History/Format Question Regarding KMEL & KYLD...

[DavidKaye]

I worked middays at AOR formatted KZAP in Sacramento in 1979 & early 1980. We used to joke that AOR was all over the road, but clearly it stood for Album Oriented Rock.

And yet there is plenty of evidence that the term AOR was used to mean all over the road. Here are some links from a Google search on the acronym and the meaning. The results are from retire DJ recollections, descriptions of station formats, and a record distributor or two:

http://www.textfiles.com/media/commword.hum
http://www.serve.com/drb9633/jessejones/Notes/121804RobtoMates.htm
http://www.lockport-ny.com/media.htm
http://tulsatvmemories.com/tulradi5.html
http://www.bized.co.uk/current/research/2005_06/071105b.htm
http://www.americanroadonline.com/twenty_questions_with_dan_gallo.html
http://independentartistscompany.com/artist.aspx?ID=86561
http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Heart Full Of Fire:1923066728

 

[SFStatic]

Most people I knew outside the format called it all over the road. The staffs of these stations weren't clueless, I'm sure they heard this a lot. Whoever created the "Album Oriented Rock" description either never thought of this, or did, and thought it funny. Kind of corresponds to the previous administrations' Operation Iraqi Liberation- that they had to change to Operation Iraqi Freedom, since the first one spelled out "OIL."

 

[sandwix]

Referencing legitimate radio sources that historically and correctly document the album rock era by figures who participated in AOR’s format development, here is a quote from AOR programming great Kid Leo when he programmed powerhouse WMMS, Cleveland, c. 1975: "I wouldn't call our station progressive radio. That's outdated. But I heard a good word in the trades, AOR. That's Album-Oriented Rock. That's a name for the '70s."

This next excerpt is from an April 16, 2007 “Inside Radio” interview with Mike Harrison talking about the origins and reasoning for creating the industry term Album Oriented Rock in 1975.

“FM Rock radio’s biggest problem was ad agencies didn’t take it seriously because they thought it was underground radio. MOR [Middle of the Road] was a very popular term and I thought `AOR’ would work.' `Progressive’ was more descriptive about subjective determination; `Album Oriented Rock’ was objective. I told Bob Wilson (owner and publisher of R&R) I’d be his FM rock editor for the AOR section.”

“Harrison’s fantasy was to program ‘The Mighty Met’ [KMET]. In 1976 he told (L. David) Morehead KMET’s music had to be tighter and more disciplined. ‘That was sacrilegious in those days. We instituted techniques to make the music better and to create a station atmosphere.”

So, in taking the concept of discipline and merging it with sales, AOR as Album Oriented Rock presented to agencies continuity with an on-course, non-erratic saleable format. A non-commercial, outside-the-industry term as ‘all over the road’ would never have created successful ad sales for those FM rockers that were once huge, such as KMET, KaMEL, KRQR, etc.

Maybe the street term was jokingly used behind closed doors (perhaps even by the Top 40 crowd in their relentless teasing of those of use who made good money as AOR jocks), but in the context of KMEL’s history from the time Century Broadcasting purchased it from RKO, the station began life as an Album Oriented Rock station.

 

[keesue]

I sure do miss the "old" KMEL when they were "rockin' the bay" as they used to say. KSOL is neat too playing the top soul songs of the day when I was in jr. high and high school. I even went to the KSOL studios when they used to be at 1700 North Amplett Blvd. in San Mateo. It was fun listening to the radio way back when.........

I remember when KSOL was on AM in a little studio on 11th & Mission in S.F. It was a direct competitor to the then mighty KDIA Lucky 13, 1310 AM, on the east side of the bay. The prime-time evening DJ was Sylvestor Stone. He was the first cousin of one of my best friends, and we used to go to the studio and watch him work. He absolutely dominated the airwaves. He had a cast of characters that used to call in and they would cut up in between cuts. One of his signatures was the integration record of the night, which was always "I can't get no satsifaction". His signature sign-off was playing a guitar singing, "Good night, my love..." Every night, he followed this format it was always alive and fresh. He was a true entertainer and his show became the precusor to many who followed. He later went on to form a band called Sly and the family stones. Heh...

Sorry, I know that wasn't related to the history of KMEL& KYLD but I couldn't resist. ;D

Some KSOL Soul 145 Airchecks courtesy of Bay Area Radio Museum. Stone is last on the list of links



http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/ksan/index.shtml

Many thanks for this!!!

 

[bobgowa]

AOR, Album Rock, whatever it was, KMEL was a fun place to be in 1978-79. A huge stuffed camel in the booth and a panoramic view of Pier 39 and the wharf. That stuffed camel, by the way, was a Baktrian camel, not a dromedary...I received an entertaining lecture from my GM (and later good friend) Rick Lee about the difference when I called the station a dromedary, but I digress...

OK, if you insist: A baktrian has two humps (a sideays "B") and a dromedary has one (like a "D").

My mind is a strange and interesting place sometimes...

Gowa