KPFA, KPFB in Berkeley, KFCF in Fresno- the later reached my adolescent home town in Tulare Co, and Tuesday night was Maximum Rock and Roll in the early 80's
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.
166 responses Add your response
Growing up in Seattle, my first listening was to KAYO, an AM country station. My parents liked country music and it's what I first started listening to. Then I discovered pop and rock and KJR AM, and then KISW for "heavier" rock and KZOK for "album oriented rock" (as well as crazy stuff like Dr. Demento). Later, many of the KISW DJs left and went to KXRX, which was a great station while it lasted. In the 90s (not exactly my youth anymore), there was KNDD and all the "alternative" bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Janes Addiction, and so much more. When alternative started to transition away from the "grunge" sound, I lost interest and "mellowed out" to KMTT (The Mountain) which played " Adult Album Alternative". I grew tired of that and for many years stopped listening to radio for the most part when most radio stations were taken over by "personalities" that were all talk and no music. These days I listen to KNKX while working. NPR news in the morning and afternoon and great jazz and blues the rest of the time and a good signal. |
KCAC 1010 AM Phoenix, "The Joint That Gives You The Heaviest Hits", a daylight hour only underground radio station. Frequently broadcast alerts ("Bad brown acid" at the concert, "Don’t come bustable, or you’re likely to be burned") and was non-commercial, free-form radio. Later morphed to KDKB FM, "Flagship station of the Dwight Karma Broadcasting Network" (the one and only Dwight Karma station!). Had some really good times there on-air (and off) with DJs "Toad Hall", "The Amoeba", William Edward Compton (aka "BS Bill") and a few other pals. |
Growing up in L.A.in the 60's and 70's- it was all about KHJ, KLOS (Smith here), KMET. Those were the days when the DJ's were into the music, not just talk radio where they gave opinions. I moved to my mother's home town (Albuquerque, NM) after I got discharged from the USMC in 1980. The now defunct KQEO, and now KZRR still play on my tuner. Ed FM is playing right now. |
WRAS, the 100k watt student-run radio station of GSU in Atlanta. Now it's just another useless NPR outlet here, duplicating the one at 90.1, WABE, formerly the classical station. Used to love listening to "My Word" on WABE on Saturdays as I was baking the breads for dinner service at Carbo's Cafe in 1980, a British game show of considerable philological depth and great wit. |
77 WABC AM - 1962 - 1967 - top 20 radio 102.3 WNEW FM - 1967 - 1976 - progressive rock 104.something WNCN FM - 1975 - 1980 something - classical 89.9 WKCR FM - Columbia university - 1972 to present - classical, jazz, world music, Bachfest 99.5 WBAI FM - 1972 to present - news; political, cultural talk; world, Latin, jazz classical music personalities: WABC: Cousin Brucie: WNEW: Alison Steele (The Night Bird), Scott Muni, Dennis Elsas, Dave Herman, Pete Fornatale, Vin Scelsa |
Up until the time I was 14 (which was in 1970), it was KILT AM (610) in Houston. They played all the pop/rock. After I discovered FM, it was KLOL (101.1) in Houston. There was a disc jockey in the evenings named Crash, with a deep laid-back voice, who introduced me to lots of bands I'd have never discovered otherwise. In the mid-to-late 70's I was in the Air Force, stationed in Austin, and my radio was tuned to KLBJ (93.7) which played a great mix of all genres. |
WUSF FM, Tampa FL. Spent my teen years in St. Pete, where one of my favorite things was listening to “the Underground Railroad” Saturday night at midnight. In stereo. The show opened with the sound of a steam train chuff-chuffing from left to right in my headphones and the DJ would announce 📣 you’re listening to the Underground Railroad and, being FM, would play entire albums, ten minute songs, long jams like nothing you’d hear outside of a record store. I first heard John Mayall, Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express, Savoy Brown’s Hellbound Train, The True Story of the SS Titanic by Jamie someone or another, ” it was midnight on the sea the band was playing nearer my God to thee, fare thee well Titanic fare thee well, they wouldn’t take Jack Johnson on board they said this ship don’t haul no coal, fare thee well Titanic, fare the well.” Broad-based musical tastes were reinforced by my brother’s collection of things like Tangerine Dream, Moody Blues, Rolling Stones, Genesis, ELP, and more, also heard on WUSF. The college used to hold Sat night festivals on the riverfront at its Tampa campus which were fun. good times. Thanks for asking the question. |
| Post removed |
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. |
WOXY oxford ohio. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WOXY.com?wprov=sfla1 |
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. |
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; |
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. |
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. |
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. |
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 |
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 |
| Post removed |
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 |
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! |
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 |
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. |
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... |
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. |
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. |
