Eight-years ago. Detroit radio lost its preeminent radio friend.
In retrospect, we pause, here, today. Honoring the memory of George L. Griggs, founder of Motor City Radio Flashbacks
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We extend a sincere thank you to Mrs. Patti Griggs. This website, today, would not have been possible without your generosity, your contributions, your continuous love and your support.
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Motor City Radio Flashbacks will resume its website operations on Thursday, November 3, 2022
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This WKNR recording was donated to the Motor City Radio Flashbacks archive, some years back. Accordingly, it was given to this site by the contributor who personally recorded the program on reeled tape, in October 1969. Since then, the recording had been converted into a digitized file for audio preservation.
A Sunday evening presentation, it appears the program may have aired on WKNR AM and, most likely was simulcast on WKNR FM. You will note the recording sounds as though it may have been recorded off the AM band instead, hence the static heard throughout the program.
Also, without any degree of certainty, not clear whether this was the original WKNR broadcast which initially launched the ‘Is Paul Dead?’ controversy. The nameless donor, in sharing this recording expressed complete anonymity. He resides elsewhere outside the State of Michigan today.
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By 1961, Toby David was a 25 year Detroit radio veteran, since having first been hired as a 21 year-old to do zany character voices in comedy and program frolics on Joe Gentile’s morning show at CKLW in 1935.
After 5 years at CKLW, he left for WMAL in Washington D.C. for his own morning show. Several years there, David made his move for mornings on WJZ in New York (an NBC affiliate) where his show was syndicated over the NBC Blue Network, coast-to-coast.
In 1946, David returned to Detroit, landing on WJR hosting three different programs there throughout the broadcasting day. After his stint at WJR, he left for WWJ as a side-kick morning man to Minnie Joe Curtis in the mornings.
In the early-1950s, CKLW legendary morning man Joe Gentile left CKLW for WJBK. Upon hearing of Gentile’s exit, David contacted the station manager at CKLW (he had previously worked under at CKLW eight years earlier) and was hired back with his own morning show throughout the 1950s.
By the late-1950s, Toby David also had his own show on CKLW-TV (Windsor, Ontario) doing a children’s program as Captain Jolly on Channel 9.
Long-since having been retired from radio (1964), Toby David died of a heart-attack, in Mesa, Arizona, September 1994. He was 80.
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Credit and source information: ‘Rockin’ Down The Dial’, by David Carson Momentum Books Ltd., Troy, MI. Copyright 2000
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Above article/advertisement courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2022. Newspapers.com
The above featured Detroit Free Press WKNR ad was digitally re-imaged by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
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Missed any of our previous ‘Detroit Radio Back-Pages‘ features? GO HERE
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A special thank you to senior MCRFB consultant Greg Innis, of Livonia, MI., for contributing the Newspapers.com archives (Detroit radio related) articles, ads, and images we have featured on this site, since 2016.
Thank you, Greg Innis, for making these historic Detroit radio features possible. 🙂
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Missed any of our previous ‘Detroit Radio Back-Pages‘ features? GO HERE
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A Magic 95 WMJC FM/Wendy’s promotional contest ad the soft-rock station launched in the spring of 1983. Check your winning ticket number . . . . 5 minutes to call-in and claim your prize!
