Sadly to say Dianne Christian passed away January 14, 2014
Category: WKNR
THEBEATLEDJ: ‘ALL THOSE FLOWER POWER YEARS AGO’
1968: WKNR PRESENTS ‘THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE’!
BEACH BOYS: HOT ROD TREND CATCHES ON . . . NOVEMBER 23, 1963
From the MCRFB news archives: 1963
Beach Boys Move From Surf To New Street Rod Sound
NEW YORK — With three albums solid (and chart entries) and what looks like growing teenage acceptance, record companies are moving out of the surf and on to the track. There is a heavy emphasis of rock product that features gunning engines, peculiar jargon and rolling beat of what looks like the next big teenage fad — hot rod music.
One of the first labels to leap from the crest of the surf wave on to the hot rod track was Capitol Records. The firm’s Beach Boys made the transition without grinding gears, roaring from a string of surf hits to their first behind the wheel and engine groove, “Little Deuce Coupe.” The LP has followed the smash single up the chart.
“Shutdown” is another Capitol album that has ridden on the charts for some time, and has given the label an indication what the new swing was about. It contain various artists in hot rod garb. The label also has its West Coast surfing personality, Dick Dale, swinging in on the street rod popularity with his first hot rod LP.
Capitol is pushing hard with promotions behind the hot rod build. The label is supplying disc jockeys with a wide variety of material which includes sweatshirts carrying similar type drawings to those shown on the album covers.
The deejay kits also carry literature about hot rodding, including a pamphlet that explains the jargon and information regarding the organization of the National Hot Rod Association. In addition, deejays are being supplied with copies of the automotive publication, Hot Rod. In New York, the Capitol distributors are working closely with the hot rod club in Hempstead, and also with the Dick Clark Show. Still another part of the kit contains a sampler LP of hot rod music on the label. In addition to these LP’s, Capitol has two albums on the market that features the sounds of actual hot rodders in motion.
Regional breakout listing this week shows that the “Hot Rod City” LP on the Vault record label is coming in for a share of the action. This is another West Coast label making the transition from surf to road without a hitch. Vault is being distributed by Atco Records nationally and plans are in the works for special promotions with disk jockeys. Part of the national promotion being planned is a nationwide contest which would offer hot rod racing gear prizes to winners. These would be worked out with radio deejays on a regional basis.
A flood of singles product on a wide variety of labels has developed over the last month. Del Fi and a few other labels came roaring in with albums featuring the new motor sound. END.
(Information and news source: Billboard; November 23, 1963).
WKNR-AM — Bob Green Hot Rod Kits Giveaway — February, 1964
Addendum: In this MCRFB featured WKNR aircheck, Bob Green is heard promoting WKNR’s 200 Capitol Records ‘Hot Rod Kits’ giveaway at Korvette’s Department Store, located on Telegraph Rd., at W. Chicago. The date was February, 1964. (Click link for 6:05 audio).
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE ALL OVER THE WORLD!
SOMETHING NEW!
LISTEN TO THE WKNR 50TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW HERE!
TODAY! THE “KEENER STORY” TO BE REMEMBERED, RETOLD, RECALLED ON WCXI RADIO
An EXCLUSIVE 2013 MCRFB radio event promotion:
KEENER 13 50th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL TO AIR ON WCXI-AM 1160 (FENTON) TODAY
DATELINE DETROIT OCTOBER 31, 1963: WKNR. THE “NEW RADIO 13” IS BORN!
DETROIT (October 27) — An historic Detroit radio milestone. On October 31, 2013, this date will mark 50 years having passed when WKHM became WKNR, “New Radio 13,” here in the Motor City in 1963. 50-years ago. Halloween. October 31. A date to be always remembered in the history of Detroit radio.
In celebration of this event, the “Keener” story will be re-lived, re-told once again on WCXI-AM 1160 on your dial — TODAY — Friday afternoon, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m., November 1, 2013. Join former WKNR disc jockey/alumnus Greg Innis and WCXI host Jimmy James and several former-WKNR luminaries for this exclusive WCXI “Keener 13” radio special November 1.
For other details on this special WCXI-AM Detroit radio event go to the keener13.com website (and for everything else WKNR) here. Can’t pick up the station? You can listen to the show — TODAY November 1 — streamed live over the internet by going to WCXI-AM on-line, their link provided here. 50 years later . . . . KEENER STILL LIVES!
DID YOU REMEMBER? IT’S A ‘KEENER’ 50TH TODAY!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
ON THIS DATE IN 1963 A DETROIT RADIO LEGEND WAS BORN 50 YEARS AGO
DETROIT (October 31) — October 31, 1963. WKMH becomes the new WKNR, “New Radio 13.”
Did you remember?
WKNR. Detroit. The “Keener Story.” How much more can be said that hasn’t been said about this great Detroit radio legend? In all reality not much more else needs to be said, nor added, of what is well known about the “Keener story.”
And despite many years having passed, this much is known, the “story” is still remembered today. A story about an incredible Dearborn radio station, situated on Michigan Avenue, a story that has been told, re-told time and time again for five decades. The story of a station remembered for its meteoric rise — within weeks — from bottom to No. 1 status, the fastest ever in Detroit radio history.
WKNR. The greatest Detroit radio story that was ever told.
What took place this day in Detroit, exactly 50-years ago today, would turn a new page in Detroit radio history. It would change Detroit radio forever. (To those who may not know about the “Keener Story,” we have archived and covered the WKNR story here on Motor City Radio Flashbacks. Go to our menu’s ‘Categories’ on the left, scroll down and click WKNR).
Detroit radio history would record when Mrs. Fred Knorr, owner of the Knorr Broadcasting Corporation, early in 1963 hired an independent free-lance radio consultant by the name of Mike Joseph. Joseph, who had successfully “modernized” top 40 radio WGR to No. 1 status in Buffalo, he would devote his winning consulting talents in the same way for Mrs. Knorr’s WKMH.
Within 70-days of it’s launch, WKNR found itself alone on top during the Detroit radio wars, late-1963. By mid-January ’64, WKNR, the “New Radio 13,” would be christened the winner in the four-way battle for the top 40 crown in the Motor City.
![WKNR Music Guide, November 14, 1963 [b/side] (click image for larger view)](https://www.mcrfb.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/WKNR-MUSIC-GUIDE-NOVEMBER-14-1963-BACK.jpg)
In 1962 Bob Green left Detroit’s WKMH for the legendary WQAM down in Miami. WQAM was the No. 1 top 40 radio station at the time. By early 1963, the Miami station was gifted claiming two of their most popular radio personalities that year. Bob Green and Jerry Goodwin. But Bob would leave WQAM in October, 1963. Jerry Goodwin would leave WQAM shortly thereafter in January, 1964. Both headed north for the new WKNR in Detroit.
Mort Crowley, formerly from St. Louis’ KWK, would become the new morning man on Keener radio. His at-times acerbic wit quickly would endear him with WKNR’s new morning listeners. (Crowley, after just three months with WKNR would leave the station in February, 1964). Robin Seymour would be the mid-morning man on the new WKNR. Seymour, then a 16-year stalwart in the business held over from the old WKMH days (since 1947), was regarded at the time the most popular personality Detroit radio ever produced.
Gary Stevens would leave top 40 WIL in St. Louis. Having been at WIL since 1961, inevitably Stevens honed his radio skills masterfully there. Stevens caught the attention of WKNR PD Frank Maruca for the early to late afternoon drive. For teens in Detroit, Stevens would become one of the most popular jocks at the station here through March, 1965. (Gary Stevens would leave WKNR for WMCA in New York).
Frank ‘Swingin” Sweeney came to WKNR in early 1964. When the time came Mort Crowley was no longer at the station, Sweeney was called in from Youngstown, Ohio, WKBN-AM. Replacing Mort Crowley, Sweeney became Keener’s new morning man, April, 1964. He would become an instant A.M. favorite on the “New Radio 13” here in Detroit through August, 1965.
Jim Sanders. New at WKMH since February 1963, Sanders was production director at the station for the short term. Eventually Jim was selected by Knorr management to fill the 12 noon – 3:00 p.m. mid-day slot for the “New Radio 13.” Sanders, more into the production phase, would leave WKNR shortly thereafter to work for Triad Broadcasting in Milwaukee, January 1964. Jerry Goodwin, Bob Green’s friend and protege from his Miami WQAM days, would become the perfect mid-morning voice on WKNR replacing Sanders immediately thereafter.
And overnights? It would be Bill Phillips doing the all-night shift, 12 Midnight – 5 A.M. on the new WKNR Keener 13.
Crowley. Seymour. Sanders. Stevens. Green. Phillips. WKNR.
The die was set. The die was cast. And the rest of this story would become radio history. 50 years later. Without question. WKNR would become the greatest Detroit radio story that would ever be told.
Did you remember? It’s October 31, 2013. Halloween. Happy 50th. WKNR “Keener 13.”
WKNR-AM * Keener 13 Key Men of Music * November, 1964
A MCRFB Note
For everything that is WKNR, go to Scott Westerman and Steve Schram’s splendid WKNR tribute website at Keener13.com.
For more on WKNR on Motor City Radio Flashbacks, go here.
Motor City Radio Flashbacks would like to thank MCRFB contributor James Heddle for providing the (1964) WKNR audio aircheck above. ‘Keener’ LIVES!
DETROIT DEALERS DOWNPLAYS RADIO PLAYLIST VALUE . . . SEPTEMBER 3, 1966
From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1966
Detroit Record Distributors Play Down Chart Value in Sound-Alike Market
DETROIT — While local record merchandisers claim that area radio “Top 40 Charts” are highly inaccurate, they say they are able to live with the situation because no one in the Motor City market uses radio charts as a buying guide.
This lack of direct chart influence on record sales, according to dealers, is due to the relatively high number of competing “Big Beat” radio stations in the area — all offering slightly different formats and none having a clearly dominant influence in effect in the Detroit pop market.
Sam Press, co-owner of Ross Music Shops in Detroit, said that “There are actually three influential rock stations — WKNR and WXYZ here (Detroit) and one, CKLW, in Windsor, Canada, competing for the kids’ attention, plus two very strong R&B stations, WCHB and WJLB (Detroit). You have to remember that because of Motown, R&B (or Soul music) is a stronger product here than it might be in other markets. So what you have is kids constantly switching dials between all these stations and not being dominate by any of them. A (WKNR) ‘Keener’ chart might have some of the most popular songs in the area on it but it will be invariably late in listing a big English hit which the kids have been hearing on CKLW of Windsor, and will likewise be late in list a hot R&B number that has been exposed by one of the other stations.”
“What this means,” he said, “is that teen-agers choose the best of several stations. For this reason we don’t have to buy according to any one station’s charts. The independent dealers in this town wait until they start getting requests before they will order anything — except something by a very hot artist.”
Asked if his customers would not seek out a competitor who already had the hits in stock, Press said: “The racks are even slower in getting current singles out — we can move faster than our competition.”
NOT USED AS GUIDE
Lou Salesin, a 35-year veteran of the business who owns Munford Music Shop, said he also does not use “radio charts as buying guides. I must ignore WKNR and the other lists; they are inaccurate for a number of reasons. Some of these inaccuracies could be eliminated — and I would like to see that happen, just for the principle of the thing.”
Sol Margolis, owner of the Ross Music Stores, told Billboard: “I only order what I get calls for, plus a minimum of new releases by established artists. To my knowledge, no Detroit dealers uses radio charts as any kind of a buying guide. We know better than to trust what these sheets say.”
Another dealer, who did not wish to be identified, said that “you simply cannot believe what the radio charts list. The problem is there are too many pop records being released. I think the manufacturers are working on some sort of percentage planning. They just keep churning the records out, hoping that 4 per cent or more will make money for them.”
“As far as local charts are concerned,” he added, “we often see a record that hasn’t been shipped already on the sheet. Other times, we see stations keeping numbers on the charts long after they have stopped selling. They do this, apparently because they got on a record too late, and then refuse to admit that their influence hasn’t been able to keep it a hot seller. There are many complicating factors, but the end result is inaccurate charts. All the dealers know this, and they depend on requests and their own experience in the business to tell the how to buy.”
Chet Kajeski, of Martin and Snyder, one-stop in Detroit, told Billboard: I find frequent discrepancies on the radio charts. As far as I am concerned, they hurt jukebox operators in the area. By failing to list, and expose on the air, what is a legitimate ‘adult’ hit, they can cut down play on the boxes. This happens when a record sells very well in the area, deserves to be listed on the charts, but doesn’t get listed because such a record does not get the additional push of air play, its life on the jukebox is sometime shortened.
“I don’t believe,” Kajeski added, “that many record dealers are affected by the charts in the Detroit area. By being inaccurate, these charts defeat their own purpose.” END
___
(Information and news source: Billboard; September 3, 1966)
