Peter Frank Is King Of The Jingle; Richard H. Ullman, Inc., Includes Client WKMH-AM Detroit
HOLLYWOOD — One of the most perplexing problems facing radio station management is how to come up with and perpetuate a distinctive “sound”. . . one which will set his station apart from the others.
This problem is particularly acute in the multiple-station market where there are several stations programming the same type of music.
During the past decade radio stations have been mushrooming by the hundreds with no apparent slowdown — until the most recent FCC freeze.
The result of this uncontrolled “growth” to cite just a few examples are: Portland, Oregon — the 28th radio market with 11 metropolitan outlets, and Denver, Colorado — the 26th radio market with 16 AM metropolitan outlets.
The newcomers to a market were the first to implement their programming and promotion with jingles on a large scale. The custom-made jingle packages soon became “the thing” for the driving rock and roller seeking to make its niche with a Top 40 sound in their respective market.
Today, jingles are virtually being used by every radio station — no matter what the format or operation is to facilitate in attaining that all-elusive distinctive radio “sound. One of the people greatly responsible for the overall acceptance of radio jungles is Peter Frank, president of Richard H. Ullman, Inc., a “senior-statesman” of radio station services and musical sales messages in advertisement and commercials.
Richard H. Ullman, Inc., boasts providing the industry’s most complete service to stations and advertisers. Their “Ullmanac” of sound numbers 40 different packages ranging in price — according to type and market size — from $360 to $31,000.
The Ullman station services are categorized under four main packages: “Big Sound,” “Dimensional,” “Formatic,” and “SOP!” Offered within these four groups are production and programming aids such as “Calendar Girl,” 365 musical jingles giving the exact date, day and month with a musical pad for time and temperature — all personalized with the station’s call letters; “City Songs,” a salute to the station’s city or town with a specially written song, words and music included. Also made available is printed sheet music of the city song with the station’s call letters emblazoned thereon along with a 45 record — featuring an instrumental and vocal version — in a color sleeve with the lyrics printed on the back.
Even More
And there’s more: “The Exciters,” “Golden Era,” (a compilation of take-offs with emphasis drawn on the “big band” sound), “Happy Holidays,” “Hip” (top tunes intros, based on Billboard’s “Hot 100”), “Indelible ID’s,” . . . just to name a few.
Peter Frank’s organization has available a series of 15 personalized musical productions designed for the promotion of the “softer sell” broadcaster. Another series entitled “Velvet Touch” is programmed in stereo for FM-stereo band operations.
“You’ve got to keep ahead on the trends in this exciting business to be successful,” says Peter Frank.
Frank’s organization in Hollywood, Dallas and New York keeps ahead with a concept called “Telstar.” Of primary importance these days are the country and western formatted stations; Ullman also provides of their product in a C&W service package for them as well.
Among the many new services in the organization featured is Ullman’s acquisition of world-wide distribution rights to Gordon McLendon’s “The Old Scotsman’s Scrapbook,” a total of 316 five-minute vignettes featuring an actual recording of a history-making event, speech or statement.
Demand Up
“There has been an increasing demand form our subscribers for help in how best to utilize the production and programming aids we sell them. This year we’ve added a broadcasting and consulting division,” Frank remarked.
In a business complicated with many varied formulas for pricing, the station manager and program director is frequently shaken by the jingle jungle.
Frank is adamant in his criticism of the fly-by-nighters that have invaded the field and has, in his terms, created a plethora of confusion in who would best represent a client’s interest in any given market.
“Untold damage has been done to the many legitimate jingle producers by some sellers of radio and musical jingles who establish prices and make deals that run from the sublime to the ridiculous. Extremely few businesses can have their products so loosely and variably priced. I can list a dozen ‘here-today-gone-tomorrow’ operations. . . one-shot, no follow-up people that would only take their money and not be heard from again,” Frank stressed.
Frank, whose motto is “Caveat Emptor” (let The Buyer Beware) is sure of the product turned out guaranteed by his producers in the studios here, also elsewhere in New York and in Dallas, while naming Bill Bell and Will Scott under the management of Morton J. Wagner. Meanwhile, Frank invites the buyer to check around. Ultimately, he will expect they’ll eventually will choose Richard H. Ullman, Inc., a division of the Peter Frank Organization. End
(Information and news source: Billboard; April 27, 1963).
DETROIT — WXYZ Radio, the ABC-owned station in Detroit, has introduced “Lovable Radio” to the Motor City. Promulgating the “love affair” are WXYZ deejays Fred Wolf, Dave Prince,Joel Sebastian,Russ “The Weird Beard” Knight (formerly of KLIF; Dallas) Bob Day and “Big Daddy” Don Zee, who hear themselves as romantics romeos over the Detroit airwaves, anyway. END
Addendum: Anyone still recall hearing those radio spot promos, “The Weird Beard’s Coming!” The Weird Beard’s Coming!” heard over on WXYZ-AM 1270 in 1964?
Amid much radio fanfare, publicity and advertisement dollars invested prior his arrival here from (Gordon McLendon’s) KLIF 1190 in Dallas, WXYZ went on to retain the celebrated arrival of the legendary Russ Knight to Detroit in June 1964.
But what had been great for KLIF in Dallas, Texas, wasn’t all necessarily that good for WXYZ in Detroit, Michigan. In passing, the Weird Beard’s tenure on 1270 would become a short blip in Detroit radio history — was there 5 months — that was it.
By the second week in November 1964 Russ Knight found his way back on the radio in Texas once again. This time, on another Gordon McLendon radio station, KILT 610 AM in Houston.
A side note: Incidentally, Russ Knight held the distinction of having had contact with Jack Ruby, first at Dallas police headquarters, and again at KLIF during that stunning, tragic November weekend in Dallas 1963.
On July 23, 1964, while employed at WXYZ in Detroit, Russ Knight was deposed for information regarding his brushes with Jack Ruby on Saturday, in the early-hours of November 23, by Warren Commission Counsel Burt Griffin at the U.S. Courthouse in Chicago, Illinois.
Knight, during his deposition (see: Testimony of Russell Lee Moore; Knight), stated he first met Ruby at the Cotton Bowling Palace in Dallas, the year prior, sometime during 1962. He went on the official record in having said he met with Ruby about a dozen times since. During further questioning Knight also testified he, accompanied along with his wife, had been at Ruby’s Carousel Club sometime earlier in 1963.
Russ Knight was immortalized in the “Cruisin'” LP series by Ron Jacobs (‘Cruisin ’62’ KLIF) in 1970.
R.I.P. Russ ‘The Weird Beard’ Knight, former DFW disc jockey dies at 80
By Robert Philpot
DFW.com | Posted 3:08 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 15, 2012
Russell Lee Moore, better known to radio listeners as Russ “The Weird Beard” Knight, died Friday at age 80.
Knight, a 2003 Texas Radio Hall of Fame inductee, worked at several stations nationwide, including in the early ’60s at then-Top 40 powerhouse KLIF/1190, where, according to his obituary, he proclaimed himself “the savior of Dallas radio.”
The KLIF-era Knight was the featured DJ on Cruisin’ 1962, one of a series of albums that consisted of hits from a particular year interspersed with DJ patter. (There’s much more on Knight and the Cruisin’ series here.)
After Knight left KLIF, he worked at KILT in Houston, where he introduced the Beatles when they came to town. For a lot more about that era, go here. There is also information on some of the later parts of his career here.
Services are Tuesday in Trumbull, Conn. Information is in the obituary link above. Updates are possible here and on the Texas Radio Hall of Fame Facebook page.
(Source: Dallas Ft. Worth.com; October 15, 2012)
(Information and news source: Billboard; October 24, 1964)
1959: Folk group the Kingston Trio are featured on the cover of LIFE magazine.
1963: After nearly 300 shows over two years, the Beatles play their last headlining gig at Liverpool’s popular Cavern Club.
1971: Paul McCartney announces the formation of Wings, his first band since the breakup of the Beatles. It features ex-Moody Blues’ singer Denny Laine and Paul’s wife Linda.
1974: Guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter leaves Steely Dan to join the Doobie Brothers.
1993: Boston Venture, the group to whom Berry Gordy had sold Motown in 1988 for $61 million dollars, sells the label and its holdings (5 years later) to Dutch conglomerate Polygram for a $325 million return.
1999: Country singer legend Patsy Cline is awarded a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
Deaths:Arthur Lee (Love); 2006.
Releases: 1963: “Surfer Girl,” The Beach Boys. 1963: “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh,” Allan Sherman.
Recording: 1966: “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing In The Shadow?,” The Rolling Stones.
Charts: 1963: “So Much In Love,” The Tymes; hits No. 1 on the chart.1968: “Hello, I Love You,” The Doors; hits No. 1 on the chart. 1974: ‘Bad Company,’ (LP) Bad Company; hits No. 1 on the Billboard LP chart.
Certification: 1971: “It Don’t Come Easy,” Ringo Starr; certified gold by the RIAA.
And that’s just a few of the events which took place in pop music history, on this day….
CKLW PULLING AWAY IN RATINGS; WKNR RANKS THIRD IN NEW RADIO POLL
DETROIT — The latest radio station having a lot of things going right is “the new” CKLW in Detroit. Now under the guiding programming hands of Paul Drew, The June-July Hooper Report showed CKLW with a total rate time period figure of 18.3 share, while WKNR dropped back with a 14.3. Leader was WJR with their Easy Listening format, but it looks like the Drew operation has made a cut into WKNR, long having been a dominating Detroit leader in the market since early 1964.
The other Detroit radio stations doesn’t even resemble coming even close to these three. The latest Hooper tally indicated that the Monday through Friday noon to 6 P.M. period, CKLW leads both WJR and WKNR. The same was reflected in the Saturday daytime hours specified throughout the week. The latest radio ratings for the Detroit market represents an incredible upsurge for CKLW since Drew processed the Bill Drake format earlier this year in March. END.
(Information and news source: Billboard; August 19, 1967).
NEW YORK — The ‘Monkey,’ the newest teen dance, is a mighty hot one, with three records of monkey tunes really moving this week. Hottest of all three is “The Monkey Time” by Major Lance on Okeh Records. And just to add to the scene the label has issued an LP by the same title. “The Monkey Time” jumped to No. 12 on the Hot 100 this week.
Second hottest of the Monkey hits is “Mickey’s Monkey,” by the Miracles on the Motown Records Tamla label, which is the No. 39 most popular hit on the Billboard chart for the week. And the third most popular “Monkey” tune on the chart is “Everybody’s Monkey” by Freddie Cannon listed on the chart.
There is a fourth monkey hit making the new dance scene as well, pushing forward slowly on the chart, and it is King Curtis’“Do The Monkey,” on the Capitol record label. And there have probably been a half a dozen other monkey dance-themed recordings issued in the past few weeks. On the same kick as well, there have been other related animal-dances like the ‘gorilla,’ and the ‘frog.’ END
(Information and news source: Billboard; August 31, 1963).
MAJOR LANCE * “The Monkey Time” * OKEH RECORDS (1963)