FM: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio

By Richard Neer

Book Overview

"It was all so honest, before the end of our collective innocence. Top Forty jocks screamed and yelled and sounded mightier than God on millions of transistor radios. But on FM radio it was all spun... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812992652
• ISBN13: 9780812992656
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: Villard Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.23 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

"An Insider's Delight"

Richard Neer's fabulous new book "FM" works on a number of different levels: as a story of one man's rise from small town radio to the Big Apple; a history of how FM replaced AM bubbble gum radio in the late sixties, only to wind up in the 90's as a haven for morning zoos and Howard Stern wannabees; and as an insider's look at WNEW-FM--the beacon of progressive rock radio in New York.Neer hangs out enough dirty laundry to keep a dry cleaner busy for weeks (According to Scott Muni, the affluent Jonathan Schwartz used to scoff other jock's lunches out of the refrigerator and fish through garbage cans for discarded pizza).The commercial prospects of "FM" seem limited, but for a ex-broadcaster, reading it is like spending a few hours with an old friend.

An Insider's Delight

Richard Neer's fabulous new book, "FM" works well on a number of different levels: the story of one man's rise from small time radio to the Big City; a history of how FM adult rock radio replaced the bubble gum sound of AM in the late 60's(only to descend in the 90's to become a haven for innocuous morning zoos and Howard Stern wannabees)and an insider's look at the heyday of WNEW-FM in New York.For those who us who grew up with NEW-FM, Neer hangs out enough dirty laundry to keep a dry cleaner busy for months (the wealthy and sophisticated Jonathan Schwartz scoffed other jock's lunches out of the refrigerator!!).The book is an interesting mixture of radio history, personal anecdotes (some of which are absolutely hilarious) and out and out gossip.The commercial prospects of "FM" seem limited but for ex-broadcasters like myself, reading the book is like spending a few hours with an old friend.Foreward is by Steve Van Zandt of E Street Band and 'Sopranos' fame.

Good book for anyone interested in rock or FM radio

I enjoyed this book about the history of FM rock radio. I live in the New York metro area and grew up listening to WNEW (Richard Neer's station) and WPLJ (the biggest competitor). So many of the characters (mostly the DJs) were familiar to me. Richard Neer does a good job of intertwining his story with the larger story of the FM radio and rock music industries. He does tell us about many of the people of the industry and sometimes it is a little much to keep track of all. All-in-all recommended for anyone with any interest in rock music or the NYC radio scene.

A Voice of Reason

From the hours of 6:00-10:00 a.m. on Saturdays, the tumult and the shouting pauses on New York City's sports talk station WFAN. Host Richard Neer, known to his regular callers as "The Voice of Reason," is presiding, and sanity reigns, if only for a short while. Of course, New Yorkers have been getting up with Mr. Neer for a long time. Before his present gig as a sports talk host, the author was affiliated with the legendary aor FM station, WNEW, and it's that station's story he tells here, in his usual understated fashion.Neer was music director, program director, overnight jock, and did two stints as the morning man in his 28 years with the station (he stayed to turn out the lights) and in that time he knew and tells us about, such legendary jocks as Jonathan Schwartz, Bill (Rosko) Mercer, Scott Muni (who he seems to admire the most), and Alison Steele ("The Nightbird"). He also knows Bruce Springsteen and devotes a chapter to him, and another to the night John Lennon died. But the heart of the book deals with dumb station managers and dumber consultants. And it deals with them better than they probably deserve: As gracious on his pages as he is on the air, Neer deals fairly even with the people who've treated him poorly.If you've been wondering why your favorite music station doesn't seem to sound quite the same as it did the week before, you may be quite sure it's changed program directors and/or general managers. Again. And Neer tells you how and why that keeps happening. (You won't be surprised to learn that ratings and profits something to do with the constant flux.)Although the author takes pains to discuss FM radio across the country, his emphasis, naturally, is on his own New York experiences at WNEW, and the book will have special meaning for New Yorkers (of which I am one), but you don't have to be from New York to appreciate this well done tale written by a man who's been there, done that. It's a good informative, rant-free read.

FM: A Book For Progressive Rock Music and Radio Lovers

Richard Neer?s book ?FM: The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio? is a book I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in New York City's WNEW-FM and Progressive Rock Radio in general. It?s a big picture story, not a discussion of minutia. If you?re looking for a compendium of who worked when at WNEW-FM then this isn?t the place to find it. Instead, Neer?s purpose is to paint a picture of what he believes built WNEW-FM, what sustained it and what ultimately destroyed it. It is a book about the forest, not a book about the trees in it.It basically has three parts. In the first, Neer talks about getting his first job in commercial radio at WLIR on Long Island, how he became lifelong friends with Michael Harrison (now of Talkers Magazine) and how he fell in love with WNEW-FM just by listening to it. He describes the station?s genesis from the remains of WOR-FM?s foray into Progressive Radio and how people like Scott Muni, Bill ?Rosko? Mercer, and Allison Steele were visionaries in creating this new format. He acknowledges listening to Top 40 radio as a young child but claims the seed for its destruction was clear by 1965. He admires people like Dan Ingram and Cousin Brucie but they?re not his heroes. People like Scott Muni are. Neer very accurately describes the musical artistry of Progressive Radio as well as the circumstances that allowed that artistry to prosper. Stations like WNEW-FM came to be in an era of political unrest (the Vietnam War) where young people were looking for an alternative to anything ?establishment? and the decidedly leftward politics of most everyone doing Progressive Radio further endeared it to its audience. That combined with FM?s infancy and the need for corporate broadcasting to find alternative formats for a slice of radio spectrum it had little use for, allowed the inmates to take over the asylum (so to speak). Neer argues that was a good thing because it allowed an art form to grow under circumstances where its founders had the freedom to make something special without worrying about real world issues of running a business to make a profit.At the same time, Neer doesn?t have rose-colored glasses on. For example, the book is very blunt in its description of how drugs played a big part in the lives of many (not all) of those doing Progressive Radio. He does not celebrate that. Instead he notes the influence of it and also points out how destructive it could be to many of those in the business. The second part of the book describes what life at WNEW-FM was like in the seventies when the station reached its peak influence. Neer writes about the concerts, the promotions, the personalities and the perks of that era. He enthusiastically describes the experience of working with virtually no format demands and how great it was to be able to play pretty much whatever you wanted to as a disk jockey. He discusses the stewardship of Scott Muni with humor but also with admiration. Neer speaks of his time as WNEW-FM?s program director