TOM DONAHUE

Tom Donahue was an air personality, record producer and concert promoter.

He worked in Philadelphia with WIBG AM in the 1950’s. In 1961, Donahue moved to San Francisco and KYA-AM. In 1964, while a disc jockey at Top Forty station KYA-AM in San Francisco, Donahue and a cohort formed a record label, Autumn Records with hit records from several artists, including The Beau Brummels. Donahue also opened a psychedelic nightclub, Mothers, on Broadway in San Francisco, and produced concerts at the Cow Palace, the Oakland Auditorium and Candlestick Park with a business partner. He subsequently took over programming of KMPX-FM and changed it into what is considered to be America's first alternative "free-form" radio station. The station played album tracks chosen by the DJs on the FM band. This one move introduced progressive radio to the U.S. and led to his becoming one of the most influential programmers of this new format. 

In 1969, besides his roles as an on-air personality and station manager, and live show producer, he continued to manage the careers of rock banks. Tom Donahue, and his wife, Raechel, also an air personality took over programming of free-form radio stations KMET-FM and KPPC-FM in Los Angeles.

In 1972, he moved to the role of general manager at KSAN-FM in San Francisco, where he encouraged DJs to play music from different eras and genres interspersed with interesting conversation.

Tom Donahoe was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.