Category: Flashbacks

AIRCHEX OF THE WEEK WITH JOEY REYNOLDS

From the MCRFB Aircheck Library:

Joey Reynolds on 1270 AM WXYZ 1966

…I hope we last….

 

 

The date is April 19, 1966. WXYZ 1270 is set on your radio dial. The time is 9:00 PM on a Tuesday evening here in the Motor City.

Coming in fresh from Cleveland’s WIXY, listen in as Joey Reynolds introduced himself on The Joey Reynolds Show for the very first time when he first came over to Detroit.

FROM THE MCRFB AIRCHECKS LIBRARY

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WXYZ-AM * JOEY REYNOLDS * APRIL 1966

…Well uh I don’t understand quite frankly Al what you’re getting at. What are you trying to say is you don’t like me?….

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WXYZ 1966 radio personality Joey Reynolds’ station- profile brochure cover (click on image for larger view).

In this classic 1966 WXYZ aircheck, Joey Reynolds did all he could to keep his composure with a certain caller, Al Evans from South Junior High School.

When this aircheck was taped in May of 1966, Joey Reynolds was known for his propensity to berate other radio stations and on-air personalities during his shows while in Detroit. Whether his on-air rhetoric might have been described as “good clean fun” or just a display of Reynolds own personal ego, these assumptions might have been taken more than lightly by some listeners, such as the one noted particular call to The Joey Reynolds Show would come to obviously demonstrate.

In April 1966, WXYZ had many of the best radio voices covering the Detroit radio map at that time. Marc Avery. Lee Alan. Dave Prince. Jimmy Hampton. Pat Murphy. Danny Taylor.

Under Lee Alan, now as program director, WXYZ retained its star status with their legendary top 40 personality-plus line-up. The ABC-owned station’s share for higher numbers was paramount moving forward against WKNR and CKLW. The station was locked in battle to regain the top 40 crown they once held over Detroit several years back. Detroit, in 1966, was a three-station top 40 market.

But it was the Reynolds star, despite the anticipated expectation he’d be held for higher ratings and audience popularity the moment he first signed on, never came to fully rise during his short stay here in the Motor City.

By July 1966, a little over two months after WXYZ General Manager Charles Fritz and station Program Director Lee Alan brought the Gavin Award winning radio host to Detroit, the station found itself floundering at third place with only a 24 percent share of the Detroit radio audience overall.   

Joey Reynolds as he looked back in the ’60s on the radio. (Click on image for larger view)

In contrast, CKLW held their ground just a short-distance ahead with a 29 share at second place. Meanwhile, WKNR was still at the top with a 47 percent share of the total Detroit audience who were listening to Keener 13 at any given time throughout their entire broadcast day.

As to his statement, “well I hope we last”… he didn’t.

By the first week of November 1966, and six months after first coming on WXYZ, Joey Reynolds was completely removed far away east from the Detroit radio scene at WDRC in Hartford, Connecticut.

But according to Wikipedia, the Reynolds resume reflects he’s had an illustrative career in both radio and television during his later years in broadcasting as well. He even came back to Detroit on WHYT for a short while during 1983 into 1984.

Today, as of this date, Reynolds is presently hosting All Night With Joey Reynolds on the WNBC-TV owned sub-channel station WNBC-TV2 in New York City.

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(The Joey Reynolds poster courtesy of the Art Vuolo Collection)

FROM THE MCRFB AIRCHECKS LIBRARY

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WXYZ-AM * JOEY REYNOLDS * MAY 1966

(The Joey Reynolds poster courtesy of the Art Vuolo Collection)

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WKNR LAUNCHES WINTRY “THINK SUMMER” CAMPAIGN . . . FEBRUARY 20, 1965

From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1965

WKNR Finds Way to Beat Old Man Winter in ’65

 

 

 

 

DETROIT — WKNR has found a way to help take the severe bite out of Old Man Winter with it’s “Think Summer” campaign.

WKNR “Think Summer” 1965 promotion button

The station has distributed some 77,000 “Think Summer“ buttons in conjunction with  extensive newspaper ads and billboard displays. On-the-air, WKNR is conducting a contest and awarding barbeque grills, badminton sets, and other summertime items. To keep things psychologically warm, weather forecasts include the more desirable temperatures of Hawaii, Florida, Southern California and other southern resort areas.

As a result of the promotion, Russ Yerge, Columbia Records promotion director for Detroit, suggested his record label cut a record on the theme. Clyde Otis obliged and the label has released a single by Susan Wayne entitled “Think Summer.” A Special tie-in promotion has been arranged by Columbia Records with 65 radio stations using the “Think Summer” theme by endorsing the Wayne single. END

ADDENDUM: for more on WKNR’s “Think Summer” radio contest and station promotions, see our previous “Think Summer” exhibit post (January 29, 2012) with mp3 audio, archived here on Motor City Radio Flashbacks.

(Information and news source: Billboard; February 20, 1965)

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FROM OUR COMMERCIAL VAULT . . . PAN AM AIRLINES

From Wikipedia: Founded in 1927 as a scheduled air mail and passenger service operating between Key West, Florida and Havana, Cuba, Pan American World Airways became a major company credited with many innovations that shaped the international airline industry, including the widespread use of jet aircraft, jumbo jets, and computerized reservation systems. Identified by its blue globe logo, the use of the word “Clipper” in aircraft names and call signs, and the white pilot uniform caps, the airline was a cultural icon of the 20th century. In an era dominated by flag carriers that were wholly or majority government-owned, it was also the unofficial flag carrier of the United States. During most of the jet era, Pan Am’s flagship terminal was the Worldport located at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.

At it’s height, Pan Am was everywhere, including it’s signature skyscraper located at 200 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Now branded with “Met Life”, it is a key part of the Manhattan skyline and one of the fifty tallest buildings in the United States.

The Pan Am name surfaced again on September 25, 2011 when a television series about the airline launched on ABC.

In the ’60s and early ’70s, Pan Am spent millions on radio and television advertising, touting it’s worldwide reach and superior service. Here are three examples.

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PAN AMERICAN AIRLINES (a)
PAN AMERICAN AIRLINES (b)
 

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WKMH-AM SPOTS: MOREY’S ROYAL TWIST LOUNGE! ’61

WKMH 1310 LEE ALAN and DAVE PRINCE * MOREY’S ROYAL TWIST LOUNGE * 1961
MOREY’S ROYAL TWIST LOUNGE (A)
MOREY’S ROYAL TWIST LOUNGE (B)
MOREY’S ROYAL TWIST LOUNGE (C)
MOREY’S ROYAL TWIST LOUNGE (D)

Special THANKS to Greg Innis, Livonia, MI., for this audio donation!

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AIRCHECK OF THE WEEK: WKNR’s JIM JEFFRIES!

From the MCRFB Aircheck Library:

Jim Jeffries on 1310 AM WKNR “Keener 13”

 

 

JIM JEFFRIES on KEENER 13

 

WKNR all-night personality Jim Jeffries in 1965. (Click on image for larger view)

We’re going to take you back to January 30, 1967. A time when Keener 13 was still hot on the radio dial in Detroit.

During the time this aircheck was recorded, WKNR arbitrarily still held the number one slot overall in total audience ratings. Number one for three consecutive years since the Keener Sound took a phenomenal hold on Detroit radio early-on in 1964.

When Keener DJ Bill Phillips left the overnight shift open at Keener 13 in mid-1965, Frank Maruca, station program director for WKNR at that time, promptly filled the void. He knew where to call. He made the call for Jim Jeffries from sister-station WKFR “Keener 14” in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Jim Jeffries on WKNR Keener 13. (Click on image for larger view)

While doing the overnight 1AM to 6AM shift, once on board, Jim Jeffries popularity rose to prominence at WKNR. Jim connected well with his audience with his blend of personality, humor, exuberance and warmth. The Jeffries brand soon became the overnight sensation during his entire radio stay in Detroit. By mid-1966, Jeffries became the most listened to deejay doing the all-night show in Detroit at the time.

But before the end of 1967, Jim Jeffries would set sail for newer horizons outside of Detroit. This time he was offered a ‘prime-time’ radio slot for another radio market outside of Michigan. Keener newsman Bob Neal, along with Keener DJ Bob Harper, would soon follow Jim Jeffries down to WQXI in Atlanta, Georgia.

Sadly, Jim Jeffries passed away suddenly on November 17, 2009. (For more on his passing, see Scott Westerman’s special tribute to Jim Jeffries at Keener13.com).

But as you listen to this January, 1967 Jim Jeffries aircheck, you’ll understand why a generation of Detroiters during that time stayed up faithfully throughout the night listening to the Jim Jeffries Show on Keener 13.

 

MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS AIRCHECKS COLLECTION

WKNR-AM Jim Jeffries 1967 (link):  GO HERE.

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1976: CHARLIE VAN DYKE PAYS TRIBUTE TO “THE FLAG”

Charlie Van Dyke’s Bicentennial Salute to the American Flag in 1976

 

 

 

 

… Is it possible to wave the flag too much … provided of course, that you wave it with integrity….

 

Charles Leo Steinle aka Charlie Van Dyke, first launched his career in radio broadcasting in 1966, as a nineteen-year old with the legendary KLIF 1190 in Dallas, Texas. By the early 1970s, and rapidly-rising in the industry known for his baritone pipes, his distinct voice behind the radio microphone would eventually carry him to major markets around the country.

Harnessed by Bill Drake for his RKO radio stable, stops would include morning drives at KFRC in San Francisco, KHJ in Los Angeles, a short stint at CKLW in Windsor/Detroit and then it was on to WRKO in Boston.

But it’s the Bicentennial Year. 1976.

Seemingly what was lacking was a narrative to commemorate the country’s bicentennial celebration for that year. And that’s when Van Dyke decided to step in.

Charlie Van Dyke “The Flag” 45 RPM record sleeve from 1976

According to Charlie Van Dyke, he had retained a particular speech his uncle had written and prepared for an oratory-speech contest while in high school. His mother, in adding to the Van Dyke story, had saved a copy of that award-winning speech. That narrative saved would become The Flag.

With minor changes in the lyrics, Clive Fox worked on the produced project for release through United Artists Records. Jimmy Haskell would provide the music behind Van Dyke’s saturated, patriotic salute he voiced-over in The Flag. 

Today, while no longer in radio, Charlie Van Dyke continues to free-lance his voice talents for media markets in both radio and television affiliates across the country.  

Charlie Van Dyke, we thank and salute you for your acclimated 1976 display and show for true-American patriotism!

CHARLIE VAN DYKE * THE FLAG

Special thanks to George Griggs for contributing “The Flag” record/audio featured with this exhibit.

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