Tobago. The station rebranded from "951 The Best Mix" to "95 ...
, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago *
Hott 93 Hott 93 ( 93.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting from Trinidad and Tobago, broadcasting a Top 40/CHR format. Licensed to Port of Spain, it serves most areas of the country. The station's sister stations are: Taj 92.3, i95.5, Red 96.7, and ...
, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago *
Star 947 Star 947 ( 94.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting from Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. It is a member of Trinidad and Tobago's Radio Network (TTRN) and has been broadcasting since 2010. News The radio station provides news, through ''News ...
, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago *Music Radio 97,
Port of Spain Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...
, Trinidad and Tobago *Platinum Hits 103.5,
Port of Spain Port of Spain ( ; Trinidadian and Tobagonian English, Trinidadian English: ''Port ah Spain'' ) is the capital and chief port of Trinidad and Tobago. With a municipal population of 49,867 (2017), an urban population of 81,142 and a transient dail ...
, Trinidad and Tobago *Heartbeat 104.1,
Valsayn Valsayn is a town in Trinidad and Tobago. It is located along the East–West Corridor in northern Trinidad between the Eastern Main Road, Uriah Butler Highway, Churchill–Roosevelt Highway and Curepe. Valsayn consists of a small number of luxu ...
, Trinidad and Tobago


United States


California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

* KIIS-FM 102.7 -
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...


New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

* WHTZ-FM 100.3 -
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...


Guyana

*
Mix 90.1FM Mix 90.1 FM is a radio station broadcasting in Guyana owned and operated by Trinidadian Company Guardian Media Limited as part of The TBC Radio Network. Mix 90.1 FM is Guyana’s destination for the Top 40 music, pop culture and celebrity gossip ...
, Georgetown, Guyana


United Kingdom

*
BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...
**
BBC Radio 1Xtra BBC Radio 1Xtra is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts Black music and urban music, including hip hop and R&B and is a sister station to Radio 1. Launching at 18:00 on 16 August 2002, it had been ...
**
BBC Radio 1 Dance BBC Radio 1 Dance is a British online-only radio stream, owned and operated by the BBC and run as a spin-off from BBC Radio 1. The station plays a mix of back-to-back current, future and classic electronic dance music, and broadcasts exclusive ...
**
BBC Radio 1 Relax BBC Radio 1 Relax was a British online-only radio stream, owned and operated by the BBC and ran as a spin-off from BBC Radio 1. The station played a selection of relaxation and well-being focused shows, and broadcast exclusively on BBC Sounds. ...
*
Capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...
**
Capital UK Capital UK is a radio station broadcasting across the United Kingdom and Malta via DAB and internet streaming, and is owned by Global and operates from the Capital radio network. Capital UK is available nationally on digital radio, and instead ...
**
Capital Dance Capital Dance is a national digital radio station in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Global and run as a spin-off from Capital. The station broadcasts from studios at Leicester Square in London alongside its siblings Capital, Capital ...
**
Capital Xtra Capital XTRA (formerly Choice FM) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Global. It broadcasts on 96.9 and 107.1 FM in Greater London, and nationally on DAB, Global Player and television platforms. It specialises in hip ho ...
**
Capital Xtra Reloaded Capital XTRA Reloaded, is a Global-owned radio station operated as a sister station to Capital XTRA. It broadcasts from Birmingham and is available on DAB Digital Radio in London, and on the Global Player app. Its output consists primarily of ...
**
Capital Cymru Capital Anglesey & Gwynedd, formerly known as Capital Cymru, is a local radio station owned and operated by Global. The station broadcasts to Anglesey and Gwynedd via the Arfon transmitting station. Previously, the station formed part of the He ...
**
Capital Liverpool Capital Liverpool is an Independent Local Radio station serving Liverpool, England. It is owned and operated by Global
**
Capital London Capital London is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Global Media & Entertainment as part of its national Capital Network. As Capital Radio it was launched in the London area in 1973 as one of Britain's first two commerci ...
**
Capital Manchester and Lancashire Capital Manchester and Lancashire is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to Greater Manchester and eastern & central parts of Lancashire from studios at the XYZ Building in Spinning ...
**
Capital Mid-Counties Capital Mid-Counties is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to Coventry, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, south Staffordshire, the Cotswolds and north Oxfordshire. The station launch ...
**
Capital Midlands Capital Midlands is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to Birmingham, parts of the Black Country and the East Midlands from studios at Brindleyplace in Birmingham City Centre. T ...
**
Capital North East Capital North East is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to North East England. The station launched on 1 June 1999 as Galaxy 105–106, renamed in 2006 as Galaxy North East and ...
**
Capital North West and North Wales Capital North West and North Wales is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to Cheshire, the Wirral Peninsula & North Wales. The station was previously part of the Heart radio net ...
**
Capital Scotland Capital Scotland (formerly known as Beat 106, XFM Scotland, and later Galaxy Scotland) is a regional radio station owned by Communicorp UK and operated by Global. It broadcasts to Scotland's Central Belt, an area surrounding the two cities o ...
**
Capital South Capital South is a regional radio station owned and operated by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcasts to Hampshire and Sussex. The station launched on 6 April 2019, following the merger of Capital Brighton and Capital South Coa ...
**
Capital South Wales Capital South Wales is a regional radio station owned by Communicorp UK and operated by Global Media & Entertainment, Global as part of the Capital (radio network), Capital network. It broadcasts to Cardiff and Newport, Wales, Newport and the ...
**
Capital Yorkshire Capital Yorkshire was a regional radio station owned by Global as part of the Capital network. It broadcast to South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire. Capi ...
*
Hits Radio Hits Radio is a network of 26 contemporary hit radio stations in the United Kingdom, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. The network launched in 2018 with the rebranding of Bauer's Manchester station Key 103 and its merger with The Hi ...
** Hits Radio UK **
Hits Radio Pride Hits Radio Pride is a national digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts across the United Kingdom. It was launched on 28 August 2020 as a pop up Pride station focusing on music for the L ...
**Hits Radio Chilled **
Hits Radio Birmingham Hits Radio Birmingham, formerly Free Radio Birmingham, is an Independent Local Radio station based in Birmingham, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Birmingham and the West Mid ...
** Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire ** Hits Radio Cambridgeshire **
Hits Radio Cornwall Hits Radio Cornwall, formerly Pirate FM, is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Cornwall and West Devon on DAB from studios in Redruth. As of Septem ...
**
Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire Hits Radio Coventry & Warwickshire, formerly Free Radio Coventry & Warwickshire, is an Independent Local Radio station based in Birmingham, England, owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Coventry and W ...
** Hits Radio Cumbria **
Hits Radio Dorset Hits Radio Dorset, formerly Fire Radio, is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Radio, Bauer as part of the Hits Radio Network. The station broadcasts to Bournemouth, Poole, and Christchurch, Dorset, Christchurch, Dor ...
** Hits Radio East Midlands ** Hits Radio East Yorkshire & North Lincolnshire **
Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire Hits Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire, formerly Free Radio Herefordshire & Worcestershire, is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Herefordshire and Worcestershi ...
**
Hits Radio Lancashire Hits Radio Lancashire, formerly Rock FM, is an Independent Local Radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Radio, Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Lancashire, North West England. As of March 2025, the s ...
**
Hits Radio Lincolnshire Hits Radio Lincolnshire is an Independent Local Radio station serving Lincolnshire and Newark in Nottinghamshire. The station is owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio Network. The station has rebranded from its o ...
**
Hits Radio Liverpool Hits Radio Liverpool, formerly Radio City, is an Independent Local Radio station, owned and operated by Bauer Radio, Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Merseyside, Cheshire and parts of north Wales. As of ...
** Hits Radio London **
Hits Radio Manchester Hits Radio Manchester, formerly Key 103, is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to Greater Manchester. As of September 2024, the station has a weekly ...
** Hits Radio North East ** Hits Radio Norfolk ** Hits Radio Northern Ireland **
Hits Radio Oxfordshire Hits Radio Oxfordshire, formerly known most recently as Jack 2 Hits and Jack 3 Chill, is an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting in Oxfordshire, England on FM and the Oxfordshire DAB multiplex, as part of the Hits Radio network. It is ...
** Hits Radio South Wales **
Hits Radio South Yorkshire Hits Radio South Yorkshire, formerly Hallam FM, is an Independent Local Radio station based in Sheffield, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to South Yorkshire and Chesterfield ...
**
Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire Hits Radio Staffordshire & Cheshire, formerly Signal 1, is an Independent Local Radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to North Staffordshire and South Cheshire. As of Septemb ...
**
Hits Radio Teesside Hits Radio Teesside, formerly TFM, is an Independent Local Radio station for Teesside, England, based in Newcastle upon Tyne. The station is owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to areas of ...
** Hits Radio West of England **
Hits Radio West Yorkshire Hits Radio West Yorkshire, formerly Pulse 1, is an Independent Local Radio station based in Leeds, England, owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Hits Radio network. It broadcasts to West Yorkshire. As of September 2024, t ...


Ukraine

* Hit FM *
Europa Plus Europa Plus () is a Russian commercial radio station. It is owned by the European Media Group and started broadcasting on 30 April 1990 in the Soviet Union. The station primarily plays hot AC and Top 40 music. Europa Plus spans across Russia, ...


France

*
Mouv' ''Mouv '' () (formerly ''Le Mouv'') is a French youth-oriented radio station which began broadcasting on 17 June 1997. As part of Radio France, it is a public radio station. The station primarily plays youth-oriented music, centered on urban mu ...


Italy

*
RTL 102.5 RTL 102.5 is a private Italian radio station. Despite its name, this radio station is not endorsed or affiliated with RTL Group (it is owned by Lorenzo Suraci, and RTL is an acronym of (''Lombardy Radio Broadcasting''), the original name of this s ...
* Radio Kiss Kiss


Netherlands

*
NPO 3FM NPO 3FM is a Dutch rhythmic CHR radio station controlled by public broadcaster NPO. The vast majority of the songs played on-air are rock, alternative, indie and pop, though dance and Mega Top 30 tracks may also air at times. History As ...
*
NPO FunX NPO FunX is a Dutch public radio station which has been on air since 3 August 2002. The station runs mainly urban music. The station is aimed at an audience of young people between 15 and 34 years. It concentrates on such music styles as R&B, H ...


Germany

*
Bayern 3 Bayern 3 is a public radio station owned and operated by Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), the public broadcaster in the German state of Bavaria. History Bayern 3 started operating on 1 April 1971 as BR’s third radio channel. It is focused on pop mu ...
-
Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
* hr3 -
Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...


Spain

*
LOS40 Los 40 (stylized as LOS40, formerly ''Los 40 Principales'', ) is a Spanish Top 40-themed music radio station that broadcasts current and recent music, primarily focusing on genres such as pop, dance, electropop, Electro Latin, and Reggaeton. Th ...


Sweden

*
Sveriges Radio P3 Sveriges Radio P3 (P3) is a Contemporary hit radio, semi-mainstream CHR/CHR Alternative-formatted station operated by Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcasting organization Sveriges Radio. The P in P3 originally stood for Program (''Pro ...


Switzerland

*
Couleur 3 RTS Couleur 3 (''lit.'' "Colour 3") is the third radio station operated by RTS Radio Télévision Suisse. The station was launched on 24 February 1982. Until the end of all FM transmissions on 31 December 2024, RTS Couleur 3 could be receive ...
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
*
Radio SRF 3 Radio SRF 3 is the third radio station from Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF). History The station was launched on 1 November 1983 at 00:01 hours (as DRS 3) in response to the licensing of private radio stations in Switzerland. During its ear ...
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
*
RSI Rete Tre RSI Rete Tre is the third Italian-language radio station from Radiotelevisione svizzera di lingua italiana (RSI), aimed at younger listeners broadcasting popular and alternative music. It was launched at 00:03 on 1 January 1988 and is available ...
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...


Indonesia

*
Prambors FM Prambors FM (formerly known as Prambors Rasisonia and 102,3 FMANIA) is a commercial contemporary hit radio based in Jakarta, Indonesia. Launched on March 18, 1971 in Jakarta, the purpose of station was to play pop music with their target audience ...
** Prambors Radio Jakarta 102.2 FM (officially open took place on ) ** Prambors Radio Makassar 105.1 FM (officially open took place on ) * Gen FM ** Gen 98.7 FM Jakarta ** Gen 103.1 FM Surabaya *Sonora 92.0 FM Jakarta ** Sonora 98.0 FM Surabaya *97.5 FM Motion Radio * OZ Radio ** OZ Radio Bandung 103.1 FM ** OZ Radio Jakarta 90.8 FM *Istara 101.1 FM Surabaya *EBS 105.9 FM Surabaya *DJ 94.8 FM Surabaya


Lebanon

* Mix FM *
Virgin Radio Virgin Radio is a branding of radio stations broadcast in Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Turkey, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. As of April 2024, there were over 40 stations globally. The stations ...


Malaysia

*
Eight FM Eight FM (formerly Wanita FM, One FM and 8FM) is a Malaysian Chinese-language radio station and owned by Media Prima. History Eight FM began broadcasting in 2006 as a women's radio station called "Wanita FM", which was acquired by Media Pr ...
* goXuan *
Hitz ''Hitz'' is an American sitcom that aired on UPN from August 26 until November 11, 1997. The series follows two record industry executives (Rick Gomez and Claude Brooks) and their boss (Andrew Dice Clay) at Hitower Records in Los Angeles. Cast ...
* My *
Era An era is a span of time. Era or ERA may also refer to: * Era (geology), a subdivision of geologic time * Calendar era Education * Academy of European Law (German: '), an international law school * ERA School, in Melbourne, Australia * E ...


New Zealand

*
The Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is a British-Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist o ...
* ZM ** ZM Whangarei **
ZM Auckland ZM Auckland is a hit music radio station in Auckland, New Zealand. The station is the host of the ZM network, and is owned and operated by New Zealand Media and Entertainment. Several stations have been set up since 2002 to carry ZM programmes ...
** ZM Waikato **
ZM Wellington ZM Wellington (previously 2ZM, ZMFM and 91ZM) is a hit music radio station in Wellington, New Zealand. It is a station of the ZM network, and is owned and operated by New Zealand Media and Entertainment. History Early years The ZM station in We ...
**
ZM Christchurch ZM Christchurch (previously 3ZM, Radio Nova, ZMFM and 91ZM) is a hit music radio station in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is a station of the ZM network, and is owned and operated by New Zealand Media and Entertainment. History Early years The ...


Singapore

*
Ria 897 Ria 897 is a Malay-language radio station in Singapore. Owned by the state-owned broadcaster Mediacorp and launched in 1990, it broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format focused on Malaysian popular music and Indonesian pop music. An audio ...
*
YES 933 YES 933 is a Mandarin Chinese radio station in Singapore. Owned by the state-owned broadcaster Mediacorp, it primarily broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format focusing on Chinese and Korean pop music. The station has historically been one o ...
* 987 (Singapore's Number 1 Hit Music Station)


Sri Lanka

*
Yes FM ' Yes 101 (100.8, 101.0 F.M.) is an English radio station in Sri Lanka. Yes FM principally plays contemporary hit music. Yes 101 commenced broadcasting on December 10, 1993, at 6.00 am. It is one of the radio channels owned by The Capital Ma ...


Philippines

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...
: *DWTM, Magic 89.9 (commercial broadcasting, major commercial station) *DWRX, Monster RX 93.1 (commercial broadcasting, major commercial station)


Mainland China

*China National Radio, CNR Music Radio - National CHR (
Mandopop Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; later influences came from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop ...
)/Top40 radio *w:zh:中国国际广播电台, CRI Hit FM - National CHR (Pop music, Western Pop)/Top40 radio *Shanghai Media Group, POP 101 - Shanghai CHR (
Mandopop Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; later influences came from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop ...
)/Top40 radio *Shanghai Media Group, KFM 981 - Shanghai CHR (Pop music, Western Pop)/Top40 radio *AsiaFM 96.5 - Chengdu - Sichuan Commercial CHR (
Mandopop Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; later influences came from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop ...
)/Top40 radio


Hong Kong

*:zh:香港電台第二台, RTHK Radio 2 - Hong Kong Public broadcasting, Public CHR (
Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") is a genre of pop music sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption. The genre began in the 1970s and became associated with Hon ...
)/Top 40 radio *:zh:叱咤903, Ultimate 903 (叱咤903) (90.3 - 92.1 FM) - Hong Kong Commercial CHR (
Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") is a genre of pop music sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production and consumption. The genre began in the 1970s and became associated with Hon ...
)/Top 40 radio


Taiwan

Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area: *Taipei Pop Radio (
Mandopop Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; later influences came from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop ...
) *Hit FM (Taiwan), Hit FM (
Mandopop Mandopop or Mandapop refers to Mandarin popular music. The genre has its origin in the jazz-influenced popular music of 1930s Shanghai known as Shidaiqu; later influences came from Japanese enka, Hong Kong's Cantopop, Taiwan's Hokkien pop ...
)


Japan

*J-Wave, Tokyo J-Wave (東京J-WAVE) (AV)


Thailand

*Tero Entertainment, Bangkok Hitz 955 (95.5 MHz) *Tero Entertainment, Bangkok Eazy FM 105.5 (105.5 MHz) *Tero Entertainment, Bangkok Star FM (Online) *Tero Entertainment, Bangkok Tofu Pop Radio (Online) *GMM Grammy, EFM 94


Vietnam

*Xone Radio (Online)


International

*Virgin Radio


References


External links

*Format in the UK specified by OFCOM - CHR/Pop - Contemporary / Current / Recurrent hits, may contain older music

*Mass Media Moments in the United Kingdom, the USSR and the US, by Gilder, Eric. - "Lucian Blaga" University of Sibiu Press, Romania. 2003 *Music in the Air: America's Changing Tastes in Popular Music (1920–1980), by Eberley, P.K. New York, 1982. *Studying Popular Music, by Middleton, Richard. - Philadelphia: Open University Press, 1990/2002. . *Durkee, Rob. "American Top 40: The Countdown of the Century." Schriner Books, New York City, 1999. *Battistini, Pete, "American Top 40 with Casey Kasem The 1970s." Authorhouse.com, January 31, 2005. . *Douglas, Susan, "Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination," New York: Times Books, 1999. *Fong-Torres, Ben, "The Hits Just Keep On Coming: The History of Top 40 Radio", San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 1998. *MacFarland, David, "The Development of the Top 40 Radio Format", New York: Arno Press, 1979. *Fisher, Mark, "Something in the Air: Radio, Rock, and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation", New York: Random House, 2007. *Goulart, Elwood F. 'Woody', "The Mystique and Mass Persuasion: Bill Drake & Gene Chenault's Rock and Roll Radio Programmin

", 2006.
Choice Hits
- a weekly music chart charting the week's top songs.
The Reel Top 40 Radio Repository
- a non profit Internet Museum of this "art form".
Rock Radio Scrapbook
- Canada's aircheck archive celebrating the Golden Years of North American Top 40 radio".
Hot Hits information siteContemporary hit radio
at RadioStationWorld
Tunecaster Online Pop And Rock Music Encyclopedia
- United States music charts and popular artists pages. *Puttin' On The Hits - an ebook by former Top 40 Program Director John Long.
Boss Radio Forever
The History of KHJ Radio, Los Angeles. {{DEFAULTSORT:Contemporary Hit Radio Radio formats Popular music Record charts