Freeform (radio format)
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008) |
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (September 2009) |
Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no influence over programming structure or playlists. In the United States, freeform DJs are still bound by Federal Communications Commission regulations.
Contents |
[edit] History in the United States
Many shows lay claim to be the first freeform radio program; the earliest is "Nightsounds" on KPFA-FM in Berkeley, California, DJ'd by John Leonard. Probably the best-remembered in the Midwest is Beaker Street, which ran for almost 10 years on KAAY "The Mighty 1090" in Little Rock, Arkansas, beginning in 1966, making it also probably the best-known such show on an AM station; its signal reached from Canada to Mexico and Cuba, blanketing the Midwest and Midsouth of the U.S. WFMU is currently the longest-running freeform radio station in the United States. WNEW FM 102.7 in NYC was the First commercial station in the US to introduce a freeform format. It stayed that way under the ownership of Metromedia Broadcasting till it was sold and the new owners were not interested. WNEW FM was a leader in introducing new music and making household names of a good deal of the bands we know from the 1960s and 70's. Jim Ladd of KLOS in Los Angeles, California was one of the most notable freeform DJs. Tom Petty wrote a song about Jim Ladd called "The Last DJ". The only time Jim Ladd didn't have complete control over what music is being played is when he turned control over to his faithful listeners commonly referred to as "The Tribe".[1] On October 26, 2011, Ladd was among various staffers let go from KLOS following the acquisition of station owner Citadel Broadcasting by Cumulus Media.
The freeform ethos tends to disdain playlists confined to a single music genre. However, DJs may opt to play selections according to an arbitrary theme (e.g., Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" followed by Radiohead's "Subterranean Homesick Alien"). Freeform-ish stations that played only or almost only rock music were known as progressive rock stations.
Commercial freeform radio stations were common in the late 1960s and early '70s, particularly on the FM band, but are rare today. An exceptional case was Indie 103.1 FM of Santa Monica and Newport Beach, California. Indie 103.1 broadcast radio programs in which famous musicians from the world of popular music host radio programs and choose the playlist. Indie 103.1 recently left the FM airwaves, but currently continues on the internet.
Another commercial freeform radio station is KHUM, "radio without the rules," at 104.3 and 104.7 FM in Ferndale, California. KHUM has transmitted since 1996 and is the most popular station in Humboldt County, California
College radio and Internet radio are sanctuaries of the freeform format. NeverEndingWonder Radio, Radio Paradise, Radio Free Phoenix, and Hollow Earth Radio are four examples of freeform Internet radio streams. On Sirius XM satellite radio, the weekly Bob Dylan-hosted Theme Time Radio Hour features a freeform format, as do several specialty programs on The Loft. FreeFall on KUSF is an example of a freeform radio program. Many freeform stations are small and lack corporate backing, and therefore have relatively weak radio transmitters (especially around metropolitan areas where corporate radio signals dominate), a problem that has caused numerous broadcasters to transition to Internet radio, pirate radio or both.
The full service format can be seen as a variant of the freeform format, though since most full-service stations are located in rural areas, country music, adult standards, classic hits (oldies or classic rock), and occasionally adult contemporary music tend to form the bulk of the music on a full-service station, and the vast majority of full-service stations focus primarily on mainstream, popular music (whereas freeform stations often put the emphasis on less widely known or more exotic selections).
[edit] Freeform stations
[edit] United States
-
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
- KANM (Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas)
- KAOS (Olympia, Washington)
- KBOO (Portland, Oregon)
- KCMP (St. Paul, Minnesota)
- KCOU (University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri)
- KCR (San Diego State University, San Diego, California)
- KCRW (Santa Monica College, Santa Monica, California)
- KCSB-FM (University of California, Santa Barbara, Goleta, California)
- KDHX (St. Louis, Missouri)
- KDVS (University of California, Davis, Davis, California)
- KEOL (Eastern Oregon University, La Grande, Oregon)
- KFJC (Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, California)
- KHUM (Ferndale, California)
- KJHK (University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas)
- KMNR (Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, Missouri)
- KPSU (Portland State University, Portland, Oregon)
- KRLX (Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota)
- KRUI (University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa)
- KTEC (Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls, Oregon)
- KTEQ (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota)
- KTRM (Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri)
- K-UTE (University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah)
- KUGS (Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington)
- KUOI (University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho)
- KURE (Iowa State University. Ames, Iowa)
- KVRX (University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas)
- KVSC (St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minnesota)
- KVSF-FM (Pecos, New Mexico)
- KWCW-FM (Whitman College, Walla Walla, WA)
- KWUR (St. Louis, Missouri)
- KWVA (University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon)
- KXLU (Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California)
- KZSU (Stanford University, Stanford, California)
- WARC (Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania)
- WBAR (Barnard College, New York, New York)
- WBCN Boston, Massachusetts United States
- WBGU (Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio)
- WCAL (California University of Pennsylvania, California, Pennsylvania)
- WCBN (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan)
- WCNI (Connecticut College, New London, Connecticut)
- WCKS (college radio) Grand Rapids, Michigan
- WESS (East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania)
- WESU (Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut)
- WETX-LP (Tri-Cities, Tennessee)
- WEVL (Memphis, Tennessee)
- WEXP (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- WFMU (Jersey City, New Jersey)
- WGDR (Plainfield, Vermont)
- WHRW (Binghamton University, New York)
- WIKD-LP (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida)
- WKCO (Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio)
- WKDU (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- WLRA (Lewis University, Romeoville, Illinois)
- WMBR (MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts)
- WMFO (Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts)
- WMSC (Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, New Jersey)
- WMSR (Miami University, Oxford, Ohio)
- WMSE (Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
- WMUA (University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts)
- WMUC (University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland)
- WMUH, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania
- WNJR (Washington & Jefferson College, Washington, Pennsylvania)
- WOBC (Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio)
- WPKN (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
- WPRK (Rollins College, Winter Park, Florida)
- WQKE (SUNY, Plattsburgh, New York)
- WRCT (Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
- WRCU (Colgate University, Hamilton, New York)
- WRFL (University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky)
- WRFW (University of Wisconsin–River Falls)
- WRNC-LP (Northland College (Wisconsin), Ashland, Wisconsin)
- WRPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York)
- WRUR (University of Rochester, Rochester, New York)
- WSPN (Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York)
- WRUV (University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont)
- WRVU (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee)
- WSGR-FM (St. Clair County Community College, Port Huron, Michigan)
- WSUM (University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin)
- WTJU (University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia)
- WTUL (Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana)
- WUMD (University of Michigan–Dearborn, Dearborn, Michigan)
- WUPX - RadioX (Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan)
- WUSB (Stony Brook University SUNY, Stony Brook, New York)
- WUSC (University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina)
- WUVT (Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia)
- WVBR (Ithaca, New York)
- WVKR (Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York)
- WVYC (York College of Pennsylvania, York, Pennsylvania)
- WWPT (Staples High School, Westport, Connecticut)
- WXBC (Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York)
- WXDU (Duke University, Durham, North Carolina)
- WXLV (Lehigh Carbon Community College, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania)
- WXYC (UNC Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina)
- WZRD (Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, Illinois)
[edit] Canada
- CKCU (Ottawa, Ontario)
- CKGE (Oshawa, Ontario) features freeform DJ David Marsden on Saturday & Sunday from 7 p.m. until midnight Eastern
- CKIA (Quebec, Quebec)
- CKUT (Montreal, Quebec)
- CKRL (Quebec, Quebec) is the longest-running French-speaking community radio station
[edit] Europe
[edit] Australia
[edit] New Zealand
- Howick Village Radio 88.1fm (Auckland, New Zealand)
[edit] Freeform radio vs. eclectic radio
Eclectic radio describes radio programming encompassing diverse music genres. Unlike freeform radio, the eclectic radio format involves prescribed playlists. While freeform radio stands in contrast to commercial radio formats, a number of commercial radio stations offer programs showcasing an eclectic variety of music.
Some eclectic radio stations in the United States are:
- KALX (Berkeley, California)
- KCRW (Santa Monica, California)
- KEOS (College Station, Texas)
- KEXP (Seattle, Washington)
- KFAI (Minneapolis, Minnesota)
- KGLT (Bozeman, Montana)
- KNYE (Pahrump, Nevada)
- KUOM (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota)
- KUSF (San Francisco, California)
- KUT (Austin, Texas)
- KXUA (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
- WERS (Boston, Massachusetts)
- WHPK (University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois)
- WJCU (University Heights, Ohio)
- WUSM (Hattiesburg, Mississippi)
- WXPN (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
- WNCW (Spindale, North Carolina)
[edit] See also
- Progressive rock (radio format)
- Album-oriented rock
- Adult album alternative
- Public broadcasting
- Independent Radio
- Jim Ladd
- Tom Donahue
- Payola
[edit] References
- ^ "A Brief History of Freeform Radio", Lowest Common Denominator, Issue #21 (c. 1998)
[edit] External links
- Definition of Freeform Radio from the Dictionary of Radio
- History of Freeform Radio from WFMU
- Freeform Radio - The Legendary FM Radio Programming Non-Format
- KHUM - commercial freeform radio from Humboldt County, California
- NeverEndingWonder Radio - Freeform Internet radio station with extreme variety.
- Vinyl FM Audio tribute to the days of freeform progressive FM radio
- Brief History of the Broadcast Music Revolution Introduction to the concepts for young listeners.
- Soundtap "Human Powered Radio" -- A crowd sourced guide to college radio and community radio. Featuring live streams and profiles of hundreds of stations and shows alongside a real-time chat and activity feed on each page.