The date is April 19, 1966.WXYZ 1270is set on your radio dial. The time is 9:00 PM on a Tuesday evening here in the Motor City.
Coming in fresh from Cleveland’s WIXY, listen in as Joey Reynolds introduced himself on The Joey Reynolds Show for the very first time when he first came over to Detroit.
FROM THE MCRFB AIRCHECKS LIBRARY
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WXYZ-AM * JOEY REYNOLDS * APRIL 1966
…Well uh I don’t understand quite frankly Al what you’re getting at. What are you trying to say is you don’t like me?….
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WXYZ 1966 radio personality Joey Reynolds’ station- profile brochure cover(click on image for larger view).
In this classic 1966 WXYZ aircheck, Joey Reynolds did all he could to keep his composure with a certain caller, Al Evans from South Junior High School.
When this aircheck was taped in May of 1966, Joey Reynolds was known for his propensity to berate other radio stations and on-air personalities during his shows while in Detroit. Whether his on-air rhetoric might have been described as “good clean fun” or just a display of Reynolds own personal ego, these assumptions might have been taken more than lightly by some listeners, such as the one noted particular call to The Joey Reynolds Show would come to obviously demonstrate.
In April 1966, WXYZ had many of the best radio voices covering the Detroit radio map at that time. Marc Avery. Lee Alan. Dave Prince. Jimmy Hampton. Pat Murphy. Danny Taylor.
Under Lee Alan, now as program director, WXYZ retained its star status with their legendary top 40 personality-plus line-up. The ABC-owned station’s share for higher numbers was paramount moving forward against WKNR and CKLW. The station was locked in battle to regain the top 40 crown they once held over Detroit several years back. Detroit, in 1966, was a three-station top 40 market.
But it was the Reynolds star, despite the anticipated expectation he’d be held for higher ratings and audience popularity the moment he first signed on, never came to fully rise during his short stay here in the Motor City.
By July 1966, a little over two months after WXYZ General Manager Charles Fritz and station Program Director Lee Alan brought the Gavin Award winning radio host to Detroit, the station found itself floundering at third place with only a 24 percent share of the Detroit radio audience overall.
Joey Reynolds as he looked back in the ’60s on the radio. (Click on image for larger view)
In contrast, CKLW held their ground just a short-distance ahead with a 29 share at second place. Meanwhile, WKNR was still at the top with a 47 percent share of the total Detroit audience who were listening to Keener 13 at any given time throughout their entire broadcast day.
As to his statement, “well I hope we last”… he didn’t.
By the first week of November 1966, and six months after first coming on WXYZ, Joey Reynolds was completely removed far away east from the Detroit radio scene at WDRC in Hartford, Connecticut.
But according to Wikipedia, the Reynolds resume reflects he’s had an illustrative career in both radio and television during his later years in broadcasting as well. He even came back to Detroit on WHYT for a short while during 1983 into 1984.
Today, as of this date, Reynolds is presently hosting All Night With Joey Reynolds on the WNBC-TV owned sub-channel station WNBC-TV2 in New York City.
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(The Joey Reynolds poster courtesy of the Art Vuolo Collection)
FROM THE MCRFB AIRCHECKS LIBRARY
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WXYZ-AM * JOEY REYNOLDS * MAY 1966
(The Joey Reynolds poster courtesy of the Art Vuolo Collection)
DETROIT — WKNR has found a way to help take the severe bite out of Old Man Winter with it’s “Think Summer” campaign.
WKNR “Think Summer” 1965 promotion button
The station has distributed some 77,000 “Think Summer“ buttons in conjunction with extensive newspaper ads and billboard displays. On-the-air, WKNR is conducting a contest and awarding barbeque grills, badminton sets, and other summertime items. To keep things psychologically warm, weather forecasts include the more desirable temperatures of Hawaii, Florida, Southern California and other southern resort areas.
As a result of the promotion, Russ Yerge, Columbia Records promotion director for Detroit, suggested his record label cut a record on the theme. Clyde Otis obliged and the label has released a single by Susan Wayne entitled “Think Summer.” A Special tie-in promotion has been arranged by Columbia Records with 65 radio stations using the “Think Summer” theme by endorsing the Wayne single. END
ADDENDUM: for more on WKNR’s “Think Summer” radio contest and station promotions, see our previous “Think Summer” exhibit post (January 29, 2012) with mp3 audio, archivedhereon Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
(Information and news source: Billboard; February 20, 1965)
From Keener13.com: In December, 1963,Jerry Lewis‘ first solo foray into a television variety show was in trouble.ABCexecutives were scrambling to find a replacement for his Saturday night slot and decided to keep the variety without regular host. On January 4th,The Hollywood Palace made it’s debut and for the next six years, it was one of the most watched variety shows on television. Visit Keener13.comfor more of the Hollywood Palace backstoryand see the Supremes performance on the program from 1966.
On October 12, 1969, WKNR killed Paul McCartney.Russ Gibb, working on WKNR-FM, heard from an Eastern Michigan University student about a series of clues that seemed to point to Paul McCartney’s death. The story took on a life of its own, both on Keener and WKNR-FM and Russ received credit for making the tale of McCartney’s supposed demise a national story. In the Spring of 2007, Dutch documentarians came to Dearborn to ask Russ to recount the adventure for posterity.Read the full story at Keener13.com. And watch the full documentary here.
From Wikipedia: Founded in 1927 as a scheduled air mail and passenger service operating between Key West, Florida and Havana, Cuba, Pan American World Airways became a major company credited with many innovations that shaped the international airline industry, including the widespread use of jet aircraft, jumbo jets, and computerized reservation systems.Identified by its blue globe logo, the use of the word “Clipper” in aircraft names and call signs, and the white pilot uniform caps, the airline was a cultural icon of the 20th century. In an era dominated by flag carriers that were wholly or majority government-owned, it was also the unofficial flag carrier of the United States. During most of the jet era, Pan Am’s flagshipterminal was the Worldport located at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
In the ’60s and early ’70s, Pan Am spent millions on radio and television advertising, touting it’s worldwide reach and superior service. Here are three examples.
