Adult radio

[vchimpanzee]

While researching something else, I discovered that in Charlotte NC a respected elderly newspaper columnist made the comment in the late 1970s that no one was doing adult radio.

I first saw a response to this statement and by doing a searched tracked down more references by readers to the problem, or to the fact there were adult radio stations.

At the time it seemed everyone was going after young people. But several people mentioned WEZC, the "beautiful music" station, although I recall one comment that what Charlotte needed was something in between stations for young people and stations for really old people. Surprisingly, WBT-FM wasn't mentioned, but it was about to switch to rock, as it turned out. One person wanted talk radio which Charlotte didn't have. One station on a college campus played classical and jazz but didn't have a signal that reached most of the city (now it's a very popular NPR affiliate). One comment was made about the one Christian station.

I can't link to any of this. I have to be at one specific library (and there may be others but all in the same area).

 

[TheBigA]

While researching something else, I discovered that in Charlotte NC a respected elderly newspaper columnist made the comment in the late 1970s that no one was doing adult radio.

What do you consider "adult radio?" Radio stations playing X-rated music? Playboy After Dark? Or stations targeting over 55? I can imagine no one targeted over-55 in 1970 for the same reason they don't now.

What you had at that time was what was called "full service" AM stations that played a mix of AC hits, standards, and the occasional oldie, coupled with local news. That's what adults at that time listened to.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Actually, one of the comments in the newspaper was that we didn't need more porn.

There were no standards in Charlotte, and I don't think there were oldies either. The "full service" station was adult contemporary and the people complaining seemed to think that was yet another Top 40 station. It had been what we call adult standards a few years earlier.

 

[semoochie]

Actually, one of the comments in the newspaper was that we didn't need more porn.

There were no standards in Charlotte, and I don't think there were oldies either. The "full service" station was adult contemporary and the people complaining seemed to think that was yet another Top 40 station. It had been what we call adult standards a few years earlier.

It had probably been MOR a few years earlier. MOR was not primarily Standards. It was current based for adults. Most of those stations evolved to Full Service AC.

 

[b-turner]

From my recollection of what I think we called MOR radio, the playlists evolved rather rapidly at most stations in the last half of the 1960s and first half of the 1970s. There was not very much crossover from Top 40 on MOR stations about 1966. Most artists were what we might call crooners or instrumentals by established artists. By about 1968 you had a certain amount of crossover from Top 40. Naturally it varied by station but more prominent MOR stations seemed bent on lowering the typical listener's age.

By the start of the 1970s, the overlap became more and more. Two of the major AM MOR stations in Dallas were easily 50% crossover. One station even played Tears of A Clown by Smokey Robinson amid a mix of, say Jack Jones and Floyd Cramer. Easily by the mid-1970s, the MOR station had evolved to Adult Contemporary or switched to another format. The two prominent MORs in Dallas went Talk and Top 40 respectively.

The stations I mention generally had seasoned air personalities, hourly network news, a local news department and were termed a full service personality station.

By the early 1970s, MOR stations in the area I lived were dropping like flies. Coupled with that, several of the suburban AM stations that were, say MOR or MOR with country in the afternoon, opted to program not for their suburb but the metro. I recall 7 MOR stations on the AM about 1970. By 1973 only two remained and one of those changed format the next year. The last holdout, an AM daytimer with full coverage FM, sold by 1976 or 1977 with the AM going gospel and the FM to an urban format. As I recall both the AM and FM operated as beautiful music radio 7 am to 7 pm from the time the sale was filed. It took a real long time to be approved and switch formats...seems close to a year. So, the final year of the station (or close to it) the station was just 'on' to await the sale. I always thought it odd for a Dallas Fort Worth FM to only operate 7 am to 7 pm.

 

[vchimpanzee]

It had probably been MOR a few years earlier. MOR was not primarily Standards. It was current based for adults. Most of those stations evolved to Full Service AC.

Actually, you are right about MOR. What we now call "adult standards" is what I was talking about. But they used the term "MOR" back then.

It wasn't an evolution on Charlotte's WBT. It was a sudden and drastic change that got people upset and it is rumored one of the MOR DJs cursed like a sailor to his superiors. Whether the new format was AC or Top 40 is disputed. But WBT eventually went AC.

 

[Syfy]

What do you consider "adult radio?" Radio stations playing X-rated music? Playboy After Dark? Or stations targeting over 55? I can imagine no one targeted over-55 in 1970 for the same reason they don't now.

What you had at that time was what was called "full service" AM stations that played a mix of AC hits, standards, and the occasional oldie, coupled with local news. That's what adults at that time listened to.

Playboy Radio went out of business a few yrs back.

 

[Syfy]

Playboy Radio went out of business a few yrs back.

Vivid Radio is probably the best known adult radio station these days.