WKNR HEARD HERE 24/7 ON MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS
From the MCRFB aircheck archives featuring: WKNR-AM (’65) w/ BOB GREEN
Category: Bob Green
50TH! BEATLES INVADES MOTOR CITY! SEPTEMBER, 1964
S E P T E M B E R 6 , 1 9 6 4 : T O D A Y I N M U S I C H I S T O R Y
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1 9 6 4 : T H E B E A T L E S performed two sold-out concerts at the 15,000-capacity Detroit Olympia on this day. The other acts on the bill were (in order of appearance) The 
Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry and Jackie DeShannon, before the Fab Four took the Olympia stage. After the concerts the British band stayed overnight at the Whittier Hotel near downtown Detroit before leaving for their next scheduled stop at the Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens, Monday, September 7. Both Beatles Olympia September 6 appearances sponsored by top 40 radio WKNR, Detroit.
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Pop Music History: September 6, 1964
WKNR (Bob Green) BEATLES IN DETROIT * Beatles Olympia Press Conference * 9/6/64
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQh6wLMUd1g
WKNR BEATLES IN DETROIT PROMO * WKNR (Bob Green) Productions * 9/6/1964
“…Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites.” — George Harrison, Detroit; 9/6/64
MCRFB COMMERCIALS: WKNR ‘A HARD DAY’S NIGHT’
WKNR ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ MOVIE TICKETS GIVEAWAY * Bob Green * AUGUST 1964
50TH| A KEENER 13 NYC REUNION W/ KEENER13.COM!
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A MCRFB Note: The ‘WKNR Reunion Celebration of 50th Anniversary of Station Launch’ took place at ‘The Redeye Cafe Restaurant,’ 890 7th Avenue, NYC, the weekend of June 14-15, 2014. A special thanks goes out to all our Keener13.com friends, Scott Westerman, Steve Schram, Bob Green, Scott Regen and all the WKNR “originals” for sharing with us your special ’50th’ Keener moments with us from NYC. Also. A ‘thank you’ to ‘The Michigan Broadcaster’ for providing the WKNR editorial (June 2014) MCRFB posted above. Keener LIVES 24/7 at Keener13.com —
For everything WKNR 24/7 relive the Keener experience only at Keener13.com!
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DETROIT NEWS 1967: THE ‘WKNR SOUND’ OF SUCCESS!
WKMH-AM BACK ON THE RADIO WITH: BOB GREEN!
WKMH LIVES HERE 24/7 ON MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS
From our MCRFB aircheck archives, featuring: WKMH-AM (’61) w/ BOB GREEN
WKNR-AM: IT’S A ‘BLAST SALUTE,’ NOVEMBER 14, 1965
DETROIT RADIO SIDEBAR: WKMH-AM BILLBOARD NOTES
From the MCRFB RADIO NOTEBOOK: 1957, 1959, 1961 and 1962
WKMH-AM
DETROIT (October 28, 1957) — DETROIT DISK BIZ SLOW: Echoing a national complaint of recording distributors in the industry, Robin Seymour, deejay-program director of WKMH, Detroit, reports that in recent weeks the best selling lists around the Motor City has been static, with fewer and fewer new records making their way onto the charts. Seymour opined that that poor economic conditions locally are to blame, but added the optimistic prediction that things should change soon, since Detroit record sales during fall and Christmas have topped each previous year for the past several holiday yule seasons. END.
DETROIT (July 20, 1959) — Robin Seymour, WKMH, Detroit, has launched a daily 15-minute segment (6:15 – 6:30 p.m.) featuring musical highlights from a different year each day, along with commentary about news events of each date. The segment is produced by Arlene Schubert, who is currently the Dearborn-based WKMH music librarian. END.
DETROIT (August 28, 1961) — Two new jocks have joined WKMH, Detroit. Bob Green, formerly with WGVA, Geneva, New York, has moved into the 8-10:45 p.m. time slot on WKMH. Ray Otis, ex-WHK, Cleveland, has taken over the outlet’s 12 noon to 3:00 p.m. across the-board-time slot and its Sunday noon to 4:00 p.m. time-frame. Bob Green will also act as WKMH’s production director. END.
DETROIT (September 11, 1961) — Plans are now on the drawing boards for deejay record hops to be run direct by local arenas, with evening jocks doing their shows direct from the spot and featuring guest recording talents. Records by the artists would be available for purchase as well by recording distributors’ rack-jobbers. The idea of deejay broadcasts from rink locations is not new. Only in recent weeks, Lee Alan, WKMH, Detroit, staged a successful teen dance at the Riverside Roller Arena in that city with such acts as Bob Beckham, Little Caesar and the Romans, also the Marvelettes and the Edsels present. END.
DETROIT (March 10, 1962) — A flock of stations around the country last August supported city drives to encourage teenagers to return to high school and reduce “drop-outs” which result when youngsters find summer employment and don’t want to go back to school in the fall. For example, Dave Prince, WKMH in Detroit, sponsored a “back to school” contest, asking teenagers to complete in 25 words or less the statement: “I’m going back to school this fall because . . . ” Winners received wrist watches and transistor radios. The response was so great that the Michigan Education Association plans to stage similar contests next year with WKMH and other Michigan radio stations. END.
DETROIT (March 31, 1962) — (Billboard Programming Panel) — Question: “Do you have special promotions or programming ideas which are designed to build better relationships with local schools and students?”
(Dave Prince, WKMH, Detroit) — ANSWER:
“Station WKMH deejays lead yells at the high schools each fall. We have our own WKMH cheerleader sweaters, megaphones, and a special series of school chants and yells, using the deejays’ names, station call-letters, etc. I also sponsor a “Back To School” contest at the radio station during the fall in co-operation with the Michigan Education Association, giving away 10 wrist watches to the best ten letters. The MEA will incorporate the idea throughout Michigan next fall.” END.
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A MCRFB Note: Information and news source: Billboard Magazine. All excerpts culled as was first published from the dated editions as noted above.
BEACH BOYS: HOT ROD TREND CATCHES ON . . . NOVEMBER 23, 1963
From the MCRFB news archives: 1963
Beach Boys Move From Surf To New Street Rod Sound
NEW YORK — With three albums solid (and chart entries) and what looks like growing teenage acceptance, record companies are moving out of the surf and on to the track. There is a heavy emphasis of rock product that features gunning engines, peculiar jargon and rolling beat of what looks like the next big teenage fad — hot rod music.
One of the first labels to leap from the crest of the surf wave on to the hot rod track was Capitol Records. The firm’s Beach Boys made the transition without grinding gears, roaring from a string of surf hits to their first behind the wheel and engine groove, “Little Deuce Coupe.” The LP has followed the smash single up the chart.
“Shutdown” is another Capitol album that has ridden on the charts for some time, and has given the label an indication what the new swing was about. It contain various artists in hot rod garb. The label also has its West Coast surfing personality, Dick Dale, swinging in on the street rod popularity with his first hot rod LP.
Capitol is pushing hard with promotions behind the hot rod build. The label is supplying disc jockeys with a wide variety of material which includes sweatshirts carrying similar type drawings to those shown on the album covers.
The deejay kits also carry literature about hot rodding, including a pamphlet that explains the jargon and information regarding the organization of the National Hot Rod Association. In addition, deejays are being supplied with copies of the automotive publication, Hot Rod. In New York, the Capitol distributors are working closely with the hot rod club in Hempstead, and also with the Dick Clark Show. Still another part of the kit contains a sampler LP of hot rod music on the label. In addition to these LP’s, Capitol has two albums on the market that features the sounds of actual hot rodders in motion.
Regional breakout listing this week shows that the “Hot Rod City” LP on the Vault record label is coming in for a share of the action. This is another West Coast label making the transition from surf to road without a hitch. Vault is being distributed by Atco Records nationally and plans are in the works for special promotions with disk jockeys. Part of the national promotion being planned is a nationwide contest which would offer hot rod racing gear prizes to winners. These would be worked out with radio deejays on a regional basis.
A flood of singles product on a wide variety of labels has developed over the last month. Del Fi and a few other labels came roaring in with albums featuring the new motor sound. END.
(Information and news source: Billboard; November 23, 1963).
WKNR-AM — Bob Green Hot Rod Kits Giveaway — February, 1964
Addendum: In this MCRFB featured WKNR aircheck, Bob Green is heard promoting WKNR’s 200 Capitol Records ‘Hot Rod Kits’ giveaway at Korvette’s Department Store, located on Telegraph Rd., at W. Chicago. The date was February, 1964. (Click link for 6:05 audio).
WKNR-AM BACK ON THE RADIO WITH: BOB GREEN!
WKNR LIVES HERE 24/7 ON MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS
From our MCRFB aircheck archives, featuring: WKNR-AM (’70) w/ BOB GREEN