2004 – 2005 – Producer, writer, interviewer for Black History Month television features for Cadillac and Chevrolet. Identified subjects to be profiled within the African-American community, conducted interviews, wrote scripts for profiles and voiced the segments. Aired on CBS 11 and channel 21 in Dallas/Fort Worth.
1992 – 2003 – Voice, writer/producer of audio newsletters for Frito-Lay, Interstate Batteries and La Quinta Inns. This consisted of interviews with the public, experts, authors and employees.
1986 – 1993 KLIF-AM Dallas. Talk show host and fill-in host.
1986 – 1988 Consultant to KLIF-AM Dallas. Responsible for helping change the station from a country music format to a talk format.
1984 – 1986 Host/producer of the “Ed Busch Talk Show” national call-in talk show in joint venture with the Associated Press and carried by their network.
1982 – 1983 “America Overnight” programmer/host of national call-in talk show. Joint venture with RKO Networks and carried on 100+ stations.
1976-1982 WFAA-AM Dallas Talk Show Host
1975-1976 KNBR (NBC O/O) San Francisco Talk Show Host
1980s – 1990s freelance work: Talk program consultant to WPLP-AM Tampa, WCKY Cincinnati, KFJZ –AM Fort Worth, KTBB-AM Tyler and KOA-AM Denver. Hosted daily mid-day movie on Channel 27 (“Ed Busch and the Movies”) and a weekly TV version of my radio show on WFAA-TV Channel 8 with audience.
Recognition/Civic Highlights: San Francisco Bar Association media award for staging a trial on my program with the audience as the jury. Dallas Independent School District award for swapping jobs with the Superintendent. Dallas Observer voted Best Talk-Show Host. Elected on the first-ever ballot to Texas Radio Hall of Fame. Two-term president SPCA of Texas. Mabank ISD bond committee member.
So adding to the earlier line up, it brings us to early 1968: WTTO-AM Toledo
1968 WKNR FM
1969 WKNR-AM
1970, 1971: WCAR
1972 WWWW-FM
1973 (my first talk gig) WERE-AM Cleveland
And then to WFAA-AM…
Okay, I think that’s my whole life George.
Ed
PS, Dick Purtan once told me I was talented but my problem was I’d go across the street for another $50 a week. I guess he was right.
DETROIT —WKNR-FM has marched into the fray against WABX-FM with a progressive rock format. Frank Maruca, operations manager of WKNR and WKNR-FM, said the 50,000-watt horizontal and 50,000-watt vertical monaural FM operation is simulcasting the the Hot 100 format of the AM station 6 a.m. – 3 p.m., then splitting from 3 p.m. – 2 a.m. daily.
The new format run was slated to begin Sunday, May 26.
WKNR-FM radio personality Russ Gibb
There is a possibility of going 24-hour with progressive rock if the station’s format is acquired in rank with the current FM radio surge in popularity. WABX-FM has been programming progressive rock in Detroit since last year.
Among the air-personalities on WKNR-FM are Russ Gibb, owner and operator of the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, who does 6 hours on Saturday and six hours on Sunday; Jerry Taylor mans the evening hours from 3 p.m. – 9 p.m., and is followed by Ed Busch, from 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.
Paul Cannon, program director of the AM operation, will be selecting the music for the FM band as well. In the few days the station has been on the air, there has already been “excellent reaction,” Maruca said. END
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(Information and news source: Billboard; June 1, 1968)
Jerry Goodwin on 1310 WKNR-AM “Keener 13” May, August 1966
JERRY GOODWIN official WKNR personality photo circa 1966. (Click on image for larger view).
…”We have ‘Cherish’ by the Association, which is a pretty, pretty song which we’re gonna play next…”…
In 1963, WKMH-AM, Detroit’s only CBS-affiliated “Flagship Radio” station on the dial, was suddenly transformed overnight on October 31. The former was christened with a new set of calls, WKNR, along with a brand-new “total station sound” that would ultimately be known in Detroit as “Keener 13.”
Atone time floundering dismally with low ratings under WJBK and WXYZ on the Detroit radio dial, the Knorr Broadcasting family, which owned WKMH, made their decision to consult with famed radio-programmer Michael Joseph. Coming off recent successful radio changes he implemented prior at WGR-AM in Buffalo, New York, Joseph was hired to “modernize” the old station located in Dearborn, where he immediately instituted there more of his successful up-to-the-minute ‘Top 40’ and news format, but with a shorten “top 31” playlist Joseph implemented instead.
By early 1964, the Joseph radio formula would become the radio success story in Detroit that was, “Keener 13.” “WKNR – The New Radio 13,” as it first prided itself, also had a new crop of air-personalities whose names and popularity rose to prominence a short couple of months after the station’s inception in November 1963.
JERRY GOODWIN 1964. (Photo courtesy of Jerry Goodwin).
By March 1964, WKNR was alone at the top as No. 1. in Detroit. But more so, it was primarily those Keener deejays who were instrumental in retaining high the station’s popularity and sound — Swingin’ Sweeney, Robin Seymour, Bob Green, Gary Stevens, Bill Phillips and Jerry Goodwin.
Jerry Goodwin began his 40-year span broadcasting in radio, beginning in 1959, as Sam Hill in Amarillo, Texas on KFDA-AM. By 1961, Jerry moved over to Dallas’ own KBOX doing evening-drive under a new name while there, as Danny Preston.
But by 1962, it was on to Florida. Jerry found his place in the Sunshine State with the legendary WQAM-AM, the Storer Broadcasting-owned affiliate in Miami. By February 2, 1963, Jerry Goodwin was doing noon to 3 on the famous AM-560 and within three weeks time, he became the new morning man (6-9 a.m. time), replacing Charlie Murdock for that spot on February 23, 1963. During that time, Jerry Goodwin found himself in good company with some of the greatest 560 voices while there, some very familiar — Ted Clark, 9-12; Bob Green, 12-3; Charlie Murdock, 3-6; Tom Campbell, 6-10; Jim Dunlap; 1-6 a.m.
JERRY GOODWIN in the AM studio, WKNR in 1965. (Click on image for larger view)
But by mid-November in 1963, Jerry was no longer at WQAM. By then, Goodwin, along with WQAM’s Bob Green, had made the switch going north to Detroit on “the new Keener 13.”
From late 1963 through the early part of ’68, Jerry Goodwin rode the entire radio success story that was WKNR while here in the Motor City.
But by early 1967, the market was beginning to see some drastic changes across the Detroit radio landscape. The advent of FM radio was on the rise, coupled with the fact there was a new radio station, CKLW, which was starting to dominate the Detroit airways with its massive 50,000-watts of transmitted-power located across the Detroit river in Windsor, Ontario.
WKNR-AM * Jerry Goodwin * MAY 12, 1966
By the end of 1967 WKNR dropped in ratings at No. 2 radio for the very first time. Along with it’s deficient night-time signal, it was by then the station was beginning to lose of their appeal, no longer retainer of the largest audience share WKNR once had embraced in the market the year prior when the station was still hot on top at No. 1.
JERRY GOODWIN one of the “original early greats” on WKNR-AM ‘Keener 13.’(Click on image for larger view)
By April 1968 more changes became evident at WKNR-AM, both in staff and the management level. By that time ‘The Miami Four’ Bob Green, Ted Clark, Scott Regen (from WFUN; Miami) and Jerry Goodwin were no longer on board on AM Keener 13.
As WKNR-FM began experimenting with an album-rock format in 1968, Jerry Goodwin would instead take to the new “underground” movement in radio by crossing over to the WKNR FM side. At the time, WKNR-FM music director Paul Cannon decided they would compete going against WABX-FM. But the station’s “free-form” run would be entirely short-lived. As changes were on-going at WKNR both on the AM and FM sides, the “album-rock” format was soon dropped on 100.3 FM. It was replaced with an “easy-listening,” MOR music format the station dubbed as “Stereo Island.”
WKNR-AM * Jerry Goodwin * AUGUST 23, 1966
By year’s end 1969, and no longer at WKNR-FM, Jerry found himself with a new home with “album rocker” WABX-FM in Detroit. He was given the 7-11 a.m. time slot and, immediately found his niche there with the station both in popularity and with management personnel. In May 1971, Tim Powell, music director at WABX, had left the station for KLOS in Los Angeles. With that move, Jerry Goodwin, who was chief of creative productions for the station, became the new music director at ‘ABX up until 1972, when thereafter he would leave WABX for his next venture in radio, this time it was on to Toledo’s WIOT-FM. Historically, WIOT became Toledo’s first FM rock station. According to WiKipedia, it went on the air on December 25, 1972.
By early 1973, and having left WABX the previous year, Jerry had moved his family to Onsted, MI., a small township located just outside of Adrian. At the time, WCAR-AM in Detroit was still doing top 40 radio. Jerry Goodwin was hired at WCAR, though briefly, by Paul Christy as a ‘filler’ deejay for the station — a relief man. WCAR luminaries Dave Prince and Dave Shafer were also there, as well as Jim Harper,Kevin Sanderson and Tom Ingram. While at WIOT and while briefly at WCAR, Jerry went on to complete his academics by enrolling at Siena Heights College (today it is a university), where he graduated cum laude in 1974.
Later that same year, in late 1974, Goodwin was back in the Motor City. He was hired by station program director Paul Christy once again, but this time on WWWW-FM. WWWW was a progressive rock station with a unique format, with program emphasis on rock-oriented LP stop-sets they would play (albums in their entirety) during the evenings — well into the all-night hours. All during the time he was at WWWW, Jerry attended the University of Detroit. By 1975, within a year’s time there, he would graduate from the university with honors earning his Masters.
WWWW-FM facility with Jerry Goodwin’s name on the marquee in the early ’70s.(Photo courtesy of Jerry Goodwin; click on image for larger view)
After a brief stay on W4 in Detroit, it was back east in 1976 to his hometown in Boston, where he would do PhD. work at Boston University. It was also during this time Jerry Goodwin would find himself back in radio, one more time, on WCOZ. He would remain in broadcasting in the Boston area for the remainder of his illustrious radio career while there. Stops would include Boston’s WBCN (as theDuke of Madness) from 1979-1982, WCGY (as the Duke of Madness) in 1985, and then it was off to Boston’s WROL from 1994 through 1999, thus capping off a very successful 40-year span in the radio business.
While doing radio in Boston, Jerry Goodwin was teaching radio courses and television performances at the Northeast School of Broadcasting where he taught for 20 years, until 2008. Today, the very same institution where Jerry had taught courses in the arts, the school has since evolved into an accredited four-year college course as the New England Institute of Arts.
JERRY GOODWIN today.
Retired from radio since 1999,Jerry Goodwin todayinvests quality time in the art of theater, film and television. He is an award-winning actor in the New England area, and is a registered member of the New England Actors Guild. Demand for his professional “voice over” production work has earned him such clients as Perrier, American Airlines and Goodyear, to name a few, and he also “characterized” his voice-talents with multiple commercial CD-ROM game productions as well.
Currently, Jerry Goodwin has two Indie Films pending, The Red Death and Autonomy, which is slated for film shooting this month, May 2012. Also beginning in June (through October 2012), Jerry Goodwin will take to the stage as an actor in Cry Innocent. According to Jerry, “it will be a live performance based on the trial of Bridget Bishop, the first woman to be tried and executed as a witch” in Massachusetts. The stage production is tentative for its scheduled run at The Olde Salem Town Hall in Salem, MA.
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Today, Jerry Goodwin enjoys the comforts of home in Boston with his family. He is the proud grandfather, “of two amazingly beautiful grand-daughters, Jesse and Mimi Goodwin,” daughters of his son Jason Goodwin, who was born here in Detroit.
MCRFB would like to express our sincere gratitude to Jerry Goodwin for contributing to this exhibit. Photos courtesy of George Griggs, Art Vuolo, and also Scott Westerman’s Keener13.com.
Thank you Jerry Goodwin for sharing with us those special memories you shared with us on the radio during your successful long broadcasting years on WKNR-AM, WABX-FM and WWWW-FM in Detroit.
CKLW HIRES DREW, IN STEPS TO TUMBLE DETROIT LEADER WKNR
DETROIT — CKLW, the 50,000-watt RKO General operation here, has brought in Paul Drew as program director and will soon launch an all-out campaign against market-leader WKNR. Drew, former program director at WQXI in Atlanta, has slated May 1 as the day to bow with the station’s new sound — “Fun Radio.”
Paul Drew, the legendary program-director at CKLW in 1967
“Fun Radio” will include a jingles package that was custom made for the station’s and “for the sound I’m looking for,” Drew said.
Prior, there has been talk that Bill Drake, a programming consultant, was going to the station. Drake has set the program for RKO’s KHJ in Los Angeles and also revamped entirely San Francisco’s KFRC — both highly successful today in their markets. Though Drew would not commit himself, every indication is that he’ll use the same template/model that had been programmed at the two leading West Coast stations.
What will be in use will be the same playlist, rule-of-play with a shortened record format. “We’ll play whatever is necessary to play the hits, but the playlist will fluctuate.” This will not eliminate the playing of new records by new artists, evidently, as the station had played on the air about a week ago with “Sunshine Girl” by the Parade, a new record which had been introduced to the station by A&M Records promotion man Don Graham.
Already, CKLW has begun a sort of sneaky promotion campaign, in wake of their intent in placing the station at the top in the Detroit market with no holds barred. WJR, the easy listening outlet in Detroit, as long billed itself as “The Great Voice of the Great Lakes.” CKLW has aired the slogan: “The Choice of the Great Lakes.” WKNR, the leading Hot 100-formatted station in the market, is promoting a concert with Paul Revere & The Raiders on April 8. CKLW had bought a large section of front-row seats to the show and will be giving them away for free to listeners on the air, a ploy in part of the station’s ongoing blitz from the station’s promotion department.
(Information and news source: Billboard; April 8, 1967).
WKNR, WJR Hitting Pay Dirt in Detroit, Thanks to Two Air Personalities
DETROIT — Two deejays — one in the Top 40 field and the other from a ‘middle-of-the-road’ easy music station, are basically responsible for the tremendous success of radio stations WKNR and WJR here in influencing the sales of records…. and may be largely responsible for the success of their respective radio stations in reaching a large audience.
J. P. McCarthy WJR circa 1965
WJR station manager James H. Quello, said that his good music station was proud of J. P. McCarthy. “He’s the number one radio personality in town. Everybody knows him and he’s in good part responsible… a major factor… in influencing the sale of LP’s in Detroit.”
According to Billboard’s Radio Response Rating Survey last week of the Detroit radio market — ranked the country’s fifth radio market — McCarthy was rated No. 1 in influencing radio listeners to purchase popular LPs. The station was rated first in the same category, but what makes it a unique situation is that the station gained strength to capture the top position since a similar Billboard survey of May 16, 1964, had placed WJR in second-place behind WCAR.
And the reason, according to Quello, is the power of McCarthy. McCarthy had been with the station at one time, then left WJR in Detroit to work for another radio station in San Francisco. He returned back to Detroit since the last Billboard survey. He’s so effective that WJR placed him on mornings in their 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. time-frame, and he returns for the 3:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. drive time. “After all, this is the motor city of the world… a big car place,” Quello went on to say. McCarthy features mostly MOR records, Quello said, “but we’re programming more contemporary music now, anything short of rock and roll.”
In influencing the sale of popular LP recordings, the major stations, in order, are WJR, WCAR, WWJ, and WJBK. WJR and WCAR has most of the power; in fact, WJR’s McCarthy had 52 per cent of the total points in Billboard’s survey, followed by WCAR deejay Joe Bacarella with 36 per cent overall.
WJR, incidentally, tied for second-place with WWJ in influencing the sale of conservative type records, was No. 1 in influencing the sale of classical records, and showed up fairly well as a power in influencing the sale of folk records as well.
Both Gain
Bob Green WKNR circa 1965
The top position in the sale of popular record singles was again captured by radio station WKNR and its popular disk-jockey, Bob Green. In fact, both station and deejay gained in strength. WKNR radio was rated at 33 per cent in May 16, 1964, but increased its influence to 44 per cent as of last week. Green increased two points to 30 per cent.
WKNR radio station manager Walter Patterson said the Top 40 station isn’t doing anything different, “but we are fortunate in accumulating listeners.” A recent Pulse study showed that the 24-hour Detroit station as reaching 292,900 separate households during a given day.
“We’re not cocky, but we watch our position closely and never let up,” Patterson said. While the station does believe in strong air-personalities, — “some are and some are not” — it also practices “playing more music and keeping talk to a minimum.” The station’s “sound” is very important,” Patterson said.
WKMH the former, now WKNR, featured a “middle-of-the-road” music format until November 1, 1963, when it went Top 40. “We’ve pulled the fastest turnaround of any station in the country,” Patterson said. “What’s happening is the more we go, the more we get.” The station plays the top 31 records and distributes 99,000 copies of the station’s own survey guide of featured songs and hits. Patterson also said the station has a “refrigerator full” of promotions and uses them as the need arises.
Also in the Top 40 market, radio station CKLW has increased its power in influencing the sales of records since the last Billboard survey. The market saw WJBK change format from Top 40, where it ranked No. 2 last May, to good music. In May 1964, it was No. 4; now it ranks second. Dave Shafer and Tom Shannon of CKLW now rank second and third behind WKNR’s Bob Green.
John Gordon, the program director of CKLW, received the Billboard nod as most co-operative in exposing new records.
Close in R&B Field
In the R&B field in the Detroit market, it was a close race, but WCHB radio came out on top in influencing record sales. WCHB had 49 per cent, WJLB had 44 per cent and FM station WGPR had 7 per cent. WJLB ranked first last May.
Ernie Durham WCHB
Bill Williams, program director at WCHB, attributed the station’s increase in influence to a “much tighter format that was launched in January.” The station also went 24-hours in April. Williams said deejays on WCHB are now faster with delivery than before. “We play 35 of the top-selling R&B records, interspersed with every third record with one we think is a good prospect for a potential hit-maker to climb-up the chart.” This has made the station very important in getting listeners to go out and buy more into the R&B product,” Williams said.
“This is a good R&B market, its the home of the Motown sound,” he said, adding that he liked to think of his market as the entire population of Detroit. WJLB, however, scored with the top disc-jockey — Ernie Durham — in the power of influencing record sales. In fact, Durham almost captured the whole thing with a 44 per cent influence in the Detroit R&B market. The second-place honors goes out to Le Baron Taylor of WCHB, who held the No. 2 spot at 27 per cent.
Interesting to note is that an FM station, WBRB-FM is now showing muscles in influencing the sales of country music records. The field is still dominated by country powerhouse WEXL, which still came up with 86 per cent of the total points, but it’s no longer a one-station field. WBRB showed up with a 14 per cent; it’s a new station since the last Billboard survey. Bill Samples, of WEXL, is still the No. 1 deejay in the motor town getting country music records sold. END
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(Information and news source: Billboard; July 24, 1965)
WKNR SIGNED OFF INTO HISTORY TODAY, APRIL 25, FORTY-YEARS AGO
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 timeWKNR saw their challenge met head-onby 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 inBillboard 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).
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.
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 McCraeLast Moments of Keener 13 April 25, 1972
(This original audio source is property, courtesy of Scott Westerman andkeener13.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.”
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 greatDetroit radio legacyis still being told, remembered, and celebrated there on the world-wide web.
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 wellby 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 commentedto 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.
