Inside Story: Music Only One Key to Urban Contemporary Rise.

Story by Inside Radio

For urban contemporary radio, the summer of 2015 was heady times. That’s when the format shattered records for its share of listening. It peaked with a 3.7 share 6+. At the end of last year, it again surged like a tsunami, tying the summer 6+ record and scaling to new heights in the 25-54 demo. And it’s not done.

As format aficionados know, since then, urban has enjoyed a steady ratings climb, adding a tenth of a share each month in 2016. By the numbers, urban vaulted from 4.2 in January to an all-time high of 4.4 in March in 25-54. That month, the format’s core 18-34 audience also jumped three-tenths of a share point to 6.9. In fact, urban’s mojo with Millennials has been so strong that it ranks fourth overall 18-34 in Nielsen’s March 2016 National PPM Format Trends, just behind top 40, country and hot AC.

“This is the strongest, most passionate response I’ve seen at urban radio since the mid- to late-90s,” says Tracy Johnson, CEO of radio consultancy Tracy Johnson Media. “Will it fade? At some point, but there’s no indication that the cycle has run its course or is about to.”

Veteran programmer and Radio One senior VP of Programming Content Jay Stevens credits the format’s current sparkle to a tighter focus on the many moving parts of a 2016 radio station. “Much of this success is solid programming, good music and allowing personalities to ‘breathe’ on the air. And now you can hear music and DJs, while watching them in real time on Facebook live and Periscope. Add to that streaming on our apps, NextRadio and terrestrial radios, which all help to make the format stronger.”


Adds Boogie D, PD of Radio’s One “V104.1” WHHL, “Here in St. Louis, we’ve made a conscious effort to connect to our audience. We know they’re on their phones, tablets and connected cars, so it’s not about playing music. What we do on the air has to connect [fully] to our website, Facebook, Twitter and the rest. If you don’t connect with listeners, they don’t connect to our radio stations.”

In fact, successful stations are evolving “beyond radio,” says George “Geo” Cook, Service Broadcasting’s director of Operations, and PD/brand manager for its urban stations in Dallas. “Urban and hip-hop drive pop culture. We’re really in the business of relationships—using content as currency to connect with the consumer and reflect and shape culture. Urban stations are the center of culture in so many communities and cities. And our personalities are better at developing compelling multiplatform content that engages and excites people.”