DETROIT RADIO MOURNS PASSING OF VETERAN WJR BROADCASTER, FRANK BECKMANN

 

Frank Beckmann, who spent nearly five decades on Detroit radio, is being remembered for his long-running work on “New Talk 760” WJR and as the voice of the Detroit Lions, Detroit Tigers, Detroit Pistons, and, for 33-years, the Michigan Wolverines, during his long radio career. Beckmann died Saturday. He was 72.

Beckmann retired from WJR in March 2021 from WJR where he had been hosting late-mornings (9 am-12 noon) on the talk outlet until his final broadcast.

“I will be forever grateful to WJR for helping all of my boyhood dreams to come true. As a youngster growing up on the east side of Detroit, I always imagined sitting behind a microphone, announcing Lions and Tigers games,” Beckmann said last year when he retired. “It was surreal for me to actually have been able to do that, along with experiencing the other great opportunities this radio giant known as WJR provided me.” Beckmann said he had looked forward to more time on the golf course during his retirement.

Two weeks ago Beckmann’s family shared the sad news that he was he was entering hospice after several recent strokes. Last June, just months after his retirement, Beckmann was diagnosed with vascular dementia, a rare brain disease, after his started exhibiting unusual behavior. His wife, Karen, had told The Detroit News earlier this month that doctors give him days to live.

“Frank was a giant. Not only in stature, but in the world of broadcast radio too, said WJR’s Chris Renwick of his 6-foot, three-inch friend. “Frank always did it his way, and always kept us the best informed audience in all of radio,” said Renwick, noting Beckman also helped raise tens of millions of dollars for Detroit charities.

German-born Beckmann first signed on to WJR in 1972. In 1981, he succeeded Bob Ufer as the University of Michigan football play-by-play announcer, calling games for 33 seasons. He was honored as “Top Michigan Sportscaster” numerous times, and was been cited for his work as the only person to broadcast games for all four of Detroit’s major sports teams and the creation of “Sports Wrap” in 1981, recognized as Detroit radio’s first sports talk show.

In 2014, Beckmann received the Chris Schenkel Award from the National Football Foundation, making Beckmann a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and was also been inducted into the Michigan Associations of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and named “Best Midday Personality” by the group.

In Beckmann’s honor, his family is asking instead for donations to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, which is creating the Frank Beckmann Center for Journalism. Get details HERE.

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The above article published by InsideRadio, Monday, February 14, 2022. Credit and article is courtesy of insideradio.com (Atlanta, GA)

 

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Motor City Radio Flashbacks extends our deepest heart-felt condolences to the entire Frank Beckmann family, to his beloved radio audience and friends, and to the entire staff of WJR.

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NEW! 800 CKLW BACK ON THE RADIO: DICK PURTAN

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Audio recording digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks

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NEW! A special thank you to our senior contributor Greg Innis, of Livonia, Mi., for donating recently the above featured CKLW audio memory to the Motor City Radio Flashbacks airchecks collection.

 

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THIS WEEK! 1963: THE HOTTEST RECORD SINGLE IN THE U.S.A.

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FIFTEEN WEEKS overall on the singles pop charts, “Hey Paula” by Paul and Paula peaks this week at #1 (3 weeks) on the Billboard Hot 100. Peaked beginning February 3, 1963 through week ending, February 23, 1963. (Source: Joel Whitburn’s Pop Annual)

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For our previous Billboard Number One 1963 U.S.A. Hits go HERE

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BROADCASTING | WKNR, KTHI-TV ARE SOLD FOR $7.5 MILLION . . . JUNE 24, 1968

Knorr Broadcasting Corp. Sale Of Dearborn WKNR 1310 Ends 22 Year Ownership Era in Motor City

 

 

 

Two station sales were reported last week for an aggregate of almost $7.5 million. Sold were WKNR Dearborn, Mich. (Detroit), by Knorr Broadcasting Corp. to Mission Broadcasting Co. for a price in the neighborhood of $6 million and KTHI-TV Fargo, N.D., by Fuqua Communications to the Morgan Murphy station group for $1.4 million.

Also last week the FCC approved, by a 4 to 1 vote, the transfer of WASH (FM) in Washington from Everett L. Dillard to Metromedia Inc. and the sale of  Metromedia’s WCBM-FM Baltimore to the A.S. Abell Co.

Included in the WKNR package is the purchase of WKHM-TV which holds a construction permit for channel 18 in Jackson, Mich., and an option to buy WKNR-FM Dearborn, at a later date.

WKNR, founded in 1946, is principally owned by Mrs. Fred Knorr of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., who also has controlling interest in Jackson Broadcasting Corp. (WKHM-AM-FM) Jackson. Other principals of the selling corporation include Walter Patterson, executive vice president, Charles J. Sitta, vice president, Robert M. Booth Jr., assistant secretary, and (renown veteran Detroit sportscaster) Van Patrick. Mr. Booth owns 33% of WSAL-AM FM in Logansport, Ind., and Mr. Patrick is a 50% owner of WSRF-AM-FM in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

WKHM-TV is owned by Jackson Broadcasting Corp. (51%) and Southern Michigan Broadcasting Corp. and Knorr Broadcasting Corp. (each 17%). Southern Michigan Broadcasting Corp. is the licensee of WKFR-AM-FM (also known as ‘Keener’ 14) Battle Creek, Mich.

Mission Broadcasting Co., controlled by Jack Roth and family, already owns KONG and KRRY-FM, both San Antonio, Tex., WRIZ Coral Gables, Fla., and is an applicant for an FM in Miami. The sale of Mission’s only television station, KSAT-TV (formerly KONO-TV) San Antonio to The Outlet Co. for $10.5 million was approved by the FCC last November (see BROADCASTING, Nov. 27, 1967).

WKNR is a daytimer on 1310 kc with 5kw. WKNR-FM, which Mission has an option to buy, is on 100.3 mc with7.1 kw. WKHM-TV is authorized to telecast with 1,084 kw visual from an antenna that is 1,050 feet above terrain.

KTHI-TV (ch.11), founded in 1959, is principally owned by J.B. Fuqua, president of Fuqua Communications Inc., a subsidiary of Fuqua Industries Inc. Other Fuqua holdings are WROZ and WTVW (TV), both Evansville, Ind., KXOA Sacramento, Calif., and WTAC Flint, Mich. Mr. Fuqua personally own 100% of WJBF (TV) Augusta, Ga.

The Morgan Murphy stations are controlled by Mr. Murphy, who also has interests in the Superior Evening Telegram, Manitowoc Herald Times, Two Rivers Reporter, Ashland Press, all Wisconsin, and the Virginia (Minn.) Mesabi News. The Murphy stations are WISC-TV Madison, Wis., KXYL-AM-FM-TV Spokane and KAPP (TV) Yakima, both Washington.

KTHI-TV has 304 kw visual and operates from an antenna 2,063 feet above ground. Both WKNR and KTHI-TV sales were handled by William T. Stubblefield, mediabroker.

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Note: The original article was edited and condensed by the author.

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Information, credit and news source: Broadcasting; June 24, 1968

 

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