- FM rock radio defined:
- FM radio developed in 1933 by Edwin Howard Armstrong
- The difference between FM and AM
- AM radio is based on varying the amplitude
- FM is based on varying the frequency
- FM has less static
- AM has a greater range than FM
- FM was contested at first—big broadcasters were already heavily invested in AM
- In the 1950s FM gained popularity because of better home audio systems
- Free-form (also known as "progressive") radio
- 1967: FCC ordered dual-license owners to provide minimum of 50 percent original FM programming
- FM stations took actions to become different from AM radio
- "Free-form" or "progressive" format became popular
- DJs programmed their own shows
- Little or no emphasis on organized playlists
- DJs programmed around themes
- Themes could be anything from common aspects of lyrics to politics
- DJ personality became an important factor
- First progressive radio station was WOR-FM in New York City
- Immediately after that, Tom Donahue adopted the format in San Francisco and Los Angeles
- The format spread nationwide by 1968
- College radio stations used the format as well
- The role of the FM rock DJ
- Two important concepts emerged: the "rap" and the segue
- The rap refers to the content style of the DJ's on-air comments
- More intimate and sincere
- DJs spoke about musical, political, or social issues
- Conducted on-air interviews
- The segue was a string of songs connected to each other by means of a common thematic element
- Segues could be an entire album side
- When the Beatles' White Album was released stations played it in entirety
- Progressive radio was album-oriented radio
- It came to be called "AOR"
- DJs played cuts from albums rather than singles
- DJs educated their listeners about styles, artists, and songs
- AOR split into stations specializing in certain styles of music
- Rock stations didn't play dance music
- Dance stations didn't play certain rock (for instance, progressive rock)
- This led to renewed segregation in popular music
