Radio’s Most Innovative: WNIC’s “Pillow Talk” with Alan Almond

FRED JACOBS | FEBRUARY 13, 2015

Those of you who have been following our innovation series know that we’ve been bouncing around between today’s hot new innovations in radio broadcasting to the amazing inventions and experiments from the past that turned out to be highly successful.

Some of our innovations and the people behind them are familiar to you, but hopefully, there’s been a surprise or two along the way. I’m thinking that this week’s “Radio’s Most Innovative” honoree, WNIC’s Pillow Talk evening show starring Alan Almond, is one that many people don’t know about. And because it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, it is only appropriate to shine the innovation light on one of the most romantic, intimate radio shows of all time.

But Pillow Talk wasn’t just about love songs and candlelight. It is a great object lesson in risk-taking, boldness, trust, serendipity, teamwork, and what has always made radio a special medium: theater of the mind.

Because the origins of Pillow Talk date back to the late ‘70s, I gathered a group of the key WNIC cast members from that era to piece together the story.

MCRFB NOTE: For the rest of this Jacoblog article by Fred Jacobs (February 15, 2015), please GO HERE.

L-R: Ed Christian, Lorraine Golden, Mary Bennett, Jim Harper & Alan Almond (?)

LINK TO JACOBSMEDIABLOG.COM FROM MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS

A MCRFB ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Special thanks goes out to Dick Kernen, of Specs Howard School of Media Arts, for his personal recommendation, referral, and kind comments conveyed sharing this splendid WNIC-related article/link with Motor City Radio Flashbacks. February 19, 2015.

A special THANK YOU also goes out to Fred Jacobs for granting, as was requested by Motor City Radio Flashbacks permission to print in part, portions of his February 13 article above, “Radio’s Most Innovative: WNIC’s ‘Pillow Talk’ With Alan Almond.”