AIRPLAY - The Rise and Fall of Rock Radio

If you want to see how America works, look at what happened to Rock Radio. For fifty years, it was our revolutionary medium. Radio had the power to move people then. And deejays seized it. In the 1950s, a handful of AM pioneers introduced White America to Black R&B. New York deejay Alan Freed changed the course of American culture by branding it 'Rock 'n Roll.'

In its glory years, personalities like Cousin Brucie, Murray the K, Dan Ingram, Jerry Blavat. Casey Kasem, Dick Biondi and Wolfman Jack ruled the airwaves. But Rock Radio always had powerful enemies. Congress held 'payola' hearings to target the personalities breaking down economic and racial barriers. Alan Freed got booted off the air.

Program Directors and radio consultants took control. Deejays could no longer choose their own music. Top 40 Radio became bland and predictable.

Then came a new wave of progressive FM deejays. They ignited a political, social and sexual revolution that helped end the Vietnam war. Until FM, too, was silenced by FCC intimidation and corporate greed. And 60s Rock became 70s Disco.

When rock radio lost its soul, a flame went out. We pay tribute to its unsung heroes-and the promise of a rebirth on satellite radio. Airplay is a story of love and war, told by the deejays and the artists they made. It celebrates a time when we all listened together and the music changed our lives.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Travisty
• Productions
• Chris
• Gilson
• Carolyn
• Travis
• Airplay-
• The
• Rise
• and
• Fall
• of
• Rock
• Radio
• Roll
• D.J.
• Payola
• D.J.s
• History

[AuntKeely]

I love the Gilson & Travis team and everything they do. I saw this movie at the Wildwood Film Festival. It is brilliant, fun, and enlightening, just like their last documentary, Wildwood Days. This film pays tribute to some REAL mavericks, the kind of radio personalities they don't make anymore, and allows us to spend a few more hours in their precious company. Forgive me for gushing, but this is worth getting emotional about!

[timwmartin]

another great radio documentary is "radio revolution: the rise and fall of the big 8 cklw".

[Pickinbuddy]

Amerika knows the PRICE of everything...and the VALUE of NOTHING...this damned corporate zombie-culture.

[GuitarPunk95]

yes!

[GuitarPunk95]

If you love rock and roll and how it has been intertwined with radio both at the beginning and through several decades when radio had real personality DJ's....then you will love this movie. I have viewed this in it's entirety....several times! Very cool and very well produced. Okay..being a little bit of a radio geek, like me, will also help.

[Taurus4423]

i reallly realllyyy liked thisss

[Tke1143]

Awesome!!! looks great!

[MyTube0489]

My friend recently told me about/ recommended Airplay, and I watched it. It was very good =)

[VideoooGuy]

TWO thumbs up.

[SOFLA87]

i loved Airplay