August 2023 – Page 3 – Motor City Radio Flashbacks

R&B STATIONS RIDE HIGH WITH FREQUENCY . . . AUGUST 13, 1966

WCHB Jumps Evening Slot To Number One Status In Detroit

NEW YORK — R&B radio stations are having a banner year and many have turned into powerhouses in the general market. For example, WCHB in Detroit is No. 3 during the daytime in the general market and after 6 p.m. goes to No. 1. The ratings success story of WOL in Washington in the past year has been the talk of the radio industry.

All over the nation, modern R&B stations in general are doing great and program directors point to two factors as having an influence on this – the growing popularity of R&B music among whites as well as Negroes, plus the up-dating of the programming and production at these stations.

Bill Curtis, program director of WCHB, Detroit, said, “This station has been building up over the past few years. It’s owned by two Negro doctors who’ve been extremely involved in community affairs, so people look to us as, leaders in the community.

“Too, our sound is as good or better as any station in town. We have strong deejays: Bill Williams is one of the best in the country, a top 40 type personality. And we have Martha Jean Steinberg. All of our personalities are just as smooth, as competent as any jockey on any station.”

Like other program directors, Curtis felt the overall status of the R&B deejay had made tremendous progress in the past year. And one reason why they have achieved status in the community, he said. “is that in the old days the stereotyped R&B deejay said anything that came into his mind. It often offended people or was distasteful. Today, with modern production and tight programming, the deejays only have time for news, temperature, announcing the time, and playing records. There is very little time left in which to say something wrong.”

KYOK in Houston is another station that’s achieving success. Program director Al Garner said that R&B radio “period” is looking better in Houston. Sitting in for vacationing deejays during the past few weeks, Garner said he noticed that his station was picking up a growing number of Latin American listeners, as well as white kids. The station runs third and fourth now in the general market, he said, and competes on the general market level for advertising.

Lucky Cordell, program director of WVON in Chicago, said the status of Chicago R&B deejays, at least, was improving. “E. Rodney Jones and Pervis Spann own a nightclub. Herb Kent has just opened a ballroom for record hops. It’s now a prestige factor to be an R&B deejay. Deejays are respected in the community.”

He tied in the success of R&B stations in the past few months with the civil rights movement — “We’ve become more and and more a source of information. We’ve doing a much better job of reporting the news that involves Negroes than the other stations in now. Whereas R&B stations used to be mostly for the kids, this is no longer true.”

The station, he said, helped “a good deal” in settling the people down during a recent flare-up.” George Wilson, program director of WHAT in Philadelphia, said there’s no question about the status of the R&B deejay improving. The National Association of Radio Announcers, he said, had helped enormously. “There’s a growing substance to the organization and it’s making an influence. “Nowadays, the successful R&B DJ assume a role of leadership that we didn’t before. We must assume the responsibility of uplifting the kids.”

WDIA in Memphis sets in an enviable position; it has been No. 1 in the market for about 17 years, said program director Bob McDowell, largely through community involvement. The station supports 145 baseball teams with equipment, provides two buses to take crippled children to school daily, supports school for crippled children, plus other good-will projects.

McDowell, a recording artist for Fame Productions, said he felt the status of R&B deejays had definitely improved. “I can tell by the quality of the men who’ve come here in the past three years; they’re good, high quality personalities which is one reason why we’re on top.” The popularity of R&B music is growing, he said, “even here,” considered to be one of the leading R&B centers of the nation. END

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Credit source information (as published): Billboard, August 13, 1966

**WCHB Radio 1440 Personalities** August 1966

SOUL SHOTS! THE BILLBOARD TOP R&B SINGLES and LP’S, WEEK-ENDING AUGUST 13, 1966

**BILLBOARD TOP RHYTHM & BLUES SINGLES, LPs** August 1966

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Many of the above titled Billboard R&B singles were the most popular radio plays heard on two Detroit soul stations 1400 WJLB and 1440 WCHB on the AM dial, August 1966.

As tabulated by Billboard, the featured R&B Top 50 record singles and Top 25 LPs were the nation’s most popular and best-selling soul records and albums, for the week-ending August 13, 1966, 57 years ago.

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Above Billboard R&B chart survey digitally restored and re-imaged by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

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STATIONS NO, NO BEATLE DISKS . . . . AUGUST 13, 1966

Lennon ‘Christianity’ Comments Uproars Controversy

NEW YORK — [August 13, 1966] The radio ban against playing Beatles’ records, which was begun last week by Tommy Charles and Doug Layton, WAQY, Birmingham, Ala., has spread across the country, with dozens of stations refusing to program the British group.

Cause of the controversy is a statement published in a British magazine and attributed to John Lennon. The statement follows: “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that: I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first, rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary.”

At a press conference held here late Friday (August 5), Brian Epstein, Beatles’ manager, said the statement was taken out of context. Epstein explained that Lennon meant “in the last 50 years the Church of England and, therefore Christ, had suffered a decline in interest.”

While the statement, confirmed by a Beatles’ spokesman, went virtually unnoticed in England, the reaction in this country was immediate.

Greatest impact has been in the so-called “Bible Belt,” which is mainly in the Southeast. But the ban has extended to other sections of the country. New York’s WABC has reportedly put Beatles’ records on the verboten list, but, at press time, the switchboard operator at the station said that not one of the station’s staff members could be reached.

B. J. Williams, disk jockey at KSWO, Lawton, Okla., called for a “Beatles’ bonfire” and broke the Beatles’ latest record while on the air.

In Milwaukee, WOKY music director King Kbornik said he would not ban the record until he had seen Lennon’s remarks in print. The extent of the ban is not known, but a majority of the nation’s radio stations will continue to program Beatles records.

The group is scheduled to play a concert in New York’s Shea Stadium Aug. 23. A spokesman for Capitol Records, which issues Beatles’ records under its logo in the U. S., said Lennon’s remarks were “quoted cut of context and misconstrued.” END

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Credit source information (as published): Billboard, August 13, 1966

DENVER — [August 12, 1967] KHOW, major Easy Listening format radio station here, is banning songs composed by the Beatles.

Hal Davis, general manager, passed down a memo last week instructing personnel “to play no compositions relating to this group. This radio station cannot condone such an attitude” — and referred to trip-taking by one in the group — “and will not give any further air play to songs with which they had any part. Please scratch all tracks on albums and dispose of all single records with music by the Beatles or any member of their group.” END

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Credit source information (as published): Billboard, August 12, 1967

A MCRFB Note: In lieu of the Lennon statement and controversy, did any top 40 stations in Detroit participated in banning Beatles’ record play? We marked two references (with red arrows) in the featured Detroit Free Press column, on the right.

The above newspaper article was digitally re-imaged by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

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AS AN ACT FOR ALL AGES, SUPREMES BLOSSOM OUT . . . AUGUST 7, 1965

‘COPA Proving Ground for Detroit’s Own Supremes

NEW YORK — Any doubts that the Supremes will be around a long time as a top adult act were erased at the Copacabana Thursday night (July 29) as the three Detroit girls put on a performance the likes of which the famed bistro has
seldom experienced.

The Motown beat was polished, refined and arranged to a fare-thee-well, particularly in “Come See About Me,” the group’s first chart topper.

But more important, Diana, the lead singer, emerged as a solo talent to be reckoned with, and the group’s treatment of pop material like “Queen Of The House” demonstrated that the girls have a sharp comic sense and a repertorial range worthy of a veteran group.

Opening number was a sprightly “From This Moment On,” followed by a song more generally associated with the group – “Baby Love.” Another of the Supremes’ stand-bys – “Stop in the Name of Love” – was delivered in typical Motown style.

“The Girl From Ipanema” was delivered in a cool, subdued style and provided a suitable change of pace after the two beat numbers. “Make Someone Happy” was the showcase for Diana’s solo talent. Her distinctive phrasing and amazing vocal range stamps her as one of the best in the business.

The girls can handle the old music hall song-and-dance bit. On “Rock-a-bye Your Rock-a-bye Baby” they came equipped with straw hats and canes and performed in typical vaudeville style.

A bit of nostalgia was introduced with selections from their “We Remember Sam Cooke” album (pre-selected audio tracks tagged to the image below), delivered with taste and class.

Closing was “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,” with Diana delivering the lyric, Mary and Florence cutting in with appropriate asides.

The program wound up with a standing ovation.

While the Supremes will probably keep their teen-age following for some time, there appears little question that the act will last a lot longer as staple adult fare, not too dependent on the chart position of their latest single.

They have all the equipment, poise, polish and a comic sense – and that equipment was working flawlessly Thursday night. END

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Credit source information (as published): Billboard, August 7, 1965