. Always live on the free Audacy app. I still hope the despicable members of that family responsible are still Incarcerated. I remember many of the broadcasters. Very few local radio personalities Black or White have outlasted her. Hi Henry, thank you for your WXYZ comments. Detroit radio was special, as were the personalities. The ABC-owned station now found itself heavily competing against. Cumulus Media Classic Rock 97 LAV WLAV Grand Rapids MI has announced the addition of Gregg Henson to its morning show alongside Michelle McKormick and Travis Gibbs for what its being branded as Michelle and Gregg With Travis. Now with WRIF, the morning show can be heard on 70 radio stations across North America. Our new wave-length after April 1. And two years later I could not have sold The Lee Alan School of Broadcast Arts to him, and 10s of thousands of people may never have experienced the excellent school it has become under his direction at The SPECS HOWARD SCHOOL. Oh===thanks for the horn and its fine tone. In the early 2000s, Henson moved to Detroits Talk WKRK-FM and created a ground-breaking hybrid FM Hot Talk show, Motor City Middays, with Michelle McKormick. Gibb was a teacher in Dearborn Public Schools for many years. Does anyone else remember Carl Zetterberg, and I dont mean the Red Wing player? ITS DAVE PRINCE . Concerts Ari Lennox: Age/Sex/Location Tour 2023 Mar 16, 2023. at times found themselves into a virtual ratings tie vying for the top 40 title on the dial, seemingly, with no end in sight. Falter, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus West Michigan, commented: Behind Greggs hardcore Rock roots and razor-sharp wit is a dedicated community leader and passionate advocate of the audio industry. in our Aircheck Library, here. Besides doing on-air work, Calvert also worked for Sony Music Corporation as a local and regional promotion and marketing manager. Following the news, many current and former 97.1 The ticket personalities took to Twitter to pay their respects to Jamie. Thank you to all of the great Detroit listeners who support women in radio! About this same time, Jimmy Hampton was hired as the new over-night personality on 1270. Do you remember the CKLW Batman sticker that we got when we joined the batman club in the 60s? I remember the Christmas party of 1966, Dave Prince jump into a snow bank, and for some reason the phrase Turkey Lurkey came about. Dick Kernan was my boss. For almost three decades, the voice of Mildred Gaddis has been embedded in the fabric of Detroit's urban radio folklore. The stations playlist now comprised mostly the nations most popular records from the Billboard charts, and by 1962 WXYZ was center stage of what was happening in and around town. Pages in category "Radio personalities from Detroit" The following 65 pages are in this category, out of 65 total. Jim Al Koski is in charge of 12-man news department, mobile units, Mini-Tapes.Morning Reports 6:55-7:05 a.m. M-F. Assignment The World, 1 and-a-half hours of news, sports, business, show world and special reports, 5:45-7:15 p.m. M-F. General manager Charles D. Fritz. Did it against WKNR just the way we could of. Tony Ortiz, who has served as a sports anchor for WWJ and sister station 97.1 The Ticket, has also been elevated as new co-anchor of the afternoon drive, teaming up with Jackie Paige from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Brooke Allen will continue in middays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. I couldnt be more excited to elevate Tony and Jason into their new roles, said Debbie Kenyon, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Audacy Detroit. Ray Steele | The Lone Ranger, on Radio, where he belongs. Now Fred Wolf, Paul Winter, Marc Avery, Steve Lundy, Pat Murphy, Barney Stutesman (Traffic Copter) and Don Zee are all in Heaven. ROBERT WESOLOWSKI Growing up in Jackson, Paar started his career at, A disc jockey for WXYZ for two years in the 50s. I believe the first televised performance of My Girl by The Temptations was done on our show. But ABC kept it there because they had national sponsors that bought in and were promised all the top 10 markets. 11-2; Dave Prince, 2-6; Lee Alan, 7:15-10; Here listed below is the ABC network programming line-up on WXYZ for a typical broadcast day, according to, By then Steve Lundy headed out west to another ABC-owned station, in San Francisco. By late-summer 1965, the veteran morning-broadcaster Fred Wolf left WXYZ for retirement. DETROIT, MI - February 28, 2023 Cumulus Media . I sure do miss the on-air personalities of the time. ONE of radio's latest novelties is the daily program by The Detroit Times. Active on Twitter, Calvert provides the history of rock n roll and the influence it still has today. Besides being an on-air personality, Kasem was a voice actor for Shaggy in Scooby-Doo and was a narrator for NBCs national promotional announcements from 1977 to 1981. News Talk WJR 760 AM - Detroit, MI - Listen to free internet radio, news, sports, music, and podcasts. Plus 100,000 AM/FM radio stations featuring music, news, and local sports talk. Concerts Druski - Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda Tour Mar 10, 2023. I found Don Zees theme song: Immediately after, By the early 1950s, ABC and WXYZ brought out the best in quality programming in Detroit on the TV dial. WXYZ, under the direction of Chuck Fritz, the 37-year old general manager at the station since 1963, was by then re-structuring the stations appeal for a younger audience. looking for the signoff song at 12am by sinatra. . After working in the biz for 58 years, reports show that Perkins retired from radio this year. jim martin death couples massage class san diego beaver falls football detroit radio personalities. Jim Matthews, the overnight news anchor at WWJ-AM radio station for nearly seven years, died in the attack, while his 35-year-old girlfriend suffered multiple stabbing injuries, said Chesterfield. For many at the station it only served as reminder who it was who still owned the station. This website uses cookies. "Jim Johnson is one of the most well-known radio personalities in Detroit, with over 40 years of experience exclusively in the market," said Debbie Kenyon, Senior Vice President and Market Manager, Entercom Detroit. Joey, THANK-YOU for your service to the USA! I believe he was a newscaster on one of the Detroit radio stations in the 1940s and 1950s, maybe even into the 1960s. Memories From the Soundtrack of Your Life, Regarding the very last name listed, Don Zee.I believe he was also on CKLW overnights at least in 66 & 67 before he went to Texas where he passed from a cleaning his gun incident. Wondering if Tom Dean is still around. There are so many musical references to the city, and besides that, Detroit has had many sports radio anchors who helped pave the way for broadcast journalism. While he did not start his career in Detroit, Kasem learned his chops on the west coast in the 60s. How did it happen? Now heading forward well into the early 1960s, the 1270 top 40 notables would comprise of great air names as Fred Wolf; Joel Sabastian; Paul Winter; Steve Lundy; Don Zee; Fred Weiss; Dave Prince and Lee Alan. Reggie Reg Davis is a 30-year radio broadcast veteran. Currently can be heard across Michigan and Ohio out of Detroit, Grand Rapids and Toledo. These historic radio broadcasts were produced locally from the stations annex-studios, located at the former Mendelson building on East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit. Finally, he reported the score, and I wrote Thank You on the paper, got on my bike and rode home. Back in the golden days of personality radio, Scott Regen was personality-plus. Lori Bennett, Operations Manager, Cumulus West Michigan, said: With the 50th anniversary of WLAV next year, its thrilling to have an innovator like Gregg join us in bringing the station to the next generation of Classic Rock fans. He came from WCAR the low rated good music station and was able to convince ABC to concede. Gwen. Its no surprise that there are many famous radio disc jockeys who came from Detroit. By Januarys end Lee Alan was gone. So instead of dropping the outdated programming they added more. THE VILLAGES FL 32163 Detroit's sports-talk radio landscape is getting a big addition. A Detroit classic. I lived in Birmingham at the time. The landscape for local talk radio, particularly programs focused on Detroit and African-American issues, has indeed morphed. Cool to have Lee still knocking around. When I was in High School I remember going to see and talk with Joel Sabastain during one of his remote broadcasts. Mojo, Spike and Shannon are the main personalities of the morning show that established legacy segments like War of the Roses and the various Phone Scams. Loves the Lions and all things Detroit too. Kasem passed away in 2014. DAVID RUFFIN: A MOTOWN 45 RPM FLASHBACK, 1976, 92.3 FM! Another page in Detroit radio history had been turned. News - Dick Haefner, News Director WJR News Director Dick Haefner is one of the most recognizable news voices in Detroit. It was bigger than all of us. . RADIO ONLINE offers the latest radio industry news, radio show prep, radio promotions, radio station data and more. Police said they found a 35-year-old woman and. Brubaker worked in the Detroit market for a couple of years and was heard on WDVD and WDRQ. Check womc.com for local news,. The same article mentions what it believed to be the salaries of select Detroit (then)-leading media personalities: Dick Purtan $5M, Drew & Mike $2M each, Chuck Gaidica, $1.2M, Carmen Harlan $1M+, John Mason $1M. But by mid-1966, not much had changed for WXYZ during their battle for higher ratings in Detroit. I think he knew those days were over and he had no desire to go back. But by mid-1966, not much had changed for WXYZ during their battle for higher ratings in Detroit. In the early and mid sixties WXYZ was absolutely my favorite station.Many a night i went to bed listening to Lee Alan who i still regard as 1 of the best DJs ever in Detroit. Similar memories long before we went to Specs-8 transistor radio Zenith under the pillow from 10-12, Lees opening theme was Plink went the strings of my heart (At least thats my memory) And yes, Sinatras Cant get started to close and into Don Zee. I did the commercial logs and billing. Then Id listen to the 11:55 newscast and the first ten minutes of Don Zee with his zombie theme Tarantula by the Tarantulas. Thankyou! Photographs by Beth Hoxie By Hour Detroit - September 27, 2010 Previous article Next article . Living near Traverse City, Michigan. We also saw many fine acts at the Casino. By 1958, there was a strict playlist with a more contemporary music format to follow. CKLW. and on the television side Club 1270 was gaining Detroit audience popularity asJoel SabastianandLee Alanintroduced the hottest WIXIE hits on WXYZ-TV. During the earlier top 40 transition period some of the old radio names would leave WXYZ. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and reflections on the website as well. Here listed below is the ABC network programming line-up on WXYZ for a typical broadcast day, according to Billboard, July 17, 1965: WXYZ: 5,000 watts. Dunbar got his start in college at Michigan State, where he did play-by-play football for East Lansings WKAR. My brother, Jim Heddle, who frequently went by Big Jim Edwards on air, worked at various radio stations in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Flint, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Tucson, Arizona, and quite possibly I have left some out since I did not have his photographic memory re: Oldies rock &roll among other topics. You can find him on Facebook today. Foster retired in April 2017, eight months after a mild stroke at age 57. Detroit Radio Personalities, Past and Present On Sept. 25, Detroit Radio Personalities, Past and Present, was held at the Crowne Plaze Hotel in Novi. Early life [ edit] J.P. McCarthy was born in New York City to John Priestley McCarthy. THE DETROIT SOUND SURVEY: OCTOBER 10, 1966, Your email address will not be published. I cant recall the DJs name, but every night at either 11:00pm or midnight [Im not sure of the time see what happens when you get old :-)] he would end his show by playing the song You Belong to Me and give a few words of wisdom as the song played. Others remained. NO. Your email address will not be published. Towers has been in the Detroit market since 1999. June 16, 2015 / 7:29 PM / CBS Detroit. Why Black Radio Matters. Jason Scott, previously an afternoon anchor, has been promoted to morning drive and will co-anchor with Roberta Jasina from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. on weekdays. Some had advocated openly to the station manager, Lee Alan among them, that network programming out of New York was killing the station. Driving myself crazy!! In July 1967, Tom was stationed downtown with his Michigan Air National Guard unit. Now with new alternative moves towards capturing better ratings in the market, much of the old ABC network programming was being replaced while diverting some attention to the music of the times. Never got paid, but it was a real blast. WJR Local Personalities. 1 pick for the mid-morning time-slot over Robin Seymour at WKNR, according to Billboards Radio Response Ratings in the same July 17, 1965 issue. "There are so many people I wish . His radio career then took him to stations in Austin, TX, Philadelphia, PA, Dallas, TX, and Pittsburgh, PA, in roles including On-Air Personality, Operations Manager, and Program Director. That it should be dropped. Am I wrong or just losing it ?p. He died in a traffic accident on his way to work in 88. Calvert got his start in the early 70s at WWWW. In the 80s, The Electrifying Mojo who was considered the most mysterious DJ, played. But it was also during this time the stations own commitment to recapture a higher market share, seemingly came to an impasse, a standstill in the ratings. Banks was on-air for 30 years for an urban radio format. The Chicago staple and former Southfield resident passed away in 2016. Required fields are marked *. . So, I rode my bike over to the shopping center which was about 2 miles away. Others remained. (He WAS on Monday Night Football from 1970-1981 but he NOT HOWARD COSELL broke the news of John Lennons assassaination in 1980! Vote on the 'Top 7 @ 7' songs with Rob + Holly Weeknights at 7PM on your favorite Audacy Country station. AGAIN. Kasem, the smooth-voiced radio broadcaster who became the king of the top 40 countdown, died Sunday, June 15, 2014, according to Danny Deraney, publicist for Kasem's daughter, Kerri. During his career, Calvert was the public address announcer for the Detroit Pistons during the Bad Boys era. Hailing from Troy, MI, Henson started his career at Classic Rock WCSX-FM in Detroit, and six years later, he headed to Detroits Sports Talk WDFN-AM as Director of Programming and Morning Show Host. A Detroit radio legend. 1 in the ratings, they became a heavy influence for record sales in Detroit. Lee Alan stands out among the most revered. Detroit Radio: 1963 JFK Assassination Coverage, FROM THE ARCHIVES! I have that same picture and no clue who they are. Detroit was bigger, but that doesn't always equal nicer. Earlier on, these entertaining WXYZ radio programmings were heard on many stations through the Mutual group across the U. S. and Canada. If you call 1-866- SOUL-JAM, you can cast your vote to McBride directly. He has also hosted and programmed Sports 1130 WDFN and 1270 WXYT Detroit, 950 WPEN Philadelphia, 970 WBGG Pittsburgh 1300 KVET Austin and 105.3 KRLD-FM Dallas and News/Talk 1190 WOWO Fort Wayne during his career. Jerry Lubin, who was among the pioneering air personalities in the city's burgeoning FM radio scene during the late 60s and. February 27, 2023 . The suggested appointment for PD was approved by the ABC brass-heads in New York. (AP Photo/File). And it would unfold just as I had predicted., After just two weeks going into 1967, it was apparent the top 40 run at WXYZ was finished, over and was done. 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