Vintage Airchecks of the 1970's

What started out as an extension of the 1960s, radio in the 1970s is something that is interesting to study. We need to remember that in 1970, the United States was five years involved in the Vietnam war and we still had five years to go before the last Americans were evacuated from South Vietnam. Stations like AFVN (Armed Forces Vietnam Network) were still being listened to by the American military as they went into Cambodia when President Richard Nixon ordered bombings of Cambodia in April 1970.

History is something that Americans think only happens in big places because that is where the concentration of power is located. During the first weekend of May 1970 that was not the case. Kent, Ohio and Kent State University in particularly were making history not only for Kent, but in the United States and the world. Two local radio stations; WKNT and the University’s radio station, WKSU chronicled the events of May 1 through May 4, 1970 known as the Kent State Shootings when four unarmed students were killed and nine unarmed students were wounded by the Ohio National Guard as they were protesting first, the invasion of Cambodia, but later the occupation of the Ohio National Guard on the Kent State campus.

As the decade wore on and the 1960s started to fade into the 1970s by the resignation of President Richard Nixon due to Watergate, radio started to get much crazier. You saw more morning zoos like at WKNT in 1977 when a new morning talk host started a shift from 5:30AM to 10:00AM named Stan Piatt.

Local radio all over the nation had a particular flavor. What was in the Cleveland media market might have been different in the Washington, D.C. or New York, and the Chicago or Las Angeles media market. Piatt at WKNT and by 1979 it would change to WNIR would use his morning zoo show to promote local comedic talent.

Also at WKNT in 1974 and when they changed their call letters to WNIR in 1979, Howie Chizek would dominate live and local FM talk radio from 10:00AM to 3:00PM Monday through Friday and 9:00AM to noon on Saturdays live on remote a Klaben Auto Group in Kent, Ohio for the next 38 years. He would have no guest talk radio where the callers were the guests. Local ownership of radio would go by the wayside in 1996 when Bill Clinton signed into law the Telecommunications Act of 1996, paving the way for Clear Channel, now iHeart Media owning a big chunk of the radio stations across the United States. This did away with local flavor radio that was involved with the community and now you have a computer in say New York playing the same think on WABC in New York City as WHLO in Akron/Canton, Ohio.

Talk radio in the 1970s was much different than what it is today. For one thing, we had something called the Fairness Doctrine in place. What that meant was for every conservative commentary on the air, there had to be a liberal commentary or vice versa to balance out the opinions. That practice would go on until 1987 when Ronald Reagan did away with the Fairness Doctrine.

Cleveland would have its share of rock stations at this time. WIXY, by 1976 was fading out and then came the Buzzard at WMMS. This station would be a huge promoter of concerts like Bruce Springsteen and Kiss. Even the Euclid Beach Band would pay tribute to WMMS with their one hit wonder; THERE’S NO SURF IN CLEVELAND.

So as you sit back and remember the good times, or experience them for the first time, sober, this collection will bring back memories of a decade that started out seriously with the Vietnam War only to progress with the craziness to follow with the fun, music, and much more know as radio in the 1970s.

See also: 

• Airchecks of the 1980s and 1990s
• Airchecks of the 1970s
• Airchecks of Great Radio Stations
• DJ Madness
• Howie Chizek
• Wolfman Jack
• Alan Freed Show