Andy Travis, a young program director from Santa Fe, takes over at WKRP, a radio station in Cincinnati. WKRP is a ""beautiful music"" station that ranks 16th in an 18 station market. Andy soon wins the confidence of station manager Mr. Carlson, who is terrified of his mother, the station's owner. But Andy discovers that news director Les Nessman and sales manager Herb Tarlek were both after the program director's job and resent his appointment. He also meets receptionist Jennifer Marlowe, who spends most of her time watering her plants and fending off Herb's sexual advances, and morning disc jockey Johnny Caravella, who was a top DJ in Los Angeles until he was fired for saying the word ""booger"" on the air. Andy's first act as program director is to change the format of WKRP to top 40 rock and roll. In response, Johnny adopts the new, energetic on-air persona of ""Dr. Johnny Fever."" Andy has other plans, including an expanded role for shy but intelligent continuity director Bailey Qua

Mr. Carlson won't give Andy any money to advertise WKRP's format change. While Andy tries to come up with a publicity stunt to get the station in the news, a group of irate former listeners demands a return to the old format and an on-air apology to Lawrence Welk.

Les is banned from conducting interviews at Riverfront stadium when a baseball player accuses him of being gay. Mortified at what he sees as an insult to his reputation as ""a fairly macho kind of guy,"" Les climbs out on the ledge of the Flimm building and threatens to jump. Meanwhile, Johnny comes up with a way to stop Herb from bothering Jennifer.

With the help of a concert-promoter friend of Mr. Carlson's, Andy arranges for the station to sponsor a concert by the English rock group ""Scum of the Earth."" But everyone soon discovers that Scum's onstage viciousness and insanity isn't just an act.

Herb arranges for the station to do a live remote broadcast from Del's Stereo and Sound. It doesn't go very well, especially when an out-of-work DJ shows up with a gun and hijacks the broadcast.

Bailey finally gets a chance to fulfill her ambition to be a broadcast producer when Andy lets her produce a new public-service interview show, ""Cincinnati Beat."" But she soon finds that all the potential guests are out of their minds, while Herb plots to get her fired from the show.

Feeling left out because he doesn't have anything to do, Mr. Carlson suddenly decides to take full charge of every aspect of the station. He then proceeds to come up with a special, top-secret Thanksgiving day promotion involving twenty live turkeys.

Andy's old girlfriend, now a famous country singer, arrives in Cincinnati on a promotional tour. After she and Andy meet and fall in love again, Andy has to decide whether to stay at WKRP or go on the road with her. Meanwhile, Johnny and Venus participate in a ""Win a date with a DJ"" contest.

Mama Carlson arrives for a quarterly review to discuss WKRP's personnel and profits. Andy and Mr. Carlson try to explain what's gone on since the format change, illustrated with clips from previous episodes.

When Les wins the coveted Silver Sow award, he asks Jennifer to be his date for the awards banquet. To Les's delight, and Herb's horror, she accepts.

Johnny, misreading a memo, announces the prize in a contest as $5000 when it's actually supposed to be $50. Andy and Venus come up with a plan to make the contest so difficult that no one can win.

While Japanese radio executives are touring the station, the city experiences a series of tornadoes.

Johnny is offered a job in Los Angeles. When it becomes clear that he intends to accept the offer, the other staffers throw a going-away party where they try to manipulate him into staying.

A sleazy record company promoter recommends Doug Winner, a talented young DJ, as Johnny's replacement. When Johnny returns, having been fired in L.A. again, he has to settle for working the late-night graveyard shift.

Herb separates from his wife Lucille, and winds up staying at Johnny's apartment until he can get a bachelor pad of his own. Jennifer, horrified at the prospect of having to deal with an unattached Herb, tries to get Herb and Lucille back together again.

A young single mother, who listens to Johnny every day and feels as though he's the only person in town she really knows, leaves her baby at the station. Johnny becomes attached to the baby and refuses to turn it over to the family-services people until he has had a chance to contact the mother again.

The head of a chain of funeral homes wants to advertise on WKRP, in the hopes of convincing young people to make funeral arrangements early. The staff creates a singing commercial aimed at ""young and swingin'"" listeners.

After Venus refuses to pose for a publicity photo, the truth about his past is revealed: He's wanted by the law as a deserter from the United States army.

Jennifer's childhood sweetheart from Rock Throw, West Virginia arrives at the station, expecting her to keep her promise to marry him. To get rid of him, Jennifer pretends to be married to Johnny.

Mr. Carlson's son runs away from military school, and Mama Carlson brings him to WKRP, ordering Mr. Carlson to let the boy work at the station for a while. But Little Arthur soon alienates everybody at the station with his fascistic tendencies.

On a day when a reporter is coming to do a story on WKRP, Mr. Carlson unveils his latest promotion idea: dressing Herb up as the station mascot, the KRP Carp. At the same time, Johnny and Venus are taking an on-air test to demonstrate the effects of alcohol upon the average driver, and a painter is very slowly repainting the lobby.

The Rev. Little Ed Pembrook, WKRP's Sunday morning evangelist and a former pro wrestler, is using his broadcasts to sell ""religious artifacts"" like John the Baptist shower curtains. But no one has the nerve to fire the fearsome Little Ed.