What is "Radio Format"?

Question

What does that mean in the United states?

Answer 1

A radio format or programming format describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve. Music radio; All-news radio; Sports radio; Talk radio and Weather radio describe the operation of different genres of radio format and each format can often be sub-divided into many speciality formats.

Answer 2

It's just a fancy word for "Category".

Answer 3

radio format is how the show is done. some formats are talk, some are music then it gets broken down by genre

Answer 4

Good question. A star for you.

Teia gives a good answer from Wiki. But a format is more than that. It's the heart and soul of a radio station.

It's a definition of the programming they present.

Whether it be music or talk, foreign language or chinese gong music, a station's format even goes deeper into the particular genre of programming such as Rock > classic rock > urban classic rock (translated Rock Music > featuring older rock music  > further specializing in older rock music with a soul sub-genre).

Simply stated it's what the station broadcasts. Beyond that it's little bits and pieces that define how the station will present that programming: 3 songs > DJ > 3 commercials > DJ > Jingle > 2 songs > DJ + weather and traffic > 1 commercial > one promotional announcement > Jingle > 3 songs and so on.

The format defines the station - and not just for the listeners, but for other radio professionals who will consider what formats are available in a market (city) and program their station to overtake that other station's format or program against it.

It's way more than can be presented in the "format" presented here in YA. You have to work in radio to fully understand how important the format is to the station. As mentioned above - it's what defines the station.

-a guy named duh