College in Atlanta in early 80s. GT (Alma mater) WREK and GA State WRAS. And a high 80s or low 90s FM station in Tampa in the early 90s. Not really radio, but Radio Paradise in my (early) twilight years (now).
What were the radio stations of your youth that helped you on your music/audio journey?
I am older so my radio stations of influence were in their prime during the British invasion and many, many American singers and groups.
The stations I listen to the most were WLS out of Chicago, KIOA out of Des Moines, KAAY out of Little Rock, Arkansas and KOMA out of Oklahama. When I was in the Air Froce I had a few stations near the main base I was stationed at outside of Rapid City, S.D.
Of course systems and better and better systems and FM became the dominate source for broadcast/online music. I did learn much of what I liked and eventually purchased through early radio listening.
I still listen to radio mainly for Jazz stations and NPR news.
The stations I listen to the most were WLS out of Chicago, KIOA out of Des Moines, KAAY out of Little Rock, Arkansas and KOMA out of Oklahama. When I was in the Air Froce I had a few stations near the main base I was stationed at outside of Rapid City, S.D.
Of course systems and better and better systems and FM became the dominate source for broadcast/online music. I did learn much of what I liked and eventually purchased through early radio listening.
I still listen to radio mainly for Jazz stations and NPR news.
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Beaker Street with Clyde Clifford. Was born and raised in Iowa. HUGE plastic AM radio with the big carbon battery. From the wiki: The first underground music program broadcast regularly on a commercial AM radio station in the central US. The station’s signal carried far and wide. In early 1967 Beaker Street was a staple for adherents to the burgeoning underground communities in the upper Mid-West especially in Des Moines, Iowa, where it was the only access to Dr. Demento and Firesign Theatre. Lasted until 1972. I was 10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaker_Street |
Chicago in the70’s was awesome (and the 90’s) WXRT still a good station have listened since their beginning TRIAD RADIO part time at night. Huge influence on my taste THE FOX WJKL ELGIN. great station very low power signal. In the 90’S THE BEAR. Did not lsat long but a great station nonetheless All these stations were ahead of their time and had an tremendous influence on my musical tastes |
WFMU 101.1 Freeform radio from Upsala College, NJ WNEW 102.7 Scott Muni and company in NYC, Progressive Rock WBAI 99.5 Pacifica Radio in NYC WRVR 106.7 Jazz radio in NYC until 1980 WNCN 104.3 Classical Music format until 1980 WCVF 600 carrier current AM radio at SUC Fredonia, NY Radio in NYC was really lively and interesting in my youth, from around 1969 until about 1979 or so…and then it just died. It became lifeless and soulless as the “professional” radio programmers took over. There are a few good stations today, WNYC, WQXR, and WBGO, but the rest are unlistenable. |
Back in the mid to late 70's there was a radio station in Columbus Ohio called Stereo Rock 92. Their competitor was QFM 96 that still thrives today. Rock 92 had something called "Midnight And Other Beast". Every Friday night at midnight they would critique a complete album. Remember,, back in those days there was an explosion of new rock artist and mainstays releasing album after album rapid fire.. So at midnight they would explain the album in detail, introduce all the members and what high lights we should listen for during the first half of the album. After side one was played the disc jockey would do the same thing for side 2. No commercials, just music... really cool. |
Away at school in the 4th grade in the mountains of Virginia from 1957-1961, we had limited radio reception. I had a cream-colored Zenith radio that was about 8" high and 12" wide and about 3-4 inches wide. I looked at a bunch of pics of old Zenith radios and did not see one that looked like it. Anyway, since my grades were good, I was able to do study hall in the dorms, and used to listen at very low volume to WOWO, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, which was the only station back then that came in clearly for any length of time. Later, back home near Williamsburg, we had WGH radio, which was for teens at night with a great disc jockey named Roger Clark. This was in the early 1960's--the birth of great music. Then I went to college and we had WCHL. I know it is a terrible thing today, but back then WCHL used to sign-off with an a capella version of Dixie performed by the glee club that was the best version of the song I have ever heard. It was truly mesmerizing. I contacted them a few years ago--WCHL is still there--but of course they had no idea what I was talking about and of course all copies of that version were long gone. Sad, but times change, I guess... |
In NYC, it was WNCN, an all-classical station that competed with WQXR. In those days, you could listen to the Met Opera on Saturday afternoon via WQXR, hear a full opera recording that evening on WNCN, and hear a recorded opera on Sunday evening on WQXR. Both stations had a policy of playing only complete works. After WNCN died, WQXR started avoiding vocal music except for the Met broadcasts and began to play individual movements from symphonies. End of a Golden Age of NYC radio. |
WRPI; Troy NY 1970s WNEW; NYC 1980s - 1990s WFUV; Bronx NY 1980s - 2020 WBGO; Newark NJ 1980s - 2020 Scott Muni, Dave Herman and Dennis Elsas were some of my favorite DJs Pete Fornatale's "Mixed Bag" and Vin Scelsa's "Idiot's Delight" Saturday evening shows on WFUV were always popular in my circles of friends. Bruce |
Mid-late 60’s…WPOP & WDRC both AM stations in Hartford CT. As a youngster at the time, the many DJ personalities also added color & drama to the listening experience. One example here. http://www.wdrcobg.com/griffin.html What seemed absolutely scandalous to the teenaged me is just so ho-hum. Then to FM!!!!!!!! WPLR in New Haven. Coincidentally, have a 50 year old city bus cardboard advertising placard (fluorescent orange w/black script) that hangs on my garage wall: “WPLR 99 rock - up your FM dial…” Sweet memories! |
I grew up in the suburbs of NY. The station, if I remember correctly was WNEW FM. Allison Steel was referred to as the Night Bird. She came on around 11PM nightly. She had a sultry voice that just drew you in! Her program was so orchestrated that she would almost literary take you away. All of her songs blended into a theme. One song seemed to take you right into the next so smoothly. Not like so many other DJ's that would put you into a frame of mind and then on the next song rip you totally out of where you were. This all w/o the fanfare of the funny cigarettes. Going back almost fifty years. Robert TN |
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WPKN Bridgeport Conn under the great Harry Minot for thirty years. WERS Emmerson College Boston WMPG Porltand Maine All college radio stations Above all WGBH Jazz (Music America) in the afternoons hosted by Ron Della Chiesa Horace Silver - Peace was the intro song |
In Des Moines, IA Beaker Street (Little Rock?) in the 60’s/70’s and KFMG starting around 1970 until I moved to Los Angeles in 1977. In LA it was usually KROQ (Rodney on the ROQ) and later on added a Reggae show hosted by Roger Stevens (sp?). I recall picking up Beaker Street (car radio) as far North as Minnepolis starting around midnight when attending concerts in the area. DeKay |
Before FM radio up here in Alberta, it was 630ched AM radio, then K97 FM, then 103 The Bear FM. I lived in Eastern Canada for a few years it was Q107 FM out of Toronto. When I was able to screw the svr6 cable tv line into my AKAI stereo tuner in the 80's I use to get US stations from Washington and Montana etc, which was a bonus, my first taste of "commercial free" music. |
Art Roberts on WLS and his 3 Most Requested Songs in Chicago was every night listening for me. Heard my first Beatles music there. Sleeping out on the porch all summer with my AM radio trying to get Art or Tommy Shannon from Buffalo, WOWO in Ft Wayne, or Wonderful WYNO. It wasn't long after that I scrapped together enough paper route money to buy a Sony R/R and recorded all of my favorites from a mic taped to that same radio. |
jfd11 I lived in Iowa City and was able to pick up WLS. I had a table radio for when I was awake and a small transister radio that I listened to in bed. Really looked forward to the top 3 phone requests and actually called in when my parents would let me. I may mispell their names but there was Art Roberts, Larry Lujack, Dick Biondi, and others I am forgeting. I also listened to KIOA in Des Moines and KAAY in Little Rock, but loved WLS the best. In living in Iowa City and Madison, Wi. I traveled to many places for business including Chicago, NYC, Copenhagen and many others but Chicago had my heart. It didn't hurt that a friend had a furnished, unused condo in Lake Point Tower near the top that he let me use. Because of it being the prime of my earning career, I/we ate at the best of Chicago at the time and attended music and theater shows. I believe that my young attachment to WLS was the beginning of my love of Chicago. I was also attached to the famous/best Greek restaurants.....oh, the good old days. I suppose that my Mother's love for the Cubs had influence on me. I have no idea how the Cubs became her tems, but she did not watch any other MLB games, just the Cubs. Like most Cub fans, she loved them win or lose. |
Bartok Radio, Hungary. The most educational classical music station I ever ran across with fantastic sound quality and content. I grew up on it. Thumbs up for the Huns! ; Now it's available as internet radio as well... sound quality not the same, but you can get the content and maybe pick up some Hungarian along the way; |
Then in the UK listening first to Radio Luxembourg and then the pirate radio stations - Radio London and Radio Caroline - all on my 'tranny' (transistor radio) on Medium Wave of course. Also BBC Radio 1 and the late great John Peel from 1967 until his untimely death in 2004. It wasn't only the stations but also the disc jockeys that influenced musical taste so much - and for me the more bizarre normally the better! These days in CO a mix of local stations mainly in the car. |
WOXY oxford ohio. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WOXY.com?wprov=sfla1 |
Mostly college and/or public radio stations for me: WRAS - Atlanta (Georgia State) KUT - Austin (Univ of TX) WDET - Detroit (Wayne State) KBAC - Santa Fe ("Radio Free Santa Fe") WFCF - St Augustine (Flagler College) I've seen CKLW in Detroit & Windsor, Canada mentioned frequently. Many years ago at SXSW, they showed a documentary about that station called: "Radio Revolution - The Rise and Fall of the Big 8." It was excellent and I highly recommend it (you don't have to be from Detroit to enjoy this one). Hopefully it is still in print. |
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