For a great many radio stations, the early 50’s were the worst of times. Affiliated stations, often big, prestigious operations, fared poorly as their audiences fled to television. Only the affiliated stations who offered full service, great personalities and top local news and sports retained respectable revenue. An Atlanta station manager, upon losing his “cushie” job with WSB, was widely quoted as crying! “Somebody with two turntables, a loud voice and stack of records can create havoc with the finest of stations.” We believe he referred to WAKE, where Bill Drake, later to be nationally recognized for his “Drake” format, was employed.

The prosperous “happy days” of the 50’s were a great opportunity for some and a source of grief for others. The early AIMS stations were in the forefront of reinventing radio. The first “golden age of radio” had ended, and a great many were left not knowing what to do. As late as 1955, network affiliate managers attending the NAB Chicago convention sported large badges titled, “Help Stamp Out TV”, not realizing their prior success riding the coattails of a major network were over. That first “golden age of radio” ceased when the living room radio gave way to a television set.

The early AIMS members were having fun. That was the premise: make your station fun. More so then than now, members were prolific at trading ideas for audience promotions. Many found that maintaining a big, active audience made for healthy business without a great sales effort. Todd Storz[1], Gordon McLendon, the Bartell and Plough groups were making waves and rapidly expanding. Top 40, properly executed, seemed to work about everywhere, though it was said no simple music format would ever work in New York, LA or Chicago.

Before the decade was over WABC became music radio (our WHOT’s Farrell Smith was part of the initial staff), fighting WMCA and WMGM “personality” radio. With the help of Dick Biondi, a WHOT personality, Chicago’s WLS stomped hard on limited time WJJD, the Plough station, and LA wildly accepted Top 40 on color radio, KFWB. AIMS member J. Elroy McCaw made an unsuccessful try with KDAY, a day-timer from “up near the glove compartment”, the expression for stations above 1500 on manually tuned slide rule dials. Buffalo’s famous “Hound Dog” was banished from WKBW as consultant Mike Joseph staged a successful Top 40 conversion of this nighttime powerhouse. KQV Pittsburgh trounced two network affiliates, WCAE and WJAS, each with big time teen personalities by simply serving up 24 hours of hit music. Cleveland DJ “institution”, Bill Randell (WERE) was dethroned by John Kluge’s WHK as the fab 50’s came to an end.

As a side bar to music radio in the 50’s, Capital Records in 1952 scored an edge by embracing radio stations and disc jockeys in person with field reps who made radio stations their “beat”, spending most of their time then, as now, with rock and teen oriented stations. Before the decade ended, Gordon McLendon came thundering into Houston, trying to buy AIMS member Dave Morris’ star, Paul Berlin, to help launch KILT. He didn’t get Berlin, though he easily won the ratings game, announced on a Broadcasting Magazine cover showing a Scotsman dressed in a kilt, proclaiming that all Houston radio stations were “under the KILT”.

….Certainly the decade when radio reinvented itself.

[1]: Both Todd Storz and the Bartell Group were nationally recognized respectively in “TIME” and “Fortune” for their innovative formats and huge audience ratings.

Editor’s Comments

It appears that, at least in the 1950’s, a large majority of the known AIMS members were owner/operators broadcasting a Top 40 music and news format with exceptional Hooper Audience Ratings[2]. Judging from the various station establishment dates early in the post World War II period, the facilities were likely founded by the owner/operators. It was a time of “the little guys” in radio, as established broadcast entities turned to television and/or refrained from any form of radio expansion.

[2]: Hooper and Pulse were the two available rating services; Hooper going back to the 30’s and well accepted by National Advertisers. Hooper VP Frank Stisser, likely recommended to AIMS numerous early 50’s-60’s members.