Category: Scott Regen

NO. 1 IN DETROIT! WKNR-AM STAYS ON TOP . . . JULY 2, 1966

From the MCRFB news archive: 1966

WKNR KEEPS SINGLES TITLE

 

 

 

 


From the MCRFB Aircheck Library, featuring:

 

 

 

 

WKNR 1966: WKNR-AM – Bob Green – 1966

WKNR 1967: WKNR-AM – Scott Regen – 1967

WKNR 1967: WKNR-AM – Dick Purtan – 1967

 

 

Billboard WKNR July 2, 1966

DETROIT — Despite a tight playlist — 31 records — WKNR has won the crown again as the major influence on sales on single records in the Detroit market — the nation’s fifth largest radio market. The latest Billboard Radio Response Rating survey shows the station with 47 per cent of the votes from record dealers, distributors, one-stop operators and local and national record executives. The next closet competitor has only 29 per cent of the votes.

WKNR had 44 percent of the votes in last year’s survey. Bob Green, the station’s major deejay, again took top honors as the major individual influence on the teen market with 30 percent of the votes.

 

Bob Green

Though WKNR plays comparatively few records over-all, the new records it exposes get extra emphasis, said program director Frank Maruca. Besides the 31 records on the playlist, Maruca features a key single and key album of the week and the top three selling albums, regardless of what they are. The key single and album, however, are brand new records Maruca feels will make the best seller charts.

Last week, the key single was “Friday’s Child” by Nancy Sinatra. Normally, the key single is by established artists, but “Day For Decision” by Johnny Sea was “out of left field. I even broke our rule and put it out (on the playlist) in the middle of the week and normally I would never do that except with the Beatles or the Supremes.”

 

Scott Regen

The key single of the week gets heavy airplay on the station. But, basically, Maruca believes that the tight playlist is the answer in today’s Hot 100 format radio. But, one thing for sure, the music is getting better,” he said. “The record buyers are becoming more selective and the music has to be much better than three or four years ago. When Frank Sinatra makes No. 1, like he is on our playlist now, that’s something to write home about. Too, the groups are turning out songs now with a melody. . . . the day of hard raucous songs are gone.” He said he thought teen-aimed music would continue to grow and improve.

 

Dick Purtan

WKNR set an all-time record in billings June 13, “and still have the rest of the month to go,” Maruca said. He attributed the popularity of the station in both audience and billings to personalities like Bob Green, who’s “an excellent straight personality with a quiet approach, Scott Regen, who’s become associated with top name artists, and Dick Purtan, who uses a lot of humor.” END

 

Addendum: Here’s the Radio Response Rating for WKNR in Detroit according to the Billboard Magazine July 2, 1966 edition:

* Top Stations (Pop Singles):

1. WKNR AM-FM 47%  2. CKLW AM – FM 29%  3. WXYZ AM – FM 24%

* Top Disk Jockeys (Pop Singles):

1. Bob Green, WKNR; 30%  2. Tom Shannon, CKLW; 20%  3. Scott Regen, WKNR; 15% 

All Others: Lee Alan, WXYZ; Dave Prince, WXYZ; Joey Reynolds, WXYZ; Dave Shafer, CKLW; Duke Windsor, CKLW.

* Top Jockeys (Pop Singles) By Time Slot (Detroit Market):

Morning — Dick Purtan, WKNR;  Mid-Morning — Ted Clark, WKNR;  Early-Afternoon — Jerry Goodwin, WKNR;  Traffic Man — Bob Green, WKNR;  Early-Evening — Scott Regen, WKNR;  Evening — J. Michael Wilson, WKNR;  All Nite — Jim Jeffries, WKNR.

* Music Director, Program Director, Or Librarian (Most Influential In Exposing Records):

Paul Cannon, Assistant Program Director, WKNR;  Hugh Frizzell, Program Director, CKLW;  Dave Prince, Music Librarian, WXYZ.

MCRFB Note: Click all images for larger views.

(The WKNR Billboard July 2, 1966 page scan courtesy Scott Westerman’s  Keener13.com; Bob Green, Scott Regen and Dick Purtan photos all courtesy the George Griggs Collection).

The 1965-1966 WKNR bumper sticker. (WKNR bumper-sticker was re-created by Dave Riley of Redford, Michigan; scan courtesy Scott Westerman’s facebook/Keener13.com).

 (Information and news source: Billboard; July 2, 1966)

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“MOTOWN MONDAYS” GOING ‘LIVE’ FOR WKNR . . . SEPTEMBER 17, 1966

A MCRFB NEWS brief: 1966

Scott Regen Host Motown At Detroit’s Roostertail Club For WKNR

 

 

. . .The Upper Deck of The Roostertail, is proud to present . . . .

 

— From the MCRFB Aircheck Library featuring WKNR-AM

Motown Monday LIVE at The Roostertail (w/Scott Regen) 1966

 

DETROIT — The “Motown Mondays” at Detroit’s Roostertail Supper Club are now being broadcast on WKNR, Detroit, each Saturday at 11 P.M. Scott Regen is host. Artists of Motown Records appearing on the show include the Four Tops, Junior Walker & The All-Stars, Marvin Gaye, Martha & The Vandellas, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Marvelettes, The Supremes and The Temptations. This marks the first time in memory that “live” entertainment and music will have been broadcast on WKNR exclusively from the location for the nightly popular Scott Regen Show. END

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Addendum: In 1967, Scott Regen, heard nightly 7 to 10 p.m. on WKNR at the time, wrote the liner notes for “The Supremes Sings Holland – Dozier – Holland” Motown LP. Scott also wrote the liner notes for “The Four Tops Live At The Roostertail” and can be heard singing along side with the Four Tops on “Reach Out.” Scott Regen also introduced the Temptations on their 1967 album “The Temptations Live At The Roostertail” as well. On ‘Keener 13,’ Scott Regen became the highest-rated night-time deejay in Detroit – No. 1 — in 1965, 1966 and 1967. Truly, Scott Regen was “Detroit Radio King Of The ’60s!“

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(Information and news source: Billboard; September 17, 1966)

The Roostertail, 100 Marquette Drive, Detroit, MI. 48214
Inside the spectacular Roostertail Supper Club as it looked in the 1960s. Besides showcasing Detroit Motown artists during that era, many, many other great acts performed here since its opening in 1958.
The Roostertail Upper Deck bar and lounge area circa 1967.

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WCAR DUMPS MOR FOR ROCK… NOVEMBER 6, 1971

From the MCRFB news archives:

WCAR DUMPS MOR CONSULTING SERVICE; NEW PROGRAM MANAGER NAMED

 

 

 

 

DETROIT — WCAR, the 50,000-watt station here, was revamped in a surprise move last week as the firm consulting the station, Programing db, was replaced by a full-time program manager, C. J. Jones. Neil McIntyre, the previous program director, resigned.

First move by the new program manager Jones was to chop the playlist to 30 records, while adding five new hitbounds. In addition the station will be playing selected cuts from two to five albums, The firm of Programing db had consulted the station for more than a year and only recently switched the format from MOR* to rock. Jones said that when he took over the station Monday (November 1), there were more than 70 records on the playlist. “The air personalities had format clocks that had no real direction and the station paid very little attention to mechanics.”

1130 WCAR-AM Detroit, with overnight shift personality Jim Keene in 1970. (Click on image for larger size).

Under Jones, WCAR air-personalities (and he plans to retain them all, if possible) will be allowed to rap between records to some extent — “say three seconds… or even 25 seconds… but I can’t visualize anything so super important that it needs 25 seconds to say it,” as Jones reiterated. Basically, the station will be a “more music” station, “but with personality, we’ve got some great radio professionals on the air here.” Air personalities include Dan O’Shea 6-10 a.m., Dave Prince 10-2 p.m., Scott Regen 2-6 p.m., Ron O’Brien 6-10 p.m., Ed Busch 10-2 a.m. and Jim Keene 2-6 a.m.

 

From the MCRFB Aircheck Library, featuring:

(Note: three airchecks when WCAR was MOR before the format switch).

WCAR.Scott.Regen.mp3

WCAR.Ray.Otis.1971.mp3

WCAR.Scott.Regen.9.8.1971.mp3

 

“WCAR is a real rarity–the best radio opportunity in the nation. It has a good frequency, 1130 on the dial, 50,000 watts day-timer and 10,000 watts during nights, and it’s well financed. The major station in the market, CKLW, is more or less a time and temperature station. I feel we can succeed by playing a hell of a lot of music per hour.” And he felt that the ruling calling for Canadian radio stations to play a hefty percentage of Canadian product would be to the advantage of WCAR.

Jones is actually a consultant himself. He took responsibility for taking over WFDF in Flint, Michigan, on October 1, 1970, and took it to No. 1 in the market. Currently, he also consults WJIM in Lansing, Mich. He will continue to serve these two stations as consultant, but his major priority at the moment will be focused on WCAR.

WCAR has acquired a semi-custom set of jingles from TM Productions in Dallas–a set using the basics as the jingles package featured on the Pacific & Southern Broadcasting stations.

Jones will be doing the music chores at WCAR himself. The rotation pattern at the station “will concentrate on the top 10 selling records, plus the up-and-coming records (meaning: the records going up the station’s playlist rather than those dropping down). Oldies will be will be programmed fairly heavily in the morning drive period and in the mid-day, “but the format is by no means an oldies format. We will be willing to break a new record if we feel it’s going to be a hit, but not five in a week,” he said, regarding the new records added each week. Both WFDF and WJIM has a playlist of 40 records, plus five new records per week. Each station’s music is picked separately — the other two stations have their own program and music directors. END.

 

(Information and news source: Billboard; November 6, 1971).

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WHEN WKNR SIGNED OFF 40 YEARS AGO. THIS DAY ’72

WKNR SIGNED OFF INTO HISTORY TODAY, APRIL 25, FORTY-YEARS AGO

 

 

 

 

First_WKNR_Bumper_Sticker-1024x274

DETROIT (April 25, 2012) — WKNR-AM, once the dominate radio station in Detroit during the 1960s, signed-off the 1310 AM frequency for the last time on this day, April 25, 1972.

The WKNR AM and FM studio facility at 15001 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, in the 1960s. (Photo courtesy Keener13.com)

 

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.

WKNR No. 1 in 1965, according to this published trade article. (Click on image for larger view).

CKLW, during that time, was totally being restructured into a formidable radio powerhouse the Canadian station would become by year’s end.

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 survey guide from February 07, 1972 (Click image for larger view)
WKNR survey guide from February 07, 1972. (Click image for larger view).

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.

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.

MCRFB aircheck audio: WKNR Bob Chenault March 27, 1972

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.

MCRFB jingle audio: WKNR “Stereo Island” 1970

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 —

MCRFB aircheck audio: John McCrae Last Moments of Keener 13 April 25, 1972

(This original audio source is property, courtesy of Scott Westerman and keener13.com)

“…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 very last Top 40 song WKNR would ever play -- before the 8:00 hour on the morning of April 25, 1972
Signing-off, the last WKNR Keener 13 Top 30 hit WKNR would ever play — 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, 2012, will mark a decade 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.

WKNR 'Together' logo from 1970 - 1971 (Click image for larger view)
WKNR ‘Together’ logo from 1970 – 1971. (Click image for larger view).

“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 the 1960s and early-1970s.

As Bob Green previously commented to Scott Westerman on keener13.com, quote, “The WKNR experience provided some of my happiest radio memories.”

We agree.

As 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 one sensational story. A story  of a Detroit radio station’s historic top 40 run to number one status (in short-order all within 9 weeks) after having signed on in October 1963.

And it is a story still remembered to this day. Forty years after signing-off into Detroit radio history one April morning, on this day, in 1972.

 

 A MCRFB NOTE: For a more comprehensive search in our MCRFB archives on WKNR to date, you may GO HERE.

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