In what years did stations playing hits of decades past (and only the hits) emerge? What time frame of songs were played? And before oldies radio came around, was it all common for top 40 or R&B stations to play songs older than say five years before?
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Birth of the "oldies" format
- Thread starter installLSC
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K.M. Richards
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In Los Angeles, the FCC rule breaking up AM-FM simulcasts drove the decision to make KHJ-FM an automated blend of about 60% gold/40% currents in 1967. In 1971, the currents were removed.
I would suspect that in the major markets, as a result of that FCC rule, it happened somewhere in that four-year time frame.
KHJ, when it went top-40 under Bill Drake in 1965, was playing gold as far back as the late 1950s.
I would suspect that in the major markets, as a result of that FCC rule, it happened somewhere in that four-year time frame.
KHJ, when it went top-40 under Bill Drake in 1965, was playing gold as far back as the late 1950s.
The first all-oldies with no currents I can recall was Barry Richards's WMOD in Washington, DC. It began doing all oldies sometime in 1968.
In 1969, another DC area station, WEEL in Farifax, became "Million Dollar Music Weel" under PD Jack Alix with jocks like Johnny Green and Bobby Dollar.
Both played songs from the previous 12 to 13 years.
WPLO and "oldies" in Atlanta
WPLO-AM/FM had a Saturday night show, The Vault of Treasured Music in 1964. 7:00 to midnight. Play list went back to mid 1950's. and included some "contemporary" classics like Listen to the Falling Rain, Come Softly to Me, The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Kept it up until they split the FM off to Georgia State College in 1968 (I think). Then FOX 97 came into the Atlanta market in the early 70's.
WPLO-AM/FM had a Saturday night show, The Vault of Treasured Music in 1964. 7:00 to midnight. Play list went back to mid 1950's. and included some "contemporary" classics like Listen to the Falling Rain, Come Softly to Me, The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Kept it up until they split the FM off to Georgia State College in 1968 (I think). Then FOX 97 came into the Atlanta market in the early 70's.
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Bill Weaver took KWIZ, Santa Ana (suburban Los Angeles) all-oldies in 1964, and KLOK, San Jose all-oldies in 1966. Those are the two earliest that I'm aware of. Weaver is generally acknowledged to be the father of the format.
And the first solo FM oldies format is pretty well established to have been WMOD in Washington, DC, in 1968.
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