Joe Rogers began his radio career at WBCN FM in Boston in 1968. He used the name Mississippi Harold Wilson there.  He moved to  KPPC FM in Los Angles in 1971 and the used the names Mississippi Fats and also Mississippi Brian Wilson.

This folk-centric air check from Joe at KPPC is very low fidelity but gives you a good taste of the counter-culture programming emanating from free form radio at the time. Joe plays Neil’s Young’s Last Trip to Tulsa  and I think I heard the track played at around the very same time on WYSL FM by David Khan in my back yard.  I clearly remember that as it was the first time I had heard the track from Neil Young’s first solo album released about two years earlier. A rather intriguing track with strange lyrics,  the likes of which I had not heard before and such was clearly a part of the appeal of free form radio for me.

A collection  of commercials, station ID’s and Breaks on FM radio that range from 1967 to 1985.

Below is a list of what you will hear. A sometimes bizarre collection of antiques and curios some of which I have never posted to the site before including the segment from Scott Muni on WNEW speaking live with a bank hostage taker.

• Canadian Electronics AD  CHUM FM 1975
• El Mocambo AD  CHUM FM 1975
• WBUF FM ID 1975
• Sly Stone AD WVBF FM 1973
• Ad for Exorcist
• Fritz The Cat Ad – WNEW FM 1974
•  Charles Laquidara  Turing Stereo Light off and then on WBCN FM 1971
• WBCN FM  AD Break interspersed with Firesign Theatre
• David Marsden CFNY FM 1985
• John Donabie CHUM FM 1973
• 7 UP ads CHNS AM 1967
• WMMR FM ads for Beach Boys 1972
• WCMF FM ID and AD interspersed with Firesign Theatre 1972
• WKNR FM Janis Joplin AD 1969
• Jeff Gordon WUWU FM 1982
• KSAN FM ID 1974
• KNUS FM ID 1969
• Bruce Springsteen concert break Richard Neer WNEW FM 1975
• Scott Muni speaks live with bank hostage taker WNEW FM 1975
• Russ Gibb and AD WKNR FM 1969
• Pete and Geets CFNY FM 1982
• Bizarre Ad Break on WZIR FM 1981
• Ads on WMMR FM for Trenton Times and Murray McLaughlin WMMR FM 1973
• Stereo King AD on CHUM FM 1975
• Ad for Reach for the Sky by Cowboy WBCN FM 1971
• Ad for Carol King Album WVBF FM
• Ad for Music City WBCN FM 1973
• Ad for Jefferson Airplane Bark album KPPC FM 1971
• Ad for Andorra Fashions CHUM FM 1970

Edit – I have just added a second clip which is very relevant to the topic of I Am What I play. The clip is from a tape I recorded in 1981 where DJ Gary Storm and Louie The Mad Vinyl Junkie speak as the progressive free form format is coming to an end at WZIR FM in Niagara Falls NY.

John Donabie on CIUT FM interviewing  Roger King, the director of the film “I Am What I Play” along with David Marsden who is featured in the film . The film is about free form radio and also profiles DJ’s  Charles Laquidara,  Meg Griffin and Pat O’Day. You can hear many air checks of Charles L  on this site at pioneering free form station WBCN FM.

John Donabie and David Marsden are Toronto radio legends and both were heard on the great CHUM FM during the early 1970’s . Marsden was also a driving force behind  CFNY FM  “The Spirit of Radio” for many years and he continues to mine the free form spirit on the internet today at  NY The Spirit.

The audio from April 2016 is taken from a show  called Mixed Bag hosted by  Donabie .  A great discussion about free form radio and you will also hear a bit of the regular show which hearkens back to the old CHUM FM. Mixed Bag  only lasted a few years and was sadly the last free form show on terrestrial radio in Toronto.

***A note to air check traders. Please do not record these air checks and try and trade. I have the original tapes many of which I recorded myself and thus the authenticity can not be in doubt and can be easily traced.

The days of total free form on WNEW FM were over by the time of this air check from  May 1985. More mainstream AOR was beginning to dominate but the diversity heard was still miles ahead of what we hear on most rock radio today.

This is part of the top 1027 countdown from 1985. You will hear WBCN alumni Maxanne Sartori, Dennis Elsas and Carol Miller on this iteration of the countdown which ran several times on the station.

Audio Note: The recording deteriorates for about 3 minutes starting at 26:20 but recovers.

Visit the site’s You Tube Channel to see this 1985 interview with REM: