Dance radio is a format that consists of current and recent dance and electronic music.
While the format is popular in Europe and Asia, it has yet to make an impact in North America, although there are several top 40 and rhythmic radio stations which include current dance music in their playlists. As of June 2014, there were six stations (four full-time and three part-time) on FM in various US markets. Dance radio is also present on secondary HD radio streams, satellite, cable and Internet. In much of Europe there are national and local dance stations and it is a popular pirate radio format.
It's a valid observation to note that American commercial radio's definition of dance music has almost always been marginal, consisting primarily of mainstream music and artists who are firstly pop and urban acts.
History
Most of dance radio's origins can be traced to the early days of disco in the late 1970s, when WKTU New York, WBLS New York, and WRKS 98.7 KISS-FM New York made the format a staple on the airwaves. But by the end of the decade, the format began to experience a backlash when sentiments over the music began to force several stations to move on to other genres, with most of them moving to what would become urban contemporary, led by such stations as WAMO-FM Pittsburgh, WLUM-FM Milwaukee and WHRK Memphis. These stations kept the dance sound alive while at the same time mixed it in with the R&B, hip hop, and pop songs of the 1980s. At the same time, another former disco outlet, WXKS-FM Medford/Boston, became very successful in taking the urban-dance sound into a top 40 format.
By the mid-1980s, more stations began to adopt the same formula that has worked for WXKS-FM, such as KMEL in San Francisco, while at the same time more artists were incorporating dance styles into their hits. The concept would go a bit further in 1986, when KPWR Power 106 Los Angeles and its sister station WQHT HOT 103 New York (later becoming HOT 97 by 1988) debuted a "Top 40 Crossover" dance format, thus paving the way for more stations to jump onto this genre, such as WPOW Power 96 in Miami by 1988. This format would later become known as Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio, or Contemporary Hit Urban (CHUrban) by the 1990s.
In the USA, the nation's first full-time dance radio format began airing in August 1991 when Los Angeles college radio station KSCR controversially changed its format from alternative rock to the "Pulse of the ’90s" techno/rave format. KSCR continued airing this format until September 1993, when it switched back to alternative rock.
The USA's first commercial full-time dance radio format was MARS-FM, airing in Los Angeles and Orange County, California on 103.1 FM KSRF/KOCM from late 1991 to late 1992. The rave-inspired format was created by KROQ DJs Swedish Egil and Freddy Snakeskin. 103.1 FM would later be the home of several subsequent Los Angeles dance radio formats: "Groove Radio" (1996–1998), "Groove 103.1" (1998) and "KDL" (2003).
After the demise of MARS-FM, the former general manager of KSCR, who had been responsible for that station's change to a dance format, created a nighttime leased-time format from 1993 to 1994 at Santa Ana's KWIZ 96.7 FM called Renegade Radio, a dance music/techno format hosted by DJ Racer and former MARS-FM DJ Mike "Fright" Ivankay. Renegade Radio also broadcast MARS-FM music director Swedish Egil's syndicated Groove Radio program, which later became a full-time local dance/electronica format at 103.1 KACD/KBCD.
In 1996, with Groove Radio making its debut in Los Angeles, WKTU New York was revived. This would be followed by stations in other cities looking to duplicate its success.
In 2002, WPYM Miami would take the Dance format to a new level. The station's success would result in other newcomers adopting the "Pure Dance" format, but the lack of support from advertisers and issues from signal coverage to ratings would force several stations out the format. Despite the lack support from Top 40 and Rhythmic radio, the Dance format has continued to thrive at stations like KNHC Seattle and on satellite radio.
In 2008 Clear Channel dropped two HD dance channels, leaving Club Phusion and Pride Radio as the company's only dance offerings. In November 2008 the merged Sirius XM made cuts in music channels which included eight of the ten Dance stations on XM and Sirius, while WorldSpace satellite radio filed for bankruptcy protection, resulting in The System's discontinuation on XM. 2008 had the most dance music stations lost in recent years.