G
guiltypleasure
Guest
Here is the actual deal:
1967-1972 - Progressive rock led by Mike Powell and Jon Scott. There was a period in 1969 where they had to go to chart music because someone played Jimi Hendrix' "Star Spangled Banner". The chart music back then, however, even included some Jackson Five. They played cool music but it was charted until 7 p.m. when Jon Scott got to play whatever he wanted. At midnight it all ended for Dolly Holliday at the Holiday Inn playing easy listening. That changed in 1971 when they went rock 24 hours a day.
1973- Formatting around the clock. Mike Powell was involved in mixing singles with album cuts. I saw billboards that said "Easy Rockin Stereo". This was my freshman year at Southwestern at Memphis. They still played cool music, but the hits were coming. Jon Scott had left for another life, replaced by Leon Griffin who played heavier tunes but pretty conventional.
1974-75 - Tightening the format. I was a news guy at WLYX-FM at Southwestern so we started to get lots of listeners from FM-100. By the summer of 1974 I believe Ron Olson was already there and had to play format stuff like Andy Kim and ABBA.
Late 1975- All singles, and what's worse, they were automated most of the time. I believe they had one album cut per hour until some time in 1975 when, after a Sunday night where Clarence James played Physical Graffitti all the way through, they went to this automated deal.
1976 - Oh my, the ratings went down the toilet. I believe Bill Hayes was Station G.M and there were problems. You see, all over America, AOR became the thing, because of Peter Frampton's live album and Boz Scaggs Silk Degrees, etc. So they started to go to add albums on Sunday nights.
1076 - 1977 - I believe they hired some guy named George from WNOE in New Orleans and went back to AOR format. Henry Nelson, George, Ron Olson all were there. They hired Tom Dooley for mornings and some woman in the afternoons. It was cool again, they sounded almost as good as WKDF in Nashville, but not quite.
Fall 1977- Rock 103 comes on the scene. Kicks FM-100 butt.
1978 - FM 100 is a mess. They start to tighten the format, bye bye Tom Dooley. And then they go to Top 40 sometime in 1978.......
That's what I remember. It is a nonlinear world, you know.
1967-1972 - Progressive rock led by Mike Powell and Jon Scott. There was a period in 1969 where they had to go to chart music because someone played Jimi Hendrix' "Star Spangled Banner". The chart music back then, however, even included some Jackson Five. They played cool music but it was charted until 7 p.m. when Jon Scott got to play whatever he wanted. At midnight it all ended for Dolly Holliday at the Holiday Inn playing easy listening. That changed in 1971 when they went rock 24 hours a day.
1973- Formatting around the clock. Mike Powell was involved in mixing singles with album cuts. I saw billboards that said "Easy Rockin Stereo". This was my freshman year at Southwestern at Memphis. They still played cool music, but the hits were coming. Jon Scott had left for another life, replaced by Leon Griffin who played heavier tunes but pretty conventional.
1974-75 - Tightening the format. I was a news guy at WLYX-FM at Southwestern so we started to get lots of listeners from FM-100. By the summer of 1974 I believe Ron Olson was already there and had to play format stuff like Andy Kim and ABBA.
Late 1975- All singles, and what's worse, they were automated most of the time. I believe they had one album cut per hour until some time in 1975 when, after a Sunday night where Clarence James played Physical Graffitti all the way through, they went to this automated deal.
1976 - Oh my, the ratings went down the toilet. I believe Bill Hayes was Station G.M and there were problems. You see, all over America, AOR became the thing, because of Peter Frampton's live album and Boz Scaggs Silk Degrees, etc. So they started to go to add albums on Sunday nights.
1076 - 1977 - I believe they hired some guy named George from WNOE in New Orleans and went back to AOR format. Henry Nelson, George, Ron Olson all were there. They hired Tom Dooley for mornings and some woman in the afternoons. It was cool again, they sounded almost as good as WKDF in Nashville, but not quite.
Fall 1977- Rock 103 comes on the scene. Kicks FM-100 butt.
1978 - FM 100 is a mess. They start to tighten the format, bye bye Tom Dooley. And then they go to Top 40 sometime in 1978.......
That's what I remember. It is a nonlinear world, you know.