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Once upon a time, there were authentic journalists who worked at rock radio stations.
They covered the cops, city hall and the community, asked tough questions and interpreted what they heard for the listener.
From the moment the WKNR brand launched in Dearborn, Contact News was an important part of the format. With the award winning Philip Nye at the helm, Keener Contact News was the career launching pad for some of Detroit’s greatest broadcast journalists. George Hunter, John Maher, Ed Mullen, Bob Neil, Erik Smith, Lou Morton, Jim Brooker and Bill Bonds all sharpened their chops on the Contact News team. Listening for what passes for radio news on most stations today, it’s hard to believe that such amazing journalism emanated from a “music station”.
At the height of WKNR’s popularity, the Contact News team produced a series of annual albums, highlighting the top news stories of the year. The project was done primarily for historical purposes and the LPs were distributed broadly to schools and libraries in the Detroit area. But many were also sold to Keenerfans. The production values stand the test of time and the content takes us back to the seismic events that were happening behind the music.
Here’s a 45 minute taste of WKNR’s own radio news coverage for the Motor City back in 1965.
WKNR-AM Philip Nye WKNR KEENER CONTACT NEWS 1965 (Play 49:37 audio)