I was watching a program on AMC during Thanksgiving weekend. They had a 30 minute show on the impact of the movie "American Graffitti." In one segment, they credited George Lucas with being among the first film directors to make use of hit songs to create the bulk of the soundtrack. This movie did, in fact, break new ground in terms of style, plot development, multiple storylines and characters, so that's believable. But one claim that I had never heard was that "American Graffitti" spawned the creation of the Oldies format. Can that be true? The program did quote Mike Love of the Beach Boys as saying the film helped fuel a resurgence in the popularity of that group. And they also had "Bowzer" from Sha Na Na saying much the same thing. It also claimed that the careers of acts such as Bill Haley and the Comets and other 50s acts got a boost. I can buy all that. And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format owe the movie the same debt of gratitude?
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"American Graffitti" begat Oldies format?
- Thread starter buster2
- Start date
> I was watching a program on AMC during Thanksgiving weekend.
> They had a 30 minute show on the impact of the movie
> "American Graffitti." In one segment, they credited George
> Lucas with being among the first film directors to make use
> of hit songs to create the bulk of the soundtrack. This
> movie did, in fact, break new ground in terms of style, plot
> development, multiple storylines and characters, so that's
> believable. But one claim that I had never heard was that
> "American Graffitti" spawned the creation of the Oldies
> format. Can that be true? The program did quote Mike Love
> of the Beach Boys as saying the film helped fuel a
> resurgence in the popularity of that group. And they also
> had "Bowzer" from Sha Na Na saying much the same thing. It
> also claimed that the careers of acts such as Bill Haley and
> the Comets and other 50s acts got a boost. I can buy all
> that. And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to
> "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format owe
> the movie the same debt of gratitude?
>
You post a very good question, but I don't think the oldies format happened because of the movie. I remember WCBS-FM became an oldies station around that time, but I also recall WOR-FM playing a lot of oldies when they went to the Drake format and that was back in late '67. Prior to that some stations had an oldies show -- for example WIBG Philadelphia had Hy Lit doing his oldies show Sunday nights 7p-12mid 1962-1966 or so and then starting sometime around 1965 WIBG played lots of oldies all weekend long. New York City stations if I recall did not do that, although Murray the K on WINS played a lot of oldies. So I think that "Graffitti" helped push stations full time into oldies, but WCBS-FM's success was IMO more important to the viability of the format.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by SuperRadioFan on 11/29/05 11:44 PM.</FONT></P>
> They had a 30 minute show on the impact of the movie
> "American Graffitti." In one segment, they credited George
> Lucas with being among the first film directors to make use
> of hit songs to create the bulk of the soundtrack. This
> movie did, in fact, break new ground in terms of style, plot
> development, multiple storylines and characters, so that's
> believable. But one claim that I had never heard was that
> "American Graffitti" spawned the creation of the Oldies
> format. Can that be true? The program did quote Mike Love
> of the Beach Boys as saying the film helped fuel a
> resurgence in the popularity of that group. And they also
> had "Bowzer" from Sha Na Na saying much the same thing. It
> also claimed that the careers of acts such as Bill Haley and
> the Comets and other 50s acts got a boost. I can buy all
> that. And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to
> "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format owe
> the movie the same debt of gratitude?
>
You post a very good question, but I don't think the oldies format happened because of the movie. I remember WCBS-FM became an oldies station around that time, but I also recall WOR-FM playing a lot of oldies when they went to the Drake format and that was back in late '67. Prior to that some stations had an oldies show -- for example WIBG Philadelphia had Hy Lit doing his oldies show Sunday nights 7p-12mid 1962-1966 or so and then starting sometime around 1965 WIBG played lots of oldies all weekend long. New York City stations if I recall did not do that, although Murray the K on WINS played a lot of oldies. So I think that "Graffitti" helped push stations full time into oldies, but WCBS-FM's success was IMO more important to the viability of the format.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by SuperRadioFan on 11/29/05 11:44 PM.</FONT></P>
Re: No, it did not.
> And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to
> "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format owe
> the movie the same debt of gratitude?
>
This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a "sticky" at the top of the page.
Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April of 1970. And there were others.
The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was part of a trend, not the start of the trend.
> And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to
> "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format owe
> the movie the same debt of gratitude?
>
This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a "sticky" at the top of the page.
Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April of 1970. And there were others.
The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was part of a trend, not the start of the trend.
Re: No, it did not.
> This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a "sticky"
> at the top of the page.
>
> Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as
> early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
> Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million
> Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April of
> 1970. And there were others.
>
> The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was part
> of a trend, not the start of the trend.
I don't think the OP meant that the format did not exist before the movie, but you'll have to admit that it was a catalyst for the format's success. How many markets had oldies stations when the movie was released? Not many.
> This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a "sticky"
> at the top of the page.
>
> Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as
> early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
> Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million
> Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April of
> 1970. And there were others.
>
> The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was part
> of a trend, not the start of the trend.
I don't think the OP meant that the format did not exist before the movie, but you'll have to admit that it was a catalyst for the format's success. How many markets had oldies stations when the movie was released? Not many.
Re: No, it did not.
> > This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a
> "sticky"
> > at the top of the page.
> >
> > Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> > mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as
>
> > early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
> > Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million
> > Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April
> of
> > 1970. And there were others.
> >
> > The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was
> part
> > of a trend, not the start of the trend.
>
> I don't think the OP meant that the format did not exist
> before the movie, but you'll have to admit that it was a
> catalyst for the format's success. How many markets had
> oldies stations when the movie was released? Not many.
Most markets had one, right down to markets the size of Birmingham... LA, and all the biggies had them before the movie.
>
> > This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a
> "sticky"
> > at the top of the page.
> >
> > Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> > mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as
>
> > early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
> > Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million
> > Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April
> of
> > 1970. And there were others.
> >
> > The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was
> part
> > of a trend, not the start of the trend.
>
> I don't think the OP meant that the format did not exist
> before the movie, but you'll have to admit that it was a
> catalyst for the format's success. How many markets had
> oldies stations when the movie was released? Not many.
Most markets had one, right down to markets the size of Birmingham... LA, and all the biggies had them before the movie.
>
Re: No, it did not.
> Most markets had one, right down to markets the size of
> Birmingham... LA, and all the biggies had them before the
> movie.
> >
>
I wasn't living here in SoCal back in 1973 when the movie was released (couldn't find out the exact date or month of '73 when it debuted). What LA station was an oldies station? Was it K-Earth back then? And I don't remember exactly when WCBS-FM became an oldies station but I seem to remember it sometime in 1972. At that time, I don't remember any oldies station in Philadelphia yet.
> Most markets had one, right down to markets the size of
> Birmingham... LA, and all the biggies had them before the
> movie.
> >
>
I wasn't living here in SoCal back in 1973 when the movie was released (couldn't find out the exact date or month of '73 when it debuted). What LA station was an oldies station? Was it K-Earth back then? And I don't remember exactly when WCBS-FM became an oldies station but I seem to remember it sometime in 1972. At that time, I don't remember any oldies station in Philadelphia yet.
A
apco25
Guest
Art Laboe (Los Angeles)was the creator of the term oldies dating back to 1960. Even though the station he was on wasn't an oldies station.... when the songs turned around 5 years old..... he refered or phrased them as oldies. he developed a show Oldies but Goodies, and it wasn't far later that same year...Little Ceaser & the Romans remind them as You.
And that's probably why he has a wide volume of Oldies But Goodies record/cd series. He coined the phrase "oldies".
> I was watching a program on AMC during Thanksgiving weekend.
> They had a 30 minute show on the impact of the movie
> "American Graffitti." In one segment, they credited George
> Lucas with being among the first film directors to make use
> of hit songs to create the bulk of the soundtrack. This
> movie did, in fact, break new ground in terms of style, plot
> development, multiple storylines and characters, so that's
> believable. But one claim that I had never heard was that
> "American Graffitti" spawned the creation of the Oldies
> format. Can that be true? The program did quote Mike Love
> of the Beach Boys as saying the film helped fuel a
> resurgence in the popularity of that group. And they also
> had "Bowzer" from Sha Na Na saying much the same thing. It
> also claimed that the careers of acts such as Bill Haley and
> the Comets and other 50s acts got a boost. I can buy all
> that. And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to
> "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format owe
> the movie the same debt of gratitude?
>
And that's probably why he has a wide volume of Oldies But Goodies record/cd series. He coined the phrase "oldies".
> I was watching a program on AMC during Thanksgiving weekend.
> They had a 30 minute show on the impact of the movie
> "American Graffitti." In one segment, they credited George
> Lucas with being among the first film directors to make use
> of hit songs to create the bulk of the soundtrack. This
> movie did, in fact, break new ground in terms of style, plot
> development, multiple storylines and characters, so that's
> believable. But one claim that I had never heard was that
> "American Graffitti" spawned the creation of the Oldies
> format. Can that be true? The program did quote Mike Love
> of the Beach Boys as saying the film helped fuel a
> resurgence in the popularity of that group. And they also
> had "Bowzer" from Sha Na Na saying much the same thing. It
> also claimed that the careers of acts such as Bill Haley and
> the Comets and other 50s acts got a boost. I can buy all
> that. And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to
> "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format owe
> the movie the same debt of gratitude?
>
Yes I Believe It Did
> > And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to
> > "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format
> owe
> > the movie the same debt of gratitude?
> >
>
> This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a "sticky"
> at the top of the page.
>
> Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as
> early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
> Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million
> Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April of
> 1970. And there were others.
>
> The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was part
> of a trend, not the start of the trend.
>
I disagree...the exposure of the movie to a vast audience certainly brought in a resurgence of new interest of music from that era. I find it hard to believe that anyone could dispute that fact. Yes there were stations scattered about doing oldies prior to this, but not on the scale the oldies format developed into after the movie.
booger!
> > And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to
> > "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format
> owe
> > the movie the same debt of gratitude?
> >
>
> This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a "sticky"
> at the top of the page.
>
> Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as
> early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
> Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million
> Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April of
> 1970. And there were others.
>
> The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was part
> of a trend, not the start of the trend.
>
I disagree...the exposure of the movie to a vast audience certainly brought in a resurgence of new interest of music from that era. I find it hard to believe that anyone could dispute that fact. Yes there were stations scattered about doing oldies prior to this, but not on the scale the oldies format developed into after the movie.
booger!
N
NorthwestBobby
Guest
History Of Rock and Roll also.....
got me to be a big fan of oldies, I remember in the late 60's WLS played that syndicated show Sunday nights and it was great education to hear more of the 50's rock and roll and who the performers were.......even at 10 years of age I had grown up with the 50's music with my Dad's 45 collection...it was a joy to hear more on the radio when WGLD cranked up oldies in Chicago circa 1973.....!
got me to be a big fan of oldies, I remember in the late 60's WLS played that syndicated show Sunday nights and it was great education to hear more of the 50's rock and roll and who the performers were.......even at 10 years of age I had grown up with the 50's music with my Dad's 45 collection...it was a joy to hear more on the radio when WGLD cranked up oldies in Chicago circa 1973.....!
K
KMRichards
Guest
Re: No, it did not.
> I wasn't living here in SoCal back in 1973 when the movie
> was released (couldn't find out the exact date or month of
> '73 when it debuted). What LA station was an oldies
> station? Was it K-Earth back then?
No, it was still KHJ-FM, running automated Drake "Solid Gold Rock and Roll" (which had replaced "Hit Parade" in 1971). However, the Drake format was dropped around the time "American Graffiti" came out, even though they remained automated oldies.
Interestingly, the KRTH (K-Earth) calls were supposed to be for a transition of the station to progressive rock, which obviously never happened.
The "Hit Parade" format was, IIRC, about 60% oldies. It debuted on KHJ-FM in 1967 when the FCC put an end to simulcasting AMs on FMs in the largest markets. (That's right: The first two years of "Boss Radio" was simulcast on 101.1!)<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
> I wasn't living here in SoCal back in 1973 when the movie
> was released (couldn't find out the exact date or month of
> '73 when it debuted). What LA station was an oldies
> station? Was it K-Earth back then?
No, it was still KHJ-FM, running automated Drake "Solid Gold Rock and Roll" (which had replaced "Hit Parade" in 1971). However, the Drake format was dropped around the time "American Graffiti" came out, even though they remained automated oldies.
Interestingly, the KRTH (K-Earth) calls were supposed to be for a transition of the station to progressive rock, which obviously never happened.
The "Hit Parade" format was, IIRC, about 60% oldies. It debuted on KHJ-FM in 1967 when the FCC put an end to simulcasting AMs on FMs in the largest markets. (That's right: The first two years of "Boss Radio" was simulcast on 101.1!)<P ID="signature">______________
</P>
A
allisonmarie
Guest
Remember these stations and this guy named:
> I was watching a program on AMC during Thanksgiving weekend.
> They had a 30 minute show on the impact of the movie
> "American Graffitti." In one segment, they credited George
> Lucas with being among the first film directors to make use
> of hit songs to create the bulk of the soundtrack. This
> movie did, in fact, break new ground in terms of style, plot
> development, multiple storylines and characters, so that's
> believable. But one claim that I had never heard was that
> "American Graffitti" spawned the creation of the Oldies
> format. Can that be true? The program did quote Mike Love
> of the Beach Boys as saying the film helped fuel a
> resurgence in the popularity of that group. And they also
> had "Bowzer" from Sha Na Na saying much the same thing. It
> also claimed that the careers of acts such as Bill Haley and
> the Comets and other 50s acts got a boost. I can buy all
> that. And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to
> "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format owe
> the movie the same debt of gratitude?
>
In a word: No, it didn't! Once upon a time in the Golden year 1968 A radio
programer by the name of Bill Drake working for a company by the name of
RKO General came up with a radio format called Hit Parade 68 which aired on
both KHJ-FM 101.1 Los Angeles and KFRC-FM 106.1 San Francisco and I suspect also heard on KYNO-FM Fresno too. The format was a mix of 1968's top hits, 50's, & 60's Oldies and
was called "The Parade of Hits of Yesterday and Today" and "The Greatest Hits of
All-Time." The format was aimed at the 18 to 49 year old age group. This format also ran here in Sacramento on KXOA-FM 107.9 but not until around the beginning of the 70's but was not called Hit Parade it was called "Solid Gold" and used many of the same formatics. So what other stations nationwide had an Oldies format prior to 1968? I bet there weren't many of them around other than the top-40 stations.
> I was watching a program on AMC during Thanksgiving weekend.
> They had a 30 minute show on the impact of the movie
> "American Graffitti." In one segment, they credited George
> Lucas with being among the first film directors to make use
> of hit songs to create the bulk of the soundtrack. This
> movie did, in fact, break new ground in terms of style, plot
> development, multiple storylines and characters, so that's
> believable. But one claim that I had never heard was that
> "American Graffitti" spawned the creation of the Oldies
> format. Can that be true? The program did quote Mike Love
> of the Beach Boys as saying the film helped fuel a
> resurgence in the popularity of that group. And they also
> had "Bowzer" from Sha Na Na saying much the same thing. It
> also claimed that the careers of acts such as Bill Haley and
> the Comets and other 50s acts got a boost. I can buy all
> that. And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence to
> "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format owe
> the movie the same debt of gratitude?
>
In a word: No, it didn't! Once upon a time in the Golden year 1968 A radio
programer by the name of Bill Drake working for a company by the name of
RKO General came up with a radio format called Hit Parade 68 which aired on
both KHJ-FM 101.1 Los Angeles and KFRC-FM 106.1 San Francisco and I suspect also heard on KYNO-FM Fresno too. The format was a mix of 1968's top hits, 50's, & 60's Oldies and
was called "The Parade of Hits of Yesterday and Today" and "The Greatest Hits of
All-Time." The format was aimed at the 18 to 49 year old age group. This format also ran here in Sacramento on KXOA-FM 107.9 but not until around the beginning of the 70's but was not called Hit Parade it was called "Solid Gold" and used many of the same formatics. So what other stations nationwide had an Oldies format prior to 1968? I bet there weren't many of them around other than the top-40 stations.
A
allisonmarie
Guest
> > I was watching a program on AMC during Thanksgiving
> weekend.
> > They had a 30 minute show on the impact of the movie
> > "American Graffitti." In one segment, they credited
> George
> > Lucas with being among the first film directors to make
> use
> > of hit songs to create the bulk of the soundtrack. This
> > movie did, in fact, break new ground in terms of style,
> plot
> > development, multiple storylines and characters, so that's
>
> > believable. But one claim that I had never heard was that
>
> > "American Graffitti" spawned the creation of the Oldies
> > format. Can that be true? The program did quote Mike
> Love
> > of the Beach Boys as saying the film helped fuel a
> > resurgence in the popularity of that group. And they also
>
> > had "Bowzer" from Sha Na Na saying much the same thing.
> It
> > also claimed that the careers of acts such as Bill Haley
> and
> > the Comets and other 50s acts got a boost. I can buy all
> > that. And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence
> to
> > "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format
> owe
> > the movie the same debt of gratitude?
> >
>
> You post a very good question, but I don't think the oldies
> format happened because of the movie. I remember WCBS-FM
> became an oldies station around that time, but I also recall
> WOR-FM playing a lot of oldies when they went to the Drake
> format and that was back in late '67. Prior to that some
> stations had an oldies show -- for example WIBG Philadelphia
> had Hy Lit doing his oldies show Sunday nights 7p-12mid
> 1962-1966 or so and then starting sometime around 1965 WIBG
> played lots of oldies all weekend long. New York City
> stations if I recall did not do that, although Murray the K
> on WINS played a lot of oldies. So I think that "Graffitti"
> helped push stations full time into oldies, but WCBS-FM's
> success was IMO more important to the viability of the
> format.
>
Million Dollar Weekends
Solid Golid Weekends
KFRC 610 AM did "Parade of Hits" Weekends starting at 3PM on Friday's! Were they simulcast on 106.1?
Any others?
> weekend.
> > They had a 30 minute show on the impact of the movie
> > "American Graffitti." In one segment, they credited
> George
> > Lucas with being among the first film directors to make
> use
> > of hit songs to create the bulk of the soundtrack. This
> > movie did, in fact, break new ground in terms of style,
> plot
> > development, multiple storylines and characters, so that's
>
> > believable. But one claim that I had never heard was that
>
> > "American Graffitti" spawned the creation of the Oldies
> > format. Can that be true? The program did quote Mike
> Love
> > of the Beach Boys as saying the film helped fuel a
> > resurgence in the popularity of that group. And they also
>
> > had "Bowzer" from Sha Na Na saying much the same thing.
> It
> > also claimed that the careers of acts such as Bill Haley
> and
> > the Comets and other 50s acts got a boost. I can buy all
> > that. And I can buy that "Happy Days" owes its existence
> to
> > "American Graffitti", but does the entire Oldies format
> owe
> > the movie the same debt of gratitude?
> >
>
> You post a very good question, but I don't think the oldies
> format happened because of the movie. I remember WCBS-FM
> became an oldies station around that time, but I also recall
> WOR-FM playing a lot of oldies when they went to the Drake
> format and that was back in late '67. Prior to that some
> stations had an oldies show -- for example WIBG Philadelphia
> had Hy Lit doing his oldies show Sunday nights 7p-12mid
> 1962-1966 or so and then starting sometime around 1965 WIBG
> played lots of oldies all weekend long. New York City
> stations if I recall did not do that, although Murray the K
> on WINS played a lot of oldies. So I think that "Graffitti"
> helped push stations full time into oldies, but WCBS-FM's
> success was IMO more important to the viability of the
> format.
>
Million Dollar Weekends
Solid Golid Weekends
KFRC 610 AM did "Parade of Hits" Weekends starting at 3PM on Friday's! Were they simulcast on 106.1?
Any others?
A
allisonmarie
Guest
Re: No, it did not.
> > > This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a
> > "sticky"
> > > at the top of the page.
> > >
> > > Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> > > mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air
> as
> >
> > > early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
>
> > > Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did
> Million
> > > Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in
> April
> > of
> > > 1970. And there were others.
> > >
> > > The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was
> > part
> > > of a trend, not the start of the trend.
> >
> > I don't think the OP meant that the format did not exist
> > before the movie, but you'll have to admit that it was a
> > catalyst for the format's success. How many markets had
> > oldies stations when the movie was released? Not many.
>
> Most markets had one, right down to markets the size of
> Birmingham... LA, and all the biggies had them before the
> movie.
> >
>
KAKC Oklahoma City also.
> > > This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a
> > "sticky"
> > > at the top of the page.
> > >
> > > Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> > > mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air
> as
> >
> > > early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
>
> > > Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did
> Million
> > > Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in
> April
> > of
> > > 1970. And there were others.
> > >
> > > The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was
> > part
> > > of a trend, not the start of the trend.
> >
> > I don't think the OP meant that the format did not exist
> > before the movie, but you'll have to admit that it was a
> > catalyst for the format's success. How many markets had
> > oldies stations when the movie was released? Not many.
>
> Most markets had one, right down to markets the size of
> Birmingham... LA, and all the biggies had them before the
> movie.
> >
>
KAKC Oklahoma City also.
J
JohnnyMorganWXJX
Guest
Re: Remember these stations and this guy named:
> In a word: No, it didn't! Once upon a time in the Golden
> year 1968 A radio
> programer by the name of Bill Drake working for a company by
> the name of
> RKO General came up with a radio format called Hit Parade 68
> which aired on
> both KHJ-FM 101.1 Los Angeles and KFRC-FM 106.1 San
> Francisco and I suspect also heard on KYNO-FM Fresno too.
> The format was a mix of 1968's top hits, 50's, & 60's Oldies
> and
> was called "The Parade of Hits of Yesterday and Today" and
> "The Greatest Hits of
> All-Time." The format was aimed at the 18 to 49 year old age
> group. This format also ran here in Sacramento on KXOA-FM
> 107.9 but not until around the beginning of the 70's but was
> not called Hit Parade it was called "Solid Gold" and used
> many of the same formatics. So what other stations
> nationwide had an Oldies format prior to 1968? I bet there
> weren't many of them around other than the top-40 stations.
>
RKO General-owned WOR-FM, in November 1967 changed to Drake-formatted "The Big Town Sound". It was essentially a gold-based adult Top 40 station, with a healthier dose of goldens than the mainstream Drake stations, but still a smattering of housewife Top 40. All under the tutelage of Sebastian Stone. Even had the Big Man intoning "Memories Are Made of This!" (no word on whether the Dean Martin song ever followed that ID).
> In a word: No, it didn't! Once upon a time in the Golden
> year 1968 A radio
> programer by the name of Bill Drake working for a company by
> the name of
> RKO General came up with a radio format called Hit Parade 68
> which aired on
> both KHJ-FM 101.1 Los Angeles and KFRC-FM 106.1 San
> Francisco and I suspect also heard on KYNO-FM Fresno too.
> The format was a mix of 1968's top hits, 50's, & 60's Oldies
> and
> was called "The Parade of Hits of Yesterday and Today" and
> "The Greatest Hits of
> All-Time." The format was aimed at the 18 to 49 year old age
> group. This format also ran here in Sacramento on KXOA-FM
> 107.9 but not until around the beginning of the 70's but was
> not called Hit Parade it was called "Solid Gold" and used
> many of the same formatics. So what other stations
> nationwide had an Oldies format prior to 1968? I bet there
> weren't many of them around other than the top-40 stations.
>
RKO General-owned WOR-FM, in November 1967 changed to Drake-formatted "The Big Town Sound". It was essentially a gold-based adult Top 40 station, with a healthier dose of goldens than the mainstream Drake stations, but still a smattering of housewife Top 40. All under the tutelage of Sebastian Stone. Even had the Big Man intoning "Memories Are Made of This!" (no word on whether the Dean Martin song ever followed that ID).
M
mike704
Guest
More markets than you think
> I don't think the OP meant that the format did not exist
> before the movie, but you'll have to admit that it was a
> catalyst for the format's success. How many markets had
> oldies stations when the movie was released? Not many.
>
WAXY-FM in Fort Lauderdale/ Miami was an early Solid Gold station even before RKO bought it and came in with the Drake "Classic Gold" format.
WEDR-FM Miami block programmed at the time had a nightly show called "The Wax Museum" back in 1966, and as someone else mentioned top forty stations all over the country had solid gold or Million Dollar Weekends. Some top 40 stations used to stunt with oldies around New Years by saying "Tomorrow WSRF becomes a thing of the past..." Then they would play oldies for the entire holiday weekend.
To go back further George "Hound Dog" Lorenz played Rock and Roll on WKBW back when the jocks programmed their own music. When the station went top 40 in 1958 he left. While he was still at WKBW he did a show called "Rock & Roll Memory Time". So the oldies have been with us for a long time!
I do believe that American Graffitti might have helped but equally important was the fact that FM stations needed a different format to attract listeners. Most oldies stations were on FM.
MikeM
> I don't think the OP meant that the format did not exist
> before the movie, but you'll have to admit that it was a
> catalyst for the format's success. How many markets had
> oldies stations when the movie was released? Not many.
>
WAXY-FM in Fort Lauderdale/ Miami was an early Solid Gold station even before RKO bought it and came in with the Drake "Classic Gold" format.
WEDR-FM Miami block programmed at the time had a nightly show called "The Wax Museum" back in 1966, and as someone else mentioned top forty stations all over the country had solid gold or Million Dollar Weekends. Some top 40 stations used to stunt with oldies around New Years by saying "Tomorrow WSRF becomes a thing of the past..." Then they would play oldies for the entire holiday weekend.
To go back further George "Hound Dog" Lorenz played Rock and Roll on WKBW back when the jocks programmed their own music. When the station went top 40 in 1958 he left. While he was still at WKBW he did a show called "Rock & Roll Memory Time". So the oldies have been with us for a long time!
I do believe that American Graffitti might have helped but equally important was the fact that FM stations needed a different format to attract listeners. Most oldies stations were on FM.
MikeM
A
allisonmarie
Guest
Re: Remember these stations and this guy named:
> > In a word: No, it didn't! Once upon a time in the Golden
> > year 1968 A radio
> > programer by the name of Bill Drake working for a company
> by
> > the name of
> > RKO General came up with a radio format called Hit Parade
> 68
> > which aired on
> > both KHJ-FM 101.1 Los Angeles and KFRC-FM 106.1 San
> > Francisco and I suspect also heard on KYNO-FM Fresno too.
> > The format was a mix of 1968's top hits, 50's, & 60's
> Oldies
> > and
> > was called "The Parade of Hits of Yesterday and Today" and
>
> > "The Greatest Hits of
> > All-Time." The format was aimed at the 18 to 49 year old
> age
> > group. This format also ran here in Sacramento on KXOA-FM
> > 107.9 but not until around the beginning of the 70's but
> was
> > not called Hit Parade it was called "Solid Gold" and used
> > many of the same formatics. So what other stations
> > nationwide had an Oldies format prior to 1968? I bet there
>
> > weren't many of them around other than the top-40
> stations.
> >
>
> RKO General-owned WOR-FM, in November 1967 changed to
> Drake-formatted "The Big Town Sound". It was essentially a
> gold-based adult Top 40 station, with a healthier dose of
> goldens than the mainstream Drake stations, but still a
> smattering of housewife Top 40. All under the tutelage of
> Sebastian Stone. Even had the Big Man intoning "Memories
> Are Made of This!" (no word on whether the Dean Martin song
> ever followed that ID).
>
Uncle Ricky's Reel Radio site has some very good recordings of WOR's Big Town Sound Format.
> > In a word: No, it didn't! Once upon a time in the Golden
> > year 1968 A radio
> > programer by the name of Bill Drake working for a company
> by
> > the name of
> > RKO General came up with a radio format called Hit Parade
> 68
> > which aired on
> > both KHJ-FM 101.1 Los Angeles and KFRC-FM 106.1 San
> > Francisco and I suspect also heard on KYNO-FM Fresno too.
> > The format was a mix of 1968's top hits, 50's, & 60's
> Oldies
> > and
> > was called "The Parade of Hits of Yesterday and Today" and
>
> > "The Greatest Hits of
> > All-Time." The format was aimed at the 18 to 49 year old
> age
> > group. This format also ran here in Sacramento on KXOA-FM
> > 107.9 but not until around the beginning of the 70's but
> was
> > not called Hit Parade it was called "Solid Gold" and used
> > many of the same formatics. So what other stations
> > nationwide had an Oldies format prior to 1968? I bet there
>
> > weren't many of them around other than the top-40
> stations.
> >
>
> RKO General-owned WOR-FM, in November 1967 changed to
> Drake-formatted "The Big Town Sound". It was essentially a
> gold-based adult Top 40 station, with a healthier dose of
> goldens than the mainstream Drake stations, but still a
> smattering of housewife Top 40. All under the tutelage of
> Sebastian Stone. Even had the Big Man intoning "Memories
> Are Made of This!" (no word on whether the Dean Martin song
> ever followed that ID).
>
Uncle Ricky's Reel Radio site has some very good recordings of WOR's Big Town Sound Format.
Re: Remember these stations and this guy named:
But WOR-FM also distrubuted a top 30 of the week survey. I have about four weeks of them.
> > > In a word: No, it didn't! Once upon a time in the Golden
>
> > > year 1968 A radio
> > > programer by the name of Bill Drake working for a
> company
> > by
> > > the name of
> > > RKO General came up with a radio format called Hit
> Parade
> > 68
> > > which aired on
> > > both KHJ-FM 101.1 Los Angeles and KFRC-FM 106.1 San
> > > Francisco and I suspect also heard on KYNO-FM Fresno
> too.
> > > The format was a mix of 1968's top hits, 50's, & 60's
> > Oldies
> > > and
> > > was called "The Parade of Hits of Yesterday and Today"
> and
> >
> > > "The Greatest Hits of
> > > All-Time." The format was aimed at the 18 to 49 year old
>
> > age
> > > group. This format also ran here in Sacramento on
> KXOA-FM
> > > 107.9 but not until around the beginning of the 70's but
>
> > was
> > > not called Hit Parade it was called "Solid Gold" and
> used
> > > many of the same formatics. So what other stations
> > > nationwide had an Oldies format prior to 1968? I bet
> there
> >
> > > weren't many of them around other than the top-40
> > stations.
> > >
> >
> > RKO General-owned WOR-FM, in November 1967 changed to
> > Drake-formatted "The Big Town Sound". It was essentially
> a
> > gold-based adult Top 40 station, with a healthier dose of
> > goldens than the mainstream Drake stations, but still a
> > smattering of housewife Top 40. All under the tutelage of
>
> > Sebastian Stone. Even had the Big Man intoning "Memories
> > Are Made of This!" (no word on whether the Dean Martin
> song
> > ever followed that ID).
> >
> Uncle Ricky's Reel Radio site has some very good recordings
> of WOR's Big Town Sound Format.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>
But WOR-FM also distrubuted a top 30 of the week survey. I have about four weeks of them.
> > > In a word: No, it didn't! Once upon a time in the Golden
>
> > > year 1968 A radio
> > > programer by the name of Bill Drake working for a
> company
> > by
> > > the name of
> > > RKO General came up with a radio format called Hit
> Parade
> > 68
> > > which aired on
> > > both KHJ-FM 101.1 Los Angeles and KFRC-FM 106.1 San
> > > Francisco and I suspect also heard on KYNO-FM Fresno
> too.
> > > The format was a mix of 1968's top hits, 50's, & 60's
> > Oldies
> > > and
> > > was called "The Parade of Hits of Yesterday and Today"
> and
> >
> > > "The Greatest Hits of
> > > All-Time." The format was aimed at the 18 to 49 year old
>
> > age
> > > group. This format also ran here in Sacramento on
> KXOA-FM
> > > 107.9 but not until around the beginning of the 70's but
>
> > was
> > > not called Hit Parade it was called "Solid Gold" and
> used
> > > many of the same formatics. So what other stations
> > > nationwide had an Oldies format prior to 1968? I bet
> there
> >
> > > weren't many of them around other than the top-40
> > stations.
> > >
> >
> > RKO General-owned WOR-FM, in November 1967 changed to
> > Drake-formatted "The Big Town Sound". It was essentially
> a
> > gold-based adult Top 40 station, with a healthier dose of
> > goldens than the mainstream Drake stations, but still a
> > smattering of housewife Top 40. All under the tutelage of
>
> > Sebastian Stone. Even had the Big Man intoning "Memories
> > Are Made of This!" (no word on whether the Dean Martin
> song
> > ever followed that ID).
> >
> Uncle Ricky's Reel Radio site has some very good recordings
> of WOR's Big Town Sound Format.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>
Re: No, it did not.
There is a fine aircheck of WMOD from 1970 or 1971 on reeltoreel.com
I wish oldies stations sounded as good today.
> Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as
> early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
> Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million
> Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April of
> 1970. And there were others.
>
> The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was part
> of a trend, not the start of the trend.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>
There is a fine aircheck of WMOD from 1970 or 1971 on reeltoreel.com
I wish oldies stations sounded as good today.
> Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as
> early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
> Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million
> Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April of
> 1970. And there were others.
>
> The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was part
> of a trend, not the start of the trend.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>
Re: No, it did not.
I think most markets had oldies by 1973 prior to the movie.
I can think of these, and this is just a few.
WCBS-FM NY
WAXY-Ft. Lauderdale
WCAU-FM Phila.
WIND-Chicago
WFYR-Chicago
WROR-Boston
KRTH or KHJ-FM LA
WMOD-DC
WBYQ Nashville (They had a billboard ad with a '57 Chevy.
> > This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a
> "sticky"
> > at the top of the page.
> >
> > Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> > mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as
>
> > early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
> > Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million
> > Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April
> of
> > 1970. And there were others.
> >
> > The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was
> part
> > of a trend, not the start of the trend.
>
> I don't think the OP meant that the format did not exist
> before the movie, but you'll have to admit that it was a
> catalyst for the format's success. How many markets had
> oldies stations when the movie was released? Not many.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>
I think most markets had oldies by 1973 prior to the movie.
I can think of these, and this is just a few.
WCBS-FM NY
WAXY-Ft. Lauderdale
WCAU-FM Phila.
WIND-Chicago
WFYR-Chicago
WROR-Boston
KRTH or KHJ-FM LA
WMOD-DC
WBYQ Nashville (They had a billboard ad with a '57 Chevy.
> > This one seems to come up often enough to warrant a
> "sticky"
> > at the top of the page.
> >
> > Aside from stations playing "oldies" or "gold" in the
> > mid-60's, there were several oldies stations on the air as
>
> > early as 1970. Barry Richards did all oldies on an FM in
> > Washington, DC, WMOD, in early '70. Jack Alix did Million
> > Dollar Music WEEL on AM in Suburban Fairfax, VA, in April
> of
> > 1970. And there were others.
> >
> > The movie had to wait 3 more years to come out. It was
> part
> > of a trend, not the start of the trend.
>
> I don't think the OP meant that the format did not exist
> before the movie, but you'll have to admit that it was a
> catalyst for the format's success. How many markets had
> oldies stations when the movie was released? Not many.
>
<P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>
Re: More markets than you think
Do you remember Paul Henderson doing The Music Museum Sunday nights on WFUN (Miami) in 1970?
Paul was a newsguy and I think it was probably a thrill for him to play discjockey and do all oldies on Sunday night.
> >
>
> WAXY-FM in Fort Lauderdale/ Miami was an early Solid Gold
> station even before RKO bought it and came in with the Drake
> "Classic Gold" format.
> <P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>
Do you remember Paul Henderson doing The Music Museum Sunday nights on WFUN (Miami) in 1970?
Paul was a newsguy and I think it was probably a thrill for him to play discjockey and do all oldies on Sunday night.
> >
>
> WAXY-FM in Fort Lauderdale/ Miami was an early Solid Gold
> station even before RKO bought it and came in with the Drake
> "Classic Gold" format.
> <P ID="signature">______________
[email protected]</P>
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