41 and counting. WKNR Celebrates a birthday

41 and counting. On Halloween night, 1963, WKMH became WKNR. Robin Seymour once called WKMH "number 21 in a 20 station market." And he was probably right. It was hard to be a full service radio station with only 5,000 watts and a night time signal that didn't reach Roseville. So Nellie Knorr was taking a big risk when she and her management team decided to follow the lead of Todd Storz and Gordon MacLendon, who built a radio format around the top hits played on a local juke box. Mrs. Knorr did more than just play 31 records. She allowed her announcers to have what Keener's Bob Green called, "Intelligent flexibility." She trusted them to trust their entertainment instincts. Those instincts included throwing out much of what consultant Mike Joseph recommended for the new WKNR. The lost dog reports were quickly dispatched to the trash bin and with 72 days, the new Keener13 had rocketed to the top of the Detroit Radio ratings. WKNR remained number one for nearly four years, until CKLW and Keener's own success combined to smother the golden goose. WKNR left the airwaves in April of 1972, but even today, Keener lives on. This past weekend, XM Satellite Radio created a four hour Keener tribute for their 60s on 6 channel. For two years, Clear Channel resurrected WKNR on the old 1310AM frequency for the Woodward Dream Cruise, and each month, thousands of pilgrims return to this website to rediscover Keener airchecks, jingles and memories. It all started on Halloween night and four decades later we still celebrate the legacy.