Don McLeod, a popular nighttime Detroit radio personality, was the third disk jockey to leave WJBK behind Tom Clay and Dale Young. Tom Clay was fired. Dale Young abruptly resigned. McLeod left the station on Monday, November 23, 1959. Reportedly, all three were alleged having been involved taking gifts, accepting “cash-for-play,” known in the industry as payola, while at the Storer Broadcasting station that year.
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FOR OUR PREVIOUS Motor City Radio Flashbacks coverage on the PAYOLA scandal that rocked the industry in 1959, please go HERE, HERE and HERE.
NUMBER 1 IN AMERICA ’65* Herman’s Hermits *WEEK OF 8/01 – 8/07/65
TEN WEEKS on the singles chart, “I’m Henry The VIII, I Am” by Herman’s Hermits peaked this week at No. 01 (one week) on the Billboard Hot 100, week of August 01 through August 07,1965. (source: Billboard).
MCRFB Link: For the previous No. 1 record in the U.S.A. 1965 GO HERE.
WJLB Tries Sports To Reach Audience – Big on Bowlers
DETROIT (December 11) — WJLB, 250-watt Detroit station, is making an aggressive bid for the thousands of sport fans among Detroit listeners, including the newcomers brought here by war industries.
Catering to bowlers exclusively, a sport that threatened local motion picture theaters during the past few seasons, according to statements of theater operators — is Ten Pin Topics. The show is aired for fifteen minutes at 5:45 P.M. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, just when most bowlers are getting home or driving home. The latter catch the show on their car radios, for Detroit’s working population moves by car. Show is run by Harold Kahl, bowling editor of The Detroit Times. It give unusual local scores and highlights the hundreds of amateur leagues in the city. One leading bowler, such as the first Detroit woman to score 300, is interviewed on each show.
Two fifteen-minute daily shows hit all other sports fans, with heavy emphasis — about 60 per cent — on horse racing. Morning show at 11:45 is called Scratch Time and headlights track news and little other sports news. Evening show at 5:45 gives complete track results, plus any other seasonal sports. Both are handled by Phil Roberts, formerly a Chicago sports announcer.
Billboard, December 18, 1943
Most unusual feature of the WJLB sports angling, however, is a series of 15 to 20 daily spots, irregularly spaced, by Roberts, giving any immediate sports news, with fresh broadcasts of every track report in particular. Roberts breaks into every program except two — Uncle Nick’s Kiddie’s Hour and Ladies’ Matinee, a symphonic program, where the sports flashes would be obviously unsuitable. Some of the spots come in the breaks between shows, but as many break right into a program.
The sports announcements are never race tips but but legitimate news and are handled that way. Station simply feels that the great mass of war workers are sports fans and that they’ll win them to WJLB by keeping them informed on what goes on in the athletic field.
Stations in other parts of the country has tried the idea without too much success, but it’s a private service in Detroit, where hundreds of war plants have their radios turned on for the men and women all throughout the 24 hour day. END
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(Information and news source: Billboard; December 18, 1943)
A MCRFB Note: Missed any of of our previously featured ‘WAY-BACK DETROIT RADIO PAGES on Motor City Radio Flashbacks? Here’s what we’ve cataloged on the website thus far, to date, you’ll find them ALL HERE.
NATION’S WEEKLY MUSIC POPULARITY CHART: THE FIFTEEN TOP TUNES INDEX
THE INK SPOTS * The Gypsy * (No. 01) 08/03/46
FRANK SINATRA * They Say It’s Wonderful * (No. 03) 08/03/46
BILLY ECKSTEIN * Prisoner Of Love * (No. 06) 08/03/46
VAUGHN MONROE * Who Told You That Lie? * (No. 13) 08/03/46
MARGARET WHITING * Come Rain Or Come Shine * (No. 15) 08/03/46
AUGUST 3, 1946
A MCRFB VIEWING TIP: To fully appreciate this Billboard Honor Roll Of HitsAugust 3, 1946 chart feature click on image 2x and open to second window for large detailed view. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.
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WAY BACK RADIO. The music that was. The greatest generation.
A MOTOWN SNAPSHOT FLASHBACK:PAUL WILLIAMS was a vocalist of the Temptations as well, photo circa 1965.The ‘TEMPTIN TEMPTATIONS‘ album. Gordy GS 914, released November, 1965.The Temptin’ Temptations’ “Don’t Look Back,” sung by Paul Williams, was written by Smokey Robinson and Ronald White.
