The Keener Podcast - Michael Stevens

1/2 of the only family duo to appear on WKNR, Michael Stevens was part of Keener's final run for glory. The brother of legendary New York air ace Pat St. John went on to a long and successful career in public relations and promotions, but in 2003 he came back to ride the airwaves one more time during Keener's Woodward Dream Cruise iteration. Michael still has his broadcasting chops as you'll hear in this uncut aircheck from the broadcast, which features music from Rare Earth, the Rationals, Gladys Knight, David Ruffin and more. For anyone who appreciates a combination of precise execution, wit and eclectic musical taste, this Dream Cruise moment is a lesson in excellence.

Hear the show 56 minutes 52 MB MP3

Remember When You Were A Kid?

Written by Ed Labunaki
Originally sung for Faygo by Kenny Karen

Comic books and rubber bands
Climb into the tree top
Falling down and holding hands
Tricycles and Redpop
Pony rides and Sunday nights
Roller skates and snowball fights
Climbin' through the window
Remember when you were a kid?
Well, part of you still is
And that's why we make Faygo
Faygo remembers
Flying kites and funny shoes
Easter eggs with speckles
ABCs and counting by twos
Washing off the freckles
Kissing a hurt to make it stop
Startin' school in September
So many things you almost forgot
Tryin' to remember
Remember when you were a kid?
Well, part of you still is
And that's why we make Faygo
Faygo remembers

The Keener Podcast - Summer Songs

Summer Songs that charted during June on the WKNR Music Guide, including Dionne Warwick, the Yardbirds, the Cyrcle, the Arrows, Brazil 66 and Jackie DeShannon. We have two Keener retro-mercials, Contact News director Philip Nye with summertime news headlines and a classic Bob Green aircheck from 1967.

Hear the show 32:30 30 MB MP3

Franken gets kudos.. and the hook

Like him or not, Al Franken always generates buzz. According to Art Vuolo, he did just that at the New Media Seminar in New York.

Can Jack be far behind?

From Michiguide: Oldies WOMC-FM 104.3 announced today the appointment of Kevin Murphy as vice president/general manager of the station. Murphy joins WOMC from Rochester, NY where he was senior vice president/market manager overseeing four stations for Infinity. Murphy has been with Infinity Broadcasting for the last nine years- prior his role in Rochester, he was senior vice president/director of sales for the Buffalo cluster for seven years.

In announcing the appointment, Infinity Broadcasting’s Scott Herman, executive vice president eastern region said, "WOMC is an important heritage radio station and we felt it was important to assign one of our company’s best to be solely dedicated to this mission."

"I am both honored and excited to have the opportunity to lead WOMC and to join the great management team Infinity already has in place in Detroit," commented Murphy. He'll replace Steve Schram who will maintain his roles as general manager for Country WYCD-FM 99.5 and as director of sales for Infinity's six station Detroit cluster.

WCBS and the Future of Radio

(From the June 13th Keener 13 Podcast at www.keener13.com) On June 3rd at precisely 5 PM Eastern Daylight time, Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra faded out and with it, the oldies legacy at WCBS-FM. Earlier that day, a party was held to celebrate the success that former Monkee Mickey Dolenz was having at the helm of the WCBS-FM morning show. But almost as soon as the ice had melted in the water glasses, the air-staff was called into a meeting and told that the station was changing formats, and they would all be out of jobs.

This is the way it’s done in radio. The typical format switch is kept secret until the last moment, the old DJ’s are all fired and the new format is launched, usually just the music, without jocks and commercials. Slowly, the new puzzle pieces are put into place and the reconstituted station tries to make its mark.

If you look at recent history, the oldies format has definitely lost favor with the large companies that control most of what we hear on the radio. The two new formats that are on the rise focus on the Hispanic market, and a hodge podge of music that programmers are calling “Jack”. When you listen to Jack, you’re likely to hear Elton John one minute and the Beastie Boys the next. It’s targeted directly at the younger listeners who are leaving radio in droves for their Ipods and MP3s.

According to Les Hollander, senior vice president for Infinity Broadcasting, the company that cratered WCBS-FM and it’s Chicago sister station WJMK, research has shown that people are looking for a radio station in their market with less repetition and more variety. Well that’s no surprise. The tight play lists that Cousin Brucie and others were allowed to play on WCBS-FM was distilled to the point of nausea, and even some of the stations most die-hard fans were tuning to Sirius and XM satellite radio to get a more eclectic oldies fix.

But the WCBS-FM story goes much deeper than the sound byte that oldies are a thing of the past. It begins at the dawn of the Top 40 age, when Gordon Maclendon and Todd Storz figured out that a playlist of familiar music, entertaining announcers and bright jingles could attract television viewers back to their radios.

Top 40 was born amidst a flurry of innovation that happened as the long form programs of radio’s golden age migrated to TV. Programmers figured out that listeners wanted a relationship with their radio stations. They wanted to be entertained and informed, but moreover they wanted to participate. A relationship is a very personal two-way street. Anyone who has been married for any length of time knows that a relationship also evolves as both people grow. But the foundation is commitment. For a relationship to work, you must believe that the other person still cares about you. As long as that happens, both sides continue to enjoy all the good things that come with arrangement.

The WKNR story is a microcosm of what’s happened to radio over the last 40 years. In the beginning, Nellie Knorr hired an exceptional team of artists who worked hard to connect with the Detroit radio audience. In fact, much of the format direction that programmer Mike Joseph was paid to develop, was thrown out as the team got the feel for what the audience wanted. For a time, WKNR did everything first class. And it was all based on the constant feedback that came over the hit lines, at the public appearances, and from advertisers, including the likes of Henry Ford II, who was one of Keener’s biggest fans.

But then, something changed. The leadership thought that it was ok to add a few more commercials, and by 1967, almost 1/3 of WKNR’s airtime was devoted to advertising. At the same time, Bill Drake and Paul Drew put their own interpretation of the WKNR magic to work across the river at CKLW, with 50,000 watts behind it. As Keener’s ratings suffered, the station decided to stop listening to the local people who were in touch with the audience and bring in a consultant to “fix” the problem. Part of the solution was to jettison the very talent that had been responsible for the station’s success.

Sound familiar?

Along the way, the consultants have become more and more sophisticated. Stations now use focus groups to test music, playing small snippets of songs to see if listeners like them. Naturally, people gravitate to familiar music, and over time, oldies play lists have been distilled and distilled until all we hear are My Girl, Louie Louie and Pretty Woman.

Another thing that has happened is that the announcer has been replaced almost entirely by automation. It’s true that we still hear human voices, but they all speak carefully crafted sentences that pound a brand message into the numbed minds of a dwindling listenership.

Why has all of this happened? It’s true that most radio stations in our country are now owned by publicly traded companies. Public companies have one overarching objective, to increase shareholder value, and the key metric is cash flow. In the days when the majority of big companies on the New York Stock Exchange were tied to manufacturing, the mantra was scale and efficiency. Find ways to create more of the same products at a lower price than your competition and your cash flow increases along with your share price.

That’s why accountants and not broadcasters run the large broadcasting conglomerates today. That’s why station promotion budgets have been slashed to the bone. That’s why you’re not likely to find a live announcer on a local station outside of drive time. And that’s why every major market has their Mix, their Kiss and now their Jack. They may pay lip service to innovation, but in fact the opposite is true. Break the rules at your peril. And that’s why the popularity of Ipods and MP3s are skyrocketing, while linear broadcasting is lost in a dysfunctional morass.

The bottom line is this: Radio is an art. It’s not a science. The people who created the great radio stations we loved in the 60s and 70s were groups of artists, encouraged by design or by accident to create an ever evolving and intensely personal relationship with an audience of one. During my days as a struggling DJ at WVIC in Lansing, Michigan, my friend and mentor Steve Schram told me to always remember that I was talking to one person, and how effectively I related to that one person would determine the extent of my success. 25 years later, Steve would personify that philosophy when he sat before the microphone on a network of Clear Channel’s Detroit radio stations to try and help the audience make sense of the horrific events of September 11, 2001.

To put radio’s decline in perspective, what radio personality might you turn if something similar happened today?

A fundamental question that we who love this medium continually ask ourselves is, can radio be saved? I think so. But it will take time, and it will require a realization that stationality is much more than just music.

• We must develop a new generation of artists who spend at least one hour in preparation for every hour they are on the air.
• We must empower music directors to take chances on local bands and music that stretches the horizons of our target audiences. Remember that Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, and yes, even Elton John gained visibility thanks to a music director who liked what they heard and took a chance.
• We must encourage what WKNR’s Bob Green calls “Intelligent Flexibility”, and give the air staff, production staff and promotional artists the leeway to take reasonable risks, while celebrating flawless execution of a sound that is relevant, compelling and entertaining. To paraphrase Tip O’Niel, “All radio is local.”
• And we must remember that it’s not a relationship with a Wall Street analyst, it’s an ever evolving love affair with the listener.

Bob Green put it best. Radio is about making money, not saving money. And in the Ipod generation, radio is not just about the music. It’s about what’s in between.

Radio owners would do well to read the outstanding Jim Collins book “Good to Great”. All of the principles he talks about parallel exactly with my prescription. Get the right people on the bus and keep them there, listen to your team and decide what truly constitutes success… And focus: Create your dynasty slowly, carefully and well… so it’s built to last.

The words of The Book of Ecclesiastics are as true today as they were that April morning in 1972 when WKNR faded into history. To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven, but the fundamental truths that make great radio still resonate. And we can still make great radio if we have the courage to follow them.

Scott Westerman is curator of www.keener13.com, a website that celebrates the life and times of Detroit area radio station WKNR.

The Keener Podcast - 6/13/05

Making sense of the death of WCBS-FM. We hear the last song played before the format switch along with some appropriate stuff from Joe Cocker, and a Keener 13 Music Quiz.

Hear the show 31:07 99 MB MP3

Brucie sez the Bird is the word.

Cousin Brucie didn't wait long to make his announcement. He'll be spinning the oldies on Sirius. According to Joel Denver's All Access, the Cuz says, "This is one of the most exciting events of my career. I feel like I'm riding a rocket ship -- or should I say 'satellite'? I now have the opportunity with SIRIUS to reach the national audience I've always wanted to communicate with. Here comes the music!" As Infinity hi-Jack's their oldies stations the question remains: What will happen to Detroit's WOMC? Both Sirius and XM have bought newspaper ads in New York and Chicago, telling former WCBS and WJMK listeners that the bird is the word and as we've documented here, oldies fans in both the Apple and the Windy City are up in arms.

101.1 WCBS-FM 1972-2005 RIP

We get many emails with feedback on what's written here at Keener13.com. Occasionally, some are just too good to keep to ourselves. Here's an example, from an anonymous radio pro.

A very good friend of mine, former major market jock, program director and station owner, were visiting a couple months ago, and of course some of the old war stories came bubbling up. We were laughing about yesterday, and wondering why the people who run the Clear Channel's and Infinity's of the world are so dead set against great radio, and oldies radio in particular. Suddenly, he turned serious and remarked "our time is over, the style of radio we did and loved is gone".

I was speechless. I had just heard something I never though I would hear, at least not from this gentleman, a true radio "freak", and one of the most buoyant and positive people I have ever met. At the time, I did not agree. But as of 5pm, Friday June 3, 2005, I think he may be right.

The great WCBS-FM, Joe McCoy's blueprint for oldies radio, the home of the continued excellence of Cousin Brucie and Harry Harrison, to name a few, and the only station MILLIONS of New Yorkers ever needed, has died.

Hi-JACK-ed, if you will.

Listen to Gordon Mclendon: Asked in 1980 what he learned from radio, McLendon responded: "That it all begins with creativity and programming. You can have the greatest sales staff and signal in the world, and it doesn't mean a thing if you don't have something great to put on the air."

Somehow, going two deep and 1,000 songs broad, based on the premise that this will keep listeners from turning to their I-Pods, does not quite seem to measure up, does it?

Jocks on today's CHR's and Hot AC's, for the most part are a group of people DYING to be great, and to be part of great radio. And failing, both subjectively and objectively, in miserable fashion. Shrinking ratings, flat sales, miniscule pieces of the pie. A product of no talent, or lack of programmer vision? From personal experience, my answer is, it's the latter. Radio is run by a couple of generations of programmers who don't know how to do great radio, think outside a box, or encourage talent. And, who GREW UP listening to segues, stale back sells, and liners. Or radio based on album radio formatics, with minimal "stationality". Even the guys who are in charge of Oldies radio, in many cases, are AOR guys. (No offense to Dave Logan intended or should be inferred)

WHAT the HELL do they know about great personality radio? Did they ever listen to "Boogie Checks", EVERY NIGHT? "Sing it and Win"? Call each other "Cousin"? Or sing Johnny Mann's Big Kahuna jingle? No!

But they're hell on wheels raving about the 4th rate Howard Stern imitation their rock station's morning show is doing. And they are REALLY hell on wheels doing everything to kill great radio, short of putting up billboards saying "We Don't Want You to be Entertained-We Don't Want You to Listen"!

I was re-reading Ron Jacobs KHJ book recently,. The memos are stunning. Demanding, prodding, energizing. Creative, theatrical presentations. Human and compelling radio, focused on keeping an audience, as opposed to "moving our P1's younger". And, I'm pretty sure none of those memos came from Selector or MaxiMizer. Though with Jacobs, you can't be too sure! :-)

Blame Steve Rivers. The old snake oil salesman killed a bunch of great stations, with a ridiculous notion, "Jammin' Oldies" that died in one year, on nearly 100 stations. But succeeded in proving"oldies" can't work anymore. Or at worst, bastardized the concept. Internally, particularly with upper management, AND externally, with your #2 customer, the advertiser.

Blame a fundamental lack of understanding of the audience wants and needs, how to reach them, how to SELL IT!!. Check the parking lot at a college football game this fall. Sure looks like a lot of people spending tons of money, driving nice vehicles, wearing nice clothes, comparing notes on IRA's, retirement condos, and yes, Viagra. And having one hell of a good time. Yeah, we're baby boomers, and yeah, we're greying. And no, we don't hang out at bars much anymore, which makes it tough to get the Budweiser money. But as Bob Dylan said so eloquently, "I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now".

Maybe, just maybe, that same crowd would turn out in droves for a nice series of sponsored shows at your local outdoor music theatre. Or, at a series of Tuesday night car cruises at a local supermarket chain! Turn out in black tie and tennies for a best Dog and Cat charity show, sponsored by your bank. (Free tip:Ask them about the Community Re-Investment Act, there are millions waiting to be spent!) Packaged and sold properly, you can add revenue, reinforce loyalty, and avoid "value-added" (free) remotes, to get a buy.

Oh, by the way, the audience does not care about trivia or chart positions. They care, passionately, about the artists and the music, perfectly illustrated with the line from "Big Chill", about the "greatest music ever!" Sell the passion!!! And play more than 500 songs. (Personal plea, STOP playing King Harvest, no one cared then, and still don't) Try playing 1,000, intelligently. Play Elvis, Buddy and Ray. Four Seasons, Four Tops. Ronettes and Raiders. And the Beatles and Beach Boys. Pull out cut 6 on "Revolver", and just play the damn thing. It wasn't on the charts, it's not in Joel's book. It was never a single! And, your listeners may not be able to tell you the lyrics, but can sing every word, after two notes!

Guaranteed, you'll be back inside the top 5 in rankings. If management questions what they hear, tell 'em you're programming for I-Pod users. They'll feel all gooey inside, and leave you alone!

Blame consolidation #1. Think Chad Brown's WCBS-FM balance sheet doesn't look a lot better today? How about in 6 months with no jocks? Hell, in Baltimore, they saved at least 2 million a year, according to a reliable, informed estimate. A bunch of bright boys who grossly overpaid for Internet inflated properties, and can't make the multiples pay with 3 shares, have found their out.

Hallelujah!

Blame consolidation #2: There is no competition. Everyone has a tiny little niche, but they are saving on "radio war" budgets, the need for perceptuals, music tests, talent. If there were two CHR's in a market, you better believe radio today would be better. Witness WLS/WCFL. KHJ/KFWB-KRLA. Or two AOR's, WPLJ/WNEW-FM. WABX/W4/WRIF. But radio would be better, there would be true buzz, and ultimately, a stronger marketplace for advertising dollars!

Blame consolidation #3: Put it together and what do you get? "Bibbity Bobbity Boo, Alex". Bzzzz, WRONG! You get bad radio, small audiences, no command of advertising dollars or rates, shrinking budgets and a vicious circle with no end in site.

The last word, paraphrased by the author, goes to Joe McCoy, one of the truly fine gentleman to ever grace this business, and the inventor of oldies radio on CBS-FM. Joe spoke to the oldies session at the NAB, September, 1999. Listen:

"Your GM or Sales Manager may ask you to "get younger", but you can't do it. You cannot move the music balance far enough to significantly change the composition of the audience."

As another great New York manager, Casey Stengel, once said:

"You could look it up"

Cue the Spaniels, "Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight"

CBS FM's Olidies sacrificed for Jack

The nation's premiere oldies station is no more. For three decades, WCBS-FM was the gold standard in the genre and was home to many of the famous voices that had set the tone of the 60s at WABC and other Big Apple top 40 powerhouses. But on June 3rd, as Frank Sinatra sang Summer Wind, the winds changed. It was precisely 5PM when an unfamiliar voice said "Why don't we play what we want? There's a whole world of songs out there." The personalities that entertained a generation vanished, Fight for Your Right by the Beastie Boys came on the air, and all across the nation's biggest city, tens of thousands of WCBS fans punched a different button. WCBS VP/GM Chad Brown told Radio and Records, "New York deserves a radio station that is as eclectic as its listeners' personalities and attitudes. We look forward to changing the landscape of the New York radio market." Brown said that listeners will still be able to enjoy CBS oldies on the Internet at WCBSFM.com. Infinity, WCBS-FM's owner, also flipped Chicago's WJMK from oldies to Jack.

The Keener Podcast - D-Day

On this week's Keener 13 Podcast, we celebrate radio's coverage of the D-Day invasion with excerpts from Robert Trout's remarkable live coverage, including Richard C. Hottelet's riveting account of the first moments of the invasion.

Keener13.com turns 3

On June 1, 2002 Keener13.com made it's on-line debut. Most visitors know the story of how Steve and I linked up in Jacksonville, Florida to listen to our WKNR air-checks. Late that night Steve said, "We oughta do a Keener website." Within the hour we had registered the domain and work began on what you now see.

The depth and breadth of this archive is a tribute, not only to the men and women who created the Keener magic, but to the many WKNR fans who saved their matchbooks, burger club cards and buttons and recorded hours and hours of air checks. Even now, when we thought we had discovered every last gem, new treasures continue to appear.

Our greatest thrill happened during two August weekends, when WKNR was reborn on it's original 1310 KHz frequency in Detroit for the Woodward Dream Cruise. To hear Bob Green, Scott Regen, Michael Stevens, Pat St. John and many other original Keener voices on the air in Detroit one more time and to watch WKNR again rocket to the most popular station in Motown, if only for a few days, proves that there is still an audience for excellent radio.

We do this in our spare time and fund the effort through your contributions and through small commissions we get when you buy merchandise by clicking on the Amazon and Keener Store links. For us, it's still a labor of love to celebrate our favorite radio station. And judging from the response to the Keener Podcast, many of you share our passion.

So on this third birthday, 33 1/3 years after WKNR left the air, we thank you for helping us to keep the dream alive. Keener lives!