Perhaps no one more typified the WKNR sound thanBob Green. He was there before there was a Keener and was involved at both the height of WKNR’s Success and in it’s 1970 rebirth under the Motor City Music banner.
After moving to Houston and forming his own successful production company, Bob took a moment to break down the factors that were part and parcel of “The Keener Philosophy”. It’s an object lesson on what made radio great back then and what’s wrong with the accountant driven homogenized radio that exists today.
The WKNR Bob Green narrative of The Keener Philosophy
H E Y D O Y O U R E M E M B E R the Think Summer campaign Keener launched in Detroit in the winter of 1965?
Well let’s see . . . . I can still see those Think Summer newspaper ads, and there were those Think Summer button give-aways, there was also a Think Summer contest as well, those Think Summer billboards around town, and then there was a Think Summer song, yeah . . . that was played on the radio on Keener 13!
According to the WKNR music guides posted onKeener13.com, Think Summer by Susan Wayne debuted during the week of February 18, 1965. But by the time Think Summer peaked at the No. 25 spot onWKNR, March 3, 1965, well, that would be it . . . just three short weeks on the WKNR Keener 13 playlists.
But that was enough for WKNR to generate some kind of ‘mirage,’ if you will, a brief winter’s thaw we must have felt, at least momentarily, during the station’s contest with all their summer-time give-a-ways during that February. If all else, the Think Summer promo became the ultimate Keener event during that cold winter here in Detroit 47-years ago.
Straight from the Keener vaults, courtesy of WKNR’s own Bob Green, here’s three of those WKNR Think Summer promos from that memorable winter’s brief “summer-time fun” contestants cashed in on listening to Keener 13, 1965.
And Last, from the MCRFB music archives, here we present “Think Summer“ as it was recorded by Columbia’s own, here she is, folks . . . Susan Wayne!
Enjoy the WKNR 1965 “THINK SUMMER” audio flashbacks!
A MCRFB NOTE: By the way, according to Bob Green, that was Danielle David and her Dearborn Dolls singing along in the ‘Name Game’ Think Summer promo. Thanks, Bob, for sharing with us these classic WKNR audio gems with Motor City Radio Flashbacks!
Everyone who is anyone in the radio biz knows “Radio’s Best Friend.”Art Vuolois literally the video archivist of the broadcasting profession. VuoloVideo.comis a must-visit site for both aspiring and accomplished broadcasters who want to watch the best of the best in action.
But before Art perfected his video artistry, he was a key chronicler of Detroit radio history. His 12 hour magnum opus, ‘The History of Detroit Radio’ became an instant classic when it first aired on WDRQ.
According to WDRQ programmer Don Barrett, he commissioned Art Vuolo to produce the ‘History of Detroit Radio’ which aired the weekend prior WDRQ’s official new format launch (formerly WDEE) in June, 1971. The documentary was narrated by WDRQ morning news anchor Richard Mock.
The still program stands up as one of the best radio documentaries ever made. It’s one of hundreds upon hundreds of audio treasures in our Motor City Radio FlashbackAircheck Library.
Need a CK fix? Who can forget Tom Shannon, Pat Holiday, & Teddy Bear Richards. And, yes, we have some vintage Tom Clay material, along with some sounds of CK in the 90s via Lynn Martin and Rick Hamilton. It’s Radio 8-0 during it’s glorious Top 40 reign on the Detroit AM dial.
Try these 15 classicaircheckson for size. These CKLW memories will take you back! 🙂
Here’s more radio memories during a time when jingles reigned supreme across the radio airways in the Motor City during the 1960s.
This set of jingles features more of WJBK Radio 15 from 1962 (PAMS). And we’ll also showcase a few jingles from WKNR Keener 13, notably from the Richard H. Ullman series here, from late 1963.
These very same jingles from the 1963 WKNR Ullman package had also been previously used in 1962, just the same, but with use of the WKMH call letters instead.
Here’s one feature from 1958 from WJBK Radio 1500… as you listen closely, classic vintage Motor City radio jingles, indeed!
We also have a jingles montage from WKNR Keener 13 in 1966. And here we have a promo from WKNR for an All Request Memory Weekend which was featured on Keener 13 during 1969 and 1970.
George Griggs, Scott Westerman, and mcrfb.com will have more of this from the website’s various archived files of airchecks, jingles, vintage radio commercials and radio ads which we’ll be adding more unto the site as we’ll progress forward from this day on. So stick around. There’s much more to come!
HE MAY BELONG gone from the airwaves, but Dick Purtan and his team are still broadcasting. Check outDickPurtan.com to hear the latest podcast. The 45-years in radio Detroiter is still podcast live and doing well! 🙂
AFTER A LONG VACATIONScott Westerman & Steve Schram are updating the WKNR Tribute Site again. Check outKeener13.comfor new air checks and backstories on rock n roll from one of Detroit’s premiere 60s radio station.
With a tip of the hat to Keener13.com, here’s a 1962 air check featuring the inimitable Dave Prince at the top of his game. Some great PAMS jingles, commercials for The Gay Haven and Tiger Baseball and lots of Detroit rock n roll from the days before Keener.