ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the idea of formatics as proto-algorithmic processes involved in garnering and retaining listeners’ attention while also producing an audience commodity for advertiser purchase. Formatics are the configurable elements that give radio stations their distinct sound and audience address. While formats are often connected to particular music genres, they transcend the ostensible content to encompass the total aural signature of a station as well as the industrial and regulatory practices that structure the station operations. Although the kinds of music may vary via cultural context, the idea of combining music, announcing, and advertising operate across the globe.
Competition spurred by the introduction of television disrupted broadcast-oriented radio practices at different rates but, over time, the use of radio formats became ubiquitous. This involved moving from nationally oriented systems (commercial and public) to more specialized and narrowcast formats. In essence, the format represents a set of rules and steps designed to organize and regulate the various sonic elements of a given station. By adjusting different elements, the format instantiates an ideal listening experience into practice. This, in turn, is linked to the secondary address, the marketing categories that the station is attempting to reach.
