Up and Down the Dial

Apparently when this episode was made, it was not known that the show would soon be cancelled. But because the story does concern a major turning point, and because it was the final first-run episode aired it serves as an unofficial finale. Its a smart script that once again has Mama Carlson ( the always effective Carol Bruce) pulling strings and manipulating the employees at WKRP. This is also one of four episodes that feature Mama's butler Hirsch who is played to hilarious perfection by Ian Wolfe. However, it is the penultimate scene with Dr. Johnny Fever and Mama that is the most memorable. Fever, whom she usually dismisses as a burned out stoner, quickly figures out what is really going on with her latest gyrations, and calls her out on it. A great scene well played, and even though things are unresolved, it ends up being an adequate stopping point.

The creators of WKRP conducted extensive research to develop the unaired final episode, which focused on the radio landscape in the early 1980s. Specifically, they delved into the AM frequency utilized by the sitcom's fictional station and its subsequent trajectory.

This final episode accurately depicted the direction in which the AM frequency was heading, mirroring actual events in real life. During that time, numerous AM stations across America were transitioning from music-based formats, including Top 40, to non-music programming. Formats like All-News, talk radio, sports talk, and interviews experienced a surge in popularity on the AM frequency. Interestingly, AM stations like WABC 77AM in New York transitioned from music to News/Talk in 1982, coinciding with the conclusion of WKRP. Six years later in 1988, WNBC 66AM also went from music format to talk radio, with a major focus on sports discussion. It is important to mention that during this transition period, the radio station also underwent a name change to WFAN.

...Sort of. I had been on the Radio for a little over a year when WKRP IN CINCINNATI premiered on CBS. Sure, there were some things they did on the show that were NOT the way things were really done at the time (such as eyeballing where to put the stylus, or "needle" on the record - you would REALLY "cue" a record with your EARS, not your eyes - and a number of other things). But for the most part, there was PLENTY about WKRP that was like the REAL stations where I'd worked in my 30-year Radio career. I'm talking about the personalities of the people at the station, both on and off the air. The inconsistencies between actual radio and WKRP really didn't matter. After all, this was a TV sitcom. There have been a number of TV shows about Top-40 Radio ("Good Morning, World" comes to mind immediately) and of any you might be a able to think of, WKRP was the closest to the real thing EVER to light up anyone's picture tube (remember Picture Tubes? My, Grandma - you're showing your age!). Congratulations to Hugh Wilson, the show's Creator, and it's wonderful Cast. In my Radio career, I worked with a real-life analog of EVERYONE on WKRP's staff.

Today, there is NO SUCH THING as Radio that's done that way. With a VERY FEW exceptions, the odds are that your former favorite station that once had live and local Personalities spinning your favorite tunes, now has a satellite dish pointed at the sky, and if there's anyone on the air at all, he or she is in some other city, with pre-recorded voice tracks made in advance by the person on the air - who is also on the air in 50 OTHER cities at the same time, or maybe even more than that, and the music comes from the computer that runs the whole thing. Sometimes I miss the way Radio used to be... at least when I was doing it... but there are a LOT of things I DON'T miss at all. Why did Radio turn into this ugly, computerized THING it is now? Simple. It's MUCH cheaper to put ONE talented person on LOTS of stations than it is to maintain a STAFF talented people at ONE station. And it's MUCH easier for your local station to buy pre-packaged "Mistakes From Space" than it is to find people who are good enough to make a great Radio Station. And in that regard, thanks to all the VERY Talented People who I was lucky enough to work with on the West Coast of the U. S. A.