Radio programmers in several major markets say the boundary between pop and R&B playlists has thinned dramatically this quarter, with crossover spins climbing on both sides of the dial.

Station music directors point to a run of mid-tempo singles that test equally well with both audiences, a trend that has not held this long since the late nineties.

“The listeners do not hear formats anymore. They hear songs.”

“The listeners do not hear formats anymore,” one programmer told Singersroom. “They hear songs.”

Industry watchers say the shift could reshape how labels schedule singles going into the fourth quarter, with more R&B records being worked to pop panels from day one.