When was radio at it's Best

[Gatekeeper007]

All things are different for all people but some are the same, so when was radio at it's best? AM/FM different locations in the state or close by or when it all started in this country. When do you think radio was at it's best.

 

[Ssummers]

When the control room had a phat-ass Gates board with the big pots and two 33/45/78 geared turntables, a wall of thousands of 45s(each starting with the scratch of a cue burn), Klipsch speakers on the walls surrounded by posters(of which there were more than a few of the blacklight variety) of all the artists modified by jock graffiti to the extent that all salepeople(except the one or two brave, cool ones) AND the GM were afraid to enter. NO computers in sight.

...of course, you only got paid in station t-shirts and free lps, but that's another thread for another time.

 

[CrazeeCarroll1]

Since I did not get into radio till the 90's atleast for me from a listener standpoint I would say from around the early 80's till dereg took place. That was when radio (For Me) was still allowed to do what it did best and that was be creative. Today radio has lost that luster, but back in the 80's you had all kinds of awesome radio wars which made it from the listener standpoint really fun. With a lot of the radio wars it made everybody from Production to the Jocks be on their game. Heck just look at Columbia in the mid to late 80's you had three stations that were doing different versions of Top 40 so if you liked the pop friendly side of Top 40 you had WNOK. If you liked the more Rockin' side of it you had WZLD and later once ZLD was replaced with Yes and there was C 103 replaced by Power 103 it was a pop music lovers dream... Back then radio was "The Community" and you always knew that no matter where you were in the Midlands that all the radio stations was out and about... Today you do not hear that as much... CC1

 

[flashback]

when the number of stations a company could own in a market was limited.before they passed laws allowing them to own so many.

 

[leecasey]

If you liked the more Rockin' side of it you had WZLD

I remember top of the hour :" Z-96 is WZLD Cayce : The Rock of the City " Great station.....great days before the deregulation.. I remember one weekend I signed on WAKN/WNEZ and drove down the street and signed on WPBM....all were automated... I worked for both stations in school and I think a buddy of mine was late for PBM so I signed it on for him.... great days.... ;D

 

[charlestondxman]

Here in Charleston, in my era, probably from about 1997-2002. Charleston had battles in almost every format. Country had 107.5 and WEZL, both formidable. Oldies 102.5 was very strong. Rock and roll had 96 Wave and 98 Rock both with loyal followings. AC had Sunny, first at 100.5, then 96.9, with Star 105 competing at the beginning. Then 105.3 went to groovin' oldies and competed with 102.5.

 

[freqdev]

at its best when the people who post here were in it

 

[Scooter Lesley]

Well,...(southern prefix),...I said well,...
It certainly "Ain't" right now!
Today, there is a sobering money-crunchin' reality for Corporate Radio:
You can't possibly sell your group of stations for the price you paid!
When it was best...is simply...when it was "Mom & Pop" independently owned, and locally programmed. For non-broadcasters, there it is in a nutshell. For us, off the air, it's just a keen grasp of the obvious.
Timewise: 1970-1984. I didn't start until 1977, but I'm looking at it as the best for me, the listener. "Keemosabbee Joe" Johnson on 1070 WHYZ-AM was my reason to listen. There are others. Too many to mention here...maybe later.

 

[carolinaradio]

If we're talking about SC only, I'd go with early 2000s (since that was when I first moved here and when I first became interested in radio). In Greenville, we had a lot more variety than now, and better stations - Star 103's 80s based format, Oldies 106.3 with oldies, 96.7 The Buzzard with the rock format against 93.3 and 101.1....we also had two very GOOD AC stations - with 98.9 having Rick & Kimberly, which I still feel was one of, if not the best morning shows in the market after Love & Hudson split.

I remember living in Raleigh, NC prior to Greenville and actually finding radio there lacking in comparison to GSP.
What a shame. I guess if you like gospel, radio is still pretty good

 

[denio]

Not growing up in Columbia I don't know of any of the stations but I hear stories and sounds like it was a fun market in the 70's and 80's.
Cincinnati is where I'm from and had the great joy of working as a part-time board op at WLW, then weekends at WGRR. My goal was to get back
and program there but by that time I was working for Sheridan Broadcasting in any event I would vote for stations like WLW, WGRR, WOWO, KDKA, WLS and WABC!

 

[carolinaradio]

Not growing up in Columbia I don't know of any of the stations but I hear stories and sounds like it was a fun market in the 70's and 80's.
Cincinnati is where I'm from and had the great joy of working as a part-time board op at WLW, then weekends at WGRR. My goal was to get back
and program there but by that time I was working for Sheridan Broadcasting in any event I would vote for stations like WLW, WGRR, WOWO, KDKA, WLS and WABC!

WGRR....great classic hits station.

 

[Gatekeeper007]

So far the answers to this thread have been really good. It doesn't just have to be about SC but I do love hearing the different stories about what made radio great.

 

[RobynWattsV2.0]

I have to agree with the majority that radio was much better before deregulation when radio served the public interest, especially during times of disaster.

Case in point: The late Q-107 in Charleston during Hurricane Hugo in September 1989. They've managed to stay on the air giving updates to the area while Hugo made landfall. When it was realized that the staff would not be safe during the storm, they evacuated the studios. When they came back after the storm had passed, they served the area in giving vital information for weeks afterward.

Robyn

 

[freqdev]

robyn, agree with you . i remember hugo and the coverage that radio gave it. hugo was before voicetracking and correct me....before eas and the technology we now hate, but use. it is a shame with technology where it is today that the NWS voice is.....well..how it sounds for alerts. the tones, the pauses, the general clunky-ness of eas as we know needs to be updated. weather underground emails me minutes before any alerts are issued. this is why radio fails on several fronts for serving the public.

 

[Preacherdude]

To me, it was when Russ Cassell was "the man" on 93.7, when Chris Scott did middays, and the little while when Jane Robelot worked the evening shift. I remember laying in my dorm room during my freshman year of college and listening to her with my headphones on, very homesick.

It was also when WISE in Asheville was the rock station in town, 99.9 was beautiful music, Scotty Rhodarmer at WWNC was number 1 in the country, 93.9 was still local to Forest City and carried every Braves game, and there was always someone at every radio station.

It was when a kid like me could work part-time shifts at a little station, and even have choices of where to work and learn. I remember working part-time at the old WRAQ, and deciding whether to stay there, move over to Zeb Lee's WSKY (the lure there was working in the old Northwestern Bank Building, kind of thought it would feel like WKRP!), or go to WMIT/WFGW. I chose WMIT/WFGW, and ended up spending 17 years there.

While there are still good things to listen to, the magic of the business is gone.

 

[nocomradio]

For me in DC, the mid to late 70's were still great. WPGC actually played some real variety and the AM's like WEEL and WEAM still had decent music too. Lots of great local personalities and most importantly, every station sounded different. You knew what station you were listening to right away.

 

[JOHN-GANTT]

Mid to late 80s! Personality...competition between stations! Jocks and listener were more one on one and let's not forget, people could make request!!! (Oh, request what's that....Listener input?)

 

[vchimpanzee]

93.9 was still local to Forest City and carried every Braves game

93.3.

 

[upstate29651]

I have to agree with the majority that radio was much better before deregulation when radio served the public interest, especially during times of disaster.

Case in point: The late Q-107 in Charleston during Hurricane Hugo in September 1989. They've managed to stay on the air giving updates to the area while Hugo made landfall. When it was realized that the staff would not be safe during the storm, they evacuated the studios. When they came back after the storm had passed, they served the area in giving vital information for weeks afterward.

Robyn

Don't you mean 99.7 WHTK?

G

 

[flashback]

when the underground album stations were on .before the suits thought they knew what was going on and let the program directors and djs run things.