35-722: WVRR ("Walk FM") is a Christian adult contemporary formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Point Pleasant, West Virginia , United States, serving the Mid-Ohio Valley. WVRR is owned and operated by Baker Family Stations as a simulcast of WPJY 88.7 FM in the Parkersburg, West Virginia , area. This article about a radio station in West Virginia is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Christian adult contemporary Christian adult contemporary , also known as Christian AC or CAC ,
70-483: A 2:1 ratio and, according to Billboard , 43 of the top 50 Christian songs of the 2000s were performed by males. Females held the top spot on the Christian Songs chart for just 11 weeks out of the chart's 337 weeks of activity during the 2000s. Audience testing has revealed that men test well to audiences, while women test low to audiences. This discrepancy has been associated with an overall shift in 2003 from
105-454: A Christian triple-A station's playlist can vary, with Christian alternative rock , indie rock , and indie pop commonly used as core genres, and some stations featuring more uncommon genres such as Christian alternative country , Americana , blues , folk music , and world music . Similar to mainstream AC stations, since the 1990s it has become common for many Christian AC stations to play primarily or exclusively Christmas music during
140-649: A basic format employing a verse–chorus structure . The format is heavy on worship songs which use acoustic instruments such as pianos , saxophones , and sometimes an orchestral set. However, electric guitars and bass is also used, with the electric guitar sound relatively faint and high-pitched. Additionally post-80s adult contemporary Christian music may feature synthesizers (and other electronics, such drum machines ). A Christian AC station may play contemporary Christian music , but it usually excludes Christian hip hop and some forms of Christian dance-pop and teen pop , as these are less popular among adults,
175-447: A contemporary jazz influence (though some say it goes the other way around). Gospel artists had collaborated with secular artists in the past, but in the 2000s and 2010s, this became far more pronounced. Kirk Franklin is widely known for this, working with Kanye West on his gospel album, Jesus Is King , and with Lil Baby on the song "We Win" for the movie Space Jam: A New Legacy . Franklin also sung with Stevie Wonder on "Why" in
210-430: A distinctly Protestant-American touch, artists in this genre are expected to pray publicly, to "testify" about the artist's personal, emotion-driven conversion, and to make an effort to convert non-Christians to Christianity. The secular version of this music is urban contemporary music, which is musically indistinguishable, but which takes non-religious subjects for its lyrical content. Urban/contemporary gospel music
245-450: A mainly pop sound to a more rock -oriented sound. As the genre shifted towards more rock-driven songs, deeper male voices from artists such as Third Day , Jeremy Camp , and Todd Agnew became popular, and established female artists like Amy Grant or bands with females like Point of Grace and Avalon , who tested extremely well among audiences, went out of style, along with their pop-oriented sound. Another reason for this discrepancy
280-547: A mostly adult audience and are similar to mainstream adult contemporary stations in that they play hits often and for long periods of time. Christian adult contemporary is generally a continuation of the easy listening and soft rock style Jesus music that became popular in the 1960s and 1970s with some adjustments that reflect the evolution of Christian pop/rock music. Like mainstream adult contemporary, Christian adult contemporary tends to have lush, soothing and highly polished qualities where emphasis on melody and harmonies
315-691: A pronounced beat with a syncopated rhythm . Compared to modern praise and worship music, urban/contemporary gospel typically has a faster tempo and more emphasis on the performer. Like traditional black gospel music, the performer's emotional connection to the audience and the lyrical content of the song is valued highly. The genre includes Christian hip hop (sometimes called "Christian rap"), which has lyrics with Christian ideals and themes. Rock & roll, country and rhythm & blues were influenced by traditional black gospel music, and these forms, as well as disco , funk , jazz and many secular genres, influenced urban/contemporary gospel music. Perhaps
350-455: A variety of current and classic Christian dance music , such as Christian dance-pop , Christian hip hop , and Christian R&B (often resembling a blend of the Christian rhythmic oldies and Christian hot AC formats in practice). The exact composition of current and recurrent content can vary between stations, depending on local cultures and the heritage of rhythmic Christian formats in
385-638: A wide adult audience. A station formatted as "Christian adult contemporary" with no qualifier generally has a similar playlist to Christian hot AC stations, but tends to have a broader rotation of classic Christian hits from past decades. Christian soft adult contemporary formats have a more conservative sound oriented primarily towards adult women, urban AC gospel focuses on Christian R&B and gospel music that appeal to African American adults, and Christian rhythmic AC focuses on Christian dance music and other rhythmic Christian genres. Christian hot adult contemporary (Christian hot AC) radio stations play
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#1732802333675420-777: A wide range of contemporary Christian music that appeals towards the 18–54 age group; it serves as a middle ground between the youth-oriented Christian contemporary hit radio (Christian CHR) format, and Christian adult contemporary formats that are typically targeted towards a more mature demographic. They generally feature uptempo Christian hit music from the last 25 years with wide appeal, such as Christian pop and pop rock songs, while excluding more youth-oriented Christian music such as Christian hip hop . Older music featured on Christian hot AC stations usually reflects familiar and youthful Christian music that adults had grown up with. Likewise, material from legacy Christian pop acts such as Plus One , Matthew West , Mat Kearney , and BarlowGirl
455-421: Is contemporary Christian music . Although the racial lines have blurred in some areas, particularly with urban musical styles, these divisions are still evident in the industry. The color line divides artists with extremely similar musical styles on the basis of their race, and unites artists with divergent styles (such as rap and pop) on the same basis in industry reporting, marketing choices, and awards like
490-489: Is a form of radio -played contemporary Christian music , ranging from 1960s Jesus music and 1970s Christian soft rock music to predominately worship -heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening , CCM , gospel , Christian R&B , quiet storm and Christian rock influence. Primarily in the United States and Canada, Christian adult contemporary radio stations cater to
525-438: Is accentuated. It is usually melodic enough to get a listener's attention, abstains from complex lyricism, and is most commonly used as background music in heavily-frequented family areas such as supermarkets , shopping malls , convention centers , or restaurants that are heavily influenced on Christian faiths and beliefs. Like most of contemporary Christian music (and pop music in general), its songs tend to be written in
560-592: Is audience concern of sexuality among female artists, especially worship leaders, and possible jealousy towards female artists among the format's generally female listener base. Opinion is split on whether or not this represents a permanent shift or just a temporary trend. Much like mainstream adult contemporary, in radio broadcasting Christian adult contemporary is divided into several sub-formats, each with their own musical direction and demographic targeting. Christian hot adult contemporary formats generally feature an uptempo rotation of recent Christian hits that appeal to
595-462: Is characterized by dominant vocals, usually performed by a soloist. Common instruments include drums, electric guitar, bass guitar, and keyboards. The lyrics very often have an explicitly Christian nature, although "inspirational" songs feature lyrics that can be construed as secular in meaning. For example, a song about a father's love for his son may be interpreted as God the Father 's love for God
630-1058: Is prominent within the format. Modern Christian adult contemporary refers to Christian AC formats with a stronger lean towards modern Christian rock and Christian pop rock . In the 1990s and early 2000s, modern Christian AC was typically targeted towards women. The format typically focused on female Christian rock acts, and folk rock -influenced Christian bands. Today, the format is fairly uncommon. The Christian soft adult contemporary format typically targets women 25–54 and at-work listening. Christian soft AC stations are generally conservative in comparison to Christian hot AC, focusing on contemporary worship music , Christian soft rock , and other familiar, light Christian hits. The Urban adult contemporary gospel format focuses primarily on current and classic Christian R&B and gospel music . The format typically targets African-American adults 25–54 and 35–64. The format typically excludes youthful Christian rhythmic music, such as Christian hip hop and rap, that are usually associated with
665-718: The Christmas season in November and December (which is typical among Christian radio stations in general). While these tend to be contemporary Christian seasonal recordings by the same artists under the normal format, most stations will also air at least some vintage holiday tunes from older pop, MOR , and adult standards artists – such as Boney M. , The Carpenters , Nat King Cole , Perry Como , Bing Crosby , Percy Faith , Mannheim Steamroller , Dean Martin , Johnny Mathis , Trans-Siberian Orchestra , and Andy Williams – many of whom would never be played on these stations during
700-447: The beautiful music and easy listening stations of the 1960s and 1970s. This article related to radio communications is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Urban contemporary gospel Urban/contemporary gospel , also known as urban gospel music , urban gospel pop , or just simply urban gospel , is a modern subgenre of gospel music . Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to
735-440: The urban contemporary gospel format. The urban AC gospel format is also associated with the " quiet storm "—mellower R&B worship songs and slow jams , often in a jazz -influenced style. As urban contemporary gospel stations prefer hit-driven Christian hip-hop songs, labels typically service Christian R&B songs to the urban AC gospel format only. The Christian rhythmic adult contemporary format generally focuses on
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#1732802333675770-430: The 1970s, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s. The radio format is pitched primarily to African-Americans. Christian hip hop can be considered a subtype of this genre. Protestant hymns and African-American spirituals make up the basic source material for traditional black gospel music, which in turn is the most significant source of urban/contemporary gospel. Urban/contemporary gospel has kept
805-450: The 1980s and 1990s, some gospel groups (such as The Rance Allen Group ) emerged by singing with elements of Motown sound , emulating quartets such as The Temptations but still propagating biblical messages. The members of many such groups later established their own gospel music careers (but still returned for occasional reunions). For example, Marvin Sapp and Fred Hammond started out in
840-579: The 2000s, many gospel artists from the previous two decades began establishing records and gaining established places in the gospel music canon, as recognized by annual WOW Gospel albums (after beginning in the late 1990s). They were accompanied by younger gospel artists/groups like Mary Mary , Sheri Jones-Moffett and Brian Courtney Wilson , who leaned the genre towards hip-hop, funk and '90s R&B, respectively. Groups like Tye Tribbett & G.A. and Myron Butler & Levi released songs with more complicated instrumental riffs and melodies that hint at
875-591: The Grammy and Dove awards. During the 1960s and 1970s and 1980s, hit songs like The Clark Sisters ' " You Brought the Sunshine " Edwin Hawkins ' " Oh Happy Day " and Andrae Crouch 's " Take Me Back " were significant milestones in the development of urban/contemporary gospel music. Edwin Hawkins is called the "godfather of contemporary gospel" and Twinkie Clark is called the "Mother Of Contemporary Gospel". In
910-453: The Son , or as a human father's love for his human child. This lyrical ambiguity echoes the double-voicedness of 19th century spirituals, and may have musical crossover appeal to the larger secular market. Common themes include hope, deliverance, love, and healing. In comparison with traditional hymns, which are generally of a statelier measure, gospel songs are expected to have a refrain and
945-426: The former's 2005 album, Hero . Rance Allen sung with Snoop Dogg on the song "Blessing Me Again" in 2018. Eventually, secular artists began releasing gospel albums full of such collaborations. Examples include PJ Morton’s 2020 album Gospel According to PJ and Snoop Dogg's 2018 album Bible of Love . Like most forms of Christian music in the last two centuries, artists have been criticized by Christians who see
980-577: The group Commissioned . Other groups and individual artists such as Hezekiah Walker took gospel congregational songs from the 1950s and 1960s and adapted them to a more upbeat feel similar to '80s and '90s pop. Examples of this include "99 ½" by Hezekiah Walker and the Love Fellowship Crusade Choir . Many artists who began in the 1960s and 1970s (like the aforementioned Andrae Crouch and The Clark Sisters) also continued to release influential songs and albums in this period. In
1015-413: The market, ranging from late-80s/early-90s Christian dance hits to disco and Motown gospel . The Christian adult album alternative ( Christian triple-A or Christian AAA ) format generally features a diverse playlist of Christian music that appeals to an adult audience, with a focus on emerging songs and artists, and often featuring songs that were not released as singles. The exact composition of
1050-431: The most significant musical influences on urban/contemporary gospel are hip hop and R&B . Like contemporary gospel, R&B developed from traditional black gospel music. Soul music and Christian rock are also significant influences on contemporary gospel. The gospel market is smaller than the secular market, but popular artists have sold millions of units. The radio stations that program UC Gospel, primarily in
1085-400: The new forms as too similar to secular music styles or insufficiently focused on traditional religious sentiments. Artists in the urban/contemporary styles have taken a variety of approaches to address these concerns from their fan bases. Artists in this genre are expected to convey a committed Christian religious viewpoint and to treat their musical performances as a sacred service to God. In
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1120-420: The rest of the year. These Christmas music marathons typically start a few weeks before Thanksgiving Day and end after Christmas Day, or sometimes extending to New Year's Day. Afterwards, the stations usually resume their normal Christian music fare. Several stations begin the holiday format much earlier, at the beginning of November especially after Halloween . The roots of this tradition can be traced back to
1155-537: The spiritual focus of the traditional black gospel music, but uses modern musical forms. Urban/contemporary gospel derives primarily from traditional black gospel music, with strong influence from, and strong influence on, many forms of secular pop music. Due to strong racial divisions in 20th century American culture, urban/contemporary gospel developed specifically out of the African-American musical traditions. The equivalent music from white American culture
1190-607: The target demographic . Christian AC radio, like mainstream AC radio, often targets the 25–44 age group, the demographic that has received the most attention from advertisers since the 1960s. Over the years, Christian AC has spawned subgenres including "Christian hot AC" (or "modern Christian AC"), "Christian soft AC" (also known as "contemporary inspirational"), " urban AC gospel " (a softer type of urban contemporary gospel ), and " Christian rhythmic AC " (a softer type of Christian rhythmic contemporary ). Some stations play only "Christian hot AC", "Christian soft AC", or only one of
1225-537: The variety of subgenres. Therefore, it is not usually considered a specific genre of Christian music; it is merely an assemblage of selected songs from artists of many different Christian genres . The target audience of Christian adult contemporary radio, generally females in their thirties or forties, has been nicknamed "Becky" by the Christian music industry . However, artists that are played on Christian adult contemporary radio are predominantly male. Male Christian artists outnumber female Christian artists by at least
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