The term urban contemporary was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap music, contemporary R&B, and, on occasion, Caribbean music such as reggae and reggaeton. The term "urban contemporary" has become heavily associated with contemporary R&B, and is often used as a synonym to describe the genre. Frankie Crocker was an infamous New York DJ. On the air, he sometimes called himself the Chief Rocker, and he was as well known for his boastful on-air patter as for his off-air flamboyance. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Hip hop music (also referred to as rap or rap music) is a style of popular music. ... Rhythm and blues (or R&B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Jerry Wexler at Billboard magazine, used to designate upbeat popular music performed by African American artists that combined jazz and blues. ... The music of the Caribbean is a diverse grouping of musical genres. ... Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica. ... Reggaeton (also spelled with the Spanish accent as Reggaetón, and sometimes as Reguetón in Spanish) is a form of dance music which became popular with Latin American (Latino) youth during the late 1990s and spread to North American, European, Japanese, and Filipino audiences during the first few years...

These stations focus primarily on African-American females between the ages of 18 and 34 but some are up to 49, and their playlists are dominated by singles by top-selling hip hop and R&B performers. Upon occasion, an urban contemporary station will play classic soul music songs from the 1970s and early 1980s to satisfy the older end of the format, but their playlists are otherwise focused on music released within the last five years. For general discussion of dark-skinned people, see Black people. ... Soul music is a combination of rhythm and blues and gospel which began in the late 1950s in the United States. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ...

Urban contemporary stations are the main focus of the airplay statistics for the Billboard magazine Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, which calculates the most popular R&B and hip-hop singles in the United States. Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry. ... The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, formerly known as Top Soul Singles, Top Black Singles, and Top R&B Singles (before the hip-hop term was added in the late 1990s), is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. ...

The 1970's

When Frankie Crocker was appointed as Program Director of the newly created WBLS in 1974, he created an eclectic music mix of R&B, Disco and Gospel music, redefining the R&B format as Urban Contemporary. The station was an instant success, making it the most listened-to radio station in the country. Frankie Crocker was an infamous New York DJ. On the air, he sometimes called himself the Chief Rocker, and he was as well known for his boastful on-air patter as for his off-air flamboyance. ... The program director (spelt programme director in many countries) is the person who decides what will be aired on a television or radio station. ... WBLS is an Urban Adult Contemporary FM radio station that is licensed to New York City, operating on 107. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... Disco is a genre of music that originated in discothèques. ... Gospel music may refer either to the religious music that first came out of African-American churches in the 1930s or, more loosely, to both black gospel music and to the religious music composed and sung by white southern Christian artists. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ...

The 1980's

During the early 1980s as newly-formed WRKS-FM (98.7 Kiss FM) became the first rap station in the United States, WBLS quickly began adding more rap records to its' playlists. The Urban format by this time was redefined by an eclectic mix of R&B, rap, reggae, gospel, Dance music, house, and Freestyle music. WBLS continued as the flagship station of the Urban format however Kiss FM surpassed them in the ratings. The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive, informally sometimes including the years 1979, 1990 and 1991. ... WRKS-FM, better known as 98. ... WRKS-FM better known as 98. ... Hip hop music (also referred to as rap or rap music) is a style of popular music. ... WBLS is an Urban Adult Contemporary FM radio station that is licensed to New York City, operating on 107. ... Hip hop music (also referred to as rap or rap music) is a style of popular music. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... Hip hop music (also referred to as rap or rap music) is a style of popular music. ... Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica. ... For other uses, see Gospel (disambiguation). ... Dance music is music composed, played, or both, specifically to accompany social dancing. ... Houses in Fishpool Street, St Albans, England Houses in the most general sense consist of human-built dwellings, each with enclosing walls, a floor, and a roof. ... Freestyle or Latin Freestyle, also called Latin Hip Hop in its early years, is a form of electronic music that is heavily influenced by Hispanic and African-American culture. ... WBLS is an Urban Adult Contemporary FM radio station that is licensed to New York City, operating on 107. ... WRKS-FM, better known as 98. ...

Many radio stations imitated the Urban sound since it was proven to be more profitable than other formats. Another subformat of Urban Contemporary is Rhythmic Contemporary Hits which plays a great deal of Dance music. WQHT-FM and KPWR were the first stations to utilize this format. A radio station is a site configured for broadcasting sound. ... Rhythmic Top 40, as known as Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio and Rhythmic Crossover, is a music radio format that includes of a mix of dance, and upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop, and R&B hits. ... Dance music is music composed, played, or both, specifically to accompany social dancing. ... WQHT also known as Hot 97 is a New York based radio station. ... KPWR is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, USA with an Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio musical format. ...

List of Urban Contemporary Stations across the United States

• "107.5 WGCI" WGCI Chicago
• "106 KMEL" KMEL San Francisco
• "WPGC 95.5" WPGC-FM Washington, D.C.
• "V-103" WVEE Atlanta
• "95.7 the Beat" WBTP Tampa
• "V-100 Jamz" WKKV Milwaukee
• "103.9 WDKX" WDKX Rochester
• "XM 67 The City" XM Satellite Radio
• "Hot 103 Jamz" KPRS Kansas City
• "97.7 Wild FM" WILD-FM Boston, Massachusetts

WGCI-FM, known as 107. ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... KMEL-FM, known locally as 106 KMEL, is an urban contemporary radio station that broadcasts on the 106. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... WPGC 95. ... Flag Seal Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ... WVEE FM (V-103, 103. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... WBTP is a Mainstream Urban radio station that serves the Tampa Bay area that plays hip-hop, R&B, and soul music that aims towards the African American community. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Cigar City, The Big Guava, T-Town Location Location in Hillsborough County and the state of Florida. ... WKKV-FM, also known as V-100. ... This article is about Milwaukee in Wisconsin. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Nickname: The Flour City, The Flower City, The Worlds Image Center Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Official website: www. ... XM Satellite Radio Holdings (XM) NASDAQ: XMSR is a satellite radio (DARS) service in the United States and Canada. ... KPRS is an Urban contemporary radio station that broadcasts on the 103. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City of Fountains or Heart of America Location Location in Jackson, Clay, Platte, and Cass Counties in the state of Missouri. ... WILD-FM is an Urban Contemporary radio station licensed to Brockton, Massachusetts that serves the Boston area . ... Flag Seal Nickname: City on a Hill, Beantown, The Hub of the Universe (The State House, according to Oliver Wendell Holmes, is the hub of the Solar System), Athens of America Location Location in Massachusetts Government Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas Menino (Dem) Geographical characteristics Area     City 232. ...

See also

• List of Urban-Formatted Radio Stations across the United States
• Urban Adult Contemporary
• Mainstream Urban
• Urban Top 40
• Urban Gospel
• Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio