BOB GREEN * KEENER WORDS CONTEST * BOB GREEN PRODUCTIONS c.2010
A WORD on the WKNR WORDS CONTEST 1970
*****
The prize in itself was unique enough — $1,000 dollars and the opportunity for the winning contestant to have his/her words put to music and recorded by one of the Motown greats. But the on-air execution of the promotion allowed WKNR personalities to entertain beyond the traditional boundaries of a Top 40 format.
In the studio were 30 carts, each with a specialized music “bed” on it. Each hour, a contestant entry was chosen . . . words that, if used on the air qualified that entry to be in the finals for the BIG prize.
The DJ had complete freedom to choose a bed appropriate in the manner in which he would read or even “sing” the words. The approach could be zany, funny, gentle poignant or even poetic. Whatever, it allowed the listener a glimpse of a side of their favorite air personality which might otherwise not have been revealed.
The winner, ultimately, ended up having her words put to music with the Funk Brothers and Stevie Wonder!
— Bob Green
A MCRFB Note: In brief, Bob Green began his professional career in radio broadcasting in Detroit, WKMH, 1961-1962.
After a short stint with famed-Storer WQAM in Miami, 1962-1963, Bob Green returned back to Detroit for the launching of the new WKNR (formerly WKMH), November 1963.
By April’s end, 1968, Bob Green was no longer at WKNR. But he would return in 1970, serving as both Program Director and as on-air personality until sometime, 1971. Shortly thereafter, Bob Green was heard on ABC WXYZ 1270, where he remained briefly, 1971-1972.
Bob Green left WXYZ and Detroit for Houston, Texas, where he founded Bob Green Productions, where Bob and his family resides today.
Among broadcasting peers in the profession, Bob Green is fondly remembered today as “the voice of Keener 13”.
For more on Bob Green and WKNR – see the rest of the story on Keener13.com, the official WKNR website, courtesy our friend, Scott Westerman.
A special THANK YOU goes out to Bob Green for his endless generosity in sharing the WKNR legacy with us throughout the many years having passed.
THANK YOU Bob Green FOR THE MEMORIES
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