Hard to believe, but it was 27 years ago that I pulled my Mazda RX7 into Charlotte, Michigan, and flipped the fourth AC in the market – WMMQ – to America’s first FM Classic Rock station.
The format back then was a bit broader than most of today’s more “modern” Classic Rockers, but it’s interesting and notable that MMQ is still a big dog in Lansing, Michigan today. Along with some of the original Classic Rockers of that time period are still around – WCSX, WKLH, WZLX, and others – these stations have grown and prospered.
I will always be grateful to the owner Bob Ottaway, and his trusty PD, Jeff Crowe, for giving me and the format a shot.
Today, Classic Rock still stands as the most successful “new” format of the last three decades. And I was delighted to see that Arbitron’s Director of Programming Services Jon Miller, along with our old friend, Mike Stern, is “colorizing” their “Radio Today” series on Jon’s blog – “Not Your Average Quarter Hour.”
They’ve produced a great video that speaks volumes about the power and quality of the Classic Rock audience. And there’s even a great soundtrack on which I’m playing the Farfisa Mini-Compact organ (OK, that part’s not true).
>EMAIL RECIPIENTS: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ARBITRON VIDEO<
Check it out and pass it along to Classic Rock stations you know or are in your cluster. And thanks to Arbitron for championing a great format, and those of you we have worked with over the years in helping to make Classic Rock a legendary format.
And Happy Father’s Day to all you Classic Rock dads.
