[BC] Why FM took off in the 60's

[Robert Orban]

At 12:14 PM 10/23/2005, you wrote:
>From: Rich Wood <richwood at pobox.com>
>Subject: Re: [BC] Why FM took off in the 60's
>To: Broadcast Radio Mailing List <broadcast at radiolists.net>
>Message-ID: <6.2.3.4.2.20051023140257.03297378 at pop.mail.yahoo.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>
>------ At 11:26 AM 10/23/2005, frankgott at aol.com wrote: -------
>
> >Rock'n'Roll simulcasts corrupted by mind.  I caught h-e-hockeysticks for
> >spending my money on the radio.  $18 was big money is those days for
> >a 13-yr-old.
> >
> >The classical and beautiful music won over my parents.  they had programming
> >to listen to unavailable on AM.  My my.  Content!
>
>I can't imagine a 13 year old voluntarily listening to beautiful
>music unless there were an ulterior motive. 13 is a little young to
>understand the seduction value of the format, so it had to be to keep
>Mom and Dad sedated. I'll bet rich kids bought two radios. One was
>placed close to their bedroom door so parents thought they were
>listening to it. The second radio was tuned to corrupting formats.
>Funny how times change. Today Madonna and Gangsta Rap have replaced
>Elvis as masters of corruption. Janet Jackson isn't far behind for video 
>buffs.


The main objection to Elvis in 1955 was his sexualization of rock and roll; 
it was a quantum leap beyond what Sinatra had done in his "bobby socks" 
era, about 10 years before Elvis. I don't have a problem with that. 
However, I am disturbed by popular culture that glorifies violence and 
degrades and objectifies women. I _do_ think that there is an absolute line 
regarding "corruption"; this line is not a moving target to be defined down 
with each generation. Media that glorifies (as opposed to examines) 
sociopathic, self-destructive, or violent behavior steps over it. This is 
not a healthy thing for media conglomerates to present as normative 
behavior to children and adolescents, all for the sake of the almighty 
dollar. I know I'm starting to sound like my parents, but there you have it.

In 1959, the gang culture depicted in West Side Story seemed exotic, not 
particularly vicious by today's standards, and, in any event, safely 
confined to New York City.

In  1971, Kubrick's film "A Clockwork Orange" seemed like outrageous 
science fiction.

No longer.

Circa 1970, there was a big controversy over RCA's allowing the Jefferson 
Airplane to sing "it doesn't mean s**t to a tree" on one of their LPs. 
Today, this controversy seems quaint.

I am a firm believer in the First Amendment, but I wish that major 
entertainment conglomerates would police themselves better. Sometimes, it's 
better to leave potential revenue on the table, particularly if it's blood 
money, earned by defining deviancy down.

(I can see that this discussion might be headed for AF :-)


Bob Orban