Allentown’s Top 40 Powerhouse in the Lehigh Valley

Allentown’s Top 40 Powerhouse in the Lehigh Valley

The Golden Age of WAEB: Allentown’s Top 40 Powerhouse in the Lehigh Valley In the vibrant tapestry of American radio history, few stations capture the essence of a community’s spirit and the dynamism of the Top 40 format quite like WAEB in Allentown, Pennsylvania, during its peak in the 1960s and early 1970s. Known as “Music Radio 79 WAEB,” this AM station, broadcasting at 790 kHz, dominated the Lehigh Valley’s airwaves, becoming a cultural touchstone for the region’s youth and […]

July 3, 2025 7

Radio History

KAAY’s Top 40 Triumph in Little Rock

The Mighty 1090: KAAY’s Top 40 Triumph in Little Rock In the pulsating heart of the 1960s and 1970s, KAAY-AM 1090, known as “The Mighty 1090,” stood as a colossus of Top 40 radio in Little Rock, Arkansas, its 50,000-watt signal blanketing much of the United States and beyond. Launched as KTHS in 1924 in Hot Springs, the station reinvented itself in 1962 under LIN Broadcasting, adopting the KAAY call letters and a dynamic Top 40 format that captured the […]

July 1, 2025 8

Radio History

The Big Ape’s Roar

By Kelly Parker, Aircheck Radio Enthusiast In the heart of Jacksonville, Florida, a radio station once roared with a sound so powerful it echoed from Cape Canaveral to Cape Hatteras, captivating generations of listeners. WAPE, known as “The Big Ape,” was more than a radio station—it was a cultural cornerstone, a soundtrack to adolescence, and a beacon of community connection from its inception in 1958 through its AM heyday and into its modern FM era. For those of us who […]

May 26, 2025 38

Radio History

Radio Tribute Websites

Radio Tribute Websites: Preserving the Legacy of Classic StationsBefore the rise of digital streaming, AM and FM radio stations were the pulse of music, news, and community engagement. Many iconic stations from the 1960s through the 1990s have since evolved or ceased operations. However, passionate enthusiasts and historians have created radio tribute websites to ensure their legacies endure.These online archives offer airchecks, jingles, photographs, and stories, capturing the essence of tuning in during radio’s golden eras. Below, we highlight some […]

March 18, 2025 106

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Radio History

WEFM 99.5 FM Chicago

WEFM 99.5 FM: The Underdog That Took on Chicago Radio in the Late 1970s "Radio is the theater of the mind; television is the theater of the mindless." — Steve Allen A Station in Transition: From Classical to Contemporary For decades, Chicago’s FM dial was home to WEFM 99.5, a station steeped in tradition. Founded in 1940 by Zenith Radio Corporation, WEFM was among the pioneers of FM radio, broadcasting a steady diet of classical music that catered to Chicago’s […]

January 2, 2023 72 3

Radio History

Twin Cities Radio Wars

The Great Twin Cities Radio Wars of the 1970s: When Stations Fought for Every Last Listener By Mark Miller There was a time when the Twin Cities lived and breathed radio—when your loyalty to a station meant something, when you didn’t just listen, you committed. It was the era of radio battles, where every station fought for your ear, and the Twin Cities became one of the most competitive radio markets in America. From the booming news giant of WCCO […]

March 20, 2020 50