KDHX online writing style
Style notes (based on AP Stylebook 2009, with a few exceptions)
rock & roll
St. Louis (Note: Unlike many cities, St. Louis is one that can stand alone, without state abbreviation, in copy. See following list for other examples: http://wordwise.typepad.com/blog/2010/02/you-bet-djibouti-updates-to-ap-style-part-ii.html)
When using zip code: St. Louis, MO 63130.
DJs not programmers.
Genres are not capitalized, with the exception of Americana, R&B, Tex-Mex, Southern rock and a handful of others. There's a reason for such exceptions. E-mail roy at kdhx dot org for clarification.
website and e-mail and Internet and Web and online
314-664-3955, ext. 355
Times: 2 a.m. or noon or midnight
Central standard time is CST. However, to simplify and avoid confusion about daylight saving time, all times, when targeted at a non-local audience, should be indicated with the word Central: 7 a.m. Central
To indicate sequences or inclusive dates or times, use an en dash (or a single hyphen, with no spaces) instead of “to:” Apply here May 7-9, 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
Numerical dates like 1/11/10 are not technically AP Style, and should be avoided in most cases; however, given the needs of KDHX, numerical dates are acceptable in titles and other listings.
Generally speaking, do not use “th,” “st” or “rd” with dates: January 11th, 2010 is incorrect. January 11, 2010 is correct. You may also abbreviate long months, when using the complete date: Jan. 11, 2010 is also correct.
Unless absolutely necessary to avoid ambiguity, no comma after the final item in a series: rock, rap and soul.
To separate sentences, use 1 space, not 2.
When making a plural noun possessive, just add an apostrophe: The books' jackets were torn. If the noun is singular but ends in an s, add 's: The bass's mouth was large. If it's a proper noun that ends in s, just add an apostrophe: St. Louis' parks are precious.
Use numerals for ages. KDHX is 22 years old. KDHX is a 22-year-old radio station.
Generally, use numerals for numbers, unless at the start of the sentence: Apples, grapes and cherries are my 3 favorite fruits. Two awesome DJs spun records last night.
Spell out million and billion, and precede with numerals, up to 2 decimals: There were 4.35 million MP3s downloaded in 2009. However, there were approximately 7,542,000 MP3s deleted from teenagers' iTunes in 2009.
When in doubt, do not hyphenate, unless the word is a compound modifier before a noun: hip hop and hip-hop art
Use the em dash when creating a parenthetical or for appositive effect. Make the dash by typing the word, then a space, then two hyphens, then a space, then the next word: I like chips -- especially potato chips.
Generally, do not capitalize “the” for program shows and bands in the middle of a sentence: Drea brings you the Other One. I love the Beatles. Same rule applies to the Riverfront Times. However, The Essential Leonard Cohen and The Beatles are great CDs.
Song titles go in quotation marks and use standard capitalization: “The Long and Winding Road”
Album, movie and play titles go in italics: Abbey Road, The Godfather and Hamlet. This is a common exception to AP Style, given the needs of music and arts publications.
For headlines (for example, title of a blog post or, eventually, a KDHX.org Web site article): AP headlines cap only first word, proper nouns or proper abbreviations: KDHX welcomes the Twangfest festival to St. Louis, starting June 9, 2010
For titles: All substantial nouns, verbs, adjectives etc. are capitalized in titles. Prepositions, pronouns and conjunctions which are 4 letters or more are always capitalized: I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One by Yo La Tengo is a great album. The first and last word of a book, song, movie etc. title are always capitalized regardless of letter count: “To Be or Not to Be In” is a strange title for a song.
Plagiarism, in any form, is not acceptable. If you use more than 2 words (an original phrase) from another source, you must use quotation marks and cite the source.
Generally speaking, when referring to bands, use the singular, unless the band is a plural name: The Rolling Stones are the greatest rock & roll band in the world. Devo is a deconstructive, new wave band.
Be very careful when pasting from a Google or Word doc into an online text editor. Use plain text to paste in!
