Ernie Durham, an alumnus of New York University with a journalism major, secured his initial radio position as a newscaster on WDET in Detroit during the early 1950s. During his tenure there, he also commenced hosting a jazz program. In 1955, upon joining WJLB, Durham found himself broadcasting in two different cities during his formative years in the industry. His schedule involved hosting a 3-6 p.m. show on Flint’s WBBC (formerly a Booth station, later transitioning to WTRX), followed by an immediate transition to Detroit for his nightly 8 p.m. slot on WJLB (the flagship station of Booth Broadcasting). Today, he is esteemed as one of Detroit’s broadcasting icons. After leaving WQBH, Durham returned to WDET prior to his passing in December 1992.
Today we are presenting Ernie Durham’s WJLB show-opening theme. This one from 1955 – HAND CLAPPIN’ – by Red Prystock.
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Audio digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
New Detroit R&B Soul Station PD Will Launch “Young Sound” and Apply Consistency To Programming
DETROIT — WJLB, Booth Broadcasting’s 1,000-watt R&B operation here, has just launched a new programming policy centering around tighter production, faster pacing, and a new set of custom jingles created and packaged by Quincy Jones.
Wash Allen
Wash Allen, who just recently took over WJLB program director duties after being transferred from Booth’s WABQ in Cleveland, said the Detroit station would be “running with a full-blast, exciting young sound.” Playlist will be 40 records, to which he will add as necessity demands. “You can never tell how many good tunes will come out in a good week, but I think the average will be about five new records a week,” he said.
WJLB Martha Jean ‘The Queen’, 1967
The aim will be to establish consistency in programming, Allen said. He felt his philosophy in programming was the same as Bill Drake, consultant to RKO General stations, and Paul Drew, program director of CKLW in Detroit. “Certain top tunes must be played consistently and deejays must be consistent in their shows. One dee-jay can’t make a station; it has to be a total operation and this is a new concept in R&B radio. In the old days, one guy could make a station; he could make a record. It can’t be like that today.”
Things are changing so fast in radio, especially in R&B radio, that Allen felt many older dee-jays were finding it difficult to grasp what was happening. “To some extent,” Allen said, “it was necessary to teach radio to these people. It wasn’t anybody’s fault that this situation developed. It’s just that times are changing and a radio station has to move with the times.”
WJLB ‘Frantic Ernie’ Durham, 1967
Allen began his radio career with WVOL in Nashville while attending Tennessee State University. He had been with WABQ about two and a half years before moving to WJLB. He considers himself a “derivative of Ed Wright,” who’d been program director of WABQ prior to joining Liberty Records as head of its Minit label.
Allen wrote lyrics and produced the Jones jingles. Future plans call for psychedelic jingles. Station has brought in new equipment and is building up its news department. In MarthaJean Steinberg and Ernie Durham, Allen felt he had two of the top air personalities of any station in the nation. “Now, with the new equipment, we find we have everything to work with. END
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Information, credit, and news source (as was published): Billboard; September 23, 1967
The above featured Detroit Free Press article was digitally re-imaged in its entirety by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
A special thank you to senior MCRFB consultant Greg Innis, of Livonia, MI., for contributing the Newspapers.com archives (Detroit radio related) articles, ads, and images we have featured on this site, since 2016.
Thank you, Greg Innis, for making these historic Detroit radio features possible. 🙂
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Above article is courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2020. Newspapers.com.
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This featured JACK SURRELL article was ‘clipped,’ saved, and was digitally imaged from the credited source by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
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Above ad is courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2020. Newspapers.com
The above WJLB newspaper ad feature was ‘clipped,’ saved, and was digitally imaged from the credited source by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
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Many of the above titled Billboard ‘Top 40’ R&B singles were also the most popular radio plays heard on Detroit’s soul stations 1400WJLB and 1440 WCHB on the AM dial, February-March, 1966. The featured R&B Top 40 hits list was the nation’s most popular R&B singles, as charted by Billboard, 54 years ago.
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The above WJLB chart was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
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— SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT —
The above WJLB 2-24-69 music chart survey is courtesy of Greg Innis. Greg Innis is our Motor City Radio Flashbacks senior contributor.
Martha Jean. Beloved in memory by many. Simply remembered as,“The Queen“.
She is remembered having been the voice of the city she truly loved. Whose daily broadcasts inspired “generations of radio listeners” in Detroit for over four decades.
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Audio digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
