The Rock Jocks

1. What were some of the factors that contributed to the burst of growth in FM radio during the late 1960's?
In the late 1960's there was a mass movement for the "counter-culture" of America. AM radio was "mainstream" and manufactured to have mass appeal, so certain groups of listeners were falling through the cracks. The AM stations were too broad for the rebellious youth of the 1960's. With the growing drug culture and social unrest caused by moves towards equality, many of the youth of America were looking for a way to express themselves and looking for comradeship among their peers. FM radio started as a free expression forum for these disenfranchised outcasts, in which they could discuss what was important to them with very little to no regulations. This became a popular forum because of the special communities it created and the loyalty of their base.



2. What strategies did these stations and their personnel use to establish a bond with their listeners? What role did music play in this?
The stations spoke about topics that were important to their listeners and allowed for audience participation. They had events that led to groups of people congregating and meeting each other. A community was formed and then the FM stations began to play new and interesting music. Experimental bands were given a chance by the counter culture who were open-minded and receptive to their radical ways of playing and writing music.


3. Describe the factors that led to changes in the way FM operated as the years passed.
FM became popular and could no longer sustain itself to reach the mass audience that it attracted. FM had to become merged with business. Corporations saw FM only as a way to profit and began to apply sound business tactics to what the DJs considered an art form. The corporations saw risks in what the DJs were doing even though these risks and innovations were what created the large audience in the first place. Regulations were put on what could and could not be said on the air and DJs were at the mercy of the station's owners. The content became bottled and soon there was a very clear and safe format for FM that was profitable.


4. In your view, can new developments like web radio and satellite radio bring back some of the qualities of these early FM rock stations?
Yes, because one of the best qualities about the internet is that it cannot be bought. Since no one can own all of it, there is no fear of a monopoly forming and there will always be unregulated content that pertains to some other culture than the mainstream media. These new media radio stations incorporate all of the ideals of free expression that FM set forth with the added benefit of being able to create a global community.