AM Radio Memories.

[Smokey]

I think audio lovers growing up in 60s or 70s (especially rural) probably have some type of AM radio memories where they got most of their music. FM was good but unless living in a big cities, choices of good music stations were extremely limited.

Growing up as teenager in the 70s, may favorite Rock station was WLS AM 890 from Chicago which was about 800 miles away. On weekends the station on my tabletop radio would start to come in around sunset. And as soon as we hear the station logo, we knew the weekend have officially started.

[Woochifer]

I got my first transistor radio at the tail end of Boss Radio 93 KHJ's heyday. It was a groundbreaking and dominant station back in its day. A slew of other hit radio stations tried to copy KHJ, including the infamous Mighty 690, which beamed in a 125,000 watt blowtorch signal from Tijuana that could be heard all the way from San Diego up past Vancouver, BC at night. Aside from often playing a hit song upwards of three times an hour, the Mighty 690 was also known for speeding up their turntables (thus making every song sound like Alvin & The Chipmunks) so they could squeeze extra commercials into every hour.

But, by the time I started tuning in during the 70s, the FM AOR powerhouses in LA like the Mighty Met KMET began to dominate my listening time. I just liked rock radio better, and stereo sound was also a plus.

By then, most of my AM radio listening was confined to huddling under the blankets after my bedtime listening to Vin Scully calling the Dodger games on 790 KABC.

[Rich-n-Texas]

My granny gave me my first transistor radio in about '67 - '68; it was a little portable with the round tuning dial that started at, IIRC 54 KHz(?) and I used to put it under my pillow when I went to sleep at night. I loved that little radio and I'll probably never forget it. My favorite station? "Famous 56 WFIL", The competitor was WIBG; don't remember its station number, (Edit... yes I do, it was 1260), but even after FM came onto the scene in Philly, there was always a lot of competition among radio stations which meant I was never without access to the great music of the times, even in my pre-teen years. The popular news station was 610 WIP.

I love recalling my music listening history. Great thread Smokey!

[thekid]

The first radio station's call letters that I learned was WCKLW (1968) out of Windsor Canada I think. Not sure if it was AM or not but it was the first "rock" radio station that got air play in the house.

[JohnMichael]

Smokey such memories. Me and my 9 volt transistor radio tuned to WLS in Chicago making it's way to small town Ohio. All the local stations would have signed off and the distant ones could come through. Radio shows such as Dick Biondi and friends would interview current artists. I felt like I was eavesdropping into others lives and a cool big city. That little radio would help me escape the small town until I fell asleep or the battery died. A five dollar radio could entertain for hours and introduce me to a new world.

[markw]

...listening to Jean Shepard* on 710 WOR out of NYC from 10:15 to 11:00 every night except Sundays.

Also, being this state always depended in it's shore for entertainment, the music coverage from Palisades Park (OK, technically it's an amusement park) and the other shore areas would blossem every summer with live broadcasts and promotions. ...and when the Beatles arrived in NYV, etc.

* The writer of and the voice behnd "A Christmas Story". Perhaps one of the world's best storytellers of all time,

[E-Stat]

I think audio lovers growing up in 60s or 70s (especially rural) probably have some type of AM radio memories where they got most of their music. FM was good but unless living in a big cities, choices of good music stations were extremely limited.

My first *music system* was a portable Zenith AM radio. I guess I was about eleven or so at the time. It was unusual in that it used a pair of penlight AA batteries. Squeeze to illuminate the vertical dial. I would hang the carry loop over the post on my bed and listen to it at night.

Growing up in the Atlanta area in the sixties, I listened to 790 WQXI ("Quixie in Dixie"). Still have a wooden quarter promo from who knows when.

rw

[Smokey]

A slew of other hit radio stations tried to copy KHJ, including the infamous Mighty 690, which beamed in a 125,000 watt blowtorch signal from Tijuana that could be heard all the way from San Diego up past Vancouver, BC at night.

That is alot of power. Since US AM stations are restricted to 50k watt, I bet it drown out its vicinity station on dial. And few AM Spanish stations from south of border took advantage of US restricted AM power output, and blast US air wave with station that had 100k watt or greater. They could be heard all over America.

My granny gave me my first transistor radio in about '67 - '68; it was a little portable with the round tuning dial that started at, IIRC 54 KHz(?) and I used to put it under my pillow when I went to sleep at night. I loved that little radio and I'll probably never forget it.

My first radio was tube radio and I disconnected its speaker wires and hooked it up to an car speakers which I hung on the wall. It sounded pretty good (no SPL meter needed )

The first radio station's call letters that I learned was WCKLW (1968) out of Windsor Canada I think

If station was more than 50 miles away, I am sure it was AM. I remember alot of old Spanish stations on my dialing days, but not too many Canadian stations.

Smokey such memories. Me and my 9 volt transistor radio tuned to WLS in Chicago making it's way to small town Ohio.

Do you also remeber that they play alot of songs from Eagles

From the late 50's up to the mid 60's I remember listening to Jean Shepard* on 710 WOR out of NYC from 10:15 to 11:00 every night except Sundays.

Dam Mark, you are old as dust

My staple of late night talk listening habit was Larry King. His over night call in show always included calls from grave shift workers and truck drivers.

My first *music system* was a portable Zenith AM radio. I guess I was about eleven or so at the time. It was unusual in that it used a pair of penlight AA batteries. Squeeze to illuminate the vertical dial.

Do you also remember AM radio kit Radio Shack use to sell (including crystal radio that did not batteries). For one of our vocational project in high school, we took one their 3 transistor am radio kit, and built on a piece of 3in x 10in wooden board. And it worked

[JohnMichael]

That is alot of power. Since US AM stations are restricted to 50k watt, I bet it drown out its vicinity station on dial. And few AM Spanish stations from south of border took advantage of US restricted AM power output, and blast US air wave with station that had 100k watt or greater. They could be heard all over America.



My first radio was tube radio and I disconnected its speaker wires and hooked it up to an car speakers which I hung on the wall. It sounded pretty good (no SPL meter needed )



If station was more than 50 miles away, I am sure it was AM. I remember alot of old Spanish stations on my dialing days, but not too many Canadian stations.



Do you also remeber that they play alot of songs from Eagles



Dam Mark, you are old as dust

My staple of late night talk listening habit was Larry King. His over night call in show always included calls from grave shift workers and truck drivers.



Do you also remember AM radio kit Radio Shack use to sell (including crystal radio that did not batteries). For one of our vocational project in high school, we took one their 3 transistor am radio kit, and built on a piece of 3in x 10in wooden board. And it worked

I had a crysral radio that you clipped to the metal dial of a rotary phone. You put the earpiece in your ear and tuned by raising or lowering the antenna. At the time it seemed like magic.

[Rich-n-Texas]

My Radio Shack "10 in 1" kit had a crystal radio as one of the ten projects. That toy probably more than anything else is what got me interested in electronics, now that I think about it.

[emaidel]

My first AM radio was a clunky, heavy portable that used several very large (and heavy) batteries, whose charge lasted a very short while. I was probably around 10 at the time which would put the year at 1955.

My most memorable experience was one of sheer terror. There were a couple of truly original guys named "Buchanan and Goodman" who made a spoof called "Flying Saucer." Their work normally consisted of a straight man asking questions to which the answers were quick selections from popular songs, and the results were often truly hilarious.

"Flying Saucer" started out with music playing, and then a sudden interruption with an announcer stating, "Ladies and Gentlemen: we've been invaded by flying saucers!" This was during the time period in which many claimed to see flying saucers, along with a plethora of cheapo sci-fi horror movies perpetuating the belief that such things existed.

I was in my bed, listening to my new AM radio under the blankets (I was supposed to be sleeping) when I heard this announcement and was scared to death! I wanted to run into the living room and warn my parents of the impending doom, but again, didn't want to face the punishment I was sure to receive for listening to my radio when I wasn't supposed to. Fortunately, as the selection continued, I realized it was a joke, and I found the rest of it quite funny.

Not too surprisingly, given the mores of the time, "Flying Saucer" was banned from any and all broadcasts because of its "incendiary" nature. Not too unlike the Orson Welles' broadcast of "War of the Worlds."

That's my piece of AM history.

Insofar as FM goes, I can distinctly recall the days when rock simply didn't exist on FM. When New York's WNEW began broadcasting rock (around 1968), it was all but unbelievable, and of course, completely reversed the trend as to what was customarily broadcast on FM.

[E-Stat]

Do you also remember AM radio kit Radio Shack use to sell (including crystal radio that did not batteries). For one of our vocational project in high school, we took one their 3 transistor am radio kit, and built on a piece of 3in x 10in wooden board. And it worked

Didn't work with that one, but did build a *genuine* Boy Scout crystal radio. I guess my earlier post was incorrect in that this was actually my first radio (albeit not very practical). It was amazing that it worked at all. The "motherboard" was a cardboard insert from the box!

rw

[hermanv]

I had a portable 6(!) transistor radio, it was on the large size with about a 3 1/2" square speaker, made by Emerson it sounded great. Probably due to the "large" speaker and having some bass, it ate batteries. I got this little solar cell array 1" by 5" glued it on top, fit like it was made for it. At night I'd put the radio under a goose neck desk lamp. Because it was a current hog, I'd need to put the lamp quite close to the solar cells. I fell asleep one night with the lamp and radio on. Next morning the plastic case for the solar cells and the radio was seriously deformed, melted from the heat of the lamp. It never worked again - sigh.

At last a thread where I can ask the question that's been bothering mankind for a generation: Why did Detroit put all car AM radio speakers in the dash where the sun would fry the paper cone?

Cruising, at 19 9/10 a gallon, plus you got a free dish or glass.

[pixelthis]

I had one of those "shack" kits, a lot of fun, really.
but radio in AM doesnt need to be in the past, true its mostly talk now, but
"DXING" is a popular hobby, at night you can hear stations hundreds of miles away.
But its amazing what you forget, AM was it for quite awhile, I REMEMBER
that most of the soundtrack of my jr highschool years came over AM.
At age 12 I lay in bed and listened to my transistor, that didnt start my love of music, but it didnt hurt.
Then one day in a friends car he turned on his new FM radio ,
and that was THAT

[Smokey]

Insofar as FM goes, I can distinctly recall the days when rock simply didn't exist on FM. When New York's WNEW began broadcasting rock (around 1968), it was all but unbelievable, and of course, completely reversed the trend as to what was customarily broadcast on FM.

I remember my older brother buying a audio receiver from Bose ('77) that had five analog FM tuners aboard. One can select 5 different stations on each tuner and switch between them. Very neat idea when switching between stations nstantaniously was un heard of.

had a portable 6(!) transistor radio, it was on the large size with about a 3 1/2" square speaker, made by Emerson it sounded great. Probably due to the "large" speaker and having some bass, it ate batteries. I got this little solar cell array 1" by 5" glued it on top, fit like it was made for it.

That remind of story where I replaced my Sony walkman double AA batteries with two "D" size battries and fasten them with duck tapes to radio. The radio played for ever without changing batteries.

But radio in AM doesnt need to be in the past, true its mostly talk now, but "DXING" is a popular hobby, at night you can hear stations hundreds of miles away.

DXing was fun, especially on long cold winter nights. I had heard that saudi arabia had 1 million watt AM station that can be heard all over world. But after several tries, never was able to pick it up. I guess the main reason was when it is night time here, it is daylight over there.

[PDN]

Growing up in the burbs of NYC in the 1960's as an adolescent here in NJ, 77 WABC (NYC) with Cousin Brucey and Harry Harrison was our mainstay for Beatles, the Beach Boys, Dave Clark 5, Monkees, the entire British Invasion bands, the Grass Roots, the Doors, Frankie Valley & the 4 Seasons, Motown, you name it. I got my first small portable transistor radio in the mid 60's and loved it. Otherwise we had to listen in the family car.

Then when FM radio hit in the 70's now a teenager, my buddies and I switch to WNEW-FM (NYC) with Scott Muni, Allison Steel the Nightbird, etc. Never went back to AM after that. Hey, a little trivia. Did you know that FM radio was invented and developed here in NJ by Edwin Armstrong in the Palisades area north of the Geo Wash Bridge near the town of Alpine?

Hey MarkW, sure I remember Gene Shepherd on WNEW-AM. One of the best in radio at the time. Remember the theme song for Palisades Amusement Park? It was called "Come on Over" and it aired on AM radio almost constantly. I never made it to the park but many of my friends did. It's now a high rise apt bldg. Good thread. We've come a long way since then.

[XTAL1N34]

My favorite DJ from WLS was John "Records" Landecker. He did the Boogie Check" at night and I remember listening to him on the entire trip to Southern Illinois when I was a kid. He's still on the air on a syndicated oldies show.

Someone else posted that the Radio Shack 10-in-1 kit gave them their interest in electronics. Me too!
I hooked up the one transistor radio and hooked it up to a whip antenna. it got 2 or 3 stations.

I bought the Radio Shack crystal radio kit and got more stations with a 40 foot outside wire antenna (including WLS) than the transistor 10 in 1 kit radio. Then I started building crystal radios from scratch with oatmeal boxes, razorblades, salvaged 1N60's, etc.

I've continued to build crytal radios from scratch up until adulthood. Lots of people do since the internet:
http://www.midnightscience.com/

I built a shortwave crystal radio and got a couple stations from Europe on it.

They say that you get the purist audio quality from a crytal radio, because it is straight from the station without going through a large circuit.

[recoveryone]

most of my AM radio listening was confined to huddling under the blankets after my bedtime listening to Vin Scully calling the Dodger games on 790 KABC.

There is no other announcer that can cause me to think of food when I hear their voice.
Vince Scully and a Dodger Dog (Famer Johns). And radio is the only way I can enjoy baseball other than playing it.

[Worf101]

I was weaned on AM Top 40 Radio. I listened to WMCA "The Good Guys" in NY City for a good many years. They were one of the TOP AM stations in the golden age of Top 40. This situation would've remained unchanged but my brother being 2 years older began spinning the dial all the way to the high end of the Spectrum, there was found WWRL "Soul 1600 Radio". There you heard all the Motown all the Stax/Volt, all the Atlantic Records RnB and tons of independent Black labels that NEVER made it to mainsream AM radio. Back then they had the "first and only" rule on white stations. Unless a tune topped the "Race Music" charts (not my name for it blame Billboard Magazine) it was never played on white AM stations, that's just the way it was. In the 70's things changed with the introduction of WBLS FM and WLIB on the AM dial.

Franky Crocker, Vai Higgenson, "Happy Hal The Housewifes Pal", "The Gary Byrd Experience"... these folks were gods on our side of town. WMCA and WWRL are long gone or changed formats. WBLS is still goin strong.

Da Worfster

[pattinsonrobert]

Hi Everyone..

I wasn't around during the heyday of AM radio, but I am thankful for stations like Jack FM that play a mix of everything just to keep it interesting. When the song order can be The Temptations, Sugarland, Van Halen and Elvis, I'd say it's a pretty good mix.