Underground Rock

[jim-satx]

KMAC at 630 in San Antonio had a nighttime (until midnight signoff) underground rock format from the late '70s until the early '80s. It was a simulcast with 99.5 KISS. They used to play songs from Pink Floyd's first album (usually "Astronomy Domine") and Love's "Forever Changes" album, Syd Barrett songs, obscure John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen songs, and other cuts hardly or never heard on mainstream rock radio. I remember listening to the station on my first DXing portable, a G.E. Monitor 10-band radio.

In the early '80s, KMAC was bought out and became KSLR, a Christian talk station. KISS stayed with the rock format but eventually went commercial AOR, and their playlist got tighter and tighter. Nowadays they play a "mainstream rock" format.

 

[b-turner]

I recall the Progressive Country craze and I was a big fan. For me I was introduced to Progressive Country by KAMC 95 FM in Arlington that played sets along with their freeform AOR format (in fact, the Music Director placed albums in the library and the jocks could choose any tracks to play). While few seem to remember the strongly Progressive Country bent, they had a bumper sticker with a yellow background with 95 FM within a boundary of a rope, as in a lasso. It only lasted a few months and after KAFM switched to the format, they went back to AOR. I wouldn't call it a format change but a phase for KAMC. KAFM in Dallas, 92.5, became Progressive Country. In fact, it was KAFM that generated such a response for Amie by Pure Prairie League that it was re-released. I was working in a record store at the time and we were selling the album from the cut-out bins until it was released again.

KMAC and the FM, KISS, as I understand it, may have been separately programmed at least in some hours. I was working in Eagle Pass and one of the female jocks had worked at the FM in Eagle Pass before landing the job at KMAC. I remember seeing the rate card for the AM, $5 flat rate for 60 seconds or less back around 1979. They were freeform and jocks could select their playlist for their shift. As I recall they had few commercials but sure were a fun listen.

As for Progressive Country, it was not something the country music listener liked and the typical Progressive Country listener generally didn't care for what was played on country radio at the time. As a format, KAFM stayed with it a while but the 'life' of the format seemed to be about as long as the typical station that went all Disco. A year or two was about as long as any lasted although I'm not sure how long KOKE FM managed to keep their Progressive Country format in Austin, but certainly they were the pioneer in the format.

 

[gar hi]

Interesting topic.

As a little kid in the late 60's, I was already a fan of 77 WABC even though we lived 80 miles away.

We would often visit relatives up in north Jersey and I remember my older brother telling me about their sister station WABC FM. Our car radio was only AM but he had his portable radio in the car as we drove up the turnpike and WABC FM would start coming in around exit 10 or 11.

From what I recall, they had different formats but one of them was rock oriented.

I even found an old sound file with airchecks!

http://www.musicradio77.com/miscella.html

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

I think that WABC-FM became WPLJ 0n 2-14-71. They were experimenting with other formats at all the ABC FM O & Os before the format and call letter changes. The main change was that the formats were a little tighter than the late 60s Free Form. WLS-FM became WDAI and WXYZ-FM became WRIF on 2-14-71 also in our neck of the woods.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Interesting topic.

As a little kid in the late 60's, I was already a fan of 77 WABC even though we lived 80 miles away.

We would often visit relatives up in north Jersey and I remember my older brother telling me about their sister station WABC FM. Our car radio was only AM but he had his portable radio in the car as we drove up the turnpike and WABC FM would start coming in around exit 10 or 11.

From what I recall, they had different formats but one of them was rock oriented.

I even found an old sound file with airchecks!

http://www.musicradio77.com/miscella.html

I had a similar experience with KLIF and its underground rock counterpart KNUZ. I lived in Midland, and I remember buying a radio with FM, so I could listen on our frequent trips to Dallas. Originally, the signal was very weak so about the only time I could hear it was in Dallas itself. Little did I know that in a few years, the station would go full class C and would be receivable in Midland with good DX equipment. Sadly by then, they had become mainstream and pretty much replaced KLIF.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Though I never listened, and I don;t even know the year(s) involved, I do recall reading that WSAN Allentown, 1470, had some good response with a progressive rock show or shows. Perhaps someone here knows more about it ; more detail.