Chad Rufer
By Chad Rufer
After taking a three year sabbatical from Hot AC and playing in the mainstream CHR world, I came back to the format to find out things had changed a little bit. The ears of the format had shifted from what was a format for the biggest adult records from mainstream CHR and the biggest records from mainstream AC all mixed together on one well-balanced station. How did this one time successful format that played a “variety” of music all of a sudden limit it self to AAA and Modern AC product alone? How could the format that Guy Zapoleon named the Mercedes of all formats turn into a broken down jalopy? Why when I came back to this format to rebuild a station that limited itself to only that product did I keep getting told, “That’s not a Hot AC record?”
Let’s for a minute talk about the kind of listeners that the Hot AC format was designed to attract. Assume your consumer is a female in her mid 30’s who likes what would be considered in a broad sense “pop music.” 10 years ago when this consumer was around 25 what kind of music was she listening to? Most likely she was a P1 to the Mainstream CHR station and most likely a P2 to the Modern AC station. So at that time what songs were topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart?
1. Candle in the Wind (1997) – Elton John
2. Been Around the World – Puff Daddy and Family
3. How Do I Live – LeAnn Rimes
4. Together Again – Janet Jackson
5. My Body – LSG
6. You Make Me Wanna – Usher
7. Truly, Madly, Deeply – Savage Garden
8. Feels So Good – Ma$e
9. A Song for Mama – Boys II Men
10. Show Me Love – Robyn
That’s a pretty good variety with regards to genre and texture, but notice that 70% of those songs lean rhythmic. When your target consumer was growing her musical tastes she become exposed and most likely accepting to “pop” and “pop rhythmic” music. Today’s woman in her mid 30’s is not like her mother was at that age. She has not given in to the myth of “30 is old”. Today’s woman in her mid 30’s still wants to be hip, trendy, fashionable, and most importantly still feel cool. This extends from her fashion sense to her musical tastes. However, the mainstream CHR station is most likely a bit “too cool” for her and plays “too much rap” in her eyes. This is where we as Hot AC programmers come in.
Take for example “Say it Right” by Nelly Furtado, which is an amazing melodic song with a very strong hook. The song jetted to the top of the mainstream CHR chart, yet Hot AC programmers were hesitant to play the song. Why? I believe they held back because it had “rhythm.” It eventually peaked at number two on the Hot AC chart. Nelly Furtado has always been a bit “poppy” for Hot AC yet she yielded two very big hits in “I’m Like a Bird” and “Turn Off The Light” at the format.
Now let’s look at the other end of the spectrum and go back to the age-old question, “Is this format an artist-based format or a song-based format?” The correct answer is “song based.” With that said, why is it that any time a new Matchbox Twenty, John Mayer, or Goo Goo Dolls song comes out everyone jumps right to it even when our gut says “it’s not a hit”? Granted, these groups have had more hits then stiffs, but the honest truth is some songs have been stronger then others. Take a group like “Buck Cherry” who comes along with a song like “Sorry” and all of a sudden programmers are scared to play it? Why? It’s a song that most females can relate to, it’s a ballad, and most importantly it has a good hook. So what’s the holdup? If you’re holding back it’s probably because you’re thinking about the artist Buck Cherry whose song “Crazy Bitch” would never fly on Hot AC. But your audience isn’t thinking about the tattoos all over the band member’s body. Your audience only cares that this group has a great song called “Sorry.”
Hot AC programmers have caught “Lemming Disease.” We’re so afraid to think for ourselves that we’re following one another right off a cliff. There are many major markets where a station can exist in its niche by solely playing John Mayer, Matchbox Twenty, and The Goo Goo Dolls and forfeiting the adult pop product that is available; but this is not the answer for everyone. Remember. Adult women like pop music. If don’t believe me, take a trip to a night club and you will find some of your core audience in a “girls’ night out scenario” and they will be out on the dance floor singing along to “Yeah” by Usher. You can’t put Hot AC listeners in a AAA and Modern AC box. Show them some groove and they’ll return the favor in numbers.
About the author-Chad Rufer is currently the Program Director for Fort Myers Broadcast Company’s WINK-FM in Fort Myers, FL. His programming background includes stops at Citadel Broadcasting in Colorado Springs as well as Saga Communications of Tennessee. You can email Chad at Chad@Winkfm.com
