What was the radio like in the 70s?  I was once told that you can anything from Funk to Heavy Metal all in one station, was that true?

that's true! fewer stations, therefore each station needed to be more eclectic. with XM now you can have an entire radio station devoted exclusively to, say, Ska music released between 1990 and 1992 by bands starting with the letter A. the old 70s "album rock" format had a lot of leeway.

I remember enjoying an AM station that was Middle Of the Road programming, but also had the Mystery Theater on at night. That was creepy and cool at the same time.

I listened to AM  and heard a lot of kansas, bob seger, rod stewart, gerry rafferty, styx,  you get the idea....

Just look at the top songs from the 70's.Especially early 70's.
You'll find Rock,Pop,Soul,even Country...all on the same station.
Below is a list from WABC in N.Y. From this week in 1974:

This week                                                                last week

1. The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand (Columbia)  *1 week #1*  2
  2. You're Sixteen - Ringo Starr (Apple)                        1
  3. Love's Theme - The Love Unlimited Orchestra (20th Century)  4
  4. Jungle Boogie - Kool & the Gang (De-Lite)                  10
  5. Boogie Down - Eddie Kendricks (Tamla)                      11
  6. Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) -     
                                    Aretha Franklin (Atlantic)  9
  7. Smokin' in the Boys' Room - Brownsville Station (Big Tree)  5
  8. Seasons In the Sun - Terry Jacks (Bell)                    15
  9. The Joker - The Steve Miller Band (Capitol)                3
10. Show and Tell - Al Wilson (Rocky Road)                      6
11. Let Me Be There - Olivia Newton-John (MCA)                  7
12. Spiders and Snakes - Jim Stafford (MGM)                    18
13. Rock On - David Essex (Columbia)                          27
14. Put Your Hands Together - The O'Jays (Philadelphia Int.)  13
                                                                 
                            SINGLES:                           
15. Last Time I Saw Him - Diana Ross (Motown)                  19
17. Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker) -                       
                            The Rolling Stones (Rolling Stones) 22
19. Love Song - Anne Murray (Capitol)                          --
24. Mighty Love, Part 1 - The Spinners (Atlantic)              --
28. Dark Lady - Cher (MCA)                                    --
31. Mockingbird - Carly Simon & James Taylor (Elektra)        58
33. Jet - Paul McCartney & Wings (Apple)                      HP
51. Eres Tu (Touch the Wind) - Mocedades (Tara)                --
                                                                 
                          ACTION ALBUMS:                         
    John Denver's Greatest Hits - John Denver (RCA)             
    You Don't Mess Around With Jim - Jim Croce (ABC)           
    Under the Influence of... - Love Unlimited (20th Century)   
    Band On the Run - Paul McCartney & Wings (Apple)           


As You see.....Streisand,Anne Murray {Country},Mocedades{the song is all in Spanish},The Rolling Stones,Steve Miller & Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra.......All on the same chart......
                                                                 

I don't know firsthand ofcourse, but I've heard the same thing, Joe. I think it's because there was just alot of variety in the Top 40, and because there wasn't as many genres or years to choose from.

Heck, even in the early-mid 90s it had more variety than it does now, like anything before Clearchannel. They cut alot of songs from playlists, and overall made the formats more strict I guess in order to appeal to certain audiences. They had less say over what they could air too, so more songs get repeated too.

I lived in Sacramento until 1996, and there were a few stations up there I listened to alot. I still remember alot songs this one mix station (which is still there) used to play. It's the same type of stuff you'd hear on those Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites stations...but a bigger selection.

I don't know firsthand ofcourse, but I've heard the same thing, Joe. I think it's because there was just alot of variety in the Top 40, and because there wasn't as many genres or years to choose from.

Heck, even in the early-mid 90s it had more variety than it does now, like anything before Clearchannel. They cut alot of songs from playlists, and overall made the formats more strict I guess in order to appeal to certain audiences. They had less say over what they could air too, so more songs get repeated too.

I lived in Sacramento until 1996, and there were a few stations up there I listened to alot. I still remember alot songs this one mix station (which is still there) used to play. It's the same type of stuff you'd hear on those Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites stations...but a bigger selection.



Just out of curiosity???  what does the 90's and the advent of Clear channel have to do with listening to the radio in the 1970's?




For the record I wasn't really paying attention in 1970's about whether there were genre stations or not....heck I didn't know what genres were....
but there were definitely rock stations and non rock stations (which played what would now be called pop music) 
The reason I know this is I had virtually no exposure to rock music growing up.... and I listened to a lot of radio back in the day.  also- there were stations that played only R&B.

Having the exposures to all the different genres {Pop , Rock , R&B , Country , Folk , etc.} was great.


Just out of curiosity???  what does the 90's and the advent of Clear channel have to do with listening to the radio in the 1970's?




For the record I wasn't really paying attention in 1970's about whether there were genre stations or not....heck I didn't know what genres were....
but there were definitely rock stations and non rock stations (which played what would now be called pop music)   
The reason I know this is I had virtually no exposure to rock music growing up.... and I listened to a lot of radio back in the day.  also- there were stations that played only R&B.

Having the exposures to all the different genres {Pop , Rock , R&B , Country , Folk , etc.} was great.


I'm misunderstanding you or you misunderstand me... not really sure...


There were definitely genre specific radio stations in the 70s although the pop stations would sample a crossstream of music so I got a little country, some easy rock and some R&B mixed in with the other stuff....but if someone only had one interest they could find a station that catered to their taste.  I didn't like rock so I didn't go searching for those stations...sometimes I wanted more R&B then I was getting on the regular stations so I sought it out....

I get You,Snoz,the point I was making was that I felt that I got a lot out of the crossover of all the different types of music.
There were niche stations out there.But,I prefered the blend......
I was buying Elton John LPs......Alice Cooper .......the Shaft Soundtrack......Aerosmith.......and Olivia Newton John.......
Carole King's Tapestry  and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours are 2 of My fav albums.....ever....


I'm misunderstanding you or you misunderstand me... not really sure...


There were definitely genre specific radio stations in the 70s although the pop stations would sample a crossstream of music so I got a little country, some easy rock and some R&B mixed in with the other stuff....but if someone only had one interest they could find a station that catered to their taste.  I didn't like rock so I didn't go searching for those stations...sometimes I wanted more R&B then I was getting on the regular stations so I sought it out....

I get You,Snoz,the point I was making was that I felt that I got a lot out of the crossover of all the different types of music.
There were niche stations out there.But,I prefered the blend......
I was buying Elton John LPs......Alice Cooper .......the Shaft Soundtrack......Aerosmith.......and Olivia Newton John.......
Carole King's Tapestry  and Fleetwood Mac's Rumours are 2 of My fav albums.....ever....




cool... I gotta say- WKRP exposed me to some stuff I never would have heard but for DR Johnny Fever.

;)............Very cool !!

cool... I gotta say- WKRP exposed me to some stuff I never would have heard but for DR Johnny Fever.

As a young kid, I only listened to the radio in the car. That meant whatever Mom and Dad were listening to, but they would be kind sometimes, and put on the Middle Of The Road stuff- John Denver, Poco, you know, the non threatening stuff mixed with some oldies and instrumentals. As a young kid, Afternoon Delight and Wildfire were Rock and Roll. But, being the youngest of 3 by at least a decade, I got a little exposure to other stuff. By the time I was allowed to Ride with my Sister, she was into Disco and Donna Summers. That didn't quite cut it for me (although Donna did have a certain quality I liked), so Sis got me an 8 Track of Kiss to listen to in her car. ROCK AND ROLL! Things were different after that :)

Just out of curiosity???  what does the 90's and the advent of Clear channel have to do with listening to the radio in the 1970's?

Just saying that even that late, up to 1996ish when I listened to the radio...there was still a better variety and more songs they played than now. So I'm sure back then it was even more (I have heard people say that too).

I think the more music that comes out, the more genres there have to be and the more there is to choose from, so it would make sense that you'd have a better selection the further back you go, since not as much existed.

Radio was indeed a diverse melting pot in the 70's.  I was an avid teenage listener then.  I might listen for twenty minutes to top 40 radio (Chicago stations eg. WLS) and hear Helen Reddy, Led Zeppelin, the O'Jays, Badfinger, and Gordon Lightfoot one after another.  That was normal.

It wasn't weird until Disco and harder rock both started getting popular, like '75ish.  Hearing Donna Summer after Aerosmith could be a bit of a train wreck.    :o

In the 60s and early 70s there were stations that played specific play lists, but they also had radio stations that dared to cut the mold and play anything and everything.  They were typically college or independent stations.  Here in Boston WBCN was famous as a station that played everything from little known acts(at that time) like the Who and Jimi Hendrix, to the Beatles, to Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.  If that ain't a mix I don't know what is.  The DJs made their own play lists and the listeners were better for it.  I don't know any stations like that anymore.  'BCN has gone the way of all of them, and it is sad, very, very sad.

In the 60s and early 70s there were stations that played specific play lists, but they also had radio stations that dared to cut the mold and play anything and everything.  They were typically college or independent stations.  Here in Boston WBCN was famous as a station that played everything from little known acts(at that time) like the Who and Jimi Hendrix, to the Beatles, to Charlie Parker and Miles Davis.  If that ain't a mix I don't know what is.  The DJs made their own play lists and the listeners were better for it.  I don't know any stations like that anymore.  'BCN has gone the way of all of them, and it is sad, very, very sad.


Just curious - was this on AM or FM?  FM stations certainly existed then, and you could hear a lot more variety on FM.  But at the time AM was the mainstream dial, at least until around the mid-70's.  Some radios back then (even some car radios, particularly cheap cars) did not even provide FM radio as a listening option, and many of those that did had inferior antennas that wouldn't pick anything up.  By the end of the 70's, however, FM was about as viable as AM; radio quality also seemed to improve a lot in that time span.

Who needed AM/FM when you had your trusty 8 track?

When did AM stations start fading away? I've also heard my dad say how popular and mainstream they used to be in the '70s.

I've always known them to be talk radio, sports and specialized programming, with a teeny bit of music here and there (usually oldies or duplicates of FM stations). Even what I recall as a kid in the late 80s they seemed to be basically this same way, 'cause I learned FM was where all the good music was lol.

When did AM stations start fading away? I've also heard my dad say how popular and mainstream they used to be in the '70s.

I've always known them to be talk radio, sports and specialized programming, with a teeny bit of music here and there (usually oldies or duplicates of FM stations). Even what I recall as a kid in the late 80s they seemed to be basically this same way, 'cause I learned FM was where all the good music was lol.


I want to say 77 or 78 seems to be when I recall starting to switch over.

Yeah...around there.....

I heard Lou Rawls "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" on the radio when I woke up this morning ...Started the day nice !!


I want to say 77 or 78 seems to be when I recall starting to switch over.

Yeah...around there.....

I heard Lou Rawls "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" on the radio when I woke up this morning ...Started the day nice !!



OMG I Was soooo obsessed with that song! I played that 45 and Debbie Boone's You Light Up My Life over and over again!

Still like it.............Lou's on My MP3 player....

OMG I Was soooo obsessed with that song! I played that 45 and Debbie Boone's You Light Up My Life over and over again!