The music industry is always reinventing itself, especially with the introduction of new technology and ideas. One of the most influential times in the industry was in the early 1980s, when rock bands and radio stations were leaving their roots, especially to keep up with the launch of MTV. That experimentation of innovative sounds and visuals is explored in the new music documentary, ‘Runaway Radio.’
The film explores the real story behind Houston’s hugely influential 101 KLOL station. Through commentary from such rock legends as ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill, Lyle Lovett, Melissa Etheridge, Sammy Hagar, Carmine Appice and Dug Pinnick of King’s X, the movie focuses on 101 KLOL’s evolution from groundbreaking station in the 1970s to one of several wild Album Oriented Rock (AOR) stations across the U.S., where on-air personalities were sometimes bigger than the music itself.
Dark Star Pictures is distributing ‘Runaway Radio’ today on VOD and Digital platforms. In honor of the documentary’s release, Film Factual is premiering an exclusive clip from the project.
The movie was written and directed by media personality Mike McGuff in his debut feature. The filmmaker is a native Houstonian who grew up listening to KLOL before moving into the world of Texas and Houston television news.
‘Runaway Radio’ chronicles how in the pre-digital age, radio entertained, informed and dictated what was cool through theater of the mind. Acclaimed musicians and top radio DJs from across the U.S. reflect on how the medium changed their lives, as well as the lives of devoted listeners.
The documentary chronicles how 101 KLOL launched in 1970 as a progressive radio station, where DJs played whatever they wanted. The station then evolved into one of the top AOR stations in the country.
But in the end, changes and pressures from Washington, the music industry and Silicon Valley led to the station’s, and much of the format’s, demise in the mid-2000s.
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