| Frequency | Weekly |
|---|---|
| First issue | October 5, 1973 (1973-10-05) |
| Final issue | August 4, 2006 (As independent trade) |
| Based in | Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Language | English |
| ISSN | 0277-4860 |
Radio & Records (R&R) was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries.[1] It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister trade toBillboard, until its final issue in 2009.
The company was founded in 1973 and published its first issue on October 5 of that year. Founders included Bob Wilson andRobert Kardashian.[2] The publication was issued in a weekly print edition, and it also issued a bi-annual Directory. R&R published its print edition from 1973 through August 4, 2006. Its weekly columns and features were intended to inform and educate the radio industry by each format, in addition to format-specific charts based on radio airplay.[3] With the June 25, 1999, issue, the charts became populated by data fromMediabase, a company that monitors and tracks radio airplay in cities across the U.S.[4] From 1987 to 2002 the magazine was owned byWestwood One, which collaborated withRadio & Records to use its charts and format editors for WWOne's syndicated radio programs.
On July 6, 2006, VNU, the parent company ofBillboard and its sister publicationBillboard Radio Monitor, announced the acquisition of Radio & Records, and a month later on August 1, officially took over ownership. R&R then fell under the operations of the Billboard Information Group.
On July 12, 2006, VNU announced that Radio & Records andBillboard Radio Monitor would be integrated into one publication called R&R. The new R&R published charts based on Nielsen BDS data.[5] Both Billboard Radio Monitor and R&R ceased publication as separate trades, with Monitor issuing its last edition on July 14, 2006 after 13 years, and R&R ending their 33-year run as an independent trade with its August 4, 2006 edition.
Radio & Records was relaunched as a magazine under new ownersVNU Media on August 11, 2006, asR&R. The company, which has since changed its name to The Nielsen Company, currently publishes 6 daily email publications, 35 weekly email publications, and 4 websites, each serving segments of the radio and records industries.
LikeBillboard, which is also owned by VNU Media, Radio & Records used data fromNielsen Broadcast Data Systems to develop the charts showing which records were played each week by leading radio stations. Prior to the merger, Radio & Records had used monitored charts and playlists fromMediabase. The format charts used during its run included CHR/Top 40, Rhythmic, Gospel, Urban, Country, Adult Contemporary, Rock, Christian, Latin and Smooth Jazz.
In 2000 Radio & Records entered the Spanish music business purchasing weekly trade publication Radio Y Musica andRadio y Musica Convention fromAlfredo Alonso.
On June 3, 2009, R&R announced that they were immediately ceasing operations after the release of the June 5 issue.[6]