MONKEES THE TOP BANANA GLOBALLY . . . FEBRUARY 11, 1967

Hot Popularity Fuels Monkees’ Recordings Across Europe and Beyond

 

 

NEW YORK — The Monkees are swinging to the top on a global scale. Their Colgems releases, which are distributed by RCA Victor, are following the phenomenal sales pattern set in the U. S. in such foreign countries as England, Holland, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, Germany Canada, Japan, Australia and the Philippines.

In the U.S., the Monkees’ two album releases, “More Of The Monkees” and “The Monkees,” which holds the one and two spots in Billboard’s best-selling popular LP chart this week, have sold in excess of three million copies. Their two single releases, “Last Train To Clarksville” and “I’m A Believer,” have sold more than 5,000,000 copies.

In England, “I’m A Believer,” has passed the 600,000 sales mark, and their first album, “Monkees,” is selling at a fast-sales clip. The first single release, “Last Train To Clarksville,” which failed to stimulate much interest in its initial round, is now beginning to perk up in sales.

“I’m A Believer” is No. 1 in Holland and Sweden; in the Top 10 in Belgium and Norway; a run-away seller in Canada; in the Top 10 in Japan and Australia, and starting to move up in Germany and the Philippines.

Victor also reports that the Stereo-8 version of the Monkees LP is a fast moving item, and that “More Of The Monkees” is scheduled for Stereo-8 cartridge release later this month. END

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Information, credit, and news source: Billboard; February 11, 1967

The Monkees, 1966 (Credit: Keystone/Getty Images)

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McKENZIE BOWS OUT IN ‘FORMULA RADIO’ PROTEST . . . MARCH 16, 1959

Radio Veteran No Longer Finds Place Nor Pleasure on the Dial at 1270

 

 

DETROIT — Veteran deejay Ed McKenzie resigned from station WXYZ here last week in protest of the station’s “formula radio” programming policy.

Detroit radio’s two biggest names, Ed McKenzie, Robin Seymour in the late-1950s.

Rallying to McKenzie’s side was his long-time competitor and another veteran Detroit spinner, Robin Seymour, of WKMH who came out strongly last week for McKenzie and against “formula radio.” Seymour stated: “It’s a crime and a shame when one of the true deejays – one of the men who made the jockey a major factor in broadcasting – has to bow to the dictates of a program director.”

Although Seymour and McKenzie – two of Detroit’s key deejays – have vied for audience ratings for the past 11 years (they occupied the same afternoon time slot) Seymour said they have remained friends — their friendship dating back to the time McKenzie gave Seymour his first radio job at WJBK here.

Seymour has asked McKenzie to appear on his WKMH show this week to discuss the whole formula radio situation and his reasons for leaving WXYZ. Seymour said they will explore the jockey’s need for freedom of programming and speculate on whether the advent of “formula radio” has anything to do with the fact that no new name deejay (other than Dick Clark) has come up from the ranks in recent years.

Seymour said his station, WKMH, is now the only major Detroit station operating on a non-formula programming policy. The outlet did adopt a non – rock and roll format last year, but Seymour said the management dropped the policy last January, and pert record programming back in the deejays’ hands. As a result, the jock said WKMH’s ratings are already showing a small rating climb – the first rating increase for the station in some time.

The WXYZ “formula,” (featuring the Top 40 singles) was adopted by the station about a year ago, and WXYZ vice president in charge of radio, Hal Neal opined “Our interpretation of formula radio is that it is a step forward.”

Ed McKenzie on WXYZ circa 1955

McKenzie on the other hand expressed his opinion that this “formula” did not jibe with his interpretation of radio as “being intimate and friendly.” He stated that his ratings were dropping since the “formula policy” has gone into effect and that he would sooner “dig ditches or sell hot dogs” than go back to formula radio because “I can’t do something I don’t believe in.”

The radio station disagreed with McKenzie’s use of bird calls on the air and his “on the air” comment on office typing and the programming. The station also found themselves in disagreement with McKenzie about their new policy to boost the station on his programs, which the jockey termed `unnecessary.”

McKenzie’s 3 p.m. to 6.15 p.m. spot is being taken over by Mickey Shorr, who will have another replacement for his own Night Train program. Reportedly making between $60,000 and $80,000 a year in his 29th year with radio. McKenzie was Jack the Bellboy at WJBK before he changed to WXYZ radio in 1952. END

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Information, credit and news source: Billboard, March 16, 1959

Ella Fitzgerald guests on WXYZ with Ed McKenzie, circa 1954.

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RADIO’S STEREO FM’S HOTTEST MARKETS IN U.S., ’63 . . . JUNE 29, 1963

Projected One Million Stereo FM Receivers Will Be Sold, 1963 

 

 

NEW YORK — FM STEREO’S HOTTEST MARKETS. One million stereo receivers will be sold this year. Not bad for for a medium which celebrated it’s second birthday this month.

A 1963 Philco AM-FM table radio.

About 730,000 of the anticipated 1.4 million American-made radio-phonographs will be equipped for FM stereo reception; another 130,000 of 280,000 TV-radio-phonograph combinations will have it. Add at least another 100,000 for table-model FM stereo radios and FM-stereo equipped imports of various types, plus another 50,000 or so component tuners, and you have well over a million sets going to the public this year.  (The radio-photo and TV-radio-phono estimates were made by the Electronics Industries Association; other estimates tabulated by Billboard).

FM stereo is a valuable adjunct to a phonograph. It vastly increases the consumer’s enjoyment — and the dealer’s profits. It can be sold easily with a good demonstration. The same is true of FM stereo table radio.

THERE ARE NOW 228 FM stereo stations in the U.S., and about 10 in Canada. FM stereo can truly be called a nationwide medium today. The American stations are located in 209 cities in 44 States plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. FM stereo signals can be received in every one of the top 50 U. S. metropolitan market areas — and in many, many less populated areas.

FM stereo is far hotter in some areas than others, of course. In these “hot” areas, every radio-phono sold should contain FM stereo. FM listeners are subject to a constant barrage of FM-stereo talk on their favorite stations, and this talk can be converted to sales with a little effort.

These are FM stereo’s hottest cities (not necessarily in order): Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle. Each one of these cities has at least 5 FM stations broadcasting in stereo. Detroit has six. Los Angeles and Seattle will soon add their sixth. San Francisco, long reputed to be the hottest FM-stereo town of all, probably deserves this reputation. With five stations already broadcasting in stereo, three more have purchased stereocasting equipment and presumably will soon begin stereo, to make San Francisco the nation’s first eight-stereo-station city.

The second-hottest group of stereo cities (in order of number of stereocasting stations) consists of San Diego, Miami (with a fifth station due to begin soon), Boston, Dallas-Ft. Worth also expecting No. 5 on the air soon). Each of these cities currently has four FM stereo program sources.

Three-stereo-stations areas are Washington; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Cleveland; Eugene-Springfield, Oregon; Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

There are at least 18 cities where listeners have a choice of two FM stereo stations. Geographically, they’re scattered from border-to-border and coast-to-coast. They are Phoenix, Birmingham, Fresno and Sacramento, California; Atlanta; Honolulu; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Grand Rapids, Michigan; New York; St. Louis; Greensboro, North Carolina; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, Oklahoma; Portland, Oregon; Pittsburgh, Providence, Norfolk, Nashville.

There’s no particular pattern of geographic location or city size in the spread of FM stereo. In many cases, a good, well-operated FM stereo station (such as San Francisco’s KPEN) will build an audience and inspire its competitors to “go stereo.”

A typical home entertainment unit, FM stereo phonograph console, 1963.

NEW YORK, YOU WILL NOTE, is rather far down on the list. The city has never been a trail-blazing town in home entertainment. New York’s FM stereo boom may come soon, however, as at least three more stations are preparing to start stereocasting. For serious music lovers, who are now served with some stereo by WQXR-FM, there will be New York’s municipal station WNYC-FM, which hopes to eventually stereocast all of its live concert broadcasts, and ABC’s WABC-FM, which will program separately from its AM affiliate, presumably serious music. For those who prefer lighter music, the popular WPAT-FM will supplement WTFM. now programming stereo 24 hours daily.

NEXT STEREO CITIES. Between 50 and 75 more FM stations will begin stereocasting between now and the end of 1963. These are expected to open up more new markets for stereo equipment sales.

Among the upcoming new FM stereo market areas where stations are now equipping themselves to start stereo broadcasting: Mobile, Alabama; Tucson, Arizona; Boulder, Colorado; Columbus, Georgia; Boise, Idaho; Champaign, Illinois; Louisville; St. Joseph, Missouri; Los Alamos, New Mexico; Dover, Springfield, and Toledo, Ohio; Warren and York, Pennsylvania; Seneca, South Carolina; Greenville, Johnson City and Lebanon, Tennessee; Lubbock and Midland, Texas; Bellingham, Washington; Eau Claire, Green Bay and Wausau, Wisconsin; Cheyenne, Wyoming; Aguadilla and Isabele, Puerto Rico.

If your business is located in or near any of these cities, its not too early to prepare for the advent of FM stereo. Your customers should be told that FM stereo is coming, and advised to be ready for it. You should be ready for it, too., with an  adequate supply of FM-stereo-equipped instruments., and armed with knowledge of what it’s all about. END

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Information, credit and news source: Billboard, June 29, 1963

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BILL GAVIN REPORT | DJ’s MORAL FORCE IN COMMUNITY . . . DECEMBER 21, 1963

The Bill Gavin Newsletter / December 21, 1963

 

 

By BILL GAVIN
Billboard Contributing Editor

 

DURING THE DAYS that followed President Kennedy’s death, I was privileged to talk with many people in radio, in many different cities. Without exception, they expressed shock, grief and even shame that such a thing could happen in the United States of America. Many spoke with pride of the manner in which their stations responded to the tragic events and of the loyal, unselfish cooperation of their program staffs.

All stations, of course, abandoned their regular formats of popular records, substituting different kinds of serious music. All advertising was canceled until the morning of Tuesday, November 26. Even after that date, many stations were cautiously slow in returning to their full complement of current hit records. In a few cases, it was reported that even though the regular playlist was once more in effect, disk jockeys simply would not program the more raucous sounds. The entire response of American radio during those difficult days was a mark of innate good taste and respect for listeners’ feelings on the part of radio people.

WJBK RADIO 15 RECORD REVIEW November 29, 1963

THE QUESTION has been asked by many – and answered by none: Will the sobering reflections of our national tragedy bring about a new trend in programming? Some things are fairly certain: shock wears off; memories of sorrow grow dim; time erodes the sharp edges of a newly aroused national con- science. It is a part of living that there should be music and laughter and entertainment. No one would want it otherwise. Radio Influences youth network television, and radio is doing an excellent job of presenting and explaining the world’s problems and our concern with them.

Unfortunately, very little of the networks’ news and commentaries ever reach the school age population. The majority of the teens and pre-teens prefers listening to pop radio. Pop records are its entertainment and disk jockeys are its heroes.

Manhattan New Yorkers listening in to the news out of Dallas from an open car’s radio. Friday afternoon, November 22, 1963.

THERE ARE DISK JOCKEYS who claim to “identify” with teenagers. What some of them mean is that they accept and condone teen attitudes and behavior: What is implied is often the disk jockey’s apparent approval of the lowest common denominator of juvenile morality. The radio jock is the acknowledged leader in the field of records for youth; he too often neglects his opportunities to lead in the direction of more enduring values. Many radio stations, with their well -publicized “personalities,” are held in far higher esteem by their young listeners than are their schools, their churches, or even their homes.

It is time, I think, for such prestige to be used to reinforce, rather than to ignore, the basic values of human living. Isn’t it time that radio stood for something besides competition and profit?

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A MCRFB Note: You can click over image(s) 2x for expanded, detailed PC view. Or tap over and “stretch” images across your mobile device’s screen for digitized view.

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Information, credit and news source (as published): Billboard  December 21, 1963

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WGPR STATION ON THE MOVE, HAS 36 REMOTES A WEEK . . . JULY 17, 1965

WGPR Making Waves in Detroit with Increased Remote Broadcasting

 

 

DETROIT A radio station that’s “kinda movin’ ” gets listeners and WGPR-FM is a station constantly on the move. Floyd M. Jones (aka Sporty J), station manager, said the station is “No. 1 among FM stations and No. 3 among stations – period.”

WGPR (Floyd M. Jones) Disc Jockey Lounge billing, mid-1960s. (Click on ad for largest PC view; or tap image, stretch image across MOBILE device screen for detailed view).

Probably the strongest example of how this station moves, however, is a countdown of its remotes – 36 a week. Jones handles a two-hour daily, three – hour Saturday evening jazz record show from the Disk Jockey Lounge. Dan (Bull Frog) Harrison does an rhythm and blues record show from the Chit Chat Lounge. DJ Larry Dixon may handle a random remote broadcast, but nothing steady at the moment; however, he does have a weekly record hop.

The 50,000-watt FM station broadcasts about 20 hours a day covering a radius of 75 miles. One reason for the tremendous success enjoyed by the station, Jones said, is that some 87 per cent of Detroit’s Negro element has FM radios. “But it’s more than that. We’re creating the image here that FM is more than just a background medium. We’re putting out a new sound.”

While the station programs record shows for Detroit populace such as Greeks, Italians, Polish and Mexican, the main portion of each day is used with rhythm and blues programs – a total of three programs a day for a total of seven hours. Jazz takes up about four hours each day. Gospel music is played early in the morning. Sunday is devoted to remote broadcasts most of the day from local churches. The station employs about 40 people. Bob Longwell is the station’s general manager.

Another reason the station is moving, according to Jones, is that programming and air personalities aims at three important and large audience segments. “I take care of the jazz fans,” Jones said. “Larry Dixon is a teen-oriented personality. And Bullfrog is for the rhythm and blues fans.” END

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Information, credit, and news source: Billboard, July 17, 1965

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SEE FOUR-WAY DETROIT [RADIO] BATTLE . . . NOVEMBER 16, 1963

WKMH Becomes Former at New Radio WKNR

 

 

DETROIT — A four-way battle is shaping up in this market with the immediate changeover in programming at WKMH.

WKNR NEW RADIO 13 personality DJ lineup. November 1963

The Dearborn-based 5,000-watter has introduced a new set of calls, WKNR, several new airmen, and a radical switch from the soft sound in music to a “30 plus 1” format. Detroit will be one of the few markets where severe competition is taking place among three or more pop music stations.

The Knorr-owned outlet has been under the program doctoring of consultant Mike Joseph for many months. Soft standards had been the path for more than a year. WKMH (Now WKNR) was once the major pop music outlet in the market. Today a major fight is developing between the new WKNR, RKO’s 50,000-watter, CKLW (which recently added Tom Clay in the late p.m. slot to help accentuate their positive pop sound), WJBK, Storer-owned swinger, and WXYZ, the ABC-owned pop-rater.

Mort Crowley (KHJ defector) broadcasts 5 to 9 a.m. followed by the Motor City’s famous Robin Seymour in the 9 to noon slot. Jim Sanders is handling the noon to 3 shift with Gary Stevens hosting the 3 to 7 p.m. segment. Bob Green goes up to midnight and Bill Phillips holds the fort as the all-nighter. END

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Information, credit and news source: Billboard, November 16, 1963

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MOTOWN MONDAY | MOTOWN OUT OF KING SUIT . . . OCTOBER 19, 1963

Dr. King Attorney Retracts Infringement Suit Against Motown Records

 

 

(Credit: Motown Museum)

DETROIT — Involvement of Motown Record Corporation in a multi-defendant infringement suit lodged last week by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was an error, and the company’s name has now been dropped from the suit, according to Motown spokesmen.

According to officials of Motown, King and the record company’s president, Berry Gordy Jr., are close friends and that when King’s attorney, Clarence Jones, filed the suit, he was not aware of this and of previous agreements made between the two men, and added the name of Motown to those of the other defendants, Mr. Maestro, Inc., and 20th Century-Fox Records.

The action stems from the alleged unauthorized use on records of King’s recitation, “I Have a Dream,” used at various integration rallies, on which he says he obtained a copyright.

The Motown use of the recitation appeared on an LP of a mass meeting and rally earlier this year in Detroit. Motown says it will soon issue another LP, titled “The Great March On Washington”. END

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Information, credit and news source: Billboard, October 19, 1963

A MCRFB Note: For a more in-depth publication relating as close to this October 1963 Billboard story, read this TIME article dated February 20, 2020, HERE

Double click image for enlarged PC view. On mobile devices, stretch image across your device screen.

The Motown Records ad featured below (published in Billboard 10/12/1963) was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks.

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WJLB IN NEW PROGRAM POLICY . . . SEPTEMBER 23, 1967

New Detroit R&B Soul Station PD Will Launch “Young Sound” and Apply Consistency To Programming

 

 

DETROIT — WJLB, Booth Broadcasting’s 1,000-watt R&B operation here, has just launched a new programming policy centering around tighter production, faster pacing, and a new set of custom jingles created and packaged by Quincy Jones.

Wash Allen

Wash Allen, who just recently took over WJLB program director duties after being transferred from Booth’s WABQ in Cleveland, said the Detroit station would be “running with a full-blast, exciting young sound.” Playlist will be 40 records, to which he will add as necessity demands. “You can never tell how many good tunes will come out in a good week, but I think the average will be about five new records a week,” he said.

WJLB Martha Jean ‘The Queen’, 1967

The aim will be to establish consistency in programming, Allen said. He felt his philosophy in programming was the same as Bill Drake, consultant to RKO General stations, and Paul Drew, program director of CKLW in Detroit. “Certain top tunes must be played consistently and deejays must be consistent in their shows. One dee-jay can’t make a station; it has to be a total operation and this is a new concept in R&B radio. In the old days, one guy could make a station; he could make a record. It can’t be like that today.”

Things are changing so fast in radio, especially in R&B radio, that Allen felt many older dee-jays were finding it difficult to grasp what was happening. “To some extent,” Allen said, “it was necessary to teach radio to these people. It wasn’t anybody’s fault that this situation developed. It’s just that times are changing and a radio station has to move with the times.”

WJLB ‘Frantic Ernie’ Durham, 1967

Allen began his radio career with WVOL in Nashville while attending Tennessee State University. He had been with WABQ about two and a half years before moving to WJLB. He considers himself a “derivative of Ed Wright,” who’d been program director of WABQ prior to joining Liberty Records as head of its Minit label.

Allen wrote lyrics and produced the Jones jingles. Future plans call for psychedelic jingles. Station has brought in new equipment and is building up its news department. In Martha Jean Steinberg and Ernie Durham, Allen felt he had two of the top air personalities of any station in the nation. “Now, with the new equipment, we find we have everything to work with. END

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Information, credit, and news source (as was published): Billboard; September 23, 1967

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GAVIN REPORT | PROGRAM DIRECTOR SHOULD MEAN PEOPLE DIRECTOR . . . SEPTEMBER 19, 1964

Programming Newsletter

 

 

By BILL GAVIN
Billboard Contributing Editor

PROGRAM DIRECTORS handle a multitude of problems. They deal with promos, jingle packages, formats, news, music and everything else that goes on the air. At many smaller stations their jobs also include supervision of commercial production for local advertisers. The manifold responsibilities of a program director test his skills and try his patience. Of all his jobs, none is so important and none so difficult-as obtaining optimum effectiveness from his staff of disk jockeys.

It has been said that the most successful PD is the one who does the least directing. It could be said more accurately that the most fortunate PD’s are those who need to do the least directing. In an ideal situation, the PD can say “Here’s our policy–here’s our music–you’re all pros–you know how to do good shows–so go!”

There are hardly more than a dozen stations in the U. S. where the staff quality permits the PD to get away with such a do-it-yourself policy. The great majority of disk jockeys, with all their many skills and talents, do better jobs with some coaching, directing, urging, scolding, prodding and whatever other devices the PD may devise. The initials “PD.” which are synonymous with “Program Director,” could just as well stand for “People Director.”

Consider some of the combinations of talent and temperament which the PD must weld into an effective air force:

1. The witty DJ, who is clever and amusing, but who knows little and cares less about his music.

2. The DJ who depends on a set bag of tricks, but who seldom comes up with a fresh, original idea.

3. The record “expert,” whose poor voice and bumbling reading of copy are somewhat compensated for by his contagious enthusiasm about his
music.

4. The erratic genius, who poses a constant threat of embroiling the station in libel suits and license difficulties.

5. The conformist who plays it safe by running his shows according to the book, never doing anything wrong but never rising much above the minimum requirements.

6. The restless wanderer, always with an eye on the bigger job, whose long-distance approaches to other stations eventually reach the ears of his own boss.

7. The young prospect who shows signs of talent, and whose apparent potential persuades the PD to spend endless hours trying to develop him into a pro.

Then, of course, there are the rebels and gripers who would be fired tomorrow if they weren’t such very good DJ’s, and the loyal stalwarts who probably would be fired if they weren’t so terribly cheerful, co-operative and devoted to the station.

OUT OF THESE varying degrees of skills and problems, the PD must determine when and where to apply his authority, how and whom to help, and which are hopeless and must be dropped. The way in which he makes these decisions usually determines his own job tenure, for they vitally affect his station’s ratings. He doesn’t dare let his personal friendships for certain DJ’s blind him to their faults, nor can he afford to permit personal dislikes to obscure good performance. He must be detached and objective enough to judge by results, yet warmly human enough to inspire loyalty and enthusiasm from his staff.

Hiring the new man is always a tough decision. There have been countless occasions where the PD has hired on the basis of past ratings and a good aircheck and found later, to his dismay, that his new man simply would not fit the staff or help the station. One of the most successful PD’s I know follows a strict rule: he never hires anyone without a personal interview, and if he has to travel a thousand miles to meet the applicant, he does so.

A program director’s success is usually judged by his station’s ratings, and rightly so. That’s what he is paid for. It is a mistake to credit his success to an inspired music policy or brilliant promotions. His genius, if he has any, lies in his skill and understanding as a people director. END

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Information, credit, and news source (as published): Billboard; September 19, 1964

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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.

WCHB Bill Williams

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.”

WCHB SOUL RADIO 1966

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

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