Across which rock eras did WNEW-FM become legendary?

You know, that's a fun one to think back on. I'd say the station really carved its name in stone during the classic rock and album-oriented rock (AOR) era-roughly from the late 60s through the 80s. But here's the thing, it wasn't just one era, was it? They also had a huge hand in the early days of progressive rock and the New Wave movement, like, did they ever really stop being legendary, or did they just evolve with the listeners?

That station’s legend was forged across the entire classic rock and album-oriented rock (AOR) spectrum, but the real gold was in the late 60s through the early 80s. I’m talking about the era when they broke free from tight playlists and let DJs like Scott Muni and Vin Scelsa spin deep cuts from Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, and The Who for hours. The 1970s were the peak of their freeform magic, but they stayed iconic into the early 90s by adapting to the grunge explosion before corporate ownership finally choked the life out of the signal.

Spinning from the late 60s through the early 90s, WNEW-FM was basically the soundtrack to three distinct rock lifetimes. You’ve got the freeform, hippie-drenched late 60s where they’d play Jefferson Airplane and The Doors for hours, then the massive AOR heyday of the 70s with Bruce Springsteen and The Who practically living on the playlist. By the 80s, they somehow stayed cool by weaving in New Wave and alternative acts like The Clash and R.E.M., all while keeping that rebellious, “we-don’t-play-by-the-rules” vibe alive.