When did FM become mainstream in Boston - Re: RIP Al Perry - former GM of WBCN

[Donna Halper]

On 11/25/2021 4:36 AM, Kevin Vahey wrote:
> Joe - FM in the mid-'60s was niche radio.

That's true. It was mainly audiophiles who listened to it, and until the 
mid-60s, a majority of FMs nationwide programmed mostly classical or 
"good music"-- or they simulcast the AM sister-station that owned them. 
Then, the FCC issued a ruling that FM had to have  its own unique 
formats, and not just simulcast the AM. That opened the door to more 
formats on FM, and so did the baby boomers being in college and wanting 
something that wasn't top-40. But a lot of us still only had AM radios, 
and I don't recall really listening to FM till about 1968. My own career 
began on AM, and AM was still a factor for music in Boston well into the 
mid-70s.

-- 
Donna L. Halper, PhD
Associate Professor of Communication & Media Studies
Lesley University, Cambridge MA