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Adult standards (also sometimes known as thenostalgia orBig Band format^[1]) is aNorth Americanradio format heard primarily onAM or class AFM stations.

Adult standards started in the 1950s and is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those people over 50 years of age,^[2] but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens. It is primarily on AM becausemarket research reveals that only persons in that age group listen to music on AM in sizable numbers. Adult standards first became a popular format in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a way to reach mature adults who came of age before the rock era but were perhaps too mature foradult contemporary radio or too young forbeautiful music orMOR stations. A typical adult standards playlist includestraditional pop music by artists such asFrank Sinatra andTony Bennett, someeasy listening numbers fromRoger Whittaker and others, and softer tunes from theoldies andadult contemporary music formats.

As originally conceived, the format featuresbig band music, particularly from the 1940s and 1950s,^[1] though most modern stations eschew that genre. Younger artists who record in the big-band era style, such asHarry Connick Jr., orDiana Krall, may be played as well. The term "standards" in the format's title is a reference to thestandard, a song that iscovered extensively by many artists over a prolonged period of time; adult standards may play true standards but are not limited to them.

According toNielsen Audio, there were 129 stations with adult standards/MOR as format in 2016.^[3]: 95 Because the adult standards audience has increased in age to the point where many of its listeners have either died or are no longer attractive to advertisers, the format as it is known today (much like the contemporary decline ofoldies andsmooth jazz formats, along with the earlier demise ofeasy listening) is likely to die out. Most independently programmed former adult standards stations have transitioned to other formats such as oldies,classic hits, or adult contemporary music that have similar music but skew toward more modern songs.

TheChristmas music radio format is an offshoot of adult standards; the first stations to adopt the format in the 1990s were adult standards stations,^[4][5] and stations that adopt the all-Christmas music format continue to favor core adult standards artists regardless of their standard format.^[6][7]

Only about a handful of adult standards stations today are live and locally programmed around-the-clock. Many have affiliated with nationally distributed satellite formats to cut costs; due to advertiser perceptions about the audiences these stations primarily target, a large number of adult standards stations have trouble selling airtime to advertisers, which makes them unprofitable. For example,KIXI 880 AM, serving theSeattle market andKKIN 930 AM, servingAitkin, terminated its local airstaff to affiliate with theMusic of Your Life network. Many others have simply dumped the format altogether, often for all-talk or all-sports formats,oldies, or other formats deemed by management more profitable than standards.

Music of Your Life is an adult standards format that probably more than any other source defined the format. Music of Your Life, was founded byAl Ham in 1978 and boasts a roster of well-known personalities includingPeter Marshall, Steve March-Torme, son of the legendary crooner, Mel Tormé, big band leader Les Brown, Jr., radio veteran Al Hardee, Lorri Hafer, daughter of founder Al Ham, and weekend hostPat Boone. Following an internal shakeup in 2008, business developer, Marc Angell took over the fledgling network and moved the company's broadcasting operations to Denver, Colorado, under a distribution deal with Clear Channel Satellite.Music of Your Life is currently distributed by Music of Your Life, Inc. a publicly traded company listed on the OTC markets under the ticker symbol, MYLI, and is distributed to AM, FM, and HD radio stations using the Barix system.

Dial Global (formerly part ofWestwood One) has an adult standards format distributed via satellite; Dial Global's is called "Adult Standards" (known on-air as "America's Best Music"). Prior to 2010,ABC distributedStardust/Timeless Classics/Timeless. Stardust/Timeless Classics was consolidated with amiddle-of-the-road format owned by ABC—Unforgettable Favorites/Memories—in 2006, creatingTimeless. Westwood One originally called its formatAM Only and for a time, as the name suggests, offered the format only to AM stations; today, a handful of FM stations also air Westwood One's format.

While Music of Your Life has not eliminated all of the big-band and traditional pop music from its playlist, Westwood One and ABC dropped much of the older music in favor of softer pop and rock oldies from the 1960s and 1970stop 40 era and a good deal of soft AC material as well. Under Dial Global, some of the older-style songs are making a comeback on the Westwood One format. ABC discontinued its Timeless service early in 2010; that same year, Music of Your Life added more 1960s oldies to its playlist.

iHeartMedia'sFormat Lab also features at least two adult standards formats.

Some noteworthy AM & FM radio stations featuring the adult standards format today include:

Moving into the 21st Century, adult standards have been given a lift as a format by new media, such as:

• Sirius XM Channel 5,The 50s on 5, playing some older pre-rock-and-roll-era music along with some newer rock-and-roll hits from the late 1950s and early 1960s.
• Sirius XM Radio 70,Siriusly Sinatra (formerly entitledStandard Time before February 2007)
• XM Satellite Radio40s Junction, XM Satellite Radio Channel 73

• Adult contemporary music
• Beautiful music
• Middle of the road
• Pop standards
• Traditional pop

• Radio formats

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