1970s: How CKLW Radio Dominated American Music – From Canada

ABSTRACT The radio and music industries have a symbiotic relationship: record label teams convince station managers to play certain songs that attract an audience to sell to advertisers while increasing music sales. This article shows how one Canadian station used geography and a disruptive format to have an outsized influence on the American music business in the 1970s. CKLW also provided a conduit to the U.S. market for Canadian musicians it was required to play. But an effort to continue that success as an FM station was stymied by Canadian regulators.