MICKEY SHORR! SPOTLIGHTING HIS WXYZ SHOW THEME: “NIGHT TRAIN” [1952] by JIMMY FORREST

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Mickey Shorr transitioned from WJBK to WXYZ during the summer of 1957. He was a disk jockey at WJBK for two years, starting there in 1955. When Ed McKenzie left WXYZ in the spring of 1959, Mickey Shorr took over his 3 to 6:15 p.m. weekday show. For a time Mickey also conducted McKenzie’s old Saturday Dance Party on WXYZ-TV. Denied ever having taken any pay-for-play, commonly referred to as “payola,” Schorr was terminated by WXYZ during the height of the scandal in November of 1959.

We are presenting Mickey’s show’s opening theme – NIGHT TRAIN – heard nightly when he signed-on at 7:15 p.m. at Radio 1270 in Detroit, some 65-70 years ago.

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A CORRECTION — We are grateful from having recently heard from the quintessential, Detroit radio historian, David Carson (July 7, 2024), author of ‘Rockin’ Down the Dial’.

David pointed out a couple of date anomalies he found in the Mickey Shorr post this site presented, above:

“Mickey Shorr took over the 7:00 pm to 12:30 am evening hours on WJBK in June, 1955. His last show on WJBK was broadcast on Saturday, April 29, 1956 – not in 1957. His first day on the air at WXYZ was Monday, August 27, 1956.

You also mentioned that Mickey filled in for Ed McKenzie on his TV show in the summer of ’58 – this is correct. However, upon his return from medical leave Ed decided to give up his show: “Ed McKenzie’s Saturday Party.” The show was renamed “Mickey’s Saturday Dance Party” and moved to 3:30 in the afternoon where it aired from Sept. 1958 thru November 1958.”

There you have it.  It just goes to show, at times, even the newspapers we rely upon with their provided information in print (source info provided for the M.S. post was from the Detroit Free Press archive), sometimes even the publication can get it wrong.

Thank you, David, for setting the record straight. And thanks as well, for providing the two articles, below, which clearly provides added support to the correct dates we missed in our (April 15) Mickey Shorr /theme/timeline/presentation.

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Motor City Radio Flashbacks

Audio digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

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DETROIT RADIO ’57 NEWS PRINT ADS: CKLW AND WXYZ


Detroit Free Press February 6, 1957

Detroit Free Press February 6, 1957

Wednesday, February 6, 1957

A DETROIT RADIO BACK-PAGE AD

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DETROIT FREE PRESS: CKLW / WXYZ

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Above article is courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2018. Newspapers.com.

The above featured CKLW/WXYZ-related ads was ‘clipped,’ saved, and imaged from the credited source by Motor City Radio Flashbacks


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DETROIT WXYZ AM 1270 1959 NEWSPAPER FLASHBACK!




Saturday, November 28, 1959

A DETROIT RADIO BACK-PAGE

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DETROIT FREE PRESS: WXYZ-AM Shorr Fired by WXYZ; Denies He Took Payola 

(Above WXYZ related article is courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2017. Newspapers.com).


A MCRFB viewing tip: On your PC? You can read the entire 1959 WXYZ article! For a larger detailed view click above image 2x and open to second window. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.

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ALL GIRL JOCKS: ’67 WABX-FM . . . AUGUST 19, 1967

From the MCRFB news archives:

Girls ‘Man’ Deejay Mikes at WABX-FM

 

 

 

 

 

 

99 WABX-FM vintage poster ad from the late-1960s. (Click on image for larger view).

Detroit — Last Monday, on August 14, 1967, WABX-FM began a new all-girl deejay policy and the ladies will be playing jazz oriented pop music and humor. The girls will be featured 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. daily, and noon to midnights on Sundays. Jim Rockwell remains to do his daily 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. jazz show. John Small is the WABX station manager.

The man responsible for the station’s new image is Mickey Shorr, program manager and creative director of Century Broadcasting Corp., which owns WABX-FM. Shorr is originally from Detroit,  where he once was a Top 40 disc jockey with WJBK, WXYZ, CKLW and the former WKMH, now presently WKNR.

Shorr first used the all-girl formula on WSDM-FM in Chicago where it became very successful. Instead of calling his WABX-FM girls “disc jockeys,” Shorr labels them as “Mickey’s Collection.”

The girls will tape lead-outs from records, commercials, and humorous bits rather than actually broadcasting live from the studio. They represent different nationalities and have names like Curry, Halavah, Supersport and Lo-Cal. END.

 

(Information and news source: Billboard; August 19, 1967).

 

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