COMING OCTOBER 7: Two more WKNR exclusive ‘Beatles at Olympia’ charts — Series 3 and Series 4 — from October 1 and October 8, 1964.
Audio digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
The (above and below) WKNR music charts was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
Audio is courtesy of Bob Green and Bob Green Productions, Houston, TX
ON YOUR PC? To fully appreciate the two featured WKNR Music Guides for the week of September 17 and September 24 click on image 2x and open to second window. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.
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WKNR MUSIC GUIDE [2 of 4] September 24, 1964
WKNR MUSIC GUIDE [2 of 4] September 24, 1964
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A sincere thank you, Mrs. Patti Griggs. This featured presentation would have not been possible without your generosity, dedication, and your continuous support.
Above WKNR music charts courtesy of Mrs. Patti Griggs and the George L. Griggs estate.
A special THANK YOU to Kip Brown, of Three Rivers, MI., for having contributed this WKNR aircheck, many years ago, for our Motor City Radio Flashbacks airchecks repository.
Our contributor, Kip Brown, first wrote to us, nine years ago:
“Hello there! As I write this I am transferring a 45 year old WKNR FM log recorder reel from October of 1970. It is from a collection of them I purchased many years ago that included both AM and FM tapes from March to October of 1970. As you may know, log recorder tapes were off-air recordings done for commercial performance or if something controversial happened and management needed a playback of the incident. They were recorded at a very slow speed so as to maximize available reel space. They contain hour after hour of continuous WKNR radio, uncut. I sold copies of some of the recordings years ago from the AM tapes. Most of the 1970 tapes on this very site came from those transfers. I have never circulated the FM transfers.
Thanks, and I enjoy your site very much!”
Kip Brown Three Rivers, Michigan | 2015/12/31 at 8:30 pm
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The featured audio presentation was extracted from an actual 12-hour WKNR logger tape from March 30, 1970. Today, we are featuring the first two hours of Bob Green’s show on WKNR from that day. Fifty-four years ago.
Bob Green is a legendary broadcaster in Detroit radio history. He began his broadcasting career in Detroit at WKMH in 1961, then moved to Miami before returning to Detroit in 1963 to join “the new WKNR radio 13”, where he stayed until early 1968. He came back to WKNR for a short period between 1970 and 1971. Bob, today, is fondly remembered as “the voice of Keener 13.” Currently, he resides in Austin, TX, after having run Bob Green Productions, which was previously based in Houston.
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About the logger tape: The logger tape recording was an essential technology for radio stations before the digital age revolutionized recording and playback.
Here’s a breakdown of what logger tape is and why it was crucial:
Logger tape refers to a continuous reel-to-reel tape used to record radio broadcasts. The term “logger” comes from the concept of “logging” or documenting broadcasts for various purposes. The logger tape would run continuously at ultra slow speed, recording everything that was broadcasted over a particular period.
The large tape would continuously record broadcasts over a 24-hour period, typically using a loop of tape that was automatically replaced once it was full. This ensured that all broadcast content was captured without manual intervention.
Logger tapes also provided evidence that specific content, like public service announcements or political broadcasts, was actually aired as required.
Broadcast verification. Regulatory bodies, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the U.S., required radio stations to keep records of their broadcasts. This was to ensure that stations adhered to regulations and maintained the integrity of their content.
Logger tapes served as evidence in legal disputes or complaints, such as copyright issues or allegations of improper content. If there were disputes about what had been broadcasted, the logger tape served as a complete record that could be reviewed in such cases, and if required.
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Newly restored! This featured WKNR (logger tape) audio recording was digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
WKNR, WJR Hitting Pay Dirt in Detroit, Thanks to Two Air Personalities
DETROIT — Two deejays — one in the Top 40 field and the other from a ‘middle-of-the-road’ easy music station, are basically responsible for the tremendous success of radio stations WKNR and WJR here in influencing the sales of records…. and may be largely responsible for the success of their respective radio stations in reaching a large audience.
WJR station manager James H. Quello, said that his good music station was proud of J. P. McCarthy. “He’s the number one radio personality in town. Everybody knows him and he’s in good part responsible… a major factor… in influencing the sale of LP’s in Detroit.”
According to Billboard’s Radio Response Rating Survey last week of the Detroit radio market — ranked the country’s fifth radio market — McCarthy was rated No. 1 in influencing radio listeners to purchase popular LPs. The station was rated first in the same category, but what makes it a unique situation is that the station gained strength to capture the top position since a similar Billboard survey of May 16, 1964, had placed WJR in second-place behind WCAR.
And the reason, according to Quello, is the power of McCarthy. McCarthy had been with the station at one time, then left WJR in Detroit to work for another radio station in San Francisco. He returned back to Detroit since the last Billboard survey. He’s so effective that WJR placed him on mornings in their 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. time-frame, and he returns for the 3:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. drive time. “After all, this is the motor city of the world… a big car place,” Quello went on to say. McCarthy features mostly MOR records (middle of the road), Quello said, “but we’re programming more contemporary music now, anything short of rock and roll.”
In influencing the sale of popular LP recordings, the major stations, in order, are WJR, WCAR, WWJ, and WJBK. WJR and WCAR has most of the power; in fact, WJR’s McCarthy had 52 per cent of the total points in Billboard’s survey, followed by WCAR deejay Joe Bacarella with 36 per cent overall.
WJR, incidentally, tied for second-place with WWJ in influencing the sale of conservative type records, was No. 1 in influencing the sale of classical records, and showed up fairly well as a power in influencing the sale of folk records as well.
Both Gain
The top position in the sale of popular record singles was again captured by radio station WKNR and its popular disk-jockey, Bob Green. In fact, both station and deejay gained in strength. WKNR radio was rated at 33 per cent in May 16, 1964, but increased its influence to 44 per cent as of last week. Green increased two points to 30 per cent.
WKNR radio station manager Walter Patterson said the Top 40 station isn’t doing anything different, “but we are fortunate in accumulating listeners.” A recent Pulse study showed that the 24-hour Detroit station as reaching 292,900 separate households during a given day.
“We’re not cocky, but we watch our position closely and never let up,” Patterson said. While the station does believe in strong air-personalities, — “some are and some are not” — it also practices “playing more music and keeping talk to a minimum.” The station’s “sound” is very important,” Patterson said.
WKMH the former, now WKNR, featured a “middle-of-the-road” music format until November 1, 1963, when it went Top 40. “We’ve pulled the fastest turnaround of any station in the country,” Patterson said. “What’s happening is the more we go, the more we get.” The station plays the top 31 records and distributes 99,000 copies of the station’s own survey guide of featured songs and hits. Patterson also said the station has a “refrigerator full” of promotions and uses them as the need arises.
Also in the Top 40 market, radio station CKLW has increased its power in influencing the sales of records since the last Billboard survey. The market saw WJBK change format from Top 40, where it ranked No. 2 last May, to good music. In May 1964, it was No. 4; now it ranks second. Dave Shafer and Tom Shannon of CKLW now rank second and third behind WKNR’s Bob Green.
John Gordon, the program director of CKLW, received the Billboard nod as most co-operative in exposing new records.
Close in R&B Field
In the R&B field in the Detroit market, it was a close race, but WCHB radio came out on top in influencing record sales. WCHB had 49 per cent, WJLB had 44 per cent and FM station WGPR had 7 per cent. WJLB ranked first last May.
Bill Williams, program director at WCHB, attributed the station’s increase in influence to a “much tighter format that was launched in January.” The station also went 24-hours in April. Williams said deejays on WCHB are now faster with delivery than before. “We play 35 of the top-selling R&B records, interspersed with every third record with one we think is a good prospect for a potential hit-maker to climb-up the chart.” This has made the station very important in getting listeners to go out and buy more into the R&B product,” Williams said.
“This is a good R&B market, its the home of the Motown sound,” he said, adding that he liked to think of his market as the entire population of Detroit. WJLB, however, scored with the top disc-jockey — Ernie Durham — in the power of influencing record sales. In fact, Durham almost captured the whole thing with a 44 per cent influence in the Detroit R&B market. The second-place honors goes out to Le Baron Taylor of WCHB, who held the No. 2 spot at 27 per cent.
Interesting to note is that an FM station, WBRB-FM is now showing muscles in influencing the sales of country music records. The field is still dominated by country powerhouse WEXL, which still came up with 86 per cent of the total points, but it’s no longer a one-station field. WBRB showed up with a 14 per cent; it’s a new station since the last Billboard survey. Bill Samples, of WEXL, is still the No. 1 deejay in the motor town getting country music records sold. END
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Source information and credit: Billboard July 24, 1965
These article/advertisement courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2024. Newspapers.com
Printed in black and white, the two featured Detroit Free Press ads was digitally re-imaged, colorized, and was entirely restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
Missed any of our previous ‘Detroit Radio Back-Pages‘ features?GO HERE
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Hey do you remember 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 giveaways. There was also a Think Summer contest as well. Recall seeing a few of those Think Summer billboards WKNR posted around town. And then there was that one Think Summer song, yeah . . . that was playing 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, thereafter, that would be it . . . just three weeks on the Keener 13 playlists in short order.
But that was enough for WKNR to generate an imaginary kind of ‘mirage,’ if you will, a brief winter’s thaw we must have felt, at least momentarily, during the station’s contest they off-loaded with that one, huge “summertime” give-a-way at the time. If all else, the Think Summer event became the ultimate radio event during that cold winter here in Detroit, 59-years ago.
Straight from the Keener vaults, and courtesy of WKNR legend, Bob Green. We are showcasing two of those WKNR Think Summer promos (audio under each ad). All from that memorable winter’s brief “summer-time fun” contestants cashed in on while listening to Keener 13 during those two winter months in early-1965.
And at date, we are just nine days away from spring, so . . . .
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A MCRFB Note: This attached post was previously published on this site on January 29, 2012.
All audio featured on this page was digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
Audio digitally enhanced by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
Detroit Free Press Thursday, January 28, 1965
A special THANK YOU to WKNR’s Bob Green, of Austin, TX., for having contributing the featured WKNR promos presented today, on this page.
Thanks again, Bob Green, for sharing with us these wonderful, Keener 13 memories!
A special thank you to senior MCRFB consultant Greg Innis, of Livonia, MI., for contributing the Newspapers.com archives (Detroit radio related) articles, ads, and images we have provide for this site since 2016.
Thank you, Greg Innis, for making these historic Detroit radio features possible. 🙂
ON YOUR PC? You can read this entire newsprint article/ad — the fine print — ENLARGED. For a larger detailed view click above image 2x and open to second window. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.
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He is remembered today as the legendary, the “Voice of Keener 13”.
Motor City Radio Flashbacks extends, warm, Birthday well wishes to Bob Green. Happy Birthday, Bob! We hope your day will be truly special.
And once again, we thank you. For the wonderful memories, those happy radio moments you shared with us all those years ago on Keener 13 🙂
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The two photos featured in this post is courtesy of Bob Green. The Bob Green picture inserted (in the photo below) is courtesy of our friend, Kevin Willett (Facebook).
Audio recording was digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
Bob Green 1966
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NEW! A special thank you to site senior contributor Greg Innis, of Livonia, Mi., for having recently contributed the above featured WKNR audio memory to the Motor City Radio Flashbacks airchecks collection.
A special thank you to Keener legend Bob Green (Bob Green Productions) of Houston, Texas, for contributing this WKNR December 1967 audio memory with Motor City Radio Flashbacks 🙂
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Recording audio remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
KEENER KEY MEN OF MUSIC * Happy New Year! * DECEMBER 1967
—NEW YEAR’S EVE 1967 BEST WISHES FROM THE KEENER KEY MEN OF MUSIC—
Dick Purtan * Ted Clark * Jerry Goodwin * Bob Green * Scott Regen * J. Michael Wilson * Steve Robbins * Dave Forster * Bob Harper
* BOB GREEN PRODUCTIONS *
A special THANK YOU to Bob Green (Bob Green Productions, Houston, TX) for providing this memorable WKNR 1967 holiday audio memory with Motor City Radio Flashbacks
—SEASONS’ GREETINGS 1965 FROM THE VOICES of KEENER 13—
Phillip Nye * George Hunter * Dick Buller * Ed Mullen * Eric Smith * John Maher * Dick Purtan * Ted Clark * Jerry Goodwin * Bob Green * Scott Regen * J. Michael Wilson * Jim Jeffries * Paul Cannon
From all the Keener Key Men . . . Merry Christmas!
* BOB GREEN PRODUCTIONS *
A special THANK YOU to Bob Green (Bob Green Productions, Houston, TX) for providing this (wonderful!) WKNR Christmas 1965 audio memory with Motor City Radio Flashbacks
BOB GREEN * CLASSIC WKNR PROMOS * BOB GREEN PRODUCTIONS: REEL I
Bob Green 1966
BOB GREEN PRODUCTIONS
In November 1963, 55 years ago this month, WKMH — 1310 on the dial — faded into the stratosphere while transitioning into a brand new Detroit radio sound.
Today, and in celebration of that event, Motor City Radio Flashbacks presents a myriad of classic WKNR promos heard on ‘Keener Radio’ in the ’60s and early-’70s, courtesy of Bob Green.
A special THANK YOU to Bob Green for providing Motor City RadioFlashbacks with these classic recordings (back in 2001!). The audio presented here was transferred from three separate reeled tapes (boxed) and presented here for the very first time.
BOB GREEN * CLASSIC WKNR PROMOS * BOB GREEN PRODUCTIONS: REEL II
BOB GREEN * CLASSIC WKNR PROMOS * BOB GREEN PRODUCTIONS: REEL III
SPECIAL THANKS
Motor City Radio Flashbacks extends another special ‘THANK YOU’ to Bob Pratt, of Farmington, MI, for transferring three Bob Green Production (reeled) recordings to its present audio format, as they are featured here today.
Audio digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
The (above and below) WKNR music charts was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks. 
ON YOUR PC? To fully appreciate the two featured WKNR Music Guides for the week of September 17 and September 24 click on image 2x and open to second window. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.
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