Drake-Chenault

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Drake-Chenault was a radio syndication company that specialized in automation on FM radio stations. The company was founded in the late-1960s by radio programmer and deejay Bill Drake, and his business partner, Lester Eugene Chenault. Drake-Chenault was the predecessor of Jones Radio Networks with its syndicated satellite-delivered formats.

HISTORY Early on in the 1940s and 50's, FM radio stations begin to gradually spring up over the country, generally alongside its parent AM station. Most stations, especially in medium and smaller markets held their FM licence by simulcasting the programming of its AM parent. In major markets there was enough of a potential audience to justify a separate board operator to broadcast a separate format. Most of the time it was of an "easy listening" variety, best described as "beautiful music." The format lended itself to being background music in offices and in retail establishments. In fact when there was a stand alone FM licence issued, many times during the 1950s it was to a retail establishment who simply wanted to bring its own background music services to their retail outlets. In the 1960s, though, it became evident that the future listening habits of the public were changing. Those once small audiences of those heritage FM stations, began to grow. Music was splintering into different formats. Top 40 was spining off Album Rock, Vintage Top 40 (Oldies), Soul (Urban) and Adult Contemporary. Many of these specialized formats were popping up on those FM stations in the major markets, so it was only time before those formats spread into the medium markets. It was nearing the end of the golden era of Top 40. The audience was changing and the high personality, over commercialization of the AM's and the need to appeal to these niche markets with the interference free FM stations become a natural way for stations keep audience.

Sales material from them stated their "formats are designed to be run on standard automation equipment readily available from several manufactures. A basic system sufficient to run the complete formats, 24-hours a day, can be purchased for as little as $18,000 or leased for as little as $425 a month."

Automation equipment of the time consisted of reel to reel tape players, and cartridge tape players. Reel to reel machines held 7", 10.5", or 14" reels of tape and Drake Chenault was one of (eventually) many providers of taped music, and coherent play schedules. A simple system might have three reels. A contemporary format might play categories like "Currents", "recurrents", and oldies. An easy listening station usually alternated reels of entire segments ("Matched Flow" tapes).

Drake-Chenault also produced the long form program "The History of Rock and Roll" as well as Marc Elliot's "Weekly Top 30" and its successor, "Weekly Music Magazine," from 1979 to 1982. Drake-Chenault also syndicated the late-1970s and early-1980s versions of a definitive rock documentary, The History of Rock & Roll, which was created by Bill Drake.