ZMF RIP -- 30th!

I can't believe it's been this long, but the folks on the Brew City Radio discussion board reminded me that: " on March 24, 1979 WZMF / Menomonee Falls signed off (to morph to EZ Listening),
and progressive rock radio in Milwaukee (and the Midwest) ended. Sigh."

Man, it was a big sigh for me, too. My UWM pal Roger and I drove out to the station Shady Lane, where it seemed there were hundreds of other young adults milling about, sitting in vans and whatnot. Inside the studio, Downstairs Dan, Bob Reitman and numerous other ZMF DJs from over the years created a great show with some fine -- and self-indulgent -- commentary. Roger and I headed back to the east side totally dejected to soak our sorrows at Hooligan's. I still have cassette tapes of the last four hours that my younger brother Robb made for me that night.

My radio hopes, of course, were renewed when WMSE launched in March 1981, a few days less than two years after the demise of ZMF. WMSE was/ is a totally different animal than ZMF but in the same creative musical spirit.