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Summary
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Runaway Radio
delves into the rise and fall of influential rock radio station 101 KLOL and its impact on the music industry. - Featuring interviews with industry legends like ZZ Top and Sammy Hagar, this documentary highlights the evolution of radio in the digital age.
- Directed by Mike McGuff and produced by Jeffrey Brown,
Runaway Radio
offers a compelling look at the changing landscape of music and media.
The film industry has changed almost in tandem with the music industry. Old method of distribution were disrupted by consumer technology and eventually post-digital streaming platforms, be it Spotify or Netflix. Radio, like cable television, has suffered as a result, especially the already rare rock radio stations that had developed big personalities, large audiences, and special real estate in the music industry. Houston’s 101 KLOL was one such station, and it serves as a microcosm for the changes in radio, music, and rock over the years in the new documentary film, Runaway Radio: The Rise and Fall of 101 KLOL FM. You can watch the trailer above.
The documentary features interviews and archival footage of many musicians and industry professionals, such as Lyle Lovett, ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill, Melissa Etheridge, Sammy Hagar, Carmine Appice, and Dug Pinnick (King’s X), not to mention the staff of KLOL (such as Crash Collins, Outlaw Dave, Grego, Dayna Steele, and Jim Pruett). You can read the full synopsis for Runaay Radio below:
“In the pre-digital age, radio entertained, informed, and dictated what was cool through a theater of the mind. Acclaimed musicians such as Lyle Lovett, ZZ Top’s Dusty Hill, Melissa Etheridge, and Sammy Hagar along with top radio DJs from across the US reflect on how the medium changed their lives and the lives of devoted listeners.
Runaway Radio
focuses on Houston’s 101 KLOL-starting in 1970 as a progressive radio station, where DJs played whatever they wanted, to how it evolved into one of several wild Album Oriented Rock (AOR) stations across the country, where on-air personalities were sometimes bigger than the music itself! 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 2000s.”
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A Texas Music Documentary Created by Texas Music Fans
Runaway Radio director Mike McGuff, a native Houstonian, grew up with KLOL before moving into the world of Texas and Houston television news as a reporter, anchor and producer. During his journalism career, McGuff won two Lone Star Emmy Awards and was nominated for five. He was also honored by the Texas Associated Press Broadcasters in its journalist award competition. He most recently reported live for UK television network ITV’s Good Morning Britain with Piers Morgan during Hurricane Harvey’s destructive landing in Houston. His reporting work has also been featured on CNN International.
In the digital world, McGuff is nationally known as a Texas media blogger whose work has been mentioned by NBC News and the UK Daily Mail. Producer Jeffrey Brown has produced a number of award-winning narrative features and documentaries in Europe, Africa, Asia, and N. America, specializing in music docs. Brown has produced over 35 films, screened in 100 festivals worldwide.
You can find more information about Runaway Radio here. The film will be released on DVD and VOD platforms this February 27th via Dark Star Pictures.
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