PRESS IMAGES FROM DETROIT RADIO’S PAST! WJR 1966
Category: WJR
WJR-AM BACK ON THE RADIO: J. P. McCARTHY!
WJR HEARD 24/7 ON MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS
WJR-AM 760 * 1985 * J. P. McCARTHY
J. P.’S WJR SHOW THEME RECALLED! HAVE A NICE DAY
THE COUNT BASIE ORCHESTRA * “Have A Nice Day” * Daybreak Records (US; 1971)
PRESS IMAGES FROM DETROIT RADIO’S PAST! WJR 1969
WAY-BACK DETROIT RADIO PAGES: WWJ, WJR, AND WXYZ . . . JUNE 2, 1945
From the MCRFB radio news scrapbook: 1945
LOCAL PROGRAMMING HEDGES POSTWAR
Stations Go, Live in Hopes
DETROIT (May 26, 1945) — Check of all major local stations indicates that emphasis on local programming is continuation of fairly long-time trend. In general, it has been something the stations has been doing for the last three years.Typically, WWJ has increased programming cost heavily in last two years, and WWJ has had a 73-piece symphony orchestra sponsored by a cut-rate department store for the two and a half years in a full hour Saturday night show with barely any mention of the sponsor.
Trend is definitely continuing, with new developments, both commercial and sustaining, tending away from the all-platter shows, except in post-midnight and early-a.m. hours, where they appear to have a permanent useful place. WWJ for the last year has done a job with Nurses In Action, dramatizing the nurse recruiting campaign, and Victory Matinee, devoted each Wednesday afternoon to a different war effort cause and using the full talent resources of the station. Another show of typical operations here is Tenth Floor, Please, sponsored by a department store, which dramatizes the story of products sold on this floor.
In the last year, WJR pioneered in inter-station contacts for ideas, sending out five teams of station men, paired from different departments — typically the commercial manager and the program director — on one-week junkets around the country to inspect station operations in other cities.
Recently a swing quartet from the Motor Bar was put on the air for 15 minutes at 9:45 — at a cost of $65.00 daily — chiefly to break into the general soap opera schedule with something that wasn’t transcriptions, until change of schedule forced its abandonment.
Check on inter-station cooperation indicate this is largely by letter elsewhere. WXYZ, typically, reports frequent interchange of ideas, and requests for info on how the station has solved particular problems — such as what they do on department store programs. Most of these correspondence come from stations of the affiliated Blue. Station has made a practice of working closely on production with clients and agencies, in contrast to WJR, where the station typically done its own particular show packaging and then offered the product for sale.
Recorded programs on WXYZ have been reduced some 50 per cent in the past year — chiefly in favor taking net shows, rather than local production, in which the station was already strong, originating at least three week serials — notably Lone Ranger. Another trend toward better programming here is the move away from short records in favor of the larger disks with a full 15-minutes of music, or re-broadcasts.
The move toward better programming emphasis appears concentrated in smaller towns, typified by Michigan Radio Network, which has heavily moved this way within the past three months. END
(Information and news source: Billboard; June 2, 1945).
WAY-BACK DETROIT RADIO PAGES: WAR YEARS DETROIT RADIO EVENTS . . . JULY 8, 1944
From the MCRFB radio scrapbook pages: 1944
Army Air Show Sold In Detroit; One Newspaper Plus Every Detroit Radio Station Breaks Records for 20-Day Military Shindig
DETROIT (July 1, 1944) — The consistent, but most important use of radio by the army was the major factor in building an all-time record attendance for the Army Air Show. Turnstile clicked 2,100,000 in the 20 days ended Sunday (June 25). Show was sponsored by The Detroit Times and received general space there, naturally, but as The Times itself commented, it was just “not publicized” by the other newspapers. Practically all credit therefore for the large attendance goes to radio.
The show, staged five miles from town at the municipal airport, had a mile of exhibits under tent of Detroit-made (military) war products. Covered stage at the center of midway was used for on-the-ground shows and for the series of programs aired.
The Army Air Show set a record of three shows fed to national networks, three fed to regional networks and 52 local stations shows. Originating stations for the network shows were WXYZ, feeding the Blue and the Michigan Radio Net, and, WWJ, feeding the NBC-RED.
Local stations taking the shows were WJLB, WJBK, WJR, and CKLW. One show each was also fed to WTOL, Toledo, and to WCAR and WHK, Cleveland.
How Variety Shows Pull Best
Most consistent air show were Victory Varieties, opening five days in advance of the show on WJLB and broadcast through the entire run of the show. Program was variety with patriotic angles. Features of this, as of every practically show aired, was a combination of standard radio entertainment, with the casts of the radio station making the daily trip, via police escort, to the exhibit.
Among guest artists were Lt. William Holden and Pvt. John Payne, Hollywood stars; “Skeets” Gallagher, Benny Baker, and Gloria Humphrey, of Good Night, Ladies; Russell Swann, noted magician, and Norman H. Birnkrant, general counsel for the National Association of Theatrical Agents.
Numerous shows were not broadcast because of lack of air time. These were broadcast over the show’s P.A. system to all tents.
Reopening of the shows, which was closed four days because of a blow-down of fourteen big tents, was plugged by 35 spot announcements over various local stations.
Top accolades for the success of the radio program go to two former radio men, Lt. Col. J. Gordon Lloyd, and Staff Sgt. Arthur Sutton, assigned to the public relations office of the Sixth Service Command, Detroit Command, Detroit office. Lloyd was formerly account executive at WJZ, Blue Network, New York. Sutton was formerly production man and continuity writer at CKLW, WXYZ and WWJ, Detroit. END
(Information and news source, The Billboard; July 8, 1944).
ARMY’S AIR DISPLAY AGAIN SHOW DETROIT AS WEEK-END TOWN
DETROIT (July 1, 1944) — The Army Air Show, which featured a mile of tent exhibits of war products made in Detroit, closed a twenty-day span Sunday with attendance of 2, 100,000. Admission was free, but a check was made by General Motors and Ford Motor Company, principal exhibitors.
Sunday crowd reached about 300,000, second only to the opening Sunday, June 4, when it hit about 500,000. Mid-week attendance was down.
The factor points to a moral to shows playing in Detroit for the duration at least. The Motor City has become a 100 per cent weekend town, with amusements generally starving about four days a week, followed by turn-away crowds on weekends. END
(Information and news source, The Billboard; July 8, 1944).
WJR-AM 1964: EYES AND EARS FOR NEWS IN DETROIT!
WJR 760 DETROIT
WJR-AM February 3, 1964 – George Kimball, Frank Tomlinson, a very young Jim Harper, William Harris, George Collins, David White, Richard C. Hottelet, Douglas Edwards, Lowell Thomas and Allan Jackson
Credit: WJR ad courtesy vintagetoledotv.squarespace.com/
JIM HAMPTON’S SPECIAL ‘AN ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS’ WILL BROADCAST CHRISTMAS DAY ON WJR-AM 760!
S E A S O N ‘ S G R E E T I N G S D E T R O I T !
H E L L O , J I M H A M P T O N H E R E . You know, after working as an air personality at WXYZ, WJBK and WCAR in Detroit, I moved to WLS as Production Director. One of my assignments was to create a 12-hour Christmas special that the station could play and give the entire staff the Holiday off.
After I moved to Los Angeles to work in radio syndication, among the thousands of programs I produced were numerous Christmas specials. There were short-form features, long-form specials and 24 hour formats.
In addition to great Christmas music, all of the programs I produced were filled with special features, stories, comedy, the amazing comments of little children, and, of course, interviews with everyday people and superstar celebrities.
The program content includes Contemporary and Classic Christmas songs. From Mathis to Buble, from Whitney to Barbra, and from The Ronettes to Jose Feliciano.
Plus, there are numerous vignettes about how Christmas customs came about, lots of celebrity drop-ins (Clint Eastwood, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis and many more), Tom Murphy (otherwise known as “world-famous” Tom Murphy offers his Holiday anecdotes, there are old radio clips from classic performers of the 40’s (Jack Benny, Bob Hope, George Burns & Gracie Allen, to name a few), and the delightful, heartwarming and honest voices of little children reflecting on their favorite day of the year.
All in all, it is a 6-hour Holiday celebration for the whole family. It just may become the soundtrack of Christmas get togethers from now on. Hope you’ll join me tomorrow evening from 6:00 P.M. until 12 MIDNIGHT Christmas Day, for this special 2014 holiday event on Detroit’s 760-AM WJR.
Written, produced and hosted by Jim Hampton, AN ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS can be heard from anywhere in the world over iHeartRadio, wjr.com, and of course throughout the Midwest on NewsTalk 760 WJR.
Merry Christmas! – Jim Hampton
‘AN ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS’ * Jimmy Hampton * WJR 760 (PROMO)
JIM HAMPTON’S SPECIAL ‘AN ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS’ WILL BROADCAST CHRISTMAS DAY ON WJR-AM 760!
S E A S O N ‘ S G R E E T I N G S D E T R O I T !
H E L L O , J I M H A M P T O N H E R E . You know, after working as an air personality at WXYZ, WJBK and WCAR in Detroit, I moved to WLS as Production Director. One of my assignments was to create a 12-hour Christmas special that the station could play and give the entire staff the Holiday off.
After I moved to Los Angeles to work in radio syndication, among the thousands of programs I produced were numerous Christmas specials. There were short-form features, long-form specials and 24 hour formats.
In addition to great Christmas music, all of the programs I produced were filled with special features, stories, comedy, the amazing comments of little children, and, of course, interviews with everyday people and superstar celebrities.
The program content includes Contemporary and Classic Christmas songs. From Mathis to Buble, from Whitney to Barbra, and from The Ronettes to Jose Feliciano.
Plus, there are numerous vignettes about how Christmas customs came about, lots of celebrity drop-ins (Clint Eastwood, Natalie Cole, Johnny Mathis and many more), Tom Murphy (otherwise known as “world-famous” Tom Murphy offers his Holiday anecdotes, there are old radio clips from classic performers of the 40’s (Jack Benny, Bob Hope, George Burns & Gracie Allen, to name a few), and the delightful, heartwarming and honest voices of little children reflecting on their favorite day of the year.
All in all, it is a 6-hour Holiday celebration for the whole family. It just may become the soundtrack of Christmas get togethers from now on. Hope you’ll join me, Thursday, December 25th., from 6:00 P.M. until 12 MIDNIGHT Christmas Day, for this special 2014 holiday event on Detroit’s 760-AM WJR.
Written, produced and hosted by Jim Hampton, AN ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS can be heard from anywhere in the world over iHeartRadio, wjr.com, and of course throughout the Midwest on NewsTalk 760 WJR.
Merry Christmas! – Jim Hampton
‘AN ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS’ * Jimmy Hampton * WJR 760 (PROMO)
WAY-BACK DETROIT RADIO PAGES: WJR (1946) AND WXYZ (1949)
From the MCRFB radio scrapbook:1946 / 1949
EAR PLUGS ARE FREE (WJR Fred Wolf; 1946)
RADIO IN THE ALLEYS
WXYZ Fred Wolf; 1949)
DETROIT (October 12) — Bowling, viewed by one branch of show business — motion pictures theater owners — as a major threat to their operation, is receiving a friendly hand from WJR. Starting tomorrow, the state’s only 50,000-watter will air a Sunday night program, The Tenth Frame, with Fred Wolf, a former champion, as commentator.
Program will feature alley-side broadcast, which will be handled via wire recorder. Remotes from alleys are usually considered impossible because of the noise. Wolf did, however, handled the on-the-spot broadcasts from the bowling congress at Buffalo last year. END
(Information and news source: Billboard; October 12, 1946).
DETROIT (November 26) — Bowling now merits recognition as a sport on radio, judging from the action on WXYZ in sending Fred Wolf, station bowling commentator, to Chicago to cover three special alley-side broadcasts. The airings, totaling 75 minutes, described the five-man match game world championship held there at the Samuelson Arcade.
The time was sold to Detroit’s E&B Brewing Company thru the D. B. Donner Agency for the event, in which Detroit teams participated. END
(Information and news source: Billboard; December 3, 1949).