Dead Air: The Rise and Demise of Music Radio

by Bill Young, Jan Reid

Rock Music - first dismissed as a passing fad - quickly scored a profound cultural change in Language, Fashion, Marketing, Media, Politics, Design, Movies, Sex, Parenting, Art, Race, Drugs, Spirituality -- nothing remained the same. Bill Young was in charge of radio programming for fifteen years during this time at one of the nation's most influential Top-40 radio stations. Along the way, Bill also became known as the 'voice' of Rock and Roll -- creating advertising for most of the major concert tours, from AC/DC to ZZ Top! Bill Young's new book, 'Dead Air--The Rise and Demise of Music Radio' is a must-read, roller-coaster ride for everyone who loved radio and rock 'n roll!

Genres: Nonfiction

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 12, 2011

Reviews

[Tweed Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written by a true American icon of the Broadcast industry. Bill Young was the driving, innovative force in the Top 40 format in the 60's to the 80's. He was there when Rock n Roll radio was happening. Every young DJ & program director wanted to work for him or BE him. He was named the Program Director of the Year for Billboard Magazine. I got to spend a few hours with him at his home recently. It was like sitting at the knee of the master. This man is a fountain of knowledge about an era that will never come our way again. I was blessed to have worked in the industry and be on the air during that era. This is a must read for anyone who loves radio. Reading this book was like reliving parts of my career. If you had anything to do with radio back in the day, even if you only listened to it, you will get a lot of great information of how radio really works. Loved it.

[Michael P. Stinemetze · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Super Good Read

A super good read, about an industry that I've loved being a part of for over 50 years! I met Bill one time in the Hallway at KILT, and again at a conference in Galveston, put on by Chuck Dunnaway, who was a record promoter at the time! That I never worked for him at KILT was one of life's disappointments ! The "Tony Raven" in San Antonio!

[Marc A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of all kinds of music, but my first love was the music of the 50's and 60's that I initially heard playing on "top 40" stations on radios that seemed to be everywhere in my young life. I've collected tons of music over the years and read aticles, watched movies, and read books about all aspects of the music. So when I saw the blurb for ""Dead Air" it looked like a natural for me and I picked it up expecting to learn in some detail about the radio business and radio performers and technicians that distributed the sounds I loved.

Well folks, this book is not that. It's about the radio business alright, but the last thing on the authors mind is the music. In several places and in the epilogue, Young SAYS it was all about the music, but the book is clearly about a very corporate business that was about selling advertising time to which mission everything else was subordinated, including the music. So, if you are in that small group of perople who collect rare soundchecks of "great radio voices", and get goosebumps at a creative approach to getting and holding an audience for the five minutes in every quarter hour that are measured by the ratings agancies, this is the book for you. On the other hand, if you are really interested in the music that got played for the first time the outsize personalities like Wolfman Jack, Allen Freed, and Jocko etc. who in many cases had to fight to get these sounds on the air, try a different book.

[Ray Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a teenager I played in a rock band and dreamed of becoming a rock star. While my road led to teaching in a public high school, my best friend stayed with music and had a successful career as a dj, music director and record promoter. I was only an observer in his world, but we were in our twenties I spent many joyful hours discussing, radio and listening to music with Jim. I saw this book on Amazon and thought it might bring back memories of my radio days, such as they were, and it did. This was something of a radio memoir of the author, but his life and career spanned something of a golden age in pop/top 40 radio. In large markets in Texas and the West coast, Young was either a pioneer or just behind and responding to pioneers as the medium rose and fell. Fast, pleasant read which refreshed memories, though I'd imagine that anyone who tuned into the radio between 1960 and 1990 would get a kick out of this book.