From 1965 through 1970, WKNR News went a step beyond putting the program on the air. At the station's expense hundreds of albums were pressed each year with a commercial-free 45 minute summary of the people, places, events and attitudes that contributed to our history as seen from the newsroom at 15001 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn.

Anchored by WKNR News Director Philip Nye, these LPs are now collectors items and have been utilized by current day broadcasters and historians to look back at what Detroit was like in the 60s.

WKNR Newsman John Maher (Meagher) collected most of them and sent us rips of the 1965 through 1968 LPs which can be heard here. If you have a copy of the 1969 or 1970 albums, we'd love to add them to the Contact News aircheck archives. 

Update: Frank's not the only one to immortalize Keener with license plateage. The "Reel" Tom Ryan, legendary CKLW board-op and a major contributor of WKNR history to this site, has the Michigan version. "I also have (from the past) a non-vanity Michigan plate 'KLW 800' and also a non-vanity Ontario plate 'KLW 800'", he writes. " Both of those plates were regular issues. I had to wait in line in two different countries to obtain those plates in my name. That happened when I moved back to Michigan from Windsor in 1978." Now that's dedication!]]>http://www.keener13.com/recentnews.aspSun, 02 Mar 2008 10:03:12 -0700Mike Smith, the lead singer of the Dave Clark 5, passed away on February 28th, less than two weeks before the group was scheduled to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Smith's supercharged vocals were part of the mix that brought the DC5 to the front lines of the British Invasion. The band charted 18 times on Keener beginning with "Bits and Pieces", which peaked at number 2 on the WKNR Music Guide in April of 1964, and ending with "Everybody Knows" which had a two week run in November of 1967. After the DC5 broke up, Smith fronted his own band until a freak accident in 2003 left him paralyzed below the ribcage. He was 64. Smith was the second band member to pass, preceded by saxophone player Denis Payton, who succumbed to cancer in December of 2006.

More Links:
USA Today Appreciation - AP London - Rare Film Footage - Susan Whitall's Blog -  Pat St. John Remembers - Official Mike Smith Website - DC5 Discography - USA Today: Accolades finally arrive]]>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080229/ap_en_mu/obit_mike_smith;_ylt=Agv0x.rIWY11bR9GXciqy3IEtbAFThu, 28 Feb 2008 20:17:38 -0700Here's how DetNews.com's Susan Whitall covers the story, including a shout-out to Keener13.com.]]>http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080221/OPINION03/802210411/1404/ENT10Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:28:02 -0700Michiguide, shares the radio column beat with Art Vuolo over at the Oakland Press. He's always worth reading, but especially so with this candid assessment of the state of the art in the Motor City. Scroll down to the comment section for some succinct analysis from Keener's magic maker Bob Green.]]>http://www.michiguide.com/archives/2008/02/past_events_show_where_radio_b.html#moreThu, 21 Feb 2008 07:22:26 -0700as Susan Whitall writes in her Detroit News blog, some of the more interesting musical tomes of the last 40 years focus on love gone bad.]]>http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080214/ENT04/802140397/1032/ENTThu, 14 Feb 2008 07:48:41 -0700Susan Whitall blogs about it. ]]>http://info.detnews.com/redesign/blogs/musicblog/index.cfm?blogid=468Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:11:03 -0700playing the last rock and roll records of the Keener era on WKNR-AM, Jim Cutler was at the controls in the control room on WKNR-FM. Keener-FM had pioneered a new approach to beautiful music when it launched Stereo Island in 1971. It required the DJs to put together seamless mixes of the most mellow popular tunes amongst a jingle package customized for the brand. It was a concept that was a step above the mind numbing elevator music that was an automated staple across town at WLDM. But the human capital it required to produce the Stero Island sound didn't throw off enough cash flow to satisfy the bean counters (sound familiar?), and as Keener AM backtimed to the top of the hour with "Turn Turn Turn" by the Byrds, Jim Cutler queued up his final Stereo Island set. Jim Nuznoff knew it weas coming and had his reel to reel rolling to document the first hour of the new WNIC. The resulting aircheck  gives a good feel for how tragically bland WNIC's initial programming concept was. Juxtaposed against what we hear today, you can see just how far "100.3" has come.]]>http://www.keener13.com/recentnews.aspThu, 17 Jan 2008 15:51:36 -0700Here's a 1968 New Year's Greeting. Four decades later the Keener Magic is still felt in Detroit, and around the world. All the best from your Keener13.com curators: Scott Westerman and Steve Schram.]]>http://www.keener13.com/recentnews.aspSat, 22 Dec 2007 20:50:04 -0700best-ever post from Dan O'Day. If you have ever earned a pay check in the radio biz, this one will bring back a ton of memories, both good and bad, and remind you why broadcasting is a lifelong addiction from which we never fully recover.]]>http://tinyurl.com/yvxopsMon, 17 Dec 2007 15:46:56 -0700Dan Fogelberg was a key voice in the soft rock revolution that helped WNIC return the WKNR-FM frequency to number one in Detroit. The Pekin, Illinois native had a dozen hits in the 70s and 80s with a story telling style that approached Harry Chapin and lyrical melodies that found their way into hundreds of back seats during romantic Michigan evenings.]]>http://www.keener13.com/recentnews.aspMon, 17 Dec 2007 10:25:54 -0700Rock Hall of Fame stirs controversy with some oddball choices" hits the nail on the head. With people like Leonard Cohen and Grandmaster Flash getting in ahead of Gordon Lightfoot and Mitch Ryder, it makes you wonder what the voters have been smoking.]]>http://www.keener13.com/recentnews.aspMon, 17 Dec 2007 10:20:26 -0700Few who lived through the 60s may remember the name Ross Bagdasarian, but his alter ego, David Seville, found a place in the rock n roll record books. It happened when he recorded his voice and sped up the tape to create Alvin, Simon and Theodore... The Chipmunks. While a number of novelty acts found their way onto the WKNR Music Guide, The Chipmunks never did. And yet, they spawned an empire that continues to provide cash flow for Bagdasarian's descendants. Here's Ryan Pearson's take on the latest resurgence of interest.]]>http://www.keener13.com/recentnews.aspMon, 17 Dec 2007 10:10:58 -0700Down in Nashville late last month, the Musicians Hall of Fame held its first ever induction and Motown's Funk Brothers backing band (drummer Uriel Jones, bassist Bob Babbitt and guitarist Eddie Willis) was among the honorees.

At the induction ceremony concert, Peter Frampton spoke of how he was inspired by the group and sang "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" with the inductees backing him. Former Supremes singer Mary Wilson then performed "Stop in the Name of Love."

Here's more from the MHOFM website.

NASHVILLE, TN (October 26, 2007) --- The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum is happy to announce the first annual Musicians Hall of Fame Awards Show at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, November 26, 2007, 7:30 p.m.  This inaugural event celebrates the induction of some of the most esteemed and influential musicians in recording history. The inaugural inductees include the Nashville A-Team, The Blue Moon Boys, The Funk Brothers, The Memphis Boys, The Tennessee Two, and The Wrecking Crew. 

"These are the actual musicians who played on so many records that have become such a part of our everyday lives," says Joe Chambers, CEO and founder, Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.  "There are so many more musicians to be recognized and every year we will add more names to those who will be honored.  This will be such an historic evening with all these talented inductees being paid tribute on the stage of Nashville’s incredible new Schermerhorn Symphony Center."

The event will showcase performances with some of the original members from the groups that being honored which include; The Nashville A-Team (Harold Bradley, Ray Edenton, Charlie McCoy, Bob Moore, Hargus "Pig" Robbins, and Jerry Kennedy), Funk Brothers (Uriel Jones, Joe Messina, Eddie Willis, and Bob Babbitt), Wrecking Crew  (Billy Strange, Don Randi, Larry Knechtel, Joe Osborn, Hal Blaine, Lyle Ritz, James Burton, Jim Horn, and Mike Deasy), Memphis Boys (Bobby Emmons, Bobby Wood, Gene Chrisman, Mike Leech, and Reggie Young), Tennessee Two (Marshall Grant and Bob Wooten, who replaced the late Luther Perkins); Blue Moon Boys (Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana). These musicians played on mega-hits for such legendary superstars as the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, George Harrison, Patsy Cline, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, George Jones, the Supremes, and Frank Sinatra.  Along with this talented roster of performers, special guest vocalists will also be announced soon.

For me, Tom was most enjoyable as Dick Purtan's sidekick, as Sargent Sacto and as the creative commercial voice of numerous ads (Remember Captain FFO?). Although he had a loyal following, I could never connect with him as a host. Think of the communications magic Bob Green, Tom Shannon and Scott Regen had. Tom Ryan never quite made it to that level.

If the past is any indication, Tom won't be off the air for long. Detroit loves its media people and there's already talk that he will resurface over at WMGC.

Perhaps what we are mourning is the death of true personality radio, from the days when we felt we had a relationship with the hosts. Personality today seems to be the demagoguery extremes, people who thrive on anger, conflict and exclusion, the opposite of what the best of the CK and Keener guys were: friendly, seeking common ground and inclusive.

Somewhere along the line, the drive to distill a winning formula and maximize profit made the non-broadcaster owners lost sight of what made great radio really work: The People.

Being on the fringe of the biz, we at keener13.com get back-channeled on some of the memos that are coming out of the programming departments at the few companies that control our broadcast media. They are thoughtful, methodical, and take into account the latest research methodology. But something seems to be missing. Reading them prompted us to ask our Keener mentors, "what things contributed to the WKNR success formula on the air?"

Bob Green was there when the station struggled as WKMH. He was there at the height of the Keener phenomenon and witnessed the changes that lead to it's ultimate demise. He was a major contributor to WKNR's success. Here's his take:

"Taking into account the differences in the way we were 40 years ago and the faith I had in the professionalism of the on air staff, there are still a few universal truths that apply to good programming.

"It still comes down to putting content into: a. The Product, and b. The Presentation... The journey and the destination or whatever metaphor works for you. I always referred to the elements and their balance. All the elements, music, Jock talk, telephone bits, jingles, commercials, promos, contests/promotions, news...they were all programmed. That was all outlined and constantly referred to at jock meetings and was usually both understood and practiced.

"Only thing I recall having to point out to guys who got lazy, was not to play the same jingle 2 or 3 times in a row (as they left the cart in the machine) or to play a jingle that was inappropriate for the moment.

"The music rotation was fairly simple at Keener, with 31 songs- 3 lps and a Key song (and an oldie or 2 depending on when we made a few changes in the clock). The placement of "heavy" top 13s out of the news and at the top of the hour were never something that had to be brought up..it just happened.

"At the time, it was verboten to play 2 females in a row, or 2 instrumentals in a row, (those were the times). There were a few occasions where a jock determined that the Key Song was a stiff and didn't play it. (I think I can count myself in there in 1964).

"My criteria for determining music play back then was 'P.O.P'. Popularity (in terms of chart position and requests), Orientation (the demographic most served by a song) and Pace. We kind of undulated in that last area, with 2 slow songs in a row being avoided. Daypart pacing considerations were basically the obvious difference between 7-Midnight and all other dayparts.

"My main concern was always with the presentation. There were the creative elements of presentation, unique to each personality. And there were fundamental technical aspects like obviously sloppy segues, sloppy levels (beyond what the uni-level could handle) and, God forbid, dead air were absolutely not acceptable. But more importantly, it was all about flow. Flow that, if executed correctly, happened flawlessly without the listener being aware of it. For example, there was only ONE perfect moment to start talking out of a record; Not before the fade begins (or if a cold ending, the last remnants of the note or echo) and not after the fade has fully established. And of course backsell was plat du jour in 1966.

"Its interesting how some programmers today distill things down to the year. Having a different perspective on decades these days than in the 40s - 80s, I recall that years by themselves didn't define a particular decade. Music reflects cultural changes and it's the events, not the years that determine the start and end of an era. Giselle Mackensie & Patti Page reflected the polite adult (if not Stepford Wives) presentation, sans Glenn Miller, of the late 40s. The 50s didn't REALLY become "the 50s" until Bill Haley & The Comets. The Sixties didn't REALLY begin until the Death of John F. Kennedy...and so on. (Of course there are timeless anomalies like Tony Bennett - Allright Tone!) I can't say I'm really aware of 1989 being apart from 1990, but then I may not have been paying attention.

"In ALL areas of the content and its presentation, we always addressed the 'perception' card. The same elements differently ordered or concentrated on could easily alter the way the station was perceived. We did talk about CONNECTION, although the C word was not yet in vogue. But the concept certainly was. And the idea of 'being UP', the mantra of most top 40s back then, was something I altered and felt strongly about. I said..'Be APPROPRIATE'.

"If it's funny- laugh; if it's exciting- get excited; if it's sad or thoughtful- be warm. That part of how we were perceived made us both real and human. Sure, we stressed making people feel good, enjoying what we were doing and letting it be obvious, but doing a PSA for Cancer and treating it like a pile of frivolous fun was pretty silly . (I heard it often elsewhere).

"If I'd had my druthers (or my memory at the time) I'd have approached the idea that "formats" should be there to serve the air people, not the other way around. Boundaries and definition of a format should not be constraints. At Keener the boundaries were agreed upon common sense principals we really chose to live by, and we always found room within those boundaries to be creative. Even with the boundaries, there was always latitude to make Intelligent decisions that, under the stranglehold of programmers who make the air personality serve the format, aren't possible. The listener is the loser."

Bob Green's exceptional talent was not anomaly during Keener's glory days. People were always at the core of the WKNR programming philosophy. Keener hired pros who understood the vibe and intrinsically knew the definition of "appropriate". That definition often changed on the fly and the announcers were empowered to re-write it.

Gary Stevens says, "We threw out a lot of what Mike Joseph (the original Keener programming consultant) recommended almost immediately.. it was a group effort." Jim Sanders and Bill Bonds totally re-wrote the format the day of the Kennedy assassination and WKNR became a talk station. The late Mort Crowley said that his morning show was in a constant state of reinvention as Keener battled the competition daily, "like tigers fighting over red meat". J. Michael Wilson's Rodney the Rodent character was totally of his own creation, becoming part of the brand as he moved from nights to mornings and ultimately to CHUM in Toronto. Paul Cannon's sixth sense for hit records lead him to edit a 20 minute album track to 3:05 and In-a-gadda-da-vida became a national top ten single smash. Scott Regen's show was a study in continuous innovation. The Testifiers, The Burger Club, Stevie Wonder singing along in the Keener control room with the premiere of "Fingertips", and Scott's total awareness of what was happening on other Detroit stations co-opted the competition's notions almost before they happened. And the Paul McCartney death rumors might never have found international traction without Russ Gibb's snap decision to turn his Sunday program into an exploration of the supposed clues. Russ remembers that the FM PD called during the show to ask what was causing all the commotion with the only advice being, "whatever you're doing, keep doing it."

The radio experience at the height of WKNR's popularity was a sonic roller coaster, a Bob-Lo Island thrill ride that seemed to be constantly evolving daily with new twists and turns. The announcers conducted a symphony, where the formatic elements brought you up or down to the appropriate mood of the music, or in the case of the Kennedy coverage, the tone of the news story. It was a subtle yet visceral experience that anyone who ever listened to Joel Sebastian's top of the hour PAMS CLYDE ID jingle won't ever forget. The anticipation built from the moment you heard the tympani and by the time the singers cried "Motor City Music" you were ready for the hottest up-tempo record on the WKNR Music Guide.

The branding message we used to see on every Keener logo, "The Station that KNOWS Detroit", was another important dimension. While Keener contributed to the Beatles' international success, it was also the launching pad for Tim Tam, The Underdogs, ? and the Mysterians, Mitch Ryder, Bob Seger and an entire record label (Motown) that transformed the R&B niche into a mainstream hit machine. Could something like that happen in a Market today? Like Honey Baked Ham, Silvercup Bread and Stroh's Beer, Keener was customized specifically for Motor City tastes and the market responded with a loyalty that still resonates four decades after the "Spooktacular" heralded the station's debut. In a world where we often distill a product to the point that it loses all flavor, the secret sauce that made Keener great was a distinctly local recipe.

Some of today's programmers might argue that the considerable fragmentation of media choices in the Internet age makes it impossible to create an entity that can grab the audience shares Keener generated at it's height. Those same programmers who take the time to reflect on the impact that Keener made may also come to understand and admire the creativity generated by the its staff and the reciprocating passion of its young listeners that has lasted for decades.   It is an amazing accomplishment that was genuine and truly unique in retrospect.  Today, whether it be broadcast radio, satellite or even web streams, the absence of an intensely local focus and true collaborative culture that celebrates innovation, within the broad confines of the brand, makes it unlikely that we'll ever see anything remotely close to the Keener magic ever again.

Steve Schram is Director of Michigan Public Media and served as Market Broadcast Vice President with management responsibility for WNIC, Keener's successor. Scott Westerman is Area Vice President for Comcast's Southwestern cable properties and a former radio program director.  They were Michigan State University college roomates and long time radio co-workers,  founding keener13.com in 2002.

By Scott Westerman - Keener13.com

1963: I Saw Her Standing There - 1964: You Can't Do That, I Should Have Known Better, I'm Happy Just to Dance with You, If I Fell, Slow Down, She's a Woman -1965: I Don't Want to Spoil the Party, Yes It Is, I'm Down, Act Naturally - 1966: What Goes On, Rain - 1967: Baby You're a Rich Man, I Am the Walrus - 1968: The Inner Light, Revolution - 1969: Old Brown Shoe - 1970: You Know My Name (Look up the Number), For You Blue

If you discount the stuff from 1969 on as being influenced by those outside of the Beatles' hit machine (Brian Epstein and George Martin), the 17 B sides are remarkable. With a couple of exceptions, each one was or could have been a smash hit in its own right.

Compare that to the bulk of the other acts of the decade and you'll find for the most part that B sides were populated with tunes that were meant to be abused by the turntable platter.  The Stones only had a couple of double sided hits: Ruby Tuesday / Lets Spend the Night Together and Honky Tonk Woman / You Can't Always Get What You Want. Only the Beach Boys come within striking distance. The partial list below doesn't include the hits with duds on the flip:

1962 Surfin' Safari/409  -1963 Surfin' U.S.A./Shut Down, Surfer Girl/Little Deuce Coupe, Be True to Your School/In My Room, Fun, Fun, Fun/Why Do Fools Fall in Love  - 1964 I Get Around/Don't Worry Baby, Wendy/Little Honda, Dance, Dance, Dance/The Warmth of the Sun  - 1966 Wouldn't It Be Nice/God Only Knows

I don't know about you, but I used to love to listen to B sides anyway. It was a way to see if the group was for real, or just a one-trick-pony. And sometimes they would yield a gem that never found it's way to the air, but became an underground personal favorite.

As the record industry slowly starts to embrace on-line distribution, singles are coming back as downloadable one-offs on Rhapsody and I-Tunes. We don't need B sides anymore. But I miss them.

Brian's Blog

The album is up and available for listening / download now at Rhapsody.