It's been one of the longtime contradictions of the Hot AC format: the station that "picks you up and makes you feel good," doesn't always, really. PDs really just took it for granted that listeners would understand that to mean "even when we play ballads, we still exude general positivity."

But over the last year or so, the concept of stations based around a combination of tempo and wide-era variety (call it "T/V" on the radio) has started to take hold after a few false starts. Rawlco's CIUP (Up 99.3) Edmonton, Alberta, and CHUP (Up 97.7) Calgary, Alberta, are the most obvious manifestations of "uptempo—the format," but you can also hear it in Clear Channel's WISX (Mix 106.1) Philadelphia and WNIC (Fresh 100.3) Detroit, and in Bonneville's retooled KPKX (98.7 The Peak) Phoenix.

WPLJ New York, which we covered here recently, has broadened from "Today's Best Music" to its own tempo/variety mix. WPRT (Party 102.5) Nashville recently segued there from a Rhythmic-leaning Top 40 format.

The tempo/variety approach is taking hold for a number of reasons. Both Hot AC and Mainstream AC stations have found themselves forced to evolve for various reasons recently. Both have found themselves confronted by songs like "DJ Got Us Falling In Love," "Raise Your Glass," "I Gotta Feeling," and "Dynamite," that could not have been part of either format a decade ago.

In addition, it was inevitable that in the era of the Infinite Dial, stations would organize around usage, not just genre. There are more non-FM radio offerings along those lines, for instance. And certainly, the success of Bob- and Jack-FM has helped the variety concept. And stations like Up! and Party aren't far removed at all from more pop-leaning '80s-based stations like CHBM (Boom 97.3) Toronto and WREW (Rewind 94.9) Cincinnati, which, like Party, is imaged around "feel good favorites."

It also never entirely made sense to me that adult radio—whether AC or Urban AC—was built around fun, uptempo gold and ballad currents. As far back as the early '80s, it was somehow accepted that tempo was great for adults, as long as they'd had many years to get used to it. Thus we ended up with the early '80s AC that played "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" followed by Christopher Cross' "Sailing." But even if you believe that "Superman (It's Not Easy)" still picks listeners up and makes them feel good, CHR isn't sending along many hit ballads to choose from anymore.

So far, the T/V approach is manifesting itself in a lot of different ways. The Up! stations come into the '00s/recurrent era, especially for Cancon, but are much older-skewing than a station like WPLJ or WPRT that has added some older gold to what was a current/recurrent radio station. Some are more pure about tempo than others (and even the Canadian stations can play John Lennon's "Imagine"). We took a Fresh Listen to three different stations doing some variant of this format.

WISX (MIX 106.1) PHILADELPHIA

Here's Mix 106.1 just before 9 a.m. on June 16. You can still see some trace elements of the Rhythmic Hot AC this station used to be, but some of those songs have migrated to being Webstream stopset-filler only.

Gwen Stefani, "Rich Girl"
Colbie Caillat, "Bubbly" (a mid-to-up remix that would segue nicely into "Tainted Love")
Depeche Mode, "Enjoy The Silence"
Lady Gaga, "Born This Way"
Lisa-Lisa & Cult Jam, "Can You Feel The Beat" (Webstream Only)
Cher, "Strong Enough" (Webstream Only)
Melissa Etheridge, "Come To My Window" (the winner of the hour's LDR "you pick the mix" song)
Pink, "Sober"
Adele, "Rolling In The Deep"
Bon Jovi, "It's My Life"
Collage, "I'll Be Loving You" (staged as a "Philly Flashback")
Bruno Mars, "The Lazy Song"
Prince, "I Wanna Be Your Lover" (Webstream only)
Del Amitri, "Roll To Me" (Webstream only)
Rihanna, "Only Girl (In The World)"

WPRT (PARTY 102.5) NASHVILLE

Here's Party 102.5 just before 9 a.m. on June 16. Its mix is more '90s/'00s/current-based, perhaps a reflection of the Rhythmic-leaning CHR it recently evolved from:

Nickelback, "Someday"
Katy Perry, "Firework"
Christina Aguilera, "What A Girl Wants"
Coldplay, "Clocks"
Lady Gaga, "Paparazzi"
Bananarama, "Cruel Summer"
Onerepublic, "Good Life"
No Doubt, "Just A Girl"
John Cougar Mellencamp, "Jack And Diane"
Taio Cruz, "Dynamite"
Script, "For The First Time"
Pat Benatar, "We Belong"
Michael Franti & Spearhead, "Say Hey (I Love You)"
Madonna, "Like A Prayer"

CIUP (UP!99.3) EDMONTON, ALBERTA

And here's Up!99.3, also at 9 a.m. on June 16. All Canadian stations are at least 35% Canadian content, as noted here. (Disclosure, I am involved with another Edmonton station.)

Wang Chung, "Dance Hall Days"
Beatles, "Penny Lane"
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, "American Dream" (CDN)
Bon Jovi, "It's My Life"
Burton Cummings, "Your Backyard" (CDN, boogie-flavored piano-pounder from 1976, a staple of Canadian oldies radio)
Eurythmics, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)"
Alanis Morissette, "Head Over Feet" (CDN)
Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations"
Electric Light Orchestra, "Don't Bring Me Down"
Michael Jackson, "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
Counting Crows f/Vanessa Carlton, "Big Yellow Taxi" (CDN, they're not but Joni Mitchell is)
Steve Miller Band, "Take The Money And Run"
Glass Tiger, "Someday" (CDN)
Eagle-Eye Cherry, "Save Tonight"
Eagles, "Take It Easy"
Prince, "Raspberry Beret"

Got thoughts about the rise of tempo and variety in AC and Hot AC? Leave a comment.