Herbert F. Young was born December 6, 1946. After study at Lawrence University from 1965 to 1967, he transferred to Northwestern University, where he graduated with a major in radio, television, and film. In addition to formal course work, his education included a variety of broadcast experiences: internships with the Voice of America and WGN (Chicago), production and managerial positions with radio stations at both Lawrence and Northwestern, and production work with Com/Track, Inc., a commercial music firm in Chicago.
Shortly after graduation in 1969 Young was hired as program director for WIBA-FM in Madison. During almost four years with the station, he worked on Radio Free Madison, an experimental broadcasting format which reflected not only the changes within music which took place during the 1960s and 1970s, but also many of the deeper changes within society. Young also appeared on the air as “Stryder,” one of several disc jockeys for the daily evening program which featured progressive rock, folk, blues, and jazz recordings; conversation; and limited advertising as an alternative to the usual AM offerings. As program director, Young also produced Survival, a weekly series of interviews on environmental topics. He resigned from the station in 1973 in order to begin study for a medical degree at the University of Wisconsin.
