The radio business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side. — Hunter S. Thompson
The above is from Marc Fisher’s Something in the Air: Radio, Rock, and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation
Fisher, a Washington Post columnist, has written a book any fan of radio will enjoy, an anecdotal analysis of how Top 40 evolved, then FM and talk radio and finally the bland, every station sounds alike — because they’re all owned by about three companies — niche radio of today. We learn about Jean Shepherd, Cousin Brucie, Wolfman and Imus, Bob Gass, Big Daddy Tom Donahue, Rush Limbaugh and others. We find that Dick Clark got away with Payola and Alan Freed didn’t. (And how the payola scandal was mostly a political backlash against “race music” being played for white kids.) We read who came up with NPR, and we read about the consultant who has, to many people’s ears, just about ruined it.
If at times just a little too drawn out with the analysis, when another story would be more welcome, it’s still a very interesting sociological-economic study, with enough pop culture thrown in to make it a good read. (Especially, I suppose, if you’re old enough to have lived through the whole thing.)
Sounds very interesting. I’ll put it on my list. Thanks.