Talk:List of Hot 100 Airplay number-one singles of the 1990s

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Lists

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Accuracy Problems with the Switch to Monitored Airplay

There are some problems with the accuracy of the discussion on this page about Billboard's switch from using radio station playlists to monitored airplay to formulate the Hot 100 Singles chart. In its December 8, 1990 issue, Billboard introduced a new chart called "Top 40 Radio Monitor." In an article on p.4 of that issue, Billboard explained that this chart used a new technology developed by BDS to track actual airplay of songs. However, the article also notes that this chart was "completely separate from the existing Hot 100 Singles chart." It was not "adopted for the Hot 100 Airplay" in that issue as stated in the introduction on this page. That didn't happen until the November 30, 1991 issue of Billboard. According to the article in Billboard, the Top 40 Radio Monitor chart was published starting December 8, 1990 to be used as a comparison to "help users of the charts prepare for the possible transition of the Hot 100 to monitored airplay."

Whoever constructed the list of Hot 100 Airplay number-one singles of the 1990s based the list using Top 40 Radio Monitor starting with the week of December 8, 1990. But that wasn't the source of Hot 100 Airplay number ones until November 30, 1991. It should be constructed using the previous chart methodology--the airplay component of the "Hot 100 Sales and Airplay" charts through the November 23, 1991 issue. So, for example, the number one song on this list for the week of December 8, 1990 should be "I'm Your Baby Tonight" by Whitney Houston, not "Love Takes Time" by Mariah Carey as currently stated.

As a possible solution, I would suggest creating a second column for number one entries from 12/8/90 to 11/23/91 that lists both the Top 40 Radio Monitor number ones and the Hot 100 Airplay number ones--noting that only the latter was used to formulate the Hot 100 during that period. Because Top 40 Radio Monitor was published during this period and did eventually become the source of airplay data for the Hot 100, I don't think the entries should just be replaced. However, because this page is billed as being a "component" of the Hot 100, it does need to be fixed since, at present, it does not accurately reflect the airplay component of the Hot 100 for the weeks of 12/8/90 to 11/23/91.Ww adh77 (talk) 14:14, 25 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]