Radio Reunion Pictures

Thanks to Steve Schram and Bob Berry, we have a bunch of pictures from the Detroit Radio Reunion weekend.

For us, it started on Saturday afternoon when Keener alum Pat St. John hosted a three hour reunion special on WOMC. We'll be featuring excerpts on an upcoming Keener Podcast. Rita kept Bob Green and Michael Stevens away, but we were delighted to see Gary Stevens, Paul Cannon, Jim Kerr (Robin Stone) and Jerry Goodwin at the microphone. Also on hand were John "Records" Landecker, Big Jim (Edwards) Davis, Grant Hudson, Bob Hart, Lee Alan and other notables with Southeast Michigan radio connections.

For the most part, Steve, Bob and I kept to the background, but Mr. Berry gets the award for best talk-up when he nailed the intro of Tim Tam's Wait a Minute... without headphones.

A little known Keener trivia fact: Steve was actually part of the brief Keener 13 resurrection in the late 70s when the station took on the WWKR call letters. Looking over a playlist from that era, it's hard to believe that Keener would ever play anything by Andy Gibb. Perhaps that's why it's new life was so short.

The Detroit Radio Reunion

Just back from the third and allegedly final Detroit Radio Reunion. There were a ton of Keener moments, highlighted by an appearance by Mrs. Nellie Knorr, the first lady of Detroit radio. It was Mrs. Knorr who took the risk that October day in 1963 and created the legend that lives to this day. We'll have pictures, sound bytes and perhaps even some video from the event, hosted by Keener alum Dick Purtan to benefit the Gail Purtan Ovarian Cancer Fund.

Who gets the money?

One of the arguments that the recording industry uses against file sharing is that the artists are hurt by it. Even some of rock's biggest superstars sometimes dispute that one, but when you take a look at this attorney's analysis of a typical recording contract, you get a clear picture. It's not about the artist, it's about the label.

Katrina on Radio, TV and Web

Katrina's stunning impact on the southeast has brought out the best and worst in America. As the days progress more media resources are popping up on the web.

With power still out in the much of the Big Easy, DirectNIC is one ISP that has managed to keep the lights on. Their blog documenting the experience is a fascinating read. IRC fans can monitor the search and rescue activities at irc.freenode.net in #interdictor-scanner. Listeners are transcribing scanner traffic there real time. There is also a long list of servers that are broadcasting police and rescue scanner audio. If you're looking for local coverage, WWL TV has a live web stream of their broadcast feed.

Another thing that makes the Internet great: Locals have set up a Wiki filled with web resourses relating to Katrina's aftermath.

The Times-Picayune became an Internet-only publication when the storm came. Finding accurate and up-to-date local information is a challenge.

With the advent of voip and instant messaging, many of us who used to rely on ham radio for international communications drifted away from the hobby. Now, the American Radio Relay League's maxim, "When all else fails, Amateur Radio" is being ampified. You can listen to emergency and priority traffic from the West Gulf ARES Net on this audio stream.

Television news coverage included some memorable moments. Heartbreak on Meet the Press, Fox News frustration, a stunning chopper tour on This Week, and two clips that question our government's response, here , here and here.

Feedback

kirkiefan writes:

This may be an unusual request..but this is someting that affects us Ohio oldies listeners in many ways..One is that oldies radio is being shoved out the door..not neccisarily by listeners but in my opinion by programmers. Here in Ohio where I live we have lost several stations that played oldies: WCLR-FM in Piqua(Kool 95..later Oldies 95) which covers nearby Dayton and Springfield switched to 80s pop oldies now known as WDPT "The Point".

Meanwhile on AM it seemed for awhile that Top 40 oldies were heading back to its roots with the emergence of "Real Oldies" 1530 WSAI,Cincinnati and 1230 WCOL,Columbus in 2003..Sadly it passed way too fast when both stations(both Clear Channel properties)dumped the format in the name of sattelitte delivered talk radio called "Air America" in 2005..my first guess is that CC wants to run things as cheap as they can as if they read it out of a Kaizen or 80/20 manual.(aka:"less is more.")A few FM oldies outlets still survive in Cleveland,Columbus,Toledo and Lima(actually licensed to Ottawa,OH)mostly from the CC conclave but one remains on the AM dial and seemingly struggles from a listener's point of view. WULM,at 1600 on the dial in Springfield(near Dayton)picked up on the AM oldies craze in 2003...mostly with an automated sound but occasionally an afternoon personality runs things there for the most part as "Rock n' Soul Classics" of the 50s through the early 1970s,much less repitition and more variety from both Top 40 and R&B genres of that era as compared to CC's "Real" format which doesn't even get past the mid 60s. From what I have seen the station has found a niche and is the last locally owned/operated/originating station left in Springfield that hasn't been sucked up by CC,Infinity,Cox or Radio One..The local owner of all things is a non-denominational Christian charity which uses the stations commercial income to fund the ministry's multi-faceted projects including a food bank,computer trainng for the unemployed,child care for single parents who work and other outreach for the local less fortunate. The station has a skeleton crew who must wear several hats and sometimes has volunteers or student interns to keep the station on the air. If only the big guys in the biz were doing this for their communities...and DOESN'T boast about it as the Bible prescribes!

They rent their studio from CC and their transmitter/tower facility from Radio One..needless to say my gut tells me they must be head over heels in debt by now...yet the station has at it one day at a time. 1600 WULM has an audience...that I know! If they had more sponsors,surely they could afford the now neccissary radio tools of audio streaming and podcasting for their out of town audiences who can't tune in evenings when the power is turned down per FCC regs.

I urge all oldies fans in Western Ohio to tune in and advertise...this is probably the last oldies station left in my locality! Their website is www.1600wulm.net.

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