WAY-BACK DETROIT RADIO PAGES: WJLB . . . DECEMBER 18, 1943

Motor City Radio Flashbacks logoFrom the MCRFB RADIO NEWS scrapbook: 1943

WJLB Tries Sports To Reach Audience – Big on Bowlers

 

 

 


FLASHBACKDETROIT (December 11) — WJLB, 250-watt Detroit station, is making an aggressive bid for the thousands of sport fans among Detroit listeners, including the newcomers brought here by war industries.

Catering to bowlers exclusively, a sport that threatened local motion picture theaters during the past few seasons, according to statements of theater operators — is Ten Pin Topics. The show is aired for fifteen minutes at 5:45 P.M. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, just when most bowlers are getting home or driving home. The latter catch the show on their car radios, for Detroit’s working population moves by car. Show is run by Harold Kahl, bowling editor of The Detroit Times. It give unusual local scores and highlights the hundreds of amateur leagues in the city. One leading bowler, such as the first Detroit woman to score 300, is interviewed on each show.

Two fifteen-minute daily shows hit all other sports fans, with heavy emphasis — about 60 per cent — on horse racing. Morning show at 11:45 is called Scratch Time and headlights track news and little other sports news. Evening show at 5:45 gives complete track results, plus any other seasonal sports. Both are handled by Phil Roberts, formerly a Chicago sports announcer.

Billboard, December 18, 1943
Billboard, December 18, 1943

Most unusual feature of the WJLB sports angling, however, is a series of 15 to 20 daily spots, irregularly spaced, by Roberts, giving any immediate sports news, with fresh broadcasts of every track report in particular. Roberts breaks into every program except two — Uncle Nick’s Kiddie’s Hour and Ladies’ Matinee,  a symphonic program, where the sports flashes would be obviously unsuitable. Some of the spots come in the breaks between shows, but as many break right into a program. 

The sports announcements are never race tips but but legitimate news and are handled that way. Station simply feels that the great mass of war workers are sports fans and that they’ll win them to WJLB by keeping them informed on what goes on in the athletic field.

Stations in other parts of the country has tried the idea without too much success, but it’s a private service in Detroit, where hundreds of war plants have their radios turned on for the men and women all throughout the 24 hour day. END

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(Information and news source: Billboard; December 18, 1943)


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WAY-BACK RADIO: ‘HONOR ROLL FIFTEEN’ 08/03/1946

BILLBOARD HONOR ROLL OF HITS 08-03-46

NATION’S WEEKLY MUSIC POPULARITY CHART: THE FIFTEEN TOP TUNES INDEX

THE INK SPOTS * The Gypsy * (No. 01) 08/03/46
BILLBOARD HONOR ROLL OF HITS (MCRFB header) 08-03-46

FRANK SINATRA * They Say It’s Wonderful * (No. 03) 08/03/46
BILLBOARD HONOR ROLL OF HITS (MCRFB header) 08-03-46

BILLY ECKSTEIN * Prisoner Of Love * (No. 06) 08/03/46
BILLBOARD HONOR ROLL OF HITS (MCRFB header) 08-03-46

VAUGHN MONROE * Who Told You That Lie? (No. 13) 08/03/46
BILLBOARD HONOR ROLL OF HITS (MCRFB header) 08-03-46

MARGARET WHITING * Come Rain Or Come Shine * (No. 15) 08/03/46


AUGUST 3, 1946


 A MCRFB VIEWING TIP: To fully appreciate this Billboard Honor Roll Of Hits August 3, 1946 chart feature click on image 2x and open to second window for large detailed view. Click image anytime to return to NORMAL image size.

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