low- and middle-brow culture” according to Time magazine, disc jockeys ruled the airwaves and introduced American teenagers to rock and roll and rhythm and blues songs. 'Radio DJs had a profound effect on American music in the 1950s. Later, with the advent of FM radio, the experience of discovering new music became more of a creative experience.Īs AM radio developed, the aspect of payola, wherein DJ's received cash and gifts from record label promoters, had a definite impact on the personal element of music radio. Initially, I listened to sounds on my little transistor radio that was tuned into the local Top 40 AM radio station in whatever town I lived in. My personal experience with radio began in the early sixties during the British Invasion. Sadly, commercial radio is no longer the cultural experience that it once was. Of course, there will always be a small amount of stations that are still following their own musical path and playing music they believe is important for us to hear but there just doesn't seem to be as many of them as there used to be.

These days, the overwhelming amount of musical formats reflect the lack of imagination in an industry that once enhanced our overall enjoyment of the sounds that emanated from car radios and transistor radios (aka mobile devices from a bygone era). In recent years, it has become obvious that radio, at least as the entity that I grew up with in my teenage and young adult years, has lost its groove.

Jony radio transistor