It was known for its strong emphasis on technical articles and for the lengthy editorials in each issue by its founder and publisher, Wayne Green.

A major contributing editor was Ken Sessions, K6MVH, who wrote a column called "The Chronicles of 76", a reference to the FM transmitting frequency of 146.76 megahertz.

Sessions also authored many books on the subject of amateur radio, and designed many of the how-to projects included in the magazine.

According to the ARRL Letter, "73 was a pioneer promoter of SSB, FM, solid-state, easy construction projects, and the marriage of personal computing and amateur radio."

Publisher Wayne Green cited financial pressure from reduced advertising revenue as the prime reason for shutting down publication of the magazine.