WKNR had a Music Search Contest in 1971, and these were the 10 finalists:
1. Susan O’Neil – Detroit
2. Danny Mullins – Wyandotte
3. Major Reynolds – Detroit
4. Tim McKenna – Union Lake
5. Dale Bowers – Livonia
6. Earl Goodman – Southgate
7. Jeff LaDuke – Rochester
8. Rick & Brian Slotnick – Highland
9. Tim Garrick – Royal Oak
10. Custer’s Last Stand Band – Monroe
WKNR Motor City Music Search Contest 1971.mp3
In cooperation with Motown Records Corporation, WKNR is offering $1000
for the best set of lyrics that can be set to music.
Here are a couple of promos and contest airchecks from
Bill Garcia, Dan Henderson, Jim Tate, Mac Owens, Ron Sherwood & Bob Green.
The winner ended up having her words put to music with
Motown’s Funk Brothers and Stevie Wonder.
A special WKNR Promo record was the winner, it was entitled:
I’ve Got To Find Him
Bob Green – WQAM Miami – 1962.mp3
From the MCRFB Aircheck Library: WKNR
Steve Robbins on 1310 AM WKNR “Keener 13” 1967
“In Detroit for the first time. You heard their records. You seen them on TV. Now see them in person! The Monkees in person at Olympia Stadium 7:30 Saturday. KEENER presents the MONKEES!” — Paul Cannon, WKNR
THE MONKEES ARE COMING! KEENER 13 Brings the Monkees to Olympia, January 14, 1967
….The Monkees are coming, right?…
On Saturday, January 14, 1967, WKNR “Keener 13,” in conjuction with Dick Clark Productions, sponsored the biggest Detroit concert event since WKNR brought the Beatles to Olympia Stadium on August 13, 1966.
…. No. 1., what a perfect song by the perfect group, the Monkees on Keener 13…
When this classic WKNR aircheck was recorded on Friday, January 13, 1967, you can sense the exuberance and euphoria for the anticipated arrival, then, of the band’s arrival here in the Motor City for the very first time.
There was a “lot of excitement around here,” at the station at the time, said Keener deejay Steve Robbins on his show just twenty-four hours before the Monkees would take to the stage at the Olympia, Saturday night, January 14, 1967. The Olympia Monkees event eventually sold out.
Moving swiftly from city to city across the country, the Monkees 1966-1967 North American Tour was such a success that it was extended further into late-August of that year by popular demand. WKNR would again sponsor the Monkees return back to Detroit at the Olympia once again, this time it was scheduled for Saturday, July 29, 1967.
But in the early hours of Sunday, July 23, 1967 Detroit erupted in flames. Due to the civil unrest and local and federal curfews imposed during the riots, the pre-scheduled show was immediately canceled.
Keener deejay J. Michael Wilson issued this WKNR-released statement on Wednesday, July 26 during his 10 PM show:
“Here’s an important announcement regarding the Monkees appearance in Detroit. In case you missed it, the concert at Olympia Stadium scheduled Saturday, July 29 has been postponed. The new date has not been determined at this time. Please hold on to your Monkees tickets. When a new date has been set it will be announced on WKNR. Do not call WKNR or Olympia. Stay tuned to Keener for information regarding the Monkees concert — repeating — the Monkees concert sheduled for July 29 has been postponed. No new date has been set at this point. Hold on to your Monkees tickets and stay tuned to Keener for further information. Do Not call WKNR or Olympia.”
Ultimately, the Detroit-canceled July 29 Monkees concert was rescheduled for Sunday, August 13, 1967 — a year to the day WKNR brought the Beatles back to Olympia in August 1966.
In January of 1967, Keener “fill-in” Steve Robbins was sharing on-air duties on a part-time basis at the WKNR-FM studios, while sharing some air-time there with Keener FM deejay Bob Harper. Just the same, at the time Robbins was still doing his full-time show during the week at WKFR in Battle Creek’s “Keener 14” under the name Steve Clark. When Jim Jeffries left WKNR the latter-part of 1967 for WQXI in Atlanta, Steve left WKFR to become the new overnight deejay on Keener 13.
This week, unexpected news came that Davy Jones, formerly of the Monkees, passed away suddenly at the age of 66 on February 29. But for a just brief moment in time, MCRFB will take you back in 1967 when “Monkeesmania” was widespread and prevalent here in the Motor City and the Monkees and WKNR was at the top at No. 1. “THE MONKEES ARE COMING!”
From the MCRFB Aircheck Library, featuring:
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WKNR-AM * Steve Robbins * (Monkeesmania!) January 13, 1967
Bob Green talks to Davy Jones of the Monkees, 1967
WKNR-AM * Bob Green * Davey Jones Interview (Monkees) 1967
(Keener deejays 1967 photograph, top, courtesy the Art Vuolo collection)
Perhaps no one more typified the WKNR sound than Bob Green. He was there before there was a Keener and was involved at both the height of WKNR’s Success and in it’s 1970 rebirth under the Motor City Music banner.
After moving to Houston and forming his own successful production company, Bob took a moment to break down the factors that were part and parcel of “The Keener Philosophy”. It’s an object lesson on what made radio great back then and what’s wrong with the accountant driven homogenized radio that exists today.
The WKNR Bob Green narrative of The Keener Philosophy
A ’65 Motor City Radio Flashback
WKNR HEATS UP DETROIT WINTER, 1965
H E Y D O Y O U R E M E M B E R the Think Summer campaign Keener launched in Detroit in the winter of 1965?
Well let’s see . . . . I can still see those Think Summer newspaper ads, and there were those Think Summer button give-aways, there was also a Think Summer contest as well, those Think Summer billboards around town, and then there was a Think Summer song, yeah . . . that was played on the radio on Keener 13!
According to the WKNR music guides posted on Keener13.com, Think Summer by Susan Wayne debuted during the week of February 18, 1965. But by the time Think Summer peaked at the No. 25 spot on WKNR, March 3, 1965, well, that would be it . . . just three short weeks on the WKNR Keener 13 playlists.
But that was enough for WKNR to generate some kind of ‘mirage,’ if you will, a brief winter’s thaw we must have felt, at least momentarily, during the station’s contest with all their summer-time give-a-ways during that February. If all else, the Think Summer promo became the ultimate Keener event during that cold winter here in Detroit 47-years ago.
Straight from the Keener vaults, courtesy of WKNR’s own Bob Green, here’s three of those WKNR Think Summer promos from that memorable winter’s brief “summer-time fun” contestants cashed in on listening to Keener 13, 1965.
And Last, from the MCRFB music archives, here we present “Think Summer“ as it was recorded by Columbia’s own, here she is, folks . . . Susan Wayne!
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From the MCRFB Audio Archives
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WKNR-AM – Think Summer – Keener 13 Contest (1965 Promo A)
WKNR-AM – Think Summer – Keener 13 Contest (1965 Promo B)
WKNR-AM – Think Summer – Keener 13 Contest (1965 Promo C)
SUSAN WAYNE * 1965
Enjoy the WKNR 1965 “THINK SUMMER” audio flashbacks!
A MCRFB NOTE: By the way, according to Bob Green, that was Danielle David and her Dearborn Dolls singing along in the ‘Name Game’ Think Summer promo. Thanks, Bob, for sharing with us these classic WKNR audio gems with Motor City Radio Flashbacks!
Everyone who is anyone in the radio biz knows “Radio’s Best Friend.” Art Vuolo is literally the video archivist of the broadcasting profession. VuoloVideo.com is a must-visit site for both aspiring and accomplished broadcasters who want to watch the best of the best in action.
But before Art perfected his video artistry, he was a key chronicler of Detroit radio history. His 12 hour magnum opus, ‘The History of Detroit Radio’ became an instant classic when it first aired on WDRQ.
According to WDRQ programmer Don Barrett, he commissioned Art Vuolo to produce the ‘History of Detroit Radio’ which aired the weekend prior WDRQ’s official new format launch (formerly WDEE) in June, 1971. The documentary was narrated by WDRQ morning news anchor Richard Mock.
The still program stands up as one of the best radio documentaries ever made. It’s one of hundreds upon hundreds of audio treasures in our Motor City Radio Flashback Aircheck Library.
