FM

This is one of my favorite "Radio" themed films, mainly because I work in radio. The characters in this movie remind me of many of my fellow co-works, on many levels.

The film's plot centers on Station Manager and Morning Man Jeff Dugan. Dugan has the right idea, in keeping the station "Q-Sky" as uncommercial as possible. He LOVES playing GOOD music and so dislikes the idea of selling too much airtime to advertisers. Especially when it is the Army that wants to buy airtime, with high spot rotation in prime time hours.

That doesn't sit well with Dugan, and he tries his best to avoid "cashing in" on the deal. Wow, imagine that, a Station Manager who refuses good money! Dugan even attempts to ignore his corporate boss' desire to accept this package. Dugan finally gets so tired of saying "no, no, no!" to the Army and his boss, that he quits.

The rest of the on-air and support staff like Dugan a lot, and they dislike the fact that he quit. So they plot revenge against the same people Dugan was fighting with. Their idea of revenge is to go on strike, on the air. They dump all the commercials and go wall-to-wall music.

If you tried something like this in corporate radio today, kiss your job goodbye. So many radio stations today have taken the approach that Dugan so willingly and unselfishly fought against.

So if you like films about radio, or if you want to get a glimpse of how radio really "should be" today, you might find this film worth watching. This movie includes a good musical soundtrack, with bits of songs that were big in the 70's

I have the movie on VHS, and share it with some of the younger generations. I had the opportunity to see FM in the theatre, during my Sr. year in High School. Awesome concert footage of Jimmy Buffet and Linda Ronstadt in their prime. In addition to the movie being enjoyable to those discovering FM Radio in its infancy, the Soundtrack was one of the best compilations I've heard. It was released as a two album set, well worth the experience. Martin Mull and Eileen Brennan, turn in wonderful performances, as well as Clevon Little as the Night DJ "The Prince of Darkness". If you want to take a step back in time to the beginnings of FM Radio, this is the ticket.

Hindsight beings what it is now some 27 years after it's release, FM fore tells the impending doom of commercial radio! If you're in the radio business you'll get the meaning of that for sure. FM also spawned the first multi artist soundtrack album that sold very well. The Movie can be a bit slow in places, but it chillingly fore tells the coming doom of radio under corporate control, over commercialization, and the stripping of the Jocks influence and power. Nice musical performances from Linda Ronstadt who was actually played on Rock Radio then, and Jimmy Buffett. Good lightweight entertainment. Tune in turn on, and never come down to earth with Q Sky!

As someone who works in "the business", I did notice that FM has its share of inaccuracies and things that don't quite work...big whoop...do not let those deter you from enjoying a movie that has been underrated and under-appreciated...with a cast that works well together and a killer soundtrack, FM tracks the musings of a station in LA that takes its music and its audience seriously...without commercial interruption...Michael Brandon is superb as the hero, Jeff Dugan... Martin Mull is great as an over-the-top DJ, Eric Swan...Eileen Brennan as Mother, the late Cleavon Little as the Prince of Darkness, and Cassie Yates as Laura Coe make up an air staff that I would love to work with...the bad guys are Albert Driscoll, a company exec who doesn't understand anything beyond the bottom line, Regis Lamar, a "flunky" salesman who is doing what he's being told- even though he tries to understand what the radio people are doing, and Michael J Carlyle, a greasy radio exec not unlike a few in radio...and all through the movie, the fact that it is fun to work in radio is very evident...one note...Alex Karras as the Cowboy is a little bit of miscasting...not sure why he was put in there other than his character was in the book...but overall the quality and flow is excellent...and, as its catchphrase goes, "no static at all"...for those of you who are historians of radio, you will love the dual mikes they use at QSKY...brings back the memories...you're probably going to have to find the movie online somewhere, since it's unusual to locate it in a rental store, but it is a nice addition to a library...and try to find a brand new copy...WITH the poster!

A film with a great soundtrack of the late 70's rock era although it belies the lyrics from the title song where Steely Dan sings about setting the mood for getting it on with a girl with funk and reggae because there is no funk or reggae in the movie. The film has a simple premise in the radio station staff rebels over the commercialization of what is a commercialized business to begin with. This is not a public or college station but regular commercial station but they take on the corporate world in a strike against the stations plans to be top 40 rock rather than free-form album rock with non-stop music and enlist their listeners help in their fight against the man. Despite this most of the songs in the movie aren't deep album cut album rock but mostly top 40 rock single releases. It does feature a great soundtrack in music by Steely Dan, The Eagles, Boston, Steve Miller, Boz Scaggs, Tom Petty, Bob Seger, Joe Walsh, The Doobie Brothers, Queen, Billy Joel, Walter Egan, Foreigner, Reo Speedwagon, and concert footage of Jimmy Buffett and Linda Ronstadt. A good cast which includes Eileen Brenna, Martin Mull, Clevon Little, Michael Brandon, Alex Karas and James Keach. There are some moments of good satirical comedy but kind of weak as a story but that's OK because it's fun ride in a rambling sort of way. David Myers is the film's cinematographer who compiled quite a resume in the 70's in music films and documentaries photographing Woodstock, Mads Dogs & Englishmen, The Grateful Dead, Soul to soul, Wattstax, Elvis on Tour and Renaldo & Clara. John Alonzo directs in his first and only theatrical film. He did go on to direct a couple of made-for TV movies but he had been a cinematographer and returned to photographing films. He had been a cinematographer on such films as Vanishing Point, Harold & Maude, sounder, Lady Sings the Blues and Chinatown and continued filming up until his death with such films as Scarface, Star Trek: Generations, Steel Magnolias and Cool World. although not a great film, this movie is worth a look. It debuted on screens in the spring of 1978 and is a great snapshot and soundtrack of the late 70's rock radio. I would give it a 7.0 out of 10.