1975 in radio
Encyclopedia
The year 1975 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.
Undated
Events
- 1 January: KQVKQVKQV is a radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station, which is the only broadcast station owned by Calvary, Inc., broadcasts at 1410 kHz, with 5000 watts of power day and night. KQV's call letters reportedly stand for King of the Quaker Valley...
-Pittsburgh's new owner, Taft BroadcastingTaft BroadcastingThe Taft Broadcasting Company, also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated, was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio....
, hires Joey ReynoldsJoey ReynoldsJoey Reynolds is the pseudonym of Joey Pinto, host of the U.S. radio program The Joey Reynolds Show via the WOR Radio Network. Reynolds' broadcasting career started on TV- in Buffalo at WGR TV 2...
as program director. KQV's Top 40 format is blown up, taking a bizzare, free-form approach dubbed "The Death of Radio!" Phonetically re-branded "Kay-Cue-Vee," regular newscasts are canceled, jingles are replaced with crudely produced "mingles," airplay of any Top 10 songs were avoided, daily names like "Barrel Bottom Radio," "Volkswagen Radio," "Channel 14," "AM Radio" and "Normalcy Radio" are used, and all of the deejays only said "KQV plays WAY too Much Music!" for a seven day period, among other stunts. Reynolds, along with his hand-picked music director and morning host, are all fired in May, and the station reverts to the prior format. - July - Country musicCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station KRRV in Dallas, TexasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
becomes Top 40 KIKM. - 14 October - KQVKQVKQV is a radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station, which is the only broadcast station owned by Calvary, Inc., broadcasts at 1410 kHz, with 5000 watts of power day and night. KQV's call letters reportedly stand for King of the Quaker Valley...
in Pittsburgh ends its longtime Top 40 format, switching to all-news with NBC Radio's News & Information Service. Billy Soule and George Hart preside over the final airshift. - 30 October - The "Voice of the Pittsburgh PiratesPittsburgh PiratesThe Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
" for close to 30 seasons and a mainstay on American clear channel, Bob PrinceBob PrinceRobert Ferris Prince was an American radio and television sportscaster and commentator best known for his 28-year stint as the voice of the Pittsburgh Pirates Major League Baseball club, with whom he earned the nickname “The Gunner” and became a cultural icon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Prince was...
is shockingly fired by Pittsburgh station KDKA-AM. - 23 November - The Geneva Frequency Plan comes into force.
Undated
- WLOL-FM in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
flips from classical music to beautiful musicBeautiful musicBeautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
.
Debuts
- 22 January: Radio ForthRadio ForthRadio Forth is a group owning two radio stations based in Edinburgh. The stations broadcast to Edinburgh, The Lothians and Fife.-History:Radio Forth was launched on 22 January 1975 by current chairman Richard Findlay. His opening speech included "This, for the very first time is Radio Forth"...
begins broadcasting to the EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
area - 19 May: Plymouth SoundPlymouth Sound FMHeart Plymouth was an Independent Local Radio station broadcasting to Plymouth in Devon, England.-History:The name heritage name Plymouth Sound was a pun on the popular meaning of sound and the bay of Plymouth Sound between Penlee Point and Wembury Point in Devon.In November 2005 it was announced...
begins broadcasting to the PlymouthPlymouthPlymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
area - 18 June: The NBC Radio Network launches the "News and Information Service," an all-news format that informally replaced Monitor; clearance is obtained on most of NBC's FM stations, as well as WRC (AM)WTEMWTEM — branded ESPN 980 — is a sports radio station licensed to Washington, D.C. and serving the Washington metro area. It is the flagship of a sports talk trimulcast with WWXT in Prince Frederick, Maryland and WWXX in Buckland, Virginia, all affiliated with ESPN Radio and owned by Red Zebra...
in Washington. - 24 June: Radio TeesRadio TeesRadio Tees was the original name of TFM Radio, the Independent Local Radio station broadcasting in North East England, serving Teesside and parts of County Durham and North Yorkshire....
(now TFM RadioTFM RadioTFM Radio is a Thornaby-on-Tees based Independent Local Radio station. Launched in June 1975 as Radio Tees, with the callsign "You've got a friend on 257" it was the first independent local radio station serving the area of the Tees Valley with parts of North Yorkshire and County Durham...
) begins broadcasting to the Stockton-on-TeesStockton-on-TeesStockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
area - 3 July: Radio Trent (later Trent FM and 96 Trent FM, now reverted to Trent FM) beings broadcasting to the NottinghamNottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
area - 16 September: Pennine RadioPennine RadioPennine Radio may refer to:* Pennine Radio Limited an electronics company in Huddersfield.* Pennine Radio - Former radio station in West Yorkshire, based in Bradford ....
(now The PulseThe Pulse of West YorkshireThe Pulse is a British Independent Local Radio station that serves the Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale areas of West Yorkshire. The station was originally known as Pennine Radio...
) begins broadcasting to the BradfordBradfordBradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
area; the station extends its coverage to HuddersfieldHuddersfieldHuddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
in 1984 - 14 October: Radio VictoryRadio VictoryRadio Victory was the independent local radio station for Portsmouth in southern England. It was launched on 14 October 1975 and served south Hampshire, West Sussex and the Isle of Wight.-History:...
begins broadcasting to the PortsmouthPortsmouthPortsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
area - 28 October: Radio OrwellSGR-FMHeart Ipswich was a radio station that evolved from Suffolk Group Radio, which was the parent company for two Independent Local Radio stations serving the county of Suffolk in England. The older of the radio stations was Radio Orwell, which began transmissions in Ipswich on 28 October 1975 on 257m...
(later merged with Saxon Radio to form SGR FMSGR-FMHeart Ipswich was a radio station that evolved from Suffolk Group Radio, which was the parent company for two Independent Local Radio stations serving the county of Suffolk in England. The older of the radio stations was Radio Orwell, which began transmissions in Ipswich on 28 October 1975 on 257m...
) begins broadcasting to the IpswichIpswichIpswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
area
Closings
- 26 January: The last broadcast of NBC Radio's MonitorMonitor (NBC Radio)NBC Monitor was an American weekend radio program broadcast from June 12, 1955, until January 26, 1975. Airing live and nationwide on the NBC Radio Network, it originally aired beginning Saturday morning at 8am and continuing through the weekend until 12 midnight on Sunday...
aired; the final two 'communicators' were Big Wilson and John Bartholomew TuckerJohn Bartholomew TuckerJohn Bartholomew Tucker is an American radio and television personality, as well as an author.Along with Big Wilson, Tucker was one of the last two "communicators" of the long-running NBC Radio program Monitor; he was on the air when the show signed off for the last time on January 26, 1975...
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Births
- January 13 - George DuranGeorge DuranGeorge Duran is an American chef and entertainer who is currently a spokesman in commercials for Hunt's tomatoes. He also became host of TLC's Ultimate Cake Off in its second season.-Biography:...
, AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chefChefA chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
, television host and radio personality - 15 January - Edith BowmanEdith BowmanEdith Eleanor Bowman is a Scottish music critic, radio DJ and television presenter. She is mostly known for hosting the weekday afternoon show and from September 2009 weekend morning on BBC Radio 1 and for presenting a variety of music related television shows and music...
, British radio and television presenter - March 11 - Eric the MidgetEric the MidgetEric Lynch , better known as Eric the Midget or Eric the Bedhumper, is known solely as a fan of The Howard Stern Show. He is considered a part of the Wack Pack, though membership is unofficial. Lynch is tall, weighs , and uses a motorized wheelchair, in addition to various other afflictions...
, member of the Wack Pack from radio's The Howard Stern Show - 31 July - Simon HirstSimon HirstSimon Hirst is a British radio presenter best known for hosting Hit40UK, the former national commercial chart show...
, British radio presenter - 23 September - Chris HawkinsChris HawkinsChris Hawkins is a presenter, performance DJ, reporter, journalist, producer, and music pundit....
, British radio presenter - December 2 - Sam Bromley, former news anchor and reporter for WSARWSARWSAR is an AM radio station in Somerset, Massachusetts broadcasting on 1480 kHz. WSAR is the second oldest radio station in Massachusetts and the fifth oldest station in the United States.-Format:...
in Fall River, MassachusettsFall River, MassachusettsFall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
and WFNRWFNR (AM)WFNR is a News/Talk formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Blacksburg, Virginia, serving the New River Valley. WFNR is owned and operated by Cumulus Media, Inc.-Programming:...
/WPSK in Radford, VirginiaRadford, VirginiaRadford is a city in Virginia, United States. The population was 16,408 in 2010. For statistical purposes, the Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Radford with neighboring Montgomery County, including the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, calling the combination the...
. Also a former officer in the US Air Force and Iraq War veteran.
Deaths
- Tom DonahueTom DonahueTom "Big Daddy" Donahue , was a pioneering rock and roll radio disc jockey, record producer and concert promoter....
, 46, Rock and Roll Hall of FameRock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
radioRadioRadio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
disc jockeyDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and freeform rockFreeform (radio format)Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no...
pioneer. - Al HelferAl HelferGeorge Alvin Helfer was an American radio sportscaster.Nicknamed "Mr. Radio Baseball", Helfer worked six World Series, ten All-Star Games, and regular season broadcasts for several teams and the Mutual network...
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
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