Schlossberg notes similars sta-
tions like WNEW in New York,
WBCN in Boston, WMMR in
Philadelphia, WMMS in Cleve-
land, and KMPX in San Fran-
cisco. At one time or another,
each of them utilized the free
form radio format. Madison Av-
enue watched as these stations
became popular and grew dedi-
cated audiences. But changes in
the industry - notably when Me-
the boat,” explained Schloss-
berg. “They actually got the
boat and stole the boat.”
Structured playlists with the
same songs throughout the
country made it easier to market
products. It also removed cre-
ativity and originality from radio.
If you travel several hundred
miles by car today, you can eas-
ily hear the same 2-3 songs mul-
tiple times as you go through
One major aspect that’s gone is a live DJ on the air being
moved at the moment by what they’re being moved by
tromedia began buying stations
across the country - their formats
and playlists became more ho-
mogenized. It happened rather
quickly to the industry. College
radio and Nation Public Radio
stations would continue the
practice, but the large major-
ity of commercial stations had
abandoned free form.
“Madison Avenue didn’t miss
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 44
state by state. This has led many
music fans to seek out stations
on satellite or internet radio for
diversity. But, while the music
played on those outlets may
resemble the freeform era, the
stations are rarely broadcast live
like they were back then. That’s
something that made those sta-
tions great and helped stations
build their own communities.
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