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

[Rob Landry]

On Thu, 25 Nov 2021, Donna Halper wrote:

> 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.

KFRC 610 AM in San Francisco was still running a top 40 format in 1985. 
They had promos that said things like "FM causes brain damage".

It probably didn't hurt that there was no FM that covered the Bay Area 
effectively, and in the city (or The City, as it was often called) all the 
FMs were plagued with massive multipath distortion.


Rob