Free-form radio

Many shows claim to be the first free-form radio program, but the earliest on record is "Nightsounds" on KPFA-FM in Berkeley, California, D.J.

Probably the best-remembered in the Midwest is Beaker Street, which ran for almost 10 years on KAAY "The Mighty 1090" in Little Rock, Arkansas, beginning in 1966, making it also probably the best-known such show on an AM station; its signal reached from Canada to Mexico and Cuba, blanketing the Midwest and Midsouth of the U.S. WFMU is currently the longest-running freeform radio station in the United States.

WNEW-FM was a leader in introducing new music and making household names of a good deal of the bands we know from the 1960s and '70s.

[1] On October 26, 2011, Ladd was among various staffers let go from KLOS following the acquisition of station owner Citadel Broadcasting by Cumulus Media.

From 2012 until shortly before his death in 2023, Ladd hosting a daily freeform show on Sirius XM's Deep Tracks.

The free-form ethos tends to disdain playlists confined to a single music genre.

Commercial free-form radio stations were common in the late 1960s and early '70s, particularly on the FM band, but are rare today.

The most notable adult hits station brand is Jack FM, which has many affiliates across the world.