From the MCRFB notebook: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, and 1972
STATION MILESTONES
WKNR-AM
DETROIT (September 11, 1965) — Ted Clark, formerly with Miami’s WQAM, has joined WKNR, along with J. Michael Wilson, who was formerly with KBTR, Denver. WKNR has also promoted Paul Cannon to assistant program manager and Jim Jeffries, formerly with WKFR, Battle Creek, Mi., is replacing Cannon on the all-night show in the Motor City. END
DETROIT (January 15, 1966) — Dick Purtan, air personality at WKNR, Detroit, reports all doing fine, especially doing mornings. Purtan took the place of Frank Sweeney, who switched to the other side of the radio business ans is now national promotion director for Monument Records with headquarters in Detroit. END
DETROIT (March 5, 1966) — The Supremes, hot Motown Records artists, recently made a studio appearance with Scott Regen, WKNR, the popular Detroit (7-10 p.m.) radio personality who feature interviews with record artists on his nightly show. The famous female recording trio were featured in a five-hour special marking their nightclub opening at the Roostertail recently in Detroit. END
DETROIT (September 17, 1966) — The “Motown Mondays” at Detroit’s Roostertail Supper Club are now being broadcast on WKNR, Detroit, each Saturday at 11:00 p.m. Scott Regen is host. Artists of Motown Records appearing on the show include the Four Tops, Jr. Walker and The All Stars, Marvin Gaye, Martha and The Vandellas, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Marvelettes, and the Temptations. This is the first time in recent years that “live” music is being broadcast on WKNR. END
DETROIT (December 24, 1966) — Frank Maruca, program director of Top 40-formatted WKNR, said he’d been holding back on Christmas records until the week before Christmas. At that point, the station will institute a formula — the Saturday before Christmas, WKNR will play one Christmas tune an hour; on Sunday, two per hour; Monday, three per hour; at 3 p.m. Christmas Eve the station will switch to a temporary all-Christmas format that includes everything from “Jingle Bell Rock” to holiday songs by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. END
DETROIT ( February 18, 1967) — Steve Robbins, formerly with WKNR-FM, replaced Jim Jeffries on WKNR, Dearborn, Michigan, beginning February 6. Jeffries has been called to six-months of active duty with the Army. Dave Forster of WLAV, Grand Rapids, Michigan, takes over Robbins’ FM duties. END
DETROIT (March 11, 1967) — Scott Regen, heard nightly 7-10 p.m. on WKNR, Detroit, has written the liner notes for the new “The Supremes Sing Holland – Dozier – Holland” album; he also wrote the liner notes for the “Four Tops Live At The Roostertail” and can be heard singing along with the Tops on “Reach Out.” Regen also introduced the Temptations on the new “Temptations Live At The Roostertail” long-playing album. END
DETROIT (April 6, 1968) — There has been some big changes at WKNR in Detroit. Departing were Scott Regen, Jerry Goodwin, and Ted Clark. On WKNR now are J. Michael Wilson, 6-9 a.m.; Ron Sherwood (from WKNR-FM) 9 a.m. til noon; Dan Henderson (from WAIR, Winston-Salem, North Carolina), noon – 3 p.m.; Gary Mitchell (from CKLW, Detroit) 3 -7 p.m.; Bob Harper ((from WKNR-FM), 7 – 10 p.m.; Sean Conrad (from WOHO, Toledo, under name of Ron Knight), 10 p.m. – 1 a.m.; and Dave Forster (from WKNR-FM), 1- 6 a.m. New men on WKNR-FM include Jerry Taylor from WAIR in Winston-Salem, S. C., and Alan Busch from WTTO, Toledo. END
DETROIT (March 14, 1970) — Bob Green returns as noon – 3 p.m. air personality and as production manager in Detroit; Ron Sherwood has been promoted to music director of the Top 40 operation. The station is revamping . . . . Skip Broussard has resigned at WMPS, Memphis, to become new program director of WKNR, Detroit. Lee Sherwood has just resigned as program director at WFIL in Philadelphia to consult WKNR. Jerry Goodwin, who jocked at WKNR since 1963, has joined WABX-FM, Detroit. He attends Wayne State University. END
DETROIT (October 17, 1970) — Bob Dearborn is now with WCFL, Chicago, doing the all-night trick. He’d been Mark Allen at WKNR in Detroit and at WPTR in Albany and back at WIXY in Cleveland as part of the original Top 40 crew. He started 10 years ago at CKOC in Hamilton, Canada, but says WCFL is the greatest station he’s ever worked at. The Top 40 operation, incidentally, is experimenting with longer album cuts at night, playing, for example, the longer versions of “Closer To Home” and “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” and “getting fantastic response” to it, says Dearborn. END
DETROIT (April 24, 1971) — Harry C. Walker is the new general manager of WKNR and WKNR-FM in Detroit. Walker had been general sales manager at the station, Frank Maruca is out; Mr. Maruca had been with the station for many years, including its days as the market’s number one top 40 station during most of the 1960s. END
DETROIT (July 31, 1971) — Frank Maruca, has been named general manager of WKIX, Raleigh; he’d been general manager of WKNR, Detroit. END
DETROIT (August 14, 1971) — Bill Garcia has taken over as program director of WKNR, Detroit, and Bob Green is out. Garcia needs a heavy morning man, as a.m. personality Jim Tate is slated to leave the building for the very last time. Staff includes Robin Stone, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Pat St. John, 2-6 p.m., Mark Darwin, 6-10 p.m., Michael Stevens, 10 p.m. – 2 a.m., and Gary Kent, 2-6 a.m. Garcia is rating every record played and has plunged the station into a “very, very hard rock” format approach. Armed with a 40-record playlist and oldies dating back to 1954, including Chuck Berry and Bill Haley product, Garcia plans some excitement for the market. The station will be leaning towards LP cuts, and not just those cuts we think will become singles later, but cuts we know will probably be not be released as singles.” END
DETROIT (March 4, 1972) — Bob Green, former program director of WKNR, Detroit, informed Billboard the bulk of the staff at KULF, Houston, were formerly with WKNR — himself, Jim Tate, and Ron Sherwood. Green stated he is looking for a young personality to add to his staff. Format is easy listening. END
(Information and news source: Billboard Magazine. All excerpts culled as was published from the dated editions noted above).
