Here are two sample files to download. ASCII file Dbase file If you're not sure which one to use, please e-mail us and tell us what program you'll be using and whether you're using Windows or Mac. The file is also available in Excel.
This is a sample record from our Canadian Data Base. The legend and documentation is below.
STATION CKTO FM
ADDRESS 187 INDUSTRIAL AVE
CITY TRURO
STATE NS
ZIP B2N 6V3
FORMAT AOR
NOTES
SIZE 0
POWER 50000
FREQ 100.9
PHONE 902-893-6060
FAX 902-896-7771
AUTO
RANK 0
Z_4
CHDATE 06/19/2002
CHANGE FP F
SHARE
NUMBER 40474
EMAIL example@example.com
WEBSITE
RADIO MALL CANADIAN LIST DOCUMENTATION
We guarantee this list can be run on your system. If you have any difficulties installing it, call us at
763-522-6256 and we'll arrange for technical support. Most major data base programs will have no trouble importing this information. This disc is NOT a self-contained program. Here's what you need to know:
BEFORE YOU BEGIN!!!
We strongly suggest you make a diskette copy of the file before trying to install it. If you asked for an ASCII file, the file name is CANADA1.TEX. If you asked for a DBase file, the file name is CANADA1.DBF. Each data base uses a different method for importing data, so the following instructions are generalizations. WE STRONGLY URGE YOU REVIEW THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR DATA BASE IF YOU'VE NEVER IMPORTED A FILE. For most applications you'll begin by copying our disc to your hard drive. If your data base resides in a directory, be sure to include that in your copy command. Then open your data base program. If you have a menu, it probably has a choice marked something like: "CREATE A NEW FILE" or "OPEN A NEW FILE." If so, select this option. At some point, there may be an option asking for the SOURCE of the new file, or allowing you to IMPORT data. For the ASCII version, you'll usually have to enter the number of fields in each record (19.) If you are using fixed field lengths, we've made a notation in brackets [ ] to show you how many characters to allow per field. Depending on your data base, you may need to structure ZIP and ZIP+4 as character fields so the data base doesn't delete any zeros at the beginning of an entry. The field lengths are in brackets [ ].
There are 21 fields for each record. They are: [size]type
STATION (the station's call letters) [15]C
ADDRESS (street address or P.O. Box) [40]C
CITY [21]C
STATE [2]C
ZIP (The Canadian Postal code.) [7]C
FORMAT (see list of format codes) [21]C
NOTES (includes info on duplicates) [27]C
SIZE (INTENTIONALLY BLANK) [6]N
POWER (highest power output at address listed) [8]N
FREQ (frequency) [11]C
PHONE [25]C
FAX [13]C
AUTO ("@" Indicates automation, "&" indicates satellite) [17]C
RANK (INTENTIONALLY BLANK) [4]N
Z_4 (INTENTIONALLY BLANK) [5]C
CDATE: The date anything other than the address was changed. [8]D
CHANGE: Type of change. F=format C=call letters [13]C
SHARE: (INTENTIONALLY BLANK) [4]N
NUMBER (Unchanging serial number) [5]N
EMAIL (still in development) [42]C
WEBSITE (still in development) [42]C
You'll notice a number of intentionally blank fields. These are included for those who wish to merge this list with our American list. The only difference is that the "ZIP" field in larger in the Canadian list. However, because you must print the word "CANADA" on the bottom line of your mailing labels, we do not recommend merging these lists for mailing purposes. Also, there is a possibility that the change date information will not conform to your data base's method for managing dates. Any new information will be included in future updates.
We welcome your suggestions to help us improve this list. Please tell us about any problems you have with the list and let us know what kinds of information you'd like to see included in the future.
Here's additional information on the data:
FORMAT INFORMATION
FORMAT CODES: Most are obvious, but here's the list:
AC - Adult contemporary stations
AC (SOFT) - Adult contemporary stations with "Lite" formats
AOR - Album-oriented rock
AOR (CR) - Classic rock
AOR (Z-ROCK) (Hard rock satellite programming from SMN)
NOST - Big Band/Nostalgia
B/EZ - Beautiful music/Easy listening
B/U - Black/Urban or R&B
CHR - Contemporary Hit Radio, formerly known as Top 40
CLAS - Classical
CTRY - Country
ETH - Ethnic, other than spanish
GOLD - Oldies
JAZZ
MISC - Block formatting. Usually three or more formats every day.
MOR - Middle of the road.
NA-C - New Age, also known as New Adult Contemporary. The dash insures this won't be accidentally retrieved when searching for traditional AC stations.
N/T - News/Talk
REL - Religious
REL (CC) - Contemporary Christian Music
SPAN - Spanish
Commentary: Format definition is not an exact science. For example, Radio & Records, a very competent publication, no longer uses the classification of MOR. They classify WCCO in Minneapolis as an adult contemporary station. We strongly disagree with this classification. When WCCO does play music, it is almost never contemporary. We will continue to use the MOR designation for stations of this type. Also, be aware that many program director's perceptions of their own format is open to debate.
You will also notice some formats have a "`" after them. This is used for an in-house selective mailing. This symbol is used for all soft AC, B/U, REL, SPAN, ETH, B/EZ, NA-C, JAZZ, CLAS and automated and satellite formats (unless we know their morning show is live.) This selection was used for stations that were unlikely to purchase comedy material. In most data base programs, this symbol will not interfere with your format selection. If it causes a problem, please let us know.
THE NOTES CATEGORY
If an AM & FM station are at the same address with the same owners, but are not simulcast, we create a separate record for each station and we mark the second station (usually the AM) as a "DUPE." This is entered in the notes category. We also keep various notes here, including info on format and call letter changes. Most of the codes and info (other than "DUPE") will be of no use to you, but if you are curious about a specific note, please let us know. We also keep a station's previous call letters here. If you're having trouble finding a certain set of call letters, you might want to direct your search to this category.
UPDATES
Here at RADIO MALL headquarters, this data base is a living, breathing thing. Like a small baby, it needs to be changed and fed quite often. We make hundreds of changes every month just in the ADDRESS, CALL LETTER and FORMAT categories. The accuracy of this data deteriorates rapidly over time. If you mail to this list the week you get it, you should get fewer than 1% returns. If you mail to this same list (without updating it) 12 months from now, you'll probably be looking at 6% returns. The format accuracy will be even less and many of the call letters will be wrong. We've priced our updates so they will usually cost you less than the wasted postage, printing and address correction fees you will pay for using the wrong addresses. And you'll save hours of data entry time, too. We suggest you obtain an update before each large mailing (but never more than one a month.) If you plan on updating the info yourself, be sure every piece you mail contains an "ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED" endorsement. We mail about
40,000 pieces every year using our own lists. We spend hundreds of dollars on address corrections, and it keeps our list accurate. In summary, whether you purchase our updates, or do it yourself, it REALLY MUST BE DONE!
LIMITATIONS OF USE
This list is (C) Copyright 2008, The Radio Mall. Your company and its legal subsidiaries may have unlimited in-house use of this list. It is not copy-protected and you may duplicate it for your company's own use. You may not sell, rent, loan, or otherwise furnish it to other entities. In the event of personnel changes, the rights to use this list will be restricted to the individual or company that originally made payment for the list, unless a company provides proof that they reimbursed a former employee for the list.
NO PORTION of the data may be posted to a web, ftp, or
file-sharing folder. The data may not be reproduced for resale in any form. This data is "seeded" with the addresses of Radio Mall agents to ensure that the list is not being illegally reproduced.
If you have any questions about these restrictions, please write us at 2412 Unity Ave. N., Minneapolis, MN 55422.
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