Bill Meeks – Motor City Radio Flashbacks

ARCHIVES| MEEKS: INVENTOR OF MUSICAL STATION BREAKS . . . NOVEMBER 21, 1970

From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1970

Meeks Enters Third Decade Providing PAMS Jingles Service . . . And More

DALLAS — Nearly twenty-years ago Bill Meeks thought up the name PAMS for a banking client. A short time later the bank gave it back to him. PAMS then became the name of Meek’s new company, one which would revolutionize the commercial jingle and station industry.

PAMS means Production-Advertising-Merchandising-Service. To Meeks and his companions, it means a great deal more. Not only is it the largest company of its kind in the world (more than 1,000 clients), but it has been a salvation to the music industry in Dallas.

It was on March 8, 1951, when it all started. Bill Meeks was a musician — a saxophone player — who worked in a staff band for WFAA, and then for KLIF, when Gordon McClendon put it on the air in 1947.

It was here that Meeks invented the concept of musical station breaks. He was the contractor for the station, and he sort of “put things together.” Leaving his saxophone (plus clarinet and flute) behind him, he went into time sales. He sold many accounts, began to form a good relationship with his clients, and then — inevitably — formed his own agency. That’s when he invented the PAMS name, only to have it given back. It would be the greatest bit of Indian giving in musical history.

Meeks began his musical jingles with a syndicated series, “We put a man on the road, cut the background music and sang the call letters over the music, customizing for each city,” he said.

The jingle impresario said he immediately began to check with the Union to be sure we were on safe ground. “As an old Union musician, I wanted to be sure. Petrillo told us to do our own thing in Dallas, whatever we thought best. He told us to ignore the rule that said the voice and sound must be done at the same time, so we did.” That rule of course, has since been changed. And Dallas has always continued to do its own thing, despite some pressure from unions in other cities.

PAMS had about 12 or 13 jingles in its first series, and 23 in its second. Series 3 was a disk jockey introduction. Series 4 was the first variable length station ID. Series 5 was a group of merchant jingles cut for Chevrolet dealers, and made available to the entire United States.

It was Meek’s first big commercial success.

Series 6 was a new sound, using a group called the Moonmaids. On and on it went; rhythm and blues on one, a top 40 sound on another, all-male groups, all-female groups, mixed groups, mixed groups, station signatures, music logos, a living radio series, high school fight songs (done on location), sounds of the cities (with seasonal backgrounds), a New Frontier series, and then a pair of Sonovox series, with talking guitars, flutes, trombones, etc.

There were weather-ettes, “sonomagic and animajic” His and Hers Radio, an All-American series, a Jet Set thing utilizing “iconagentics,” a go-go series, pussycat, swisle, music power, the new generation, and modules.

Right now Meeks and his associates are working on Series 41, which hasn’t yet been named. Musical contests are being put together at this time.

Basic Staff

All of this, of course, has required not only great musicianship, but the ability of singers to sight read, to innovate, to adopt a mood at once, and to perform anytime of night or night.

“Through the years we have maintained a basic staff,” Meeks said, “but we always brought in outside musicians when we need them. Among them has been such guitar players as Glen Campbell. We could name many other big ones.”

Bill Meeks is president of the company, and his wife, Majorie, is vice-president. Another vice-president is Clifford Moore. Toby Arnold, a ten-year veteran with the firm, is sales manager, and has a working knowledge of virtually every radio operation in America. Bob Piper is musical director and Marvin Show is an arranger-producer. Ray Hurst is a creative writer and producer, and Jim Kirk is a writer-producer-musician-singer. There are two engineers and mixers. Bruce Collier, chief engineer, is regarded one of the finest in his field. He is ably aided by Bob Peepols.

Alan Box works in editing, and Gloria Watkins is a friendly, attractive, capable singer, writer, musician. Jim Clancy is a singer, and there are two lead girl singers (unusual in itself) in Carol Piper and Jackie Dixon. Jack Peters is another writer-arranger-musician.

Only people who believe in being a full part of the staff work for PAMS. All are on a guaranteed staff salary, and some of those salaries are extremely high even by Texas standards.

“There are many advantages in having our own people,” Meeks said. “First of all, they’re an integral part of the organization and they are loyal. They work well together. And when we play an audition for a client he knows exactly what the master will sound like.”

PAMS does sound tracks for films, and does many commercials but station ID’s constitute about 80 per cent of the business. Yet, Meeks estimates that 50 per cent of all jingles done in Dallas comes from the PAMS studios. There are three studios in all.

To make his point emphatic about bringing in musicians when he needs them, Meeks points out that PAMS has spent $110,000 on outside talent through the first nine months of this year.

Meeks began his company modestly. Originally he had a couple of Ampex machines, with no equalization equipment, no echo-chamber. Now, with three studios, he has a complete operation. His newest board, a Neuman, was custom-made in Germany with 10 and 16 tracks. His American board is an Electrodyne. He has his own Moog.

The newest studio is for privacy, for creativity. Its doors are locked, with keys held only by the staff talent. It has a telephone, but the number is unlisted. This is where creative production is done.

“We serve as production arm to radio stations,” Meeks said. “We give them complete service; we owe it to them.” This close relationship is attested to by the fact that the clients, now above the 1,000 mark, keep climbing.

Dallas is attracting new talent, according to Meeks. “We used to have to shuffle around to find people, but now they come in to audition. And they’re coming in droves from such places as New York and Los Angeles. They know it’s happening in Texas.”

PAMS now is scoring many films — and it has the talented musicians to get the job done. This is being done by both American and Canadian companies.

And what is next? “I’ve been thinking for a long time about the record business,” Meeks said. “All of us have been talking about it, and we just might involve ourselves in records.” And why not, with 1,000 satisfied radio stations already customers. END

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(Information and news source: Billboard; November 21, 1970)

‘PAMS’ LEADER MEEK MAKES TOP 40 JINGLE . . . DECEMBER 2, 1967

From the MCRFB news archive: 1967

Meek Gave Top 40 Radio Its Identity

Dallas — Bill Meeks, Pams’ President, didn’t invent top 40 radio, but it’s quite likely that top 40 radio wouldn’t be where it is today if there hadn’t been a Bill Meeks. Meeks helped give top 40 radio its zing . . . its identification.

**Bill Meeks** circa 1958 *(Photo courtesy PAMS Productions)*

Meeks, a musician at home on saxophone, clarinet, of flute, got into the jingles-producing business while serving as air personality and salesman with KLIF here in 1947 . . . “the first jingles I ever heard of,” he said. He remembered one of those jingles as slashing on TV: “No worn-out old-time movies, no picture tubes to fail . . . ” It should be pointed out that Gordon McLendon, head of KLIF, was one of the pioneers in top 40 radio.

When Meeks began selling some of his jingles to other radio stations, “an odd thing began to happen. These stations began to climb in ratings.” In 1951, Meeks started Pams.

That first year of business, Pams did $300,000 worth of business. Meeks expects to close out 1967 with more than $1.5 million in business. Some of these will be new logos for all four of ABC’s new networks. Meeks was in town last week working on the project. In addition, he is branching out of the pop music field to also specialize in R&B and country music formats. Pams tailored the jingles used on WVON (R&B) in Chicago; the station climbed to No. 1 in a recent general Pulse audience survey and, as Meeks put it, “We were there when it happened.” Meeks is also going into the TV field on a larger basis.

Started In 1936

Meeks entered the radio business in 1936 with WRR in Dallas playing with a kid band called the Humdingers. The late Ben Riddle was a member of the band.They had a Sunday show on the station called “Primrose Parade” sponsored by an oil company. Then Meeks entered North Texas State. He continued to perform, substituting with bands like the Light Crust Dough Boys and the Cass County Kids. It was about this time he met McLendon, who encouraged him to become a KLIF salesman. KLIF had two salesmen, Meeks and a man named Bruce Collier. Meeks said he had Collier’s phone tapped “so I’d know who his clients were, I had to . . . he was really a slick salesman.”

While selling advertising, Meeks was also a deejay. At one point he had a CBS show starring one of his bands — the Circle Five Ranchhands — that originated out of Houston (the band would drive down from Dallas every Saturday). He also had a live show with a band doing a daily remote from a Dallas used car lot.

Employs 33

Today, Meeks operates a firm employing 33 (most of whom are professional musicians) and keeps two studios in Dallas busy. To illustrate the flexibility of his staff members, Rick Sklar, program director of WABC in New York, and Walter Schwartz, then general manager of WABC, once saw Pams’ Tommy Lloyd at work in the studio on trumpet. Later the same day, they saw and heard Lloyd playing in a band at the State Fair. That night, visiting the local LeVee nightclub, Schwartz and Sklar were surprised to see Lloyd , this time playing in a club band. He then saluted WABC right in the middle of “Sweet Lorraine,” by playing the WABC logo.

Meeks said that the turning point for Pams was in 1960 when he came up with a variable logo recording method to allow the various logos of stations to be recorded over the same big band instrumental, giving every station its own big band sound.

Besides having jingles packages in every major market in the United States, Pams products are in countries like Australia, Great Britain, Canada, Hawaii, Mexico, and South America. The firm just completed logos for the new BBC pop music programming service in England. END

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(Information and news source: Billboard; December 2, 1967)

The legendary PAMS facility with office and studios, Dallas. PAMS: Production, Advertising and Merchandising Service *(Photo courtesy PAMS, Dallas)*

JINGLES: BILL MEEKS ENVISIONS A NEW SOUNDING ID . . . APRIL 15, 1972

From the MCRFB news archive: 1972

DALLAS — Transitions, instead of jingles, may be the future method of identifying a radio station on the air and, in fact, Bill Meeks is currently developing a musical set of transitions for a progressive rock station in a major market.

Bill Meeks at work inside his PAMS studios, Dallas. — **Bill Meeks** at work inside his PAMS studios, Dallas.

Meeks, president of PAMS, the largest jingles firm in the world and creator of jingles for major stations in the U.S., such as WABC in New York and all over the world, says he doesn’t think jingles, as we know them, are appropriate for progressive rock stations and “smooth music” stations.

“Jingles will still be around, but I don’t think they’ll be called jingles. They won’t be straight logos, such as now used by most Top 40 stations, but will more than likely musically identify the station. The radio station will be able to go from record to record without pause, but still identify their call letters or the station itself.”

Meeks, a Texan whose business backyard is the world, says that he has created this type of transitional ID before . . . transitions that have no definitive starting or ending on the cut.

Meeks, who wrote one of the first jingles ever broadcast – an ID for KLIF in Dallas broadcast on November 11, 1947 – now has a staff of 26 people working for his Dallas firm.

In addition, he’s on a rampage at this moment, expanding into other radio fields such as station ownership, marketing of programming for Alto Fonic Programming, producing and marketing programming services and jingles with Dick Starr of Professional Programming in Miami, and partnership in Cybrix, a firm that has a cassette broadcasting system which Meeks says is better than a reel-to-reel system.

In addition to all of this, Meeks is back in college studying music at North Texas State. His musical career extends as far back as the days when he was a staff musician, writer and arranger for WFAA in Dallas. It was about this time that Gordon McLendon hired him and four other WFAA studio musicians for KLIF’s live band. The band used to play lead-ins to KLIF’s various programs, and it was from these lead-ins that Meeks got the idea of using short, punchy intro material to identify a radio station — in short, jingles.

Actually, his musical career started at the age of 14 when he played on the radio with the Ben Ribble’s Humdingers. Later, he played with the Early Bird Orchestra on WFAA and later performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, playing sax and flute. His first commercial jingle was produced by Earl Hayes’ Chevrolet dealership in Dallas.

And his interest in music from a scientific viewpoint has never waned. For example, he has been deeply involved in the studies currently being conducted at Texas Women’s University at Denton, Tex., by Drs. Tom Turrachi and Vance Cotter. The doctors are studying behavioral audio graphics of records, commercials, jingles and news.

Studies are broken down by demographic age groups and economic entities. Some of the test cases are even hooked up so that the sensitivity of their skin can be measured in order to determine their reaction to all of the various elements of programming.

Meeks notes that three New York radio stations were involved in the study- WOR-FM, WABC, and WWDJ – “and the latest ARB showed that the studies were exactly on target. The results of the ARB were predicted by the studies.” END

(Information and news source: Billboard; April 15, 1972)

MEEKS: INVENTOR OF MUSICAL STATION BREAKS . . . NOVEMBER 21, 1970

From the MCRFB news archive: 1970

Meeks Enters Third Decade Providing PAMS Jingles Service . . . And More

It was here that Meeks invented the concept of musical station breaks. He was the contractor for the station, and he sort of “put things together.” Leaving his saxophone (plus clarinet and flute) behind him, he went into time sales. He sold many accounts, began to form a good relationship with his clients, and then — inevitably — formed his own agency. That’s when he invented the PAMS name, only to have it given back. It would be the greatest bit of Indian giving in musical history.

Meeks began his musical jingles with a syndicated series, “We put a man on the road, cut the background music and sang the call letters over the music, customizing for each city,” he said.

It was Meek’s first big commercial success.

Right now Meeks and his associates are working on Series 41, which hasn’t yet been named. Musical contests are being put together at this time.

Basic Staff

All of this, of course, has required not only great musicianship, but the ability of singers to sight read, to innovate, to adopt a mood at once, and to perform anytime of night or night.

“Through the years we have maintained a basic staff,” Meeks said, but we always brought in outside musicians when we need them. Among them has been such guitar players as Glen Campbell. We could name many other big ones.”

Bill Meeks is president of the company, and his wife, Majorie, is vice-president. Another vice-president is Clifford Moore. Toby Arnold, a ten-year veteran with the firm, is sales manager, and has a working knowledge of viratually every radio operation in America. Bob Piper is musical director and Marvin Show is an arranger-producer. Ray Hurst is a creative writer and producer, and Jim Kirk is a writer-producer-musician-singer. There are two engineers and mixers. Bruce Collier, chief engineer, is regarded one of the finest in his field. He is ably aided by Bob Peepols.

Only people who believe in being a full part of the staff work for PAMS. All are on a guaranteed staff salary, and some of those salaries are extremely high even by Texas standards.

“There are many advantages in having our own people,”Meeks said. “First of all, they’re an integral part of the organization and they are loyal. They work well together. And when we play an audition for a client he knows exactly what the master will sound like.”

To make his point emphatic about bringing in musicians when he needs them, Meeks points out that PAMS has spent $110,000 on outside talent through the first nine months of this year.

“We serve as production arm to radio stations,” Meeks said. “We give them complete service; we owe it to them.” This close relationship is attested to by the fact that the clients, now above the 1,000 mark, keep climbing.

PAMS now is scoring many films — and it has the talented musicians to get the job done. This is being done by both American and Canadian companies.

And what is next? “I’ve been thinking for a long time about the record business,” Meeks said. “All of us have been talking about it, and we jus might involve ourselves in records.”

And why not, with 1,000 satisfied radio stations already customers. END

(Information and news source: Billboard; November 21, 1970).

PAMS: (RADIO’S OWN) CUSTOM JINGLE MAKER . . . JUNE 20, 1964

From the MCRFB news archives: 1964

Jingles Important Tool In Today’s Radio Trade

Disk Jockey: What’ll we do to break up the triple spots?”

Program Director: “What do you think we have jingles for!”

DALLAS — At one time the above quote was the rule at many radio stations where “jingles,” “musical production aids” and other similar gimmicks were used in excess to break up back-to-back announcements.

The jingles today is recognized by most broadcasters as a far more important tool of the trade than as just a pad between commercials. At one time the “jingle” was only associated only with “top 40” contemporary music-formatted stations. They were frequently shrill stations identifiers that browbeat the audience into identifying with a station’s call letters.

PAMS Bill Meeks; Dallas Click image for larger view) — PAMS Bill Meeks; Dallas *(click image for larger view)*

Accepted by large and small stations as a necessity, musical signatures are now being used right down the line, from ultra-conservative stations to the swingingest of the swingest stations.

Modern radio today involves 4,000 or more radio stations with markets such as Denver served by 19 different signals. In the struggle for a distinctive sound, stations have turned to musical signatures to help set them apart from the competition. Few, if any, radio stations can claim that a “jingle package” was responsible for putting them in first place. However, few can deny that an effective package of signatures and production aids can do much to help a station attain individuality within a market — even when the competition is programming primarily the same musical fare.

Recognizing the vital need of programmers for news intros, weather music, musical beds, distinctive call letters, et al., many firms rushed package after package for production. Few knew or cared about programming or radio station operation. Many firms worked on gut instinct and speculation. Many stations were burned by shoe-string operations and fly-by-night wheeler dealers.

Happily, a greater majority of these marginal operators are no longer on the scene. Emerging from the “jingle mills” of the fifties were a handful of creative production outfits (many staffers were culled from broadcasting’s ranks) who were interested in station problems and were prepared to offer their clients constructive aid.

PAMS Is The Leader

Frequently called the Neiman-Marcus of the custom jingle and commercial producers is PAMS of Dallas. The firm specializes in custom-made radio station signatures and production aids. On contract with many of the nation’s top broadcasting groups, PAMS packages compare to the Cadillac on display in the General Motors Pavilion at the World’s Fair, it is the only one of it’s kind. Then the PAMS production and the Caddy part. PAMS packages may be purchased, the car is not for sale.

PAMS jingles and production tapes. (Photo courtesy PAMS productions; click image for larger view) — PAMS jingles and production tapes. *(Photo courtesy PAMS Productions; click image for larger view)*

Operating from a specially built headquarters at 4141 Office Parkway, Central Park Plaza, the organization creates and builds musical ideas and concepts within the confines and walls of its own studios. Their customizing is so distinctive that it is one of the few companies that has station clients in the same city. (In contrast, WRCV’s conservative-subdued signatures vs.WIBG’s vibrant swinging signatures in Philadelphia).

Although the staff is comprised of of first-rate musicians, composers and arrangers, rarely is a package produced without the station’s program director or general manager being personally on hand to supervise the sound.

WABC’s (New York) current signatures were conceived by program director Rick Sklar and vice-president and general manager Wally Schwartz. The concept was then brought in person to Dallas by Schwartz and Sklar as was further developed by the PAMS staff under the watchful eyes and ears of the WABC executives. The results can readily be attested by anyone who has been within earshot of WABC’s personalized signature.

“Stations purchasing our packages are investing in a perpetuating sound,” said Bill Meeks, PAMS president. “Each new package is based on a previous one — so there is no built-in obsolescence. Our clients, on this basis, can a ‘jingle or sound signature library.’

PAMS offer 13 basic pakages, all different in theme and sound. Their latest, series 27, is entitled the “Jet Set” and features the theme, “Where The Action Is.” Included in the series (currently in use at WABC) are sound effects, musically conjuring up the sensation of get-up-and-go. Also featured in the package is the distinctive vocalizing of Bright Eyes Longknife, a lovely native American Indian gal who hits high notes with ease.

Meeks says about this series, “Less to listen to, but more to hear.” Meeks also emphasizes that the PAMS material is built to “inspire the deejay, not to replace him.”

Recently WNOR, Norfolk, gave PAMS an assignment to customize their “Music Go-Round” logo. For WYSL, Buffalo, came the “Whistle While You Work Theme.” For WGR, in the same city, PAMS constructed a contemporary take-off on the standard, “Shuttle Off To Buffalo.” Three gals and three fellas comprised PAMS permanent vocal group. Bob Beigler, Jody Lyons and Bob Farrar are producers. Biegler and Farrar also perform as instrumentalists and vocalists respectively on many sessions.

PAMS Custom Advertising tape box (photo: courtesy PAMS Productions (click image for larger view( — PAMS Custom Advertising tape box (photo: courtesy PAMS Productions *(click image for larger view)*

Farrar produces most of the custom-made commercials for Pams Advertising Agency. Clients include: Humble, Dr. Pepper, Durkee, Honda Toys, Nationwide Insurance, Schick Razors and numerous other local and nationwide accounts. Darrell Grundy is vice-president of the agency. Bill Meeks heads up both the agency and production firm.

PAMS peripatetic sales manager, Jim West, a first-rate bass player, may be found participating actively in many music sessions with music director Euel Box.

The company’s sales force is small but highly effective. The Eastern States come under the aegis of Doug China, former program director and deejay at WKBW, Buffalo, and WPOP, Hartford. As a special service to clients, Doug works with stations to in guiding them on how to utilize their newly acquired production aids.

The West is covered by Toby Arnold, a former radio times salesman who is hip to the general manager’s and sales manager’s budget problems, as well as modern radio, in general.

PAMS, Inc., Dallas TX (click on image for larger view) — PAMS, Inc., Dallas, TX *(click on image for larger view)*

Meeks does quite a bit of account servicing himself. He gives his personal attention to most of the major clients and is in on most of the planning sessions for all of the firm’s customers.

Organized in 1951 as an advertising agency, Pams has expanded its production services for some of the top group and indie operations in the country. Among the clients are: ABC-owned stations; Storz Stations, Storer Broadcasting, McLendon Group, Crowell-Collier, WCAO, Baltimore; WMEX, Boston; KRBC, Abilene, Texas; WTOB, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; CHUM, CKEY, CKLG, CKPR (all Canadian stations), WFLA, Tampa, and KJR, Seattle. END.

— By GIL FAGGEN

(Information and news source: Billboard; June 20, 1964).