# Remember When a St. Louis Radio Station Ditched Easy Listening and Brought the Counterculture to the Midwest With a Jefferson Airplane Classic?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/remember-when-a-st-louis-radio-station-ditched-easy-listening-and-brought-the-counterculture-to-the-midwest-with-a-jefferson-airplane-classic/
- Published: 2026-11-07T23:15:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-08T00:40:00+00:00
- Original publisher: American Songwriter
- Original article: https://americansongwriter.com/remember-when-a-st-louis-radio-station-ditched-easy-listening-and-brought-the-counterculture-to-the-midwest-with-a-jefferson-airplane-classic/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- KSHE completed its move to rock on 7 November 1967.
- “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane launched the new format.
- The station later championed Midwestern bands such as Styx.

## Summary

KSHE 94.7 FM in the St. Louis area completed a shift from easy listening to rock on 7 November 1967, marking the start of its identity as a counterculture station. Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” was the first song played in the new format, which helped bring a sound associated with the West Coast to Midwestern listeners.

The station had begun in 1961 as a classical broadcaster, then added mostly easy-listening music to attract advertisers wary of FM and classical programming. After Howard Grafman bought it, manager Harvey Sheldon and programme director Ron Elz gradually introduced rock, using local distributors to build a record library without a budget for new records. KSHE later played full albums and helped expose listeners to bands including REO Speedwagon, Cheap Trick and Styx; it is described as the oldest continuously operating rock station, now playing classic rock.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.