Radio stations from your youth

[Dawn]

Revisiting the "Did you tape songs off the radio" post a few days ago got me thinking about this topic, which I don't think we've done on the Click before.

Radio played a big part for many of us in introducing us to new songs and artists, and shaping our musical tastes. Which ones were your favorites as a youth, and as a young adult?

The earliest station I remember hearing is WHBG. There weren't a lot of stations on the air in west/central VA in the early '70s, but it was one of the most popular at the time. I'm almost certain that's the station I heard Band on the Run on in 1974, and which started my life-long interest in music. It's still around, as a talk radio station I think.

Then came WQPO. They signed on around 1975, I believe. I remember it being a big deal at the time, because it was one of the area's first FM stations, if not the first. This was the station that was primarily top 40, but also mixed in a few older recurrent tracks, and many of the tapes I have are from that station. I pretty much listened to them exclusively from their early days until 1981 or so, and then it got split up between a couple of stations.

WJSY was an interesting station. It signed on around 1980, and was less top 40 and more album-oriented than WQPO. They stayed around for a couple of years, but then changed formats, and eventually call letters as well.

Then there was WWWV, out of Charlottesville. I listened to them a lot in high school. Their market was aimed at UVA, and their playlist was yet more rock-oriented. They played a lot of stuff like Yes, Genesis, Van Halen, etc.

Also there was G93 - don't remember the exact call letters. Their format was kinda like WQPO's - a mix of top 40 and recurrents - but their playlist was a bit more R&B oriented. Good station - not sure if they're still around or not.

The first oldies station I ever remember hearing was WSPV, "The Spirit of the Valley." They signed on in spring 1987, and lasted for about a year and a half if memory serves. That station introduced me to a lot of older songs like Vehicle, Love Her Madly, I Saw the Light, and others I'd missed hearing during my childhood days. I remember they played Pilot's Magic once, and I was ecstatic to hear it again, having not heard it since it was current.

How about you?

[Dawn]

Another station that I didn't listen to at home often, but heard a lot of in the late '70s and early '80s, was WKDW, a then-current country station. My good friend Dee, who lived a few houses down from me, was a huge fan of country music, and usually had it playing when I'd visit. The last I heard, it was still around, playing the same music we heard back then - only now it is considered "classic country."

[jpkansas]

The station I work for now was my parents station when I was growing up.

There were two biggies with powerful signals I listened to. KOMA in Oklahoma City and WLS in Chicago.

[gremashlo]

In Nebraska, our radio pickin's were slim...but, we were lucky to have WOW AM 590 out of Omaha, which was one of the most powerful and influential stations in the Midwest. My mom always listened to WOW, and most of my most prized musical memories are from that...

Otherwise, we had KNEN-FM, a small station out of Norfolk, Nebraska, which was the only top 40 station for miles, and the first for the area period. My father preferred WJAG, a daytime-only station in Norfolk which was as old as the hills (hence the "W"--since the 1930's new stations west of the Mississipi had to begin their call letters with a "K", and east of the Mississippi start with a "W") but played country music and had news, weather and farm reports.

As I reached my teen years (and after WOW became a country station, and later on dropped their call letters entirely and became a sports talk radio station) I listened to "Rock 100" KGOR (because of the "dial" era, by being close to 100--99.9--on your FM dial) in Omaha, which evolved into an oldies station that I still listen to today.

[Ken]

Great idea for a topic!

The two stations (both AM) that I first remember hearing were CKLG (LG73) and CFUN (1410). These two were the main "top 40" stations in Vancouver for many years. CKLG started in 1955 and CFUN started way back in 1922. A few of the songs I remember hearing were
Magic - Pilot
Day After Day - Badfinger
Junior's Farm - Sir Paul
Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell
Have You Never Been Mellow? - Olivia Newton John.

In 1969 CFUN briefly changed their call letters to CKVN, but later regained the CFUN call letters in 1973 after the station was sold.

CFUN changed their format several years back to talk radio.
CKLG no longer exists ending in 2001.


CFMI 101 (now "ROCK 101") - I first became aware of the station in the late 70's.This was one of the two stations I listened to a lot throughout high school and still listen to occasionally today. The station started in 1970 with a country music format, this was very short lived and they quickly changed to a "top 40" / Album Oriented format. They are now our "classic rock" station and have been for several years.

CFOX 99 - The station started out as CKLG - FM in 1965. They changed to CFOX in 1979 after acquiring the call letters (I believe) from a station in Montreal.Their format was basically top 40 / AOR as well (lots of Doors, Zeppelin, Floyd Deep Purple, Cream, Billy Idol, Van Halen etc) The main reason I listened to them was because of their "Electric Lunch" show where they played "deep cuts"from the 60's and 70's.I stopped listening in 1998 when the dropped the program because of a format change (Alternative rock I think) at the station. The show was later adopted by " Rock 101" and continues to this day.

KNWR 104.3 (Bellingham, Washington) I've mentioned this station here a few times. This was the other station I listened to on a regular basis while in high school, I discovered them in 1982 through a buddy of mine.They were top 40 at the time mixing in the occasional tunes from the 60s and 70s. I heard so many songs for the first time courtesy of the station - "Someday Someway" by Marshall Crenshaw and "Pride and Joy" by Stevie Ray Vaughan just to name a few.
They started out as KERI in the 70's changing to KNWR sometime the late 70's - to late 80's. They are now known as KAFE 104 and the format changed from top 40 to soft rock.

The first oldies station I remember hearing was CISL 650. They began in 1980. Originally their signal was not very strong but they later bought a stronger transmitter to increase their wattage.They are still around today!

[smittykins--70s pop RULES!]

As I mentioned in "This Is Only A Test," WHEN(then easy listening/adult contemporary, now sports/talk)was usually tuned in on our Zenith console stereo when I was growing up in Syracuse, but when I was listening on my transistor radio in my room, I bounced around the 3 Top 40 powerhouses of the time, WOLF, WNDR and WFBL. It wasn't until I was about 11 or 12 that I started listening to FM(up till then, I thought it was all "beautiful music" ).Then it was WKFM 104.7,at the time a Drake-Chenault automated station, later went "live" and went through a couple format changes, and is now a country station.

Upon moving back to the Finger Lakes region in 1978, I alternated among local stations such as WSFW in Seneca Falls(now defunct--for a long time, the FM wasn't even in stereo!) and WECQ in Geneva(now country), and various stations in Rochester and Syracuse.

Oh, and when Mom was on one of her occasional "country kicks" when I was growing up, it was WSEN, which is now oldies.

[55dodger]

First of all Dawn, this is a great topic. Growing up in So Cal, there was no shortage of radio stations.

My earliest radio memories are of KFXM radio 59, that my mom listened to. I remember hearing the Platters, The Browns, Elvis, & others of the late 50s & early 60s. More on KFXM later.

Later, I listened to KFI & KMPC radio. They broadcast the Dodgers & Angels. I was lucky that as a kid, I got to listen to Vin Scully broadcast Dodger games on KFI & Dick Enberg do the Angel games on KMPC. It was a fun time

Later on, we had two competing top 40 stations in San Bernardino. KMEN & KFXM. I listened to both. Since they competed, DJs tended to swap stations, almost regularly. And they would do stuff to gain listeners. KMEN had a Sound-a-Thon 300 on Memorial Day weekend. Best 300 songs, voted by listeners. KFXM would do a Decade of Greatness Weekend, highlighting a different year from 63-72. And they had the contests & giveaways. I know I won a couple of free albums from the contests. It was a fun time to listen to AM radio. I listened to both from 1965 until I left home in 1973. Last I heard, KMEN was doing Radio Disney, not sure about KFXM. Another legendary So Cal radio station I occasionally listened to was KHJ. KHJ was in Los Angeles & hard to get, so I didn't listen to it much.

No mention of classic So Cal Radio Stations woud be complete without a mention of the Mighty Met. KMET radio 97.5 was a legend in 60s & 70s Los Angeles radio. KMET did what FM was invented for. They played album cuts, album sides, virtually commercial free. They put an album on, let it play, flip it, let it play again. Later in the mid 70s, they did a lunchtime show called the Blue Plate Special. Real cool album cuts to enjoy your lunch. They also had Dr. Demento on for 3 hours on Sunday nights. Always fun. The call letters KMET still exist somewhere in Banning, Ca. Can't be the same.

The first oldie station was K-ERTH in the mid-70s, still broadcasting (right Dawn). Last I looked, their playlist still included stuff from the 50s & 60s. Back in the mid-70s, it was all 50s & 60s.

Anyway, that's my trip down radio memory lane.

[jpkansas]

Woody, KFXM is still playing the oldies, but on FM.

www.kfxm.com/

kfxm-kmen-radio.blogspot.com/

[Dawn]

Jul 22, 2009 1:15:20 GMT -5 55dodger said:

First of all Dawn, this is a great topic. Growing up in So Cal, there was no shortage of radio stations.

My earliest radio memories are of KFXM radio 59, that my mom listened to. I remember hearing the Platters, The Browns, Elvis, & others of the late 50s & early 60s. More on KFXM later.

Later, I listened to KFI & KMPC radio. They broadcast the Dodgers & Angels. I was lucky that as a kid, I got to listen to Vin Scully broadcast Dodger games on KFI & Dick Enberg do the Angel games on KMPC. It was a fun time

Later on, we had two competing top 40 stations in San Bernardino. KMEN & KFXM. I listened to both. Since they competed, DJs tended to swap stations, almost regularly. And they would do stuff to gain listeners. KMEN had a Sound-a-Thon 300 on Memorial Day weekend. Best 300 songs, voted by listeners. KFXM would do a Decade of Greatness Weekend, highlighting a different year from 63-72. And they had the contests & giveaways. I know I won a couple of free albums from the contests. It was a fun time to listen to AM radio. I listened to both from 1965 until I left home in 1973. Last I heard, KMEN was doing Radio Disney, not sure about KFXM. Another legendary So Cal radio station I occasionally listened to was KHJ. KHJ was in Los Angeles & hard to get, so I didn't listen to it much.

No mention of classic So Cal Radio Stations woud be complete without a mention of the Mighty Met. KMET radio 97.5 was a legend in 60s & 70s Los Angeles radio. KMET did what FM was invented for. They played album cuts, album sides, virtually commercial free. They put an album on, let it play, flip it, let it play again. Later in the mid 70s, they did a lunchtime show called the Blue Plate Special. Real cool album cuts to enjoy your lunch. They also had Dr. Demento on for 3 hours on Sunday nights. Always fun. The call letters KMET still exist somewhere in Banning, Ca. Can't be the same.

The first oldie station was K-ERTH in the mid-70s, still broadcasting (right Dawn). Last I looked, their playlist still included stuff from the 50s & 60s. Back in the mid-70s, it was all 50s & 60s.

Anyway, that's my trip down radio memory lane.

Yes, KRTH is still going strong as an oldies station. They still play some '60s, but not much '50s anymore. Most of their current playlist seems to cover from about 1965 to 1984 or so - but primarily '70s - and seems to get a little "later" each year.

[55dodger]

Jul 22, 2009 9:27:05 GMT -5 jpkansas said:

Woody, KFXM is still playing the oldies, but on FM.

www.kfxm.com/

kfxm-kmen-radio.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the links Joe, they brought back a lot of happy memories.

[55dodger]

Jul 22, 2009 14:44:10 GMT -5 Dawn said:

Jul 22, 2009 1:15:20 GMT -5 55dodger said:

First of all Dawn, this is a great topic. Growing up in So Cal, there was no shortage of radio stations.

My earliest radio memories are of KFXM radio 59, that my mom listened to. I remember hearing the Platters, The Browns, Elvis, & others of the late 50s & early 60s. More on KFXM later.

Later, I listened to KFI & KMPC radio. They broadcast the Dodgers & Angels. I was lucky that as a kid, I got to listen to Vin Scully broadcast Dodger games on KFI & Dick Enberg do the Angel games on KMPC. It was a fun time

Later on, we had two competing top 40 stations in San Bernardino. KMEN & KFXM. I listened to both. Since they competed, DJs tended to swap stations, almost regularly. And they would do stuff to gain listeners. KMEN had a Sound-a-Thon 300 on Memorial Day weekend. Best 300 songs, voted by listeners. KFXM would do a Decade of Greatness Weekend, highlighting a different year from 63-72. And they had the contests & giveaways. I know I won a couple of free albums from the contests. It was a fun time to listen to AM radio. I listened to both from 1965 until I left home in 1973. Last I heard, KMEN was doing Radio Disney, not sure about KFXM. Another legendary So Cal radio station I occasionally listened to was KHJ. KHJ was in Los Angeles & hard to get, so I didn't listen to it much.

No mention of classic So Cal Radio Stations woud be complete without a mention of the Mighty Met. KMET radio 97.5 was a legend in 60s & 70s Los Angeles radio. KMET did what FM was invented for. They played album cuts, album sides, virtually commercial free. They put an album on, let it play, flip it, let it play again. Later in the mid 70s, they did a lunchtime show called the Blue Plate Special. Real cool album cuts to enjoy your lunch. They also had Dr. Demento on for 3 hours on Sunday nights. Always fun. The call letters KMET still exist somewhere in Banning, Ca. Can't be the same.

The first oldie station was K-ERTH in the mid-70s, still broadcasting (right Dawn). Last I looked, their playlist still included stuff from the 50s & 60s. Back in the mid-70s, it was all 50s & 60s.

Anyway, that's my trip down radio memory lane.

Yes, KRTH is still going strong as an oldies station. They still play some '60s, but not much '50s anymore. Most of their current playlist seems to cover from about 1965 to 1984 or so - but primarily '70s - and seems to get a little "later" each year.

The older I get, the younger the oldies seem to get.

[jpkansas]

Jul 27, 2009 21:29:39 GMT -5 55dodger said:

Jul 22, 2009 9:27:05 GMT -5 jpkansas said:

Woody, KFXM is still playing the oldies, but on FM.

www.kfxm.com/

kfxm-kmen-radio.blogspot.com/

Thanks for the links Joe, they brought back a lot of happy memories.

Anytime, Woody.

[H2IZCOOL]

One of my first memories is of listening to WHDH (AM 850) in Boston with my mother. I think that before I was old enough for school, my mom was either playing records or the radio for me all day long.

I was 12 when the rock era began in 1956, and THE station in Boston was WCOP (AM 1150). They had their own weekly Top 40 countdown, and you could pick up a paper copy of the list in the local record store. Most of us collected them. -- Yet another piece of memorabilia that I wish I had kept.

It wasn't more than a year or so later, when WCOP was passe (although it hadn't changed its format) and everyone - including me - was listening to WMEX (AM 1510). It was the first station I remember where the DJs were personalities, none bigger than Arnie "Woo-Woo" Ginsberg.

WMEX was my station of choice, although I also listened to WBOS, WVDA and of course, WBZ (AM 1030). The latter was the 800 pound gorilla in Boston. It played rock, but was much more laid back about it than WMEX.

Upon graduating from college and moving to Maine to go to grad school in 1966, I was forced to listen to the local Bangor stations. The rocker was WGUY, but they were one of those sunrise to sunset stations that had no license to broadcast at night. The closest thing to rock you could get 24/7 in Bangor was WABI. But they were the stodgy guys who banned songs like "My Ding A Ling" and the "Ballad of John and Yoko."

Fortunately in 1967, a new station out of Boston WRKO (AM 680), could be heard 250 miles away in Bangor - especially at night, and it always had a button on my car radio.

[daniel]

The first station I remember was little KYOS/1480 in Merced, Ca. My mom knew one of the DJ's there, so it was coincidentially the first radio station I ever saw in-person. They were music formatted (They were Top-40 but by the mid 80's had morphed into Modern Rock) until 1989 when they went news/talk.

A friend gave me this... I wasn't even talking yet when thiese were given out.


When we moved to Fresno, mom listened to KKDJ, the rock station (Now a simulcast of KMJ, the AM news/talk station there) but I alternated between the three top-40's, KBOS-95, Magic 104 and 96 FM. Toward the end of the 80's, of the three stations I listened to, only KBOS was still "hit" radio, but they had moved away from the Bruce Springsteen and Billy Squier of the mid 80's into more R&B type music I just didn't care for so I didn't listen to radio much until the mid 90's.