* THE Mike Lockhart COLLECTION *
— ACKNOWLEDGEMENT —
A special THANK YOU to Mike Lockhart of Ferndale, MI., for sharing this 1965 CKLW audio memory with Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
WJOI 97 * 1987 * THE SOUNDS OF JOY FM (Mark Taylor)
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NEW! WJOI aircheck date WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1987
WWJ 97.1 became ‘the sounds of beautiful music’ on the FM dial in Detroit in 1971.
In August 1981, WWJ-FM applied and petitioned the FCC for a call letter change, WJOI. Granted, WJOI officially became JOY FM on Thursday, December 17, 1981.
Owned by the Detroit-based Evening News Association, CBS Radio paid a reported $25,000,000 for WWJ-AM and its sister FM station WJOI in May 1989.
CBS’ WJOI-FM became the new WYST-FM, 6 AM, on Friday, September 2, 1994. Ditching its noted ‘beautiful music’ sound, the format instead was changed to a ‘soft-rock favorites’ format.
Before the end of its FM run in 1994, The ‘Sounds of Beautiful Music’ was heard for over 23 years in the Motor City.
On the AM side, WWJ-AM retained its all-news format, broadcasting regional and national news, sports, weather — 24 hours today — on AM 950 in Detroit.
Today, 97.1 FM is licensed with the calls letters, WXYT – branded “97.1 The Ticket” – a commercial sports radio station serving Metro Detroit and much of Southeast Michigan.
The station is owned by Entercom, with studios located in the nearby suburb of Southfield, and a transmitter site on Southfield’s eastern side.
(Source: Detroit Free Press; Wikipedia)
—ACKNOWLEDGEMENT—
A special THANK YOU to our senior contributor, Greg Innis, of Livonia, MI., for donating this WJOI-FM audio aircheck to the Motor City Radio Flashbacks archive.
The above featured WJOI aircheck was audio enhanced by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
A 1972 JOHNNY WILLIAMS CKLW MONTAGE
WMJC-FM 95 * 1977 * TOM INGRAM
*****
In April 1976, WHNE, the “all-oldies” station on the FM dial, became the new WMJC. Billing itself as the new “Magic 95” playing adult-contemporary, soft rock classics. Four years after its launch, according to Arbitron ratings, the station peaked its highest in ranking overall, respectively holding at No. 2 in September 1980. WJR, held the No. 1 spot on the radio dial overall at the time. In late 1984, WMJC began to manifest a three-year decline in the rating books, competing against WNIC, WCZY for a higher share for the ‘soft-rock’ crown. By late-1986, WMJC, already a decade on the dial, was all but formally finished, unable its climb for “respectable” ratings. Greater Media, the station’s owner, dropped the format with a new set of calls, becoming WCSX. The new classic-rock station signed in — going against two formidable, entrenched rockers on the FM dial in the Motor City at the time — WRIF 101.1 and WLLZ 98.7 in March 1987.
NEW! TOM INGRAM WMJC aircheck date THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1977
*****
In this new WMJC aircheck (September 1977) we showcase the radio talents and production skills of Tom Ingram. Tom primarily made his mark in Detroit radio via production studios — not as a radio personality — as this aircheck would seem to indicate. Tom Ingram’s production voice was heard for many years in the Detroit radio market in general, having produced and plugged hundreds of ads and radio production pieces around the dial, beginning the late-1970s and throughout the 1980s decade.
You can hear Tom’s voice in two of his ads near the end of this September 1, 1977 aircheck. One ad is for Harmony House and the other he voice-tagged for Admiral appliances.
The above featured WMJC aircheck was audio enhanced by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
WHND-AM 560 * 1991 * BOB HEYDEN
NEW! BOB HEYDEN WHND aircheck date SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 1991
*****
— WHNE FM ‘HONEYRADIO’ WHND AM —
In August 1973, Detroit oldies station WHFI 94.7 FM became the former when the station changed its call letters to WHNE. WHNE, better known as ‘Honeyradio’ since its beginning, promoted and increased their own “All-Oldies” brand (1955-1970) on “FM 95” under the direction of FM automation programmers Bill Drake and Lester Chenault, owners of Drake/Chenault Enterprises.
By April 1976, Greater Media, owners of WHNE 95 and WQTE 560, dropped the oldies format on the FM side and changed formats to adult contemporary, playing soft-rock favorites on the new WMJC “Magic 95”.
WQTE (at time playing “Beautiful Music”) became the new WHND in April 1976, retaining the FM automated ‘All-Oldies’ banner on AM after having made its mark as “Honeyradio” on 94.7 FM. Four years later, the automation was dropped on WHND for live in-studio disk Jockeys, latter-1980.
By 1991, WHND was billed to be the oldest, all oldies radio station in the nation still on the dial. The station notched its place on 560 AM having played the biggest hits from the rock ‘n’ roll era for over 18 incredible years in the Motor City.
WHND’s amazing run came to an end on November 25, 1994, when, just before sundown, Fred “Boogie” Brian closed out ‘Honeyradio’ with a farewell and final song, “I’ll Remember You,” by Elvis Presley.
The above featured aircheck was audio enhanced by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
WJR RECALLED on MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKSWJR-AM 760 * 1991 * J. P. McCARTHY
NEW! J. P. McCARTHY WJR aircheck date: unknown FEBRUARY 1991
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In this brief interview, J. P. speaks with Byron about the current 1991 resurgence of his 1974 patriotic hit, “The Americans”.
NOTE: This WJR interview was conducted some days before the Gulf War came to a rapid close, ending this country’s direct U.S. military involvement in the liberation of Kuwait. A military cease fire was declared by President George Herbert Walker Bush, formally ending the conflict on February 28, 1991.
Four years after this 1991 interview – 25 years ago – J. P. McCarthy passed away on August 16. Eight months and two weeks after we lost Byron MacGregor on January 3, 1995.
WDTM-FM * 106.7 * OCTOBER 16, 1960
WDTM-FM 106.7
—Sunday, October 16, 1960—
“A new FM station will make its Detroit bow Sunday. WDTM at 106.7 megacycles on the FM dial, is located in the Cadillac Tower in downtown Detroit. The broadcast schedule will include talk and good music. They will carry broadcast concerts of the Philadelphia, Hartford and New York Philharmonic Orchestra exclusively in the Detroit area.”
(Note: In this 1960 WDTM aircheck, you will also hear statements from Detroit Mayor Louis Miriani and Governor G. Mennen Williams).
— The Detroit Free Press Sunday, October 16 (pg. 21)
— ACKNOWLEDGEMENT —
NEW! A special THANK YOU to Bob Pratt, of Farmington Hills, MI, for donating his personally recorded WDTM-FM aircheck to Motor City Radio Flashbacks!
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* THE BOB PRATT COLLECTION *
NEW! GARY STEVENS WKNR aircheck date: THURSDAY, JULY 2, 1964 (REVERB!)
* BOB GREEN PRODUCTIONS *
Note: A special THANK YOU to WKNR great Bob Green (Bob Green Productions, Houston, TX) for sharing this (fabulous) Gary Stevens, 1964 WKNR audio memory — from where this aircheck originally had emanated from, the recording having been preserved — as featured here on this website today.
NEW! MARC AVERY CKLW aircheck date: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1984
* THE GREG INNIS COLLECTION *
— ACKNOWLEDGEMENT —
A special THANK YOU to senior website contributor GREG INNIS of Livonia, MI., for sharing this CKLW audio memory with Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
CKLW RECALLED on MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS
NEW! DICK PURTAN CKLW aircheck date: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1978
— DICK PURTAN’S FIRST SHOW on CKLW —
— ACKNOWLEDGEMENT —
A special THANK YOU to senior website contributor GREG INNIS of Livonia, MI., for sharing this CKLW audio memory with Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
