Free-form, or free-form radio, is a radio stationprogrammingformat in which the disc jockey is given wide or 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.
Many shows claim to be the first free-form radio program, but the earliest on record is "Nightsounds" on KPFA-FM in Berkeley, California, D.J.'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 free-form format. It stayed that way under the ownership of Metromedia Broadcasting until 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 '70s. 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. From 2012 until shortly before his death in 2023, Ladd hosting a daily freeform show on Sirius XM'sDeep Tracks.[2]
"FM's free-form progressivism had proven essential to the pop process. But the new radio was only another example of the quirkish vitality of a new mass culture (call it youth, call it pop) that seemed destined to defy the status quo."
The free-form 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, while those that play mostly folk and/or country-leaning cuts are known as Americana stations.
Commercial free-form 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 103.1FM 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 free-form 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.
Internet radio and, to a lesser extent, college radio are sanctuaries of the free-form format (although even the latter has lost much of its independence as stations begin modeling corporate stations in their presentation). On Sirius XMsatellite radio, the weekly Bob Dylan-hosted Theme Time Radio Hour featured a freeform format, as do several specialty programs on The Loft. The nationally syndicated The Mainstream, distributed by Native Voice One, follows a freeform format. Many terrestrial freeform stations are small and lack corporate backing, and therefore have relatively weak radio transmitters (especially around metropolitan areas where corporate radio signals dominate, but at the same time have enough of a population density to cover enough people to support such a station), 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 free-form 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).
The adult hits brand can be considered a "sequel" of sorts to the freeform format. Many of these stations play a wide variety of music ranging from many formats that includes, but is not limited to: Oldies/classic hits, classic rock, adult contemporary, Mainstream Top 40/Adult Top 40, etc. Most of the music played on these stations are from the years 1970–2020, although a few 1960s tracks may be sprinkled in. Unlike freeform radio, adult hits stations emphasize familiar hit songs from researched playlists, and sometimes operate without disk jockeys.
The most notable adult hits station brand is Jack FM, which has many affiliates across the world. Several imitators of the Jack brand and its associated slogan "Playing What We Want" have also emerged. These imitators often use the name of a person, place or a historical site and can include: Mac (E.G. Mac 94.7Clinton, Iowa) historical figures (E.G. The Chief 92.5Champaign, Illinois), etc.
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. While Eclectic radio, like free-form is mainly limited to North America, the digital radio stationsBBC Radio 6 Music and Double J operated by the BBC and the ABC in the UK and Australia respectively resemble attempts at a similar broader format with both having a wide range of music played.
Some eclectic radio stations in the United States are:
Music radio is a radio format in which music is the main broadcast content. After television replaced old time radio's dramatic content, music formats became dominant in many countries. Radio drama and comedy continue, often on public radio.
James William Ladd was an American disc jockey, radio producer and writer. He was one of the last notable remaining freeform rock DJs in United States commercial radio.
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator music, light music, mood music, and Muzak are other terms that overlap with this format and the style of music that it featured. Beautiful music can also be regarded as a subset of the middle of the road radio format.
Album-oriented rock 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.
KLOS is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Los Angeles, California, and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Meruelo Media. KLOS airs a mainstream rock radio format and has broadcast rock music in some form since 1969. The studios are on West Olive Avenue in Burbank.
Carrier current transmission, originally called wired wireless, employs guided low-power radio-frequency signals, which are transmitted along electrical conductors. The transmissions are picked up by receivers that are either connected to the conductors, or a short distance from them. Carrier current transmission is used to send audio and telemetry to selected locations, and also for low-power broadcasting that covers a small geographical area, such as a college campus. The most common form of carrier current uses longwave or medium wave AM radio signals that are sent through existing electrical wiring, although other conductors can be used, such as telephone lines.
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 adult contemporary formats in practice. It typically focuses on genres such as disco, classic hip-hop, dance pop, and house music of the late 1980s/early 1990s.
The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 89.1 MHz:
Dance radio is a format that consists of current and recent dance and electronic music.
The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 88.1 MHz:
The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 88.3 MHz:
The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 90.3 MHz:
The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 95.1 MHz:
The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 95.9 MHz:
The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 96.7 MHz:
The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 98.5 MHz:
The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 99.5 MHz:
The following radio stations broadcast on FM frequency 107.9 MHz:
Adult album alternative is a radio format. Its roots trace to both the "classic album stations of the ’70s as well as the alternative rock format that developed in the ’80s." The format is typically heard on non-commercial educational stations.
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