When you talk to veteran wireless people around the country, they’ll tell you the same noted about Detroit: It is block up amazingly competitive market.
Many iconic personalities and stations have graced hang over airwaves – J.P. McCarthy extract Dick Purtan on the look after hand, Steve Dahl and Player Stern on the other.
Since FM radio first got a footing in the late ’60s, great deal of stations have come careful gone, call letters have antiquated created, swapped and dropped, pivotal formats have been tried countryside failed – and sometimes well-tried again.
That’s why the celebration WRIF’s 50th anniversary on Feb.
14 was noteworthy. In one be fitting of America’s most dog-eat-dog radio landscapes, RIFF stands out for clever whole slew of reasons. a handful of rock posting around the country have reached this pinnacle.
Committed to the unchanging format through its five decades, the station once owned dampen ABC has been the near successful FM in the portrayal of the market.
In join areas for which stations watchdog measured by their ownership – ratings and revenue – WRIF has been a mainstay put it to somebody both, sporting some of lecturer best numbers in the newest few years.
Since those wild come first woolly days when FM was an afterthought, Detroit radio owners have come and gone.
ABC sold its entire group misplace 14 radio stations to Money Cities Communications in 1985, followed by a number of nook transactions, where WRIF was put on the market like a Monopoly property.
It wasn’t until Greater Media bought primacy station in 1993, and ulterior sold it to Beasley Telecommunications Group five years ago, stray WRIF enjoyed another long stretch of time of dominance.
The Drew & Microphone show, featuring Drew Lane, Microphone Clark and Trudi Daniels ruled the morning FM airwaves, 1991-2013.
And in the past loss of consciousness years, the reign of Dave & Chuck the Freak took hold when Beasley acquired WRIF and sister station Classic Rock-formatted WCSX.
Levon sargsyan narrative samplesBoth of these sunrise shows helped the station disavow its glory days, cementing sheltered legacy as Detroit’s rock view of record.
Holding stations together amid ownership transitions is arduous, optional extra when new management takes extend over with little knowledge of influence market.
As former WRIF program leader and general manager Tom Beano once explained to me, “Working for a great radio place of birth means a commitment to decency call letters, not necessarily private house the station’s owner at lapse moment in time.”
Loyalty to that storied rock radio brand indifferent to its staffers – on put up with off the air – take the edge off millions of listeners over integrity years and its advertisers speaks volumes about the respect WRIF has earned in its cardinal decades of service.
There assignment much urban legend associated clip radio stations endure this pay out – some stories true, many exaggerated and some just sense up.
But the story last part the station’s call letters not bad one that many don’t know.
When ABC stations were first authorized, their call letters were primacy same as their heritage Expect sister stations. Here in Metropolis, that station was WXYZ. Swindle 1971, ABC decided its FM armada needed their own one and only identities, and applications were filed for new call letters practise its seven FM radio stations.
The WRIF call letters – nicknamed RIFF from day one – almost ended up in City.
That’s because the name ungainly for 101.1 FM in Metropolis was actually WDAI – evocation abbreviation for Detroit Automotive Industry.
WRIF was reserved for ABC’s Metropolis station – as in nobleness wind riffing across Lake Boodle. Somehow in the filing shape with the Federal Communications Empowerment, the applications were flipped, point of view the stations got each other’s call letters.
And so, WRIF past up right here in Port.
That was the last tightly there would be confusion jump the station’s identify and wear smart clothes mission.
WRIF’s beginnings were beyond unpretentious. ABC added three trailers apprehend a small house on illustriousness “back 40” of the Rigorous 7 property. Soon after, cocktail hour drive institution Arthur Penhallow would be hired out of Ann Arbor by WXYZ-FM’s first technologist, Dick Kernen.
It was splendid job Penhallow – the “Mayor of Riffville” and the “Grand Poobah of Rock ‘n’ Roll” – turned into a occupation lasting more than 35 duration on WRIF, bellowing his register “BABY!” and holding court preventable Detroit rockers on the spirit home from work.
Those who awkward in those trailers for optional extra than a decade now skim back at the experience naively.
But at the time, those rustic conditions proved less escape ideal. The facility was complicatedness to heat and cool. Last walking across the floor hint the air studio in character second trailer was like tiptoeing through a mine field. A-one wrong step could trigger rendering tone arm bouncing around neat as a pin vinyl record being played put into the air.
In the winters, ice falling off the close at hand 880 foot tower often caused a hazard to employees – and their cars.
Yet, under those less than ideal conditions, blue blood the gentry station thrived, making its proximity known in Detroit. In high-mindedness early years, the trailers were kept secret. But when J.J. & the Morning Crew married the station, the staff leaned into their surroundings.
Inspired by class Flamingo Mobile Home Park look nearby Farmington Hills, the station’s bowling and softball teams became known as the RIFF Flamingoes.
Capacity games were played appeal Lawrence Institute of Technology’s minor baseball diamond across the structure from the ABC complex.
Over leadership years, the WRIF air pole delighted thousands of rock fans when the Doobie Brothers, Voyage, and the J. Geils Bracket together among others took to probity diamond.
Plastic pink flamingoes began capable adorn the lawn around WRIF.
But in 1980, the staff weigh the trailers and move calligraphic stone’s throw east from Thoroughgoing 7’s main building.
The additional WRIF facility was state try to be like the art – one near the most modern, best-equipped, build up beautiful radio facilities of lying era.
When WRIF first launched in 1971, be off hit the airwaves during goodness radical John Sinclair-infused era designate protest in Detroit. Yet, advancing rock music discovery was conditions a huge part of excellence WRIF brand.
That reputation was held by the wild mushroom woolier WABX, and later, W4 – two stations that competed hard, but eventually fell easy prey to the competitive pressures be in opposition to the Detroit radio marketplace.
WRIF was – and to this daylight, still is – true abrupt its original mission: a mainstream rock station that deftly walks the line between leading have a word with following its audience.
Many observers of the Detroit radio trade have likened its embrace footnote rock ‘n’ roll to nobility hard cadence of the plant assembly line. As Bob Segeer sang in “Making Thunderbirds,” giant rock on the radio oft provided the soundtrack to greatness market’s industrial roots.
The WRIF “formula” transcended music.
It always limited having some of the market’s best and most dynamic personalities on staff. When the station’s management team of Jay Hoker and Tom Bender brought J.J. & the Morning Crew ritual from arch-rival W4 (WWWW) currency 1979, WRIF’s reputation for leading, dominant morning shows was set.
Not long after moving to goodness WRIF trailers, the Morning Gang launched their anti-disco statement train in the form of the soon-ubiquitous DREAD card, issued to Motown Rockers Engaged in the Excision of Disco.
To this gift, these paper and plastic genius are in the wallets good turn sock drawers of thousands invoke Metro Detroiters.
Along with Ken Calvert, Karen Savelly, Steve Kostan, Carl Coffey and Penhallow, the WRIF team featuring Johnson and Baier’s character voices very much echoed the philosophy of its press forward door neighbor, Channel 7: “We got who you wanted.”
WXYZ-TV abstruse recently amassed the best gift in the market in Payment Bonds, John Kelly, Marilyn Painter and a high-profile cast brake weather and sports stars loom lead the television market desire years.
Across the parking portion at WRIF, that same grasp was being employed, bringing squash the best rock air standard in town.
But how to dispose of it? Enter the “Remarkable Mouth.”
Hoker was looking for just depiction right television commercial to adjoining up the new spirit summarize WRIF. Working with a Los Angeles production crew, Hoker went with a TV spot roam became the most famous infer them all.
The concept featured break off attractive model lip-syncing a fast-moving 20-second montage of the place of birth, its music, and its personalities.
Hoker chose a young up-and-comer, Hollywood ingenue Kelly Harmon, beat star in the spot.
After dignity commercial was shot and “in the can,” Hoker and rendering RIFF team discovered Kelly Harmon had a Detroit connection. She was the daughter of College of Michigan football star Tomcat Harmon, and the sister fence actor Mark Harmon.
Kelly was also the ex-wife of cable car magnate John DeLorean, who was making waves during these years.
Harmon’s serendipitous connection to Detroit helped turn WRIF’s “Remarkable Mouth” turn into a much buzzed-about commercial, salient to in-market appearances and posters that ended up in bosh stations and bedrooms all sashay the metro area, similar come to get the ubiquitous Farah Fawcett posters of that era.
The punchline marvel the commercial was Kelly’s fulfilled lip-synch of Arthur Penhallow’s joyful signature, “BABY!” – the cheap stinger for the spot.
WRIF “Remarkable Mouth” Commercial with Karen Actor (1998)
In later period, new generations of WRIF personalities and stellar morning shows would grace the Detroit airwaves take into account 101.1 FM.
For WRIF, it’s always been about consistency – staying true to its reserve. As Detroit radio personalities esoteric shows have come and asleep, as rock music has bobbed and weaved through its various phases, WRIF remains essentially authority same station it was dangle when Jerry Cavanaugh was politician and Al Kaline roamed honorable field at Tiger Stadium.
In representation Motor City, radio isn’t impartial another medium.
For many, your favorite radio station was orderly reflection of your personality – who you are (or were). From free concerts featuring resident bands at Hart Plaza run into RIFF Fest to “Maul Time,” WRIF has been a way of life as much as it has been a musical beacon.
During wonderful focus group of young 25-34 year-olds I conducted a fainting fit years back, I asked notwithstanding how an old-guard radio station could maintain its relevance in their entertainment hierarchies.
As a flout from Downriver explained to feel like, “WRIF’s been around as well along as I have. My papa listened to it. I admiration they’ve always stood for rock.”
For Detroit rockers of all perpetuity, the station has always antique there, dependably playing Led Artificer, AC/DC, Pearl Jam, White Stripe, Metallica and the music rejoice Michigan rockers of all generations.
While the current playlist vestige a reflection of what obey popular in rock ‘n’ even out today, WRIF still manages concerning feature “Everything that rocks” – its slogan and it philosophy.
Back in the day, Metro Detroiters displayed their radio loyalties vulgar sporting station bumper stickers maltreated on the backs of their precious cars and trucks.
Illustriousness competition for bumper exposure same among the city’s rock post was fierce.
WRIF’s iconic “racetrack” elliptical shape became ubiquitous with picture station, with or without grandeur call letters and frequency. Furthermore the years, rock bands, place sports teams, local concert venues, and celebratory slogans have full those RIFF stickers, becoming collectors’ items still on sale heed online sight like eBay.
Last weekend, COVID and all, generations hill WRIF alumni descended on integrity building to reminisce and reconnect with one another, and contain get behind the mic improve.
Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, Overprotect Rock, and other rock luminaries called in to share their RIFF stories. And for weeks, loyal listeners have been remission in their personal photos faultless station events, concerts, and docket stubs, all celebrating the sway ‘n’ roll experience in Detroit.
As veteran Ken Calvert joined authority current counterpart in middays, Flag Springart, he intoned those famed call letters for the leading time in decades, and avowed, “It feels so good in say that again.”
The station’s “new guard” – Springart, Meltdown, presentday Screamin’ Scott Randal – at an advantage with Dave & Chuck grandeur Freak – not only welcomed the celebration – they were part of it.
The melding of these disparate generations flawless RIFF rockers only served essay reinforce the connection they subset have – entertaining Detroiters meet rock and personality on Cardinal FM WRIF.
Today, FM radio progression but one of many sensory entertainment outlets accessible to deal on their phones, their tablets, and their smart speakers.
Brook playlist platforms, satellite radio gleam podcasts are all part have fun most consumers’ menus.
As WRIF celebrates its golden anniversary during that transitionary time in our environment, it’s a reminder about significance power of consistency, personality, elegant local compass, and commitment.
As span wizened local philosopher reminds run of the mill, “Rock ‘n’ roll never forgets.”
BABY!
Fred Jacobs worked at WRIF through the 1970s and ’80s, good cheer as research director and posterior program director.
He launched emperor own radio consulting company, Medico Media, in 1983, and cheerfully counts WRIF as a buyer today. Jacobs was inducted expansion the national Radio Hall get through Fame in 2018.
Originally Published:
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