When WHND AM first launched in April 1976, its jingle package for the station’s new automated format was produced by Drake/Chenault. Bill Drake provided the taped voiceover between song sets, and stamped the time (on the hour) and the ID introduction, “This is WHNE Birmingham, WHND Monroe,” as part of a rollout for the new “all oldies” format, which was also used by Greater Media stations in Pasadena (KRLA 1110) and Philadelphia (WPEN 950).
In the early 1970s, as AM and FM stations of all sizes began adhering to FCC rules and adopting large market models, Drake-Chenault significantly expanded into radio syndication. They started offering taped formats to non-RKO stations and established a studio (under Drake-Chenault) at 8399 Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Canoga Park, CA. Their early format offerings included Classic Gold (for KHJ-FM, later KRTH), Solid Gold, Hit Parade, and Great American Country. They also made the original 48-hour History of Rock and Roll, initially created for KHJ, available nationwide, followed by other syndicated “special” programs.
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NEW! A special THANK YOU to Mark Yurko, of Langhorne, PA., for his recent WHND aircheck contribution for our Motor City Radio Flashbacks airchecks repository.
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Along with ‘Something New’ LP, Capitol Will Release Three Beatles’ Singles For the Month
HOLLYWOOD — “Something New,” Capitol’s third Beatle album which goes on sale Monday, July 20, is one LP that lives up to its name.
Six of the tunes in the album have never before been released in the U.S. They were recorded by The Beatles after they completed their first film, “A Hard Day’s Night” (Capitol released the title as a single last week and sales have already surpassed the million mark.)
According to Stanley M. Gortikov, President, Capitol Records Distributing Corp. (CRDC) the pre-release sale for the album” has been fantastic. “Over a half-million have been shipped to Districts throughout the country and orders have kept the Scranton and Los Angeles plants working to capacity. In addition, Capitol has several outside sources pressing the disk.
“The initial demand has been amazing,” Gortikov said. “It has demonstrated that dealers have as much enthusiasm today as they did six months ago when we put out the first Beatle album.”
Gortikov attributed much of the excitement for the album to The Beatles forthcoming tour and United Artists picture which could make “Something New” one of the biggest selling LPs in Capitol’s history. “There’s also the fact,” he added, “that this album isn’t just a package with a new jacket surrounded by old tunes.”
Among the 11 songs on the album is the German version of “Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand,” better known to the U.S. record buyer as “I Want To Hold Your Hand,” the first Beatle single released by Capitol. All of the songs in the LP are Lennon-McCartney compositions with the exception of “Slow Down” and “Matchbox.”
Capitol will follow the release of “Something New” with two more Beatle singles this month – “And I Love Her” (on the flip side is “If I Fell”) and “I’ll Cry Instead” (“I’m Happy Just To Dance With You”). Both are from the UA picture. This will bring the number of Beatle singles released by Capitol this month to three. END
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Information, credit and news source: Record World, July 25, 1964
The Record World ad was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
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Motor City Radio Flashbacks extends warm, birthday wishes to Scott Regen, b. July 23, 1941. Happy Birthday! We hope your one special day was truly fabulous. And thank you again, for those wonderful WKNR radio memories, when you were the #1 night-time radio deejay on the dial in Detroit in the mid-1960s. 🙂
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Newly restored! This audio recording was digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
WKNR, WJR Hitting Pay Dirt in Detroit, Thanks to Two Air Personalities
DETROIT — Two deejays — one in the Top 40 field and the other from a ‘middle-of-the-road’ easy music station, are basically responsible for the tremendous success of radio stations WKNR and WJR here in influencing the sales of records…. and may be largely responsible for the success of their respective radio stations in reaching a large audience.
WJR station manager James H. Quello, said that his good music station was proud of J. P. McCarthy. “He’s the number one radio personality in town. Everybody knows him and he’s in good part responsible… a major factor… in influencing the sale of LP’s in Detroit.”
According to Billboard’s Radio Response Rating Survey last week of the Detroit radio market — ranked the country’s fifth radio market — McCarthy was rated No. 1 in influencing radio listeners to purchase popular LPs. The station was rated first in the same category, but what makes it a unique situation is that the station gained strength to capture the top position since a similar Billboard survey of May 16, 1964, had placed WJR in second-place behind WCAR.
And the reason, according to Quello, is the power of McCarthy. McCarthy had been with the station at one time, then left WJR in Detroit to work for another radio station in San Francisco. He returned back to Detroit since the last Billboard survey. He’s so effective that WJR placed him on mornings in their 6:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. time-frame, and he returns for the 3:15 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. drive time. “After all, this is the motor city of the world… a big car place,” Quello went on to say. McCarthy features mostly MOR records (middle of the road), Quello said, “but we’re programming more contemporary music now, anything short of rock and roll.”
In influencing the sale of popular LP recordings, the major stations, in order, are WJR, WCAR, WWJ, and WJBK. WJR and WCAR has most of the power; in fact, WJR’s McCarthy had 52 per cent of the total points in Billboard’s survey, followed by WCAR deejay Joe Bacarella with 36 per cent overall.
WJR, incidentally, tied for second-place with WWJ in influencing the sale of conservative type records, was No. 1 in influencing the sale of classical records, and showed up fairly well as a power in influencing the sale of folk records as well.
Both Gain
The top position in the sale of popular record singles was again captured by radio station WKNR and its popular disk-jockey, Bob Green. In fact, both station and deejay gained in strength. WKNR radio was rated at 33 per cent in May 16, 1964, but increased its influence to 44 per cent as of last week. Green increased two points to 30 per cent.
WKNR radio station manager Walter Patterson said the Top 40 station isn’t doing anything different, “but we are fortunate in accumulating listeners.” A recent Pulse study showed that the 24-hour Detroit station as reaching 292,900 separate households during a given day.
“We’re not cocky, but we watch our position closely and never let up,” Patterson said. While the station does believe in strong air-personalities, — “some are and some are not” — it also practices “playing more music and keeping talk to a minimum.” The station’s “sound” is very important,” Patterson said.
WKMH the former, now WKNR, featured a “middle-of-the-road” music format until November 1, 1963, when it went Top 40. “We’ve pulled the fastest turnaround of any station in the country,” Patterson said. “What’s happening is the more we go, the more we get.” The station plays the top 31 records and distributes 99,000 copies of the station’s own survey guide of featured songs and hits. Patterson also said the station has a “refrigerator full” of promotions and uses them as the need arises.
Also in the Top 40 market, radio station CKLW has increased its power in influencing the sales of records since the last Billboard survey. The market saw WJBK change format from Top 40, where it ranked No. 2 last May, to good music. In May 1964, it was No. 4; now it ranks second. Dave Shafer and Tom Shannon of CKLW now rank second and third behind WKNR’s Bob Green.
John Gordon, the program director of CKLW, received the Billboard nod as most co-operative in exposing new records.
Close in R&B Field
In the R&B field in the Detroit market, it was a close race, but WCHB radio came out on top in influencing record sales. WCHB had 49 per cent, WJLB had 44 per cent and FM station WGPR had 7 per cent. WJLB ranked first last May.
Bill Williams, program director at WCHB, attributed the station’s increase in influence to a “much tighter format that was launched in January.” The station also went 24-hours in April. Williams said deejays on WCHB are now faster with delivery than before. “We play 35 of the top-selling R&B records, interspersed with every third record with one we think is a good prospect for a potential hit-maker to climb-up the chart.” This has made the station very important in getting listeners to go out and buy more into the R&B product,” Williams said.
“This is a good R&B market, its the home of the Motown sound,” he said, adding that he liked to think of his market as the entire population of Detroit. WJLB, however, scored with the top disc-jockey — Ernie Durham — in the power of influencing record sales. In fact, Durham almost captured the whole thing with a 44 per cent influence in the Detroit R&B market. The second-place honors goes out to Le Baron Taylor of WCHB, who held the No. 2 spot at 27 per cent.
Interesting to note is that an FM station, WBRB-FM is now showing muscles in influencing the sales of country music records. The field is still dominated by country powerhouse WEXL, which still came up with 86 per cent of the total points, but it’s no longer a one-station field. WBRB showed up with a 14 per cent; it’s a new station since the last Billboard survey. Bill Samples, of WEXL, is still the No. 1 deejay in the motor town getting country music records sold. END
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Source information and credit: Billboard July 24, 1965
Audio digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
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In 1965, the Anita Kerr Singers achieved a major milestone by winning two Grammy Awards. They were honored with the ‘Best Performance By A Vocal Group’ award for their RCA album ‘We Dig Mancini’, triumphing over The Beatles’ ‘Help!’ in that category. Additionally, they received the ‘Best Gospel Album’ award for their collaboration with George Beverly Shea on the 1964 RCA album ‘Southland Favorites.’
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Later that year, a brief article in the October 16, 1965, edition of Billboard magazine reported that Anita Kerr had relocated from Nashville to Hollywood. There, she established Anita Kerr Enterprises to explore opportunities in commercial radio and the jingle industry. Partnering with former RCA Victor European sales administrator Alexandre Grob, they also enlisted Charlie Williams, a former songwriter and personal manager from RCA Records. While based on the West Coast, Anita Kerr continued to work with her Nashville-based group, intending to bring them to California for jingle recordings. According to the Billboard article, the group was to remain an act under the RCA label.
By 1967, Anita Kerr Enterprises had crafted jingles for a range of radio stations across the country, including KMPC AM 710 in Los Angeles, WLS AM 890 in Chicago, WGH AM 1310 in Newport News (Virginia), and WXYZ AM in Detroit.
At WXYZ AM 1270 in Detroit, Lee Alan served as the program director. In late 1965, as part of the station’s preparations for 1966, Lee Alan composed the “Personality Plus” jingle series for the new upcoming “Detroit Sound” programming, geared in a new direction and with anticipated excitement. WXYZ-AM, at the time, was an ABC Radio Network affiliate based in New York.
Once ABC approved the “Personality Plus” jingle package, General Manager Chuck Fritz authorized Lee Alan to hire Dick Marx Productions from Chicago to finalize the arrangements and contract Anita Kerr for the vocal work. Lee Alan noted, “Years earlier, Dick Marx had produced jingles for our sister station WLS-AM in Chicago.”
Lee Alan explained, “The jingles were meticulously crafted to refresh and elevate WXYZ’s sound. I produced the package with Dick Marx, and we brought in Anita Kerr and her singers for two recording sessions over two days.”
He further added, “I was later asked to create another jingle series for WXYZ-FM, which was broadcast separately from AM due to FCC regulations. At the same time, I composed and produced opening jingles for the new ‘Martin and Howard’ show starting in 1967, again working with Dick Marx and Anita Kerr” (Lee Alan’s comments, July 2, 2012).
In conclusion, take a moment to listen to those classic jingles Anita Kerr recorded for WXYZ radio in 1966. It’s clear that this custom package remains one of the most beautifully arranged sets of jingles ever produced for Detroit radio in the 1960s.
A special thanks is due to Lee Alan for making this remarkable WXYZ custom series possible in 1966.
Above article is courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2024.Newspapers.com.
The above featured ‘Motown’ newspaper article (Detroit Free Press) was clipped, saved, and was digitally re-imaged from the credited source by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
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DETROIT FREE PRESS Sunday, January 30, 1966 [D]
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This official Record Review survey was tabulated overall by each record’s popularity and its appeal, sales, listener requests and record air plays based on the judgement of WJBK Radio 1500 (1964)
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WJBK RADIO 15 RECORD REVIEW July 17, 1964
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A sincere thank you, Mrs. Patti Griggs. This featured presentation would have not been possible without your generosity, dedication, and your continuous support.
Above WJBK music chart courtesy of Mrs. Patti Griggs and the George L. Griggs estate.
This article/advertisement courtesy freep.com newspaper archive. Copyright 2024. Newspapers.com
The featured Detroit Free Press article (August 31, 1951) was digitally re-imaged and was entirely restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
Missed any of our previous ‘Detroit Radio Back-Pages‘ features? GO HERE
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Jack the Bellboy.
There were five WJBK personalities who used the JTB moniker in the 1950s and in the 1960s. Ed McKenzie (1951). Tom Clay (1958). Dave Shafer (1962). Terry Knight (1963). Robin Walker (1964).
One other fact: When Ed McKenzie left WJBK for WXYZ in 1952, WJBK retained legal rights to the moniker. Nobody else at WJBK would use the title until Tom Clay was hired in late 1957, when Casey Kasem left Detroit for Buffalo that year. In 1956-57, Casey Kasem had the same late-evening hours as Ed McKenzie, on WJBK. Offered the JTB title by the station, Kasem once stated he simply declined assuming the moniker during the short time while he was there.
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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 provide for this site since 2016.
Thank you, Greg Innis, for making these historic Detroit radio features possible. 🙂
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In the early 1970s, as AM and FM stations of all sizes began adhering to FCC rules and adopting large market models, Drake-Chenault significantly expanded into radio syndication. They started offering taped formats to non-RKO stations and established a studio (under Drake-Chenault) at 8399 Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Canoga Park, CA. Their early format offerings included Classic Gold (for KHJ-FM, later KRTH), Solid Gold, Hit Parade, and Great American Country. They also made the original 48-hour History of Rock and Roll, initially created for KHJ, available nationwide, followed by other syndicated “special” programs.
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NEW! A special THANK YOU to Mark Yurko, of Langhorne, PA., for his recent WHND aircheck contribution for our Motor City Radio Flashbacks airchecks repository.
