CHR plays more Current Hits (= past 12 months) than other formats: sometimes up to 80%.
The main problem:
In 2009 many CHR hits (age 15+) can be heard parallel on your AC competitor (age 30+).
And unfortunately no PD really knows today, how CHR might musically shift next year. Most hits for 2010 are not composed yet!

In 2007 best-testing CHR hits were dominantly “R&B”: Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Kanye West, Rihanna, 50 Cent, Pussycat Dolls

In 2008 CHR listeners additionally voted on more “PopRock & Rhythmic”: Leona Lewis, Madonna, Rihanna, Britney Spears, FloRida, Duffy, Linkin Park, Katy Perry

In 2009 listeners finally pushed Pop-Dance/Electro & PopRock: Black Eyed Peas, Lady GaGa, P!nk, Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Mando Diao, Killers, David Guetta

My advice for CHR in 2010:
Make sure you keep your identity: it’s not a problem to hear the same song on several formats: what makes the true difference is what you will NOT play after such a “cross-format” song. The “perfect music mix” and innovative Sound Imaging makes all the difference, even if you have to play the same hits being played all over!

1.) Check how many CHR hits you also SHARE with AC formats in your market: you might be shocked how many songs you already share!

2.) Package these “cross-format” songs uniquely for your younger target!

3.) Don’t worry about each song you share with AC: but check each 20-min.-sweep and ask yourself: is this “my format” I want to be?

4.) Avoid “4 songs in-a-row” your AC-competitor plays as well: even if each of the songs tests great with CHR, “sloppy music scheduling” easily kills your own format image!



Mario Colantonio (41), located in Berlin, working in radio for the past 22 years:
- specialised on Music & Programming Research,
- re-focussing troubled Music Formats effectively against the competition,
- actively supporting Station Managers to re-shape their market identity.

Clients included stations all over Europe, such as Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Portugal, France and The Netherlands.
Contact: colantonio@radioresearch.eu

Radio Norge, one of Norway’s national private stations, launched their brand new morning show “Morgenklubben” on Monday September 7th. To make sure that this show, loaded with news, music and entertainment, would have an absolutely spectacular sound, the station decided to order a custom made jingle package from SOB.

Sigurd Vedal, program director Radio Norge:
I am really happy with the package! It is exactly what we were looking for and we have also received A LOT of good feedback from listeners and business associates. GOOD WORK! :-D

Niklas Nordén, radio consultant and executive producer of Morgenklubben:
When creating Morgenklubben, the brand new national morning show on Radio Norge, we where looking for unique imaging. We wanted a big band sound, positive and energetic, but we were worried about how to get the authentic sound. SOB delivered that beyond our expectations!

This is not your average jingle package… This is the swingin’ and swayin’ SOB Big Band! Especially for this project, we put together a dedicated team of the best arrangers and musicians we could find and we had a Big Party in the SOB studio. And while we were busy composing their cuts, they also ordered a new news jingle…
"For more than a year, we have been trying to get a top-of-the-hour jingle that truly matches the stations sound and music format. We then asked SOB to give it a shot and we got what we wanted right away!"

The result? Just listen to a preview of the jingles and you’ll want to be a morning jock on Radio Norge!

It sounds like Spanish summers are getting hotter and hotter! And that's got nothing to do with global warming - it's the new Summer jingles that SOB created for Spain's no. 1 music station Los 40 Principales, as a part of their annual jingle update plan. Although summer is coming to an end and we’re already thinking about the new Christmas jingles we thought it’d be nice to play these cuts for you.

Listen here to the Summer 2009 updates for Los 40 Principales!

At SOB, we try to meet face-to-face with you as often as possible. But, being based in The Netherlands, it’s not always easy to come to your place for a little chat. Fortunately, there’s quite a few opportunities for us to unlock the studio doors and get out there to meet people like you, and get a little bit of education at the same time! If you’re going to be there too, please let us know so we can have a quick rendezvous, shake hands, have a drink (or two) and chat about radio, jingles or anything you want!

Radio Day, Köln, Sept. 22
In Köln, we’ll be at the Radio Day on Tuesday, September 22nd, and of course at the Radio Party at night...

Radiodager & Radiodays - Oslo & Copenhagen
On Thursday and Friday, Sept. 24 and 25, we’ll come to beautiful Oslo for the Norwegian Radiodager. And on Saturday Sept. 26th we’ll end our little tour in Copenhagen for the Danish Radio Days and of course the Radio Priser!

NAB European Radio Conference - Athens, Oct. 25-27

THE radio conference to go to is the NAB European Radio Conference in Athens, on October 25-27. It is not news that traditional radio has experienced changing lifestyles, listening habits, new platforms and technologies. Join us at the upcoming NAB European Radio Conference: after last year’s conference in London we’ve worked with the NAB to make sure that the 2009 edition will be the best one in years!

A Sampling of This Year’s Sessions include:
- Valerie Geller’s – “Radio’s Silver Lining, Survive and (even) Thrive in our New Reality” session.
- Keri Jones & Jason Bryant’s – “Staying Alive, a Brutally Honest Assessment of Re-Shaping Your Station to Survive the Toughest Advertising Market in Memory”
- James Cridland & Nik Goodman’s – “How New Platforms Can Help You Make Better Radio”
- James Lund’s – “No Cost Marketing”
...and many more!

Register NOW online, prior to 18 September, for reduced registration rates at www.nabeurope.org.

See you in Athens!