Rating: 
Summary: Fun, accurate and interesting.
Review: A great look back at the roots of contemporary radio. Well written and very authentic. Fun reading for anyone who loved 50's and 60's radio. Unlike alot of radio books that whine about commerciality or become absorbed in technical data, this book never travels far from the magic of Top 40. I think Ben Fong-Torres under stated a few stations, but that's a characteristic of Top 40.....whatever YOU listened to was the best.
Rating:
Summary: Fun, accurate and interesting.
Review: A great look back at the roots of contemporary radio. Well written and very authentic. Fun reading for anyone who loved 50's and 60's radio. Unlike alot of radio books that whine about commerciality or become absorbed in technical data, this book never travels far from the magic of Top 40. I think Ben Fong-Torres under stated a few stations, but that's a characteristic of Top 40.....whatever YOU listened to was the best.
Rating:
Summary: Generally agree with the other reviews
Review: A great start on the history of Top 40 Radio, but gives surprising short shrift to WABC New York, and other East Coast/Mid West stations. It's understandable with Fong-Torres' Bay Area roots. But don't get me wrtong, if you love radio, you'll LOVE this book; it's wonderful!Rob Hummel 98 KSLQ St. Louis ALUMNI 1976-78
Rating:
Summary: Generally agree with the other reviews
Review: A great start on the history of Top 40 Radio, but gives surprising short shrift to WABC New York, and other East Coast/Mid West stations. It's understandable with Fong-Torres' Bay Area roots. But don't get me wrtong, if you love radio, you'll LOVE this book; it's wonderful! Rob Hummel 98 KSLQ St. Louis ALUMNI 1976-78
Rating:
Summary: A must for everyone who listened to AM radio in the sixties.
Review: As a young boy I would sit in my mom's car and listen to wonderful radio stations like WLS, WNOE, and 50,000 watt KOMA. I was fortunate enough to have a 15 year long career in radio including KOMA. My shift allowed me to be heard in 22 states and 3 countries. Ben Fong-Torres recaptures the magic and excitement of AM radio and Boss Jocks of the sixties. Anyone who loved radio before it became sterile and humorless will love reliving those crazy days when d.j.s were more important than the music. My only regret is that his focus seems to be on east and west coast radio stations and misses some of the fun that was on the air in the mid-west. A good trip down memory lane and a look behind the scenes for those who never had the honor of being behind a microphone.
Rating: 
Summary: Definitive Chronicle Of The Top 40 Era on Radio
Review: As an alumnus of a McLendon station, KELP, El Paso, Ben's book brought back the memories of decades past. Seriously researched and accurate, this is THE book of what TOP 40 was, who invented it, why it was a huge success and what happened to the stations and people who were involved. A "must read" for anyone who ever worked in radio or has an interest in the media. Also, it's great fun!
Rating:
Summary: Definitive Chronicle Of The Top 40 Era on Radio
Review: As an alumnus of a McLendon station, KELP, El Paso, Ben's book brought back the memories of decades past. Seriously researched and accurate, this is THE book of what TOP 40 was, who invented it, why it was a huge success and what happened to the stations and people who were involved. A "must read" for anyone who ever worked in radio or has an interest in the media. Also, it's great fun!
Rating:
Summary: This book is still a hit
Review: Ben Fong Torres' love and admiration for the early days of Top 40 radio shows through in this book. He has crafted a wonderful history of how Top 40 began, features on numerous radio personalities (among them Tom Donahue, B Mitch Reed, Robert W Morgan, The Real Don Steele, Alan Freed, Dick Biondi, the list goes on and on). And the CD included with the book featuring airchecks of some of these amazing personalities is wild. Hearing DJ's like Gary Owens, B Mitch Reed, Casey Kasem or Tom Donahue in their early days is a hoot. If the book has a West Coast slant on personalities, perhaps that's only because Torres grew up in the Bay Area. However, he does not give short shrift to anyone. He also goes into great detail about the people who helped create this format: Chuck Blore of "Color Radio" fame, Bill Drake and Ron Jacobs of "Boss Radio" fame, Gordon McLendon and Tod Storz, among others. It's ironic in a way that Torres' claim to fame came later as first a journalist for Rolling Stone and as a DJ on KSAN in San Francisco (one of those "underground" FM stations that loved to poke fun at the Top 40 stations). The book traces the beginnings, development, and "growing pains" of this format. How at one time it was hip, then became "square" when the underground FM stations hit the airwaves, and how it now seems to have emerged again. And funny how the underground stations developed as a kind of "antidote" to very restrictive Top 40 formats, just as the Top 40 stations developed as something different to the standard fare of that time. Amazing stories abound in this book, and being an ex DJ myself I could relate to them. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I agree with another reviewer that this book is must reading for any past or present DJ, or any student of the media.
Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Contemporary Radio History Books Written!
Review: Ben Fong-Torres has done radio nuts a huge favor! Not only does he help trace the advent of one of the most powerful, compelling and creative radio formats ever devised. He also provides the reader with a journey into a universe containing a million memories. What I particularly enjoyed about the book was not only did it help me learn more about Top 40 Radio in general, I also got to learn more about the radio legends I've grown up listening to. If you ever spent an afternoon or evening listening to your favorite Rock N Roll Top 40 Radio station, Fong-Torres book, The Hits Keep On Coming is a book you'll definately want to own and read again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Many Hits, but a few misses in this history.
Review: Ben Fong-Torres has written a solid book on the history of Top 40 Radio in "The Hits Just Keep On Coming." It was an enjoyable read to this long-time student of contemporary radio. Alas, at times the book focuses more on the stars of the business, giving it almost a People magazine feel. But that doesn't spoil the story here. In fact, perhaps because the title promises so much, I was surprised to find the book a bit on the thin side. At some 272 pages, I was left was the feeling of having gotten a small taste of a wonderful dessert. You too, may find yourself wanting more of Fong-Torres' solid writing and in particular, his analysis of the rise, fall and resurrection of this sound that a generation grew up with. There are a few nits to pick: more than just publicity pictures of faces would have been nice and towards the end of the book there are a few errors in details (A K in call letters for a NYC station, when it should be a W) but all in all to use the jargon of the business it covers, this book is definitely a "Hitbound." Who knows? If this one's a hit, maybe Ben Fong-Torres has more material for a volume 2!
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