Category: Flashbacks

From the MCRFB news archive: 1971

STATION FORMAT RUMORED 2 YEARS IN WAIT; PD MAKE CHANGE IMMEDIATE

DETROIT — Exactly as rumor stated, WCAR here has switched to a rock format. The oddity about the format change and the rumor, however,  is that the rumor dates back at least two years . . . . dates back in fact, to the day that Ken Draper signed a contract to consult the ultra-powered station. It had been a middle-of-the-road station since Draper took it under his wing; before that, it was more or less of a mishmash in programming.

The original intention according to program director Neil McIntyre, was to stick to an MOR format. The factors that precipitated the program change, in spite of previous intentions, was the failure of WKNR to make it in the market with a rock format. And, too, CKLW, a long-time powerhouse, was no longer connected with program consultant Bill Drake and, in fact, was being forced by government regulation, to program a large portion of Canadian product in its programming. Perhaps the key factor was the absence of Drake.

WCAR, with 50,000-watts during the day and 10,000-watts at night, is playing between 40 to 60 records; “never less than 40,” says McIntyre, plus a feature album a week. More that that, the station is the station is keying on album cuts and, for example, played six cuts of the new Blood, Sweat and Tears album.

“We’re playing album cuts as if they were singles,” McIntyre reiterated. He listed “Surrender” by Diana Ross from her new album, and, “Hello Groceries” by Chase from their LP. There were five LP cuts on the playlist last week. “Even if the cuts are not released as singles, we’ll stay with them a couple of weeks longer just for the sake of adding variety to the format,” McIntyre said.

All records are pre-selected by McIntyre and John Wellman, who works in the office of programming affiliated with the consulting firm operated by Ken Draper, Chuck Blore and John Rook. These are picked either Thursday or Friday and the new playlist is added to the air in afternoon drive time without fanfare. However, there is no set policy of adding new records (seven new singles were added last week) and new product will be put on the air immediately, if warranted. “We put ‘I Woke Up In Love This Morning’ by the Patridge Family on the air Saturday. By Wednesday it was the top requested tune of all the new records.”

WCAR has six direct request lines into the studio and the air personality “had better answer it,” McIntyre said. In the old format, the air personalities used to just rap with listeners; in the rock format, they take requests.

Air personalities pull their own music for their show within the limitations of the format. WCAR personalities include Ray Otis 6-10 a.m.; Dave Prince 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; Dan O’Shea 2-6 p.m.; Ed Busch 6-10 p.m.; Scott Regen 10 p.m.-2 a.m.; Warren Pierce 2-6 a.m. — the same staff almost as when WCAR was an MOR station (Regen joined the staff several weeks back).

Clay Proves Pull

The target audience of WCAR is the 15-35 age group. “Mostly, we’re an alternative to listeners. In want of good programming, many were going to the FM stations; now, we’ll be there.” The station will be a personality station and will be actively trying to break new records. “We have been playing the Tom Clay record (“What The World Needs Now Is Love”) for weeks, even when we were an MOR station. Prince mentioned on the air for anyone not able to find the record in their record store to call Motown Records. Al Valenti called us and pleaded for us to give listeners the name of a record store that had stock; he’d been bombarded with phone calls for the record. So, we know we’re already having an impact in the market. The leading Top 40 station in town puts on a couple of records a week. But as a challenger, we can set our own rules about new records.”

WCAR will soon be “beefing-up” its jingles package.

There will be some six-record sweep; the records will be segued. All records will be post-announced. McIntyre, a 14-year veteran in the radio business having worked in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New York and previously program director at  WOWO, Fort Wayne, Indiana, before landing at WCAR as program director, exclaimed “it’s nice to see people so excited about a radio station — from the girl at the switchboard to the news director, John Webster, a hell of a guy.” END

(Information and news source: Billboard; August 14, 1971).