KROQ - The first Modern Rock station

Credit for the first known Modern Rock radio station goes to KROQ in Los Angeles. The format began shortly after KROQ hired Program Director Rick Carroll in 1978. Carroll's idea was to play new, yet different bands and songs who received virtually no airplay on regular top 40 radio. He played such records until they became hits.^[1] Jed the Fish, one of KROQ's DJ's, credits Carroll for launching the popularity of many "new wave" artists in the late 70's and early 80's, being the first to play their songs when mainstream top 40 stations refused.^[1] The list of artists includes the Talking Heads, the Ramones, Depeche Mode, Berlin, the Human League, and Tears For Fears,^[1] just to name a few. This led KROQ to become one of the most successful radio stations in the L.A. market, not to mention the entire United States!

The success of KROQ led to Rick starting his own consulting business, helping stations across the country develop the Modern Rock format.^[1] The number of Modern Rock stations then grew until the early 1990's, when they peaked in number.

The role of WBCN

Another major player among early Modern Rock stations was WBCN in Boston. There, Program Director Oedipus successfully mixed modern rock with mainstream rock, and became the first to play "Roxanne" by the Police in the late 70's,^[2] helping to launch their career in the U.S.

MTV launches

The Modern Rock format and early alternative rock also benefitted from a source not from radio, but cable television. The launch of MTV in 1981 provided a new outlet for fledgling bands and artist not heard on top 40 radio. Originally, MTV aired music videos free of charge to the record companies. Many U.S. record company executives doubted the new network's long-term chances for success, so many of the early videos came from Europe, mostly the U.K. Bands there relied on TV appearances and recording their songs with video footage. So many of those bands already had videos and wound up providing them to MTV in its early days. This gave them an audience in the U.S. and, along with Modern Rock radio, helped launch the "second British Invasion" of the U.S. music scene.

College radio

Some uncertainty exists as to which radio station was the first college-run alternative station. Early ones started in the 1980's, around 1983, and, like commercial modern rock stations, played bands and artists unheard on other stations. One major difference setting college stations apart was their ability to air music by local artists in their area, especially if the college or university was not in a major city. Early notable bands from college radio include R.E.M. and the Smiths.^[3]

Another role college stations played was providing another outlet for bands with lyrics heavy-laden with social commentary, popular with many college students. Artists such as U2 and Sting owe much of their success to airplay on college radio.^[3]