A special THANK YOU to a Detroit radio friend (who expressed personal anonymity) for recently having donated this original (not a scan) WKNR Contact News brochure from 1967 for the site’s archive.
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The featured WKNR brochure was digitally restored in its entirety by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
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THIRTEEN WEEKS overall on the singles pop charts, “It’s My Party” by Lesley Gore peaks this week at #1 (2 weeks) on the Billboard Hot 100. Beginning May 26 through week-ending June 8, 1963. (Source: Joel Whitburn’s Pop Annual)
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For our previous Billboard Number One 1963 U.S.A. Hits goHERE
DETROIT FREE PRESS | Thursday, May 12, 1977 — For a team that is supposedly tailor-made for Tiger Stadium, it certainly took the Tigers a long time to show it.
But they finally looked right at home Wednesday evening as Ben Oglivie, Phil Mankowski, Mark Wagner and Milt May all smashed home runs to help maul the Minnesota Twins, 8-3.
With all that support, it was easy for Dave Roberts to go all the way, limiting the Twins to five hits to claim his third victory of the season.
Watching the Tigers whack the ball into the seats with such authority, one could only wonder what took them so long.
Tigers 8. Twins 3. (Click on box score for largest detailed view)
Going into the game the Tigers had hammered the grand total of seven home runs in their first 11 games at Michigan and Trumbull. Wednesday they hit four in eight innings, including three off Jeff Zahn, previously undefeated and the American League’s lead-leading winner at 5-0.
It was awesome, to say the least, and long overdue.
In their first 11 games at home, in spite of a lineup loaded nightly loaded with left-handed hitters, the Tigers were out-homered by the opposition, 23 to 7 . . . hardly the sort of situation Ralph Houk envisioned when he put together this team together in the spring.
Wednesday’s performance was what the manager had in mind.
Roberts, who had won two in a row after watching his record fall to 1-4, struck out four Twins and walked only one in his best showing since he beat Toronto a month ago.
In addition, the veteran left hander gained some measure of revenge for the pounding he took in Minnesota 11 days earlier when Rod Carew attacked him on the mound at the Twins knocked him out of the game in the second inning.
Roberts never trailed as the Tigers came to his defense with a dozen hits, including 10 in the first four innings off Zahn.
Zahn found himself three runs behind by the time the Tigers finished batting in the bottom of the first, even though they only hit one ball beyond the infield.(See article below for more; click on, tap or stretch article for larger detailed read).
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Detroit Free Press, 05/11/1977 | Copyright 2022. Newspapers.com
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BASEBALL REFERENCE: For the complete Minnesota Twins vs. Detroit Tigers May 11, 1977 game-day box score and stats — click HERE
Detroit Free Press Thursday, May 12, 1977
The voice of the Detroit Tigers Ernie Harwell with Paul Carey.
WBRB-FM (Mt. Clemons) became the new WLBS-FM in January, 1979.
The “New Music” station, purchased by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, based in New York, formatted the station with predominantly disco music from the outset. Having dominated the Detroit FM dial with their new “Disco and More” sound, the station’s format was left virtually unchanged for nearly five years on 102.7 FM.
WLBS-FM became the new WKSG-FM, “Kiss 102.7 FM” (Oldies) on November 9, 1984.
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A special THANK YOU going out to Jamie Kerwin of Sarnia, Ontario, for recently contributing the featured WLBS-FM station IDs to our Motor City Radio Flashbacks archives 🙂
This list is selected each week by WXYZ Radio from reports of record sales gathered from leading record outlets in the Detroit area and other sources available to WXYZ.
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The above WXYZ chart was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
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A special thank you to Jim Heddle of Tuscon, Arizona, for having provided this WXYZ 1270 playlist chart from 1966 to the Motor City Radio Flashbacks archives.
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WKNR TURNED OFF ON THE DIAL. WNIC TURNS ON. THIS DAY, APRIL 25, 1972
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DETROIT (April 25, 2022) — WKNR-AM, once the dominate radio station in Detroit in the 1960s, signed-off the 1310 AM frequency for the last time on this day, April 25, 1972.
WKNR AM-FM studio facility at 150001 Michigan Ave., Dearborn.
Formerly WKMH-AM, the station made the switch to “the new Radio 13” on October 31, 1963. By early 1964, WKNR was by then the most popular radio station in Detroit and remained No. 1 in the market, still holding that status throughout the first six months through 1967.
WKNR, affectionately known as “Keener 13,” began it’s eventual slide from Detroit radio dominance in April, 1967. It was during this time WKNR saw their challenge met head-on by their other rival located across the Detroit river, CKLW.
CKLW, during that time, was totally being restructured into a formidable radio powerhouse the Canadian station would become by year’s end.
WKNR: No. 1 in 1965, according to this trade article.
RKO radio consultant Bill Drake and Paul Drew were the two people responsible for the major changes at the “Big 8.” Paul Drew, the newly-appointed program director at CKLW, patterned the same “Boss Radio” format Bill Drake and Ron Jacobs had programmed on 93 KHJ in Los Angeles. By 1965’s end, Jacob’s KHJ was by then the No. 1 radio station in L.A.
But WKNR would not easily go down without a fight. While going against the “Big 8” giant, the legendary Detroit radio station’s ratings were found inside a downward decline, all the while battling against two major fronts.
CKLW officially became the No. 1 radio station in Detroit by November, 1967, according to a Radio Response Survey published in Billboard on November 4.
CKLW, with it’s massive 50,000-watts of transmitted radio power covered 3 Canadian provinces and at times, their night-time signal spanned across 28 States. In contrast, after sundown, WKNR’s 5,000-watt signal was commonly known to be absent from the radio dial in areas east of Detroit and, more so, deficient in night-time coverage and strength.
By now, major changes had begun at WKNR both in the management and personnel level. In January of 1968, J. Michael Wilson was by then doing mornings on Keener. Dick Purtan had left WKNR for Baltimore. By the first week of April 1968, WKNR radio greats Bob Green, Jerry Goodwin, Ted Clark and Scott Regen were no longer there. Sean Conrad, Edward Alan Busch, Tony Randolph, Ron Sherwood, and Dan Henderson were to be the new voices on Keener 13.
WKNR Music Survey chart, February 07, 1972
Despite the many changes in the Detroit radio market scene at the time, WKNR’s battle for survival against CKLW and FM’s “free-form” radio would drag on for five years.
Near the end of 1971, according to a Detroit Arbitron radio rating for the period Oct./Nov., WKNR-AM had a 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. cume of 377,300 in total listenership during a given broadcast day. For WKNR, those numbers represented a reduction down to a 15 to 12 total market share. In comparison, WABX-FM ranked just under in total rank, with a cume of 330,000 during those same hours.
WKNR, who by then revamped its playlist to include some album-oriented tracks, also made much of their attempt to pull away from the “same as” CKLW all-pop music format. No longer were the top 31 songs part of the playlist rotation. Slashed in half, WKNR’s new playlist focused primarily on the top 15 hits instead, while “previewing” the other 16 songs or so for the week.
WKNR ‘TOGETHER’ logo from 1970–1971.
By late 1971 and early 1972, WKNR now was promoting itself as the new “American Rock and Roll” radio station. An obvious affront towards the dominance that was CKLW located in Windsor, Ontario.
On the 100.3 FM side, the album rock-oriented ‘underground” format that was WKNR-FM was dropped after an unsuccessful run against WABX-FM. In it’s place, Stereo Island, an easy-listening music format, now found it’s place competing against WLDM-FM in Detroit.
But the changes were not enough, and ultimately, it was not to be.
In the end, WKNR became the former on a brisk, chilly but sunny morning that was Tuesday, April 25, 1972. Just before 8:00 a.m., WKNR deejay John McCrae’s voice breaks but regains composure as he announced the inevitable —
“…This is John McCrae, I’d like to take it upon my, myself to speak on behalf of all the people who made Keener what it, was and is. You know, Pete Seeger, with a little help from his cosmic friend, wrote it much better than I could, and the Byrds sing it, much better than I, could ever say it. So this time Detroit, we’d like to thank you, for making nearly a decade — a Keener season.”
THE LAST WKNR TOP 30 record the station played — before the 8:00 hour on the morning of April 25, 1972.
As the last few bars of the Byrd’s “Turn, Turn, Turn” began to fade, the magic that was once WKNR faded away with the song. But the memories, the events, the music, the great names, the faces and voices who crafted the Keener legacy a long time ago, remain in many a hearts and minds yet even still, to this day.
In 2002, thirty years since WKNR was last on the air, Scott Westerman and Steve Schram decided it was time someone gave WKNR it’s long due, with honors. Working together they packaged an incredibly amazing WKNR tribute site, aptly named, keener13.com.
This coming June, 2022, will mark two decades since the website’s creation. And the phenomenal story about this great Detroit radio legacy is still being told, remembered, and celebrated there on the world-wide web.
“Keener” was a radio station that went on to impact nearly a decade the many lives of a community it once served. It knew its listeners. And if only but for a short time, WKNR also was the station that, in all essence, knew the city of Detroit well by way of its prestigious award-winning news department. Informing and staying “on top of the news” during the station’s Top 40 reign here during the 1960s and early-1970s.
As WKNR legend Bob Green previously commented on Scott Westerman’s keener13.com tribute page, quote, “The WKNR experience provided some of my happiest radio memories.”
We agree.
WKNR STATIONARY logo.1965
To a generation who grew up listening to top 40 radio in Detroit during the 1960s, one may actually say many of those “happiest radio memories” we recall having heard on Keener 13 belongs to many of us today, just the same.
WKNR. Those call letters would come to embody a sensational story. Of a Detroit radio station’s historic top 40 rise to number one status — within 9 weeks — after having first signed on, October 31, 1963.
And it was a phenomenal Detroit radio story. Its legacy reverberates — again — still remembered and recalled, incredibly, to this day. Fifty years after having signed-off into Detroit radio history. April 25, 1972.
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Audio digitally enhanced by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
This article was initially published on Motor City Radio Flashbacks, ten years ago, April 25, 2012. View it HERE
Beatles’ George Chimes On Set of Group’s Second Major Motion Picture Film
MUSIC BUSINESS (4/14/1965) — “We arereallyenjoying making ‘Eight Arms To Hold You.’ It is a knockout!” George recently told Music Business. “Our travels have taken us pretty well all over the world but in this our being our second film, we filmed in three countries-Nassau in the Bahamas, Austria and of course England.
“The film plot is very involved and totally different from our previous film, “A Hard Day’s Night.’ The opening night scene is devoted to a high priestess, played by Eleanor Bron, in an Eastern temple. According to sacrificial rites the priestess must wear a ceremonial ring but it has fallen into the hands of Ringo Starr. That’s where we come in!
The Chase Scene
GEORGE HARRISON. Photo shot from a scene in the Beatles’ second film, ‘Eight Arms To Hold You‘.
“Gangsters, hired bythe cult, then chase us through the three countries mentioned, the first of which is England. Incidentally we filmed this part last and are in fact filming at the moment at Twickenham in Middlesex. In this part of the film chase scenes include a set with us fleeing down Salisbury plain in a television outside broadcast van!
“To escape we travel to Austria. Didn’t have any time to practice skiing, though. John was the only one who has ever tried his hand at it before. Unfortunately the script included a chase scene down a mountain slope on skis! So we were given a gentle but firm push and the film producer shouted ‘Action.’ Just as well it was only a short scene because we couldn’t keep upright for long!
“Austria was a dead loss as we couldn’t move from the village between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. because the only pass was closed owing to avalanches caused by melting snow.
“All we had time for was filming and had to get up at the unearthly hour of 5 a.m. to start. Who says it’s an easy life?
“The film script then demanded that we should go to the Bahamas, so off we were again, still being chased. I don’t think Ringo wanted the ring anyway! He’s got enough to last him a lifetime – every fan letter he gets has a ring in it and a ‘please wear it for me’ message! Fortunately he manages to get the ring off his finger and the film ends with another poor bloke being chased!
Confusing But Fun
“That’s the film plot – very confusing isn’t it, but we had a great laugh. I’d like to make films until I was pensioned off but I wouldn’t make them without John, Paul and Ringo. Filming is less strenuous than ballroom work but the hours are much longer and filming can become a drag when you have to spend three hours or more preparing a ten minute scene.
“I’d like to make a script myself but it would mean being off the scene for about nine months and I couldn’t afford that length of time. It might not be a good one anyway so I think it’s better for the professionals to do it.
“I’ve read the script for our next film, in which we play cowhands, and am really looking forward to making it. I’d like to take a week off before shooting commences and practice horse riding or it might end up like the skiing episode!” END
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Information, credit and news source: Music Business; April 14, 1965
“The listing of records herein is the opinion of CKLW based on its survey of record sales, listener requests and CKLW’s judgement of the record’s appeal.”
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The above CKLW chart was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
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A SPECIAL THANK YOU
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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 CKLW music chart courtesy of Mrs. Patti Griggs and the George L. Griggs estate.
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A special THANK YOU to a Detroit radio friend (who expressed personal anonymity) for recently having donated this original (not a scan) WKNR Contact News brochure from 1967 for the site’s archive.
