AOR isn’t going to die; its numbers are still strong. But just as AOR developed in the late sixties from haphazard programming by college and alternative stations, we’re probably going to see the development within the next few months of some systematic format that uses the current college/alternative base, cashing in on the musical loyalties developed there with stronger signals, more programming research, and bigger promotional budgets.
Just how successful such a format will be remains to be seen. The present musical environment is so fluid that all sorts of budding “movements” are afoot, from the cutting edges of rap and hiphop to the singer-songwriter revival bannered by the Tracy Chapman and Toni Childs LPs. None of that music is adequately represented on today’s playlists.
