Adult hits

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Adult hits (sometimes also called variety hits) is a radio format that draws from a wide variety of different musical genres. Most adult hits stations play a mix of rock (classic and alternative), pop, adult contemporary, and select oldies hits, predominantly drawing on music from the 1970s through the 2000s. Adult hits is akin to classic hits, although the classic hits format uses a slightly older and often narrower playlist (1960s to 1980s).

Companies associated with the format in Canada include NewCap, Rogers, Bell Media, Corus Entertainment, and other various companies. Companies in the United States include Clear Channel Communications, CBS Radio, Cumulus Broadcasting, Newsweb radio, and Entercom.




Male first name FM brand[edit]

The adult hits format as it is known in the 21st Century rose to prominence in the early 2000s (decade), with the “Male First Name” FM format. One of the earliest was BOB FM; originating in Canada, BOB was intended to be an acronym for “best of the best.” Following Bob was Jack FM, a proprietary format from the U.S.-based company Sparknet Communications. Jack FM, which originated from an Internet radio station, became widely popular as a “flavor of the month” format on a number of U.S. radio stations in the mid-2000s. The popularity (and significant media attention) Jack FM drew soon led to a litany of imitators, as stations that did not want to pay Sparknet for format rights adopted brands with other male first names, including but not limited to "Frank", "Joe", "Mike", "Ed", "Max", "Mac", "Dave", "Giant", "Simon", "Sam", "Charlie", "Ben" and so on.

Adult hits stations often go under monikers that consist of "(Male Name) FM", but there are some that use another name such as "Playlist FM" and "Jill FM" in Los Angeles, "My FM", "Rewind," or call themselves "Adult Hits 92.7" after the format itself. Adult hits stations target adults 25-54, and more specifically at 35-44-year-olds. (When the format originally rose to prominence it was intended to be targeted at women, but this distinction is no longer followed.)

Related formats[edit]

A variation of adult hits, known within the industry as Traditional Country, has made inroads into the country format, typified by the "Hank FM" stations. A Spanish-language version, "Jose FM", is syndicated by Entravision.


The adult hits format draws from a wide playlist of broad appeal, consisting primarily of adult contemporary, pop, and rock hits spanning from the 1970s to present. The size of their music library and their focus on older music provide a contrast to other stations, which may heavily play certain popular songs throughout the day.

Adult hits stations often have fewer on-air disk jockeys than other radio stations (or even none at all), as the format can be easily automated due to its relatively free-form nature. This characteristic can be beneficial for a station owner, as they do not have to hire as many staff members beyond those needed to perform general tasks such as advertising sales, promotion, and managing the station's music library. This characteristic may also be considered an advantage by listeners who consider jocks to be an unneeded interruption to programming; as such, the station might openly promote the fact that it features "less talk" and more music.

Radio stations[edit]



Location Call sign Frequency Brand Name
Brockville, Ontario CJPT 103.7 FM "Bob FM"
Calgary, Alberta CJAQ 96.9 FM "Jack FM"
Edmonton, Alberta CKNG 92.5 FM "Joe FM"
Espanola, Ontario CJJM 99.3 FM "Moose FM"
Halifax, Nova Scotia CFLT 92.9 FM "Jack FM"
Kawartha Lakes, Ontario CKLY 91.9 FM "Bob FM"
Kelowna, British Columbia CJUI 103.9 FM "Juice FM"
London, Ontario CHST 102.3 FM "Bob FM"
Montreal, Quebec CKDG 105.1 FM "Mike FM"
North Bay, Ontario CFXN 106.3 FM "Moose FM"
Ottawa, Ontario CKKL 93.9 FM "Bob FM"
Parry Sound, Ontario CKLP 103.3 FM "Moose FM"
Red Deer, Alberta CKRI 100.7 FM "Cruz FM"
Regina, Saskatchewan CKCK 94.5 FM "Jack FM"
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan CFWD 96.3 FM "Cruz FM"
Smiths Falls, Ontario CJET 92.3 FM "Jack FM"
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador CKSJ 101.1 FM "101.1 Coast FM"
Timmins, Ontario CHMT 93.1 FM "Moose FM"
Toronto, Ontario CHBM 97.3 FM "boom 97-3"
Vancouver, British Columbia CKLG 96.9 FM "Jack FM"
Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec CJVD 100.1 FM "CJVD 100,1"
Victoria, British Columbia CHTT 103.1 FM "Jack FM"
Wainwright, Alberta CKWY 93.7 FM "Wayne FM"
Winnipeg, Manitoba CFWM 99.9 FM "Bob FM"

CKGD 105.1 Mike FM only uses adult hits format during drive times. All other times the station serves as a multicultural radio station.

United States[edit]

Location Call sign Frequency Brand Name
Albuquerque, New Mexico KDRF 103.3 FM "Ed FM"
Athol, Massachusetts WFNX (FM) 99.9 FM "99.9 WFNX"
Auburn, Alabama WQNR 99.9 FM "Kate FM"
Austin, Texas KBPA 103.5 FM "Bob FM"
Baltimore, Maryland WQSR 102.7 FM "Jack FM"
Bloomington-Normal, Illinois WBBE 97.9 FM "Bob FM"
Bismarck, North Dakota KKBO 105.9 FM "Bob FM"
Boise, Idaho KSRV-FM 96.1 FM "Bob FM"
Bowling Green, Kentucky WKLX 100.7 FM "Sam FM"
Buffalo, New York WBUF 92.9 FM "Jack FM"
Burlington, Vermont WWMP 103.3 FM "MP-103"
Calabash, North Carolina WYNA 104.9 FM "Bob FM"
Cape Cod, Massachusetts WFRQ 93.5 FM "Frank FM"
Charleston, South Carolina WAVF 101.7 FM "Chuck FM"
Charlotte, North Carolina WLKO 102.9 FM "The Lake"
Chico, California KBQB 92.7 FM "Bob FM"
Cleveland, Ohio WHLK 106.5 FM "The Lake"
Clinton, Iowa KMCN 94.7 FM "Mac FM"
Columbia, Missouri KWJK 93.1 FM "Jack FM"
Columbia, South Carolina WLTY 96.7 FM "Steve FM"
Columbus, Ohio WJKR 103.9 FM "Jack FM"
Dallas, Texas KJKK 100.3 FM "Jack FM"
Dayton, Ohio WGTZ 92.9 FM "Fly 92.9"
Des Moines, Iowa KDRB 100.3 FM "The Bus"
Eugene, Oregon KEUG 105.5 FM "Bob FM"
Evansville, Indiana WEJK 107.1 FM "Jack FM"
Fairbanks, Alaska KTDZ 103.9 FM "Ted FM"
Fayetteville, North Carolina WFLB 96.5 FM "Bob FM"
Fort Myers, Florida WJGO 102.9 FM "Bob FM"
Greensboro, North Carolina WSMW 98.7 FM "98.7 Simon"
Greenville, South Carolina W249CB 97.7 FM "Chuck FM"
Joplin, Missouri KMXL 95.1 FM "Mike FM"
Kansas City, Missouri KCJK 105.1 FM "Jack FM"
Lafayette, Indiana WBPE 95.3 FM "Bob FM"
Lansing, Michigan WHZZ 101.7 FM "Mike FM"
Lakeland, Florida WWRZ 98.3 FM "Max FM"
Las Vegas, Nevada KVGS 107.9 FM "Bob FM"
Lompoc, California KBOX 104.1 FM "Pirate Radio"
Loudonville, New York WVCR 88.3 FM "The Saint"
Louisa, Virginia WOJL 105.5 FM "Sam FM"
Milwaukee, Wisconsin WLWK 94.5 FM "The Lake"
Nashville, Tennessee WCJK 96.3 FM "Jack FM"
Omaha, Nebraska KOOO 101.9 FM "The Big O"
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania WBEN-FM 95.7 FM "Ben FM"
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania WRRK 96.9 FM "Bob FM"
Portland, Oregon KYCH 97.1 FM "Charlie FM"
Rainier, Oregon KPPK 98.3 FM "The Peak"
Redding, California KESR 107.1 FM "Jack FM"
Reno, Nevada KZTQ 97.3 FM "Bob FM"
Richmond, Virginia WWLB 98.9 FM "98.9 Liberty"
Sacramento, California KQJK 93.7 FM "Jack FM"
Saginaw, Michigan WMJO 97.3 FM "Joe FM"
Seattle, Washington KJAQ 96.5 FM "Jack FM"
Sedalia, Missouri KSDL 92.3 FM "Bob FM"
Smyrna, Delaware WRDX 92.9 FM "Tom-FM"
Spokane, Washington KBBD 103.9 "Bob FM"
Springfield, Missouri KRVI 106.7 FM "The River"
St. Louis, Missouri WARH 106.5 FM "The Arch"
Watertown, New York WBLH 92.5 FM "Tunes 92.5"
West Plains, Missouri KSPQ 93.9 FM "Jack FM"
Wichita, Kansas KIBB 97.1 FM "Bob FM"


Location Call sign Frequency Brand Name Website
Mexico City XHDFM 106.5 FM "Mix 106.5"

Other countries[edit]


New Zealand[edit]


Satellite Radio[edit]

See also[edit]

External links[edit]