Top 40 Radio: Dead or Dormant?

KIIS 102.7 FM, the station which almost single-handedly brought the format back from its death in the early 1980s as it hit record-high ratings for an FM station, is on hard times now. The July Nielsens had the station tied for 8th place with a 3.7 share of the audience … a far cry from the 10+ shares of the 1980s.

Los Angeles radio watcher Richared Wagoner cites KIIS as an example of some trends that have come together, and perhaps help find a way out.

First and foremost, the appeal of oldies cannot be denied, writes Wagoner for the LA Daily News. Out of the top 10 stations, six are either fully oldies-based or rely heavily on them in the music mix. KRTH (101.1 FM) KTWV (94.7 FM), My FM (KBIG, 104.3), KOST (103.5 FM) Jack (KCBS-FM, 93.1) and KLOS (95.5 FM) all predominantly play songs not released in the last year.

He noted KIIS is definitely not alone. "Top 40, or Contemporary Hit Radio as it is called today. has taken a hit nationwide. As the format tends to attract younger listeners, the fact that many younger listeners are getting their music from streaming services and apps like TikTok, it seems to be the natural progression.

Indeed, InsideMusicMedia’s Jerry Del Colliano has extensively covered the migration to and influence of streaming; a recent Billboard.com story spoke of TikTok’s appeal to young listeners; top 40 stations across the country have added more “gold” to their playlists; and the idea of playing music that is old but “new to you” has taken hold as an easy way to attract listeners.

"The answer lies in the appeal of the very things that are supposedly killing radio. TikTok is exposing kids to music, new and old, from multiple genres. Streaming services use curators to find music that listeners may like, based upon the songs they play — and those they skip.

Wagoner notes most people fondly remember their own top 40 listening days from “when top 40 played it all,” and you have the answer: play it all.

"Top 40 has always thrived when it played it all and has always stagnated when it limited itself. You saw it happen with too much “bubblegum,” too much disco, too much country, too much of “the Miami sound,” too much grunge and too much hip-hop. All of those eras had temporary success, but ultimately led to ratings declines as listeners left for other stations.

"Yet when 'they played it all,' such as the 1960s where you could hear The Beatles, The Bee Gees, Jefferson Airplane and Cream all on the same station, it just worked. Same for when Prince, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and Foreigner all shared space on the same station. Today KRTH is leading the ratings doing nothing more than playing the music that once played on KIIS … Naked Eyes, Wham, Soft Cell, Tears for Fears, Madonna, Depeche Mode and Outfield.

"That variety of music makes things interesting, and today’s teens especially are, according to research, more willing to listen to different genres right now than any other generation.

"Inside Music Media’s Del Colliano suggests radio is losing young people, he says, in part because, aside from the commercial overload, “radio no longer breaks new music and acts.” Fix it and become the influencers you used to be, Del Colliano advises programmers, instead of letting social media do it."

Wagoner concludes "Top 40 is not dead, it’s just dormant. And the time is ripe for a comeback. Hopefully sooner than later."