When Gordon McLendon signed on KILT with 5,000 watts down at 610, it should have been endgame, but KNUZ bested KILT for a long time. With just 250 watts on 1230, KNUZ was the longtime market leader in Houston. WVAQ is a giant in North Central West Virginia. Longtime morning man Lacy Neff passing was big news last June. WVAQ is a multiple Marconi Award winner for good reason: It sounds great. Morgantown? Have you heard it? This station has a major-market sound in a small market.
Who had the greatest voice of all time in rock and roll code#
And that news intro: With Morse code beeping in the background and plenty of slapback echo, the news opened with “From around the universe, around the world, around the nation, around Texas, around Dallas, and around the corner from your house, this is K-B-O-X news.”ġ7. KBOX and the Balaban stations trained Stan Kaplan. KBOX gave us Dan Ingram, Bill Ward, and many others. John Box gave Gordon McLendon fits and forced KLIF to be even better. But KBOX was pretty amazing for having only 500 watts at night at 1480. Yes, I know KLIF was the first polished Top 40 station and the big station in Dallas. It was worth driving 500 miles each way to hear live. But the signal was awful, the staff was expensive, and 15Q failed quickly. Suitcase Simpson, Chuck “Boo” Baron, Eddie Beacon the Swingin’ Deacon, and others have never sounded better. A doctor’s son financed the killer Top 40 15Q until the money ran out. In the mid-’70s, Knoxville had a three-way AM Top 40 battle between WKGN, WNOX, and WRJZ going, while WOKI was playing the hits, sort of, on FM. With only 250 watts way up at 1450kHz, WTIX debuted with a 50 share.ġ9. Todd Storz took the tight playlist formula from KOWH, doubled the number, and the first “Top 40” station was born. WDSU had number one afternoon show called The Top 20 on 1280. WTIX spent its first days on the air reading the phone book to get attention. Getting it down to 20 was tough, unfair, and subjective. These were stations worth traveling to hear. I based this list on originality and impact. Many stations that are just average have lasted a long time. Many of the most spectacular Top 40 stations weren’t around that long. Some stations have been amazing at times and just awful at others. Top 20 based on what? One could consider ratings, longevity, originality, influence, or many other criteria. Especially in the mid-’60s, the great stations would make a new Herman’s Hermit record sound like the Second Coming.Īnd here are my picks for the 20 greatest Top 40 radio stations of all time: It’s sad that radio is still executing a 40-year-old playbook these days. From Storz to Drake to Bennett, things evolved. Every few years, “new ways” came into play. AM radio once sounded badass as resources were poured into signal integrity. They had visual identities that mirrored the on-air delivery. The stations were hubs of local information. The DJs turned you on to what was going on. From news and sports to sneak previews of Beatles songs, the stations were complete, with no need to tune away. The stations delivered without needing to resort to tricks and promises. Even the personality-driven stations were well-oiled machines that held the basics in high regard.
A hard-to-define vibe that was all about confidence in everything they did. Unlike the generic radio of today, these stations oozed the vibe of their city they were soundtracks of the community. From crazed night DJs to whacked promotions - parents were appalled while the new mainstream ate it up. People still talk about Charlie Greer and Denison’s Men’s Clothier, on WABC at 3 a.m. There were shows, not shifts, and every daypart mattered. From the printed playlist to the countdowns, station-generated chart positions defined what was popular in the city. From the drama of news to the promos to the wild tracks, production was an art form that created a theater of the mind that manufactured sonic magic. Here’s how everyone stacked up against each other.ġ5 Characteristics of the Great Top 40 stations Lee Abrams It was certainly an interesting assignment.
Those results are at the end of this article.
Radio Ink also held a three-week online poll and asked you which you believe are the best Top 40 stations of all time.
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