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RARE & SCRATCHY ROCK 'N ROLL_160 – "THE BIRTH OF TOP 40 RADIO"

We’ve mentioned a format called “Top 40 Radio” on each and every one of the 160 episodes of our little podcast series that precede this one. But we’ve never really defined what it is or how it got started. That is – until now.

This episode spotlights Todd Storz, a pioneering radio station owner, who many broadcasting historians credit as the “Father Of Top 40 Radio.” How did 40 became the magic number instead of let’s say, top 20, 30, or some other number? And why did Top 40 radio stations in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s play a wider range of musical genres than they do now? Those are just some of the topics our Resident Rockologist, Ken Deutsch, will touch on with our guest expert for this episode, veteran broadcaster, podcaster, advertising executive, author, and scholar, Jay Douglas, Ph. D.

Radio Dave will play samples of some of the songs that were heard on the radio just before and during the early years of “Top 40 Radio” – That’s all along with more of the greatest rock and roll stories on record. Hear it all here.