A Detroit radio legend. Rich in history as one of the most storied and oldest broadcasting institution in Detroit or for that matter, the entire country. Eighty seven-years ago, according to Wikipedia, the station spawn birth in the Detroit area under the calls WGHP on October 10, 1925.
WGHP was once a charter member (of 16 stations) that aired the first CBS Radio Network program in 1927. The station was then sold in 1930 to the Kunsky-Trendle Broadcasting Company who changed the calls to WXYZ. By the mid-1930s, WXYZ dropped out of the Mutual Broadcasting System and became a new affiliate for the NBC Blue Network radio group.
Fred Wolf broadcasting his morning show from the WXYZ ‘remote’ trailer in 1955.These historic radio broadcasts were produced locally from the station’s annex-studios, located at the former Mendelson building on East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit. Earlier on, these entertaining WXYZ radio programmings were heard on many stations through the Mutual group across the U. S. and Canada. Immediately after the war years, in 1946, the station was sold and was purchased by the American Broadcasting Network in New York.
In front are Fred Wolf left, and Johnny Slagle. At the rear from the left are Jack Surrell, Paul Winter, Ed McKenzie, and Mickey Shoor.WXYZ had many of Detroit's most prominent radio personalities of the 1940s and 1950s including Dick Osgood, Fred Wolf, Ed McKenzie, Mickey Shorr, "The Lady of Charm" Edyth Fern Melrose, Jack Surrell (one of the earliest African-American air personalities), and future CBS News correspondents Mike Wallace and Douglas Edwards.
By the early 1950s, ABC and WXYZ brought out the best in quality programming in Detroit on the TV dial. Programs such as Wild Bill Hickok, Superman and The Cisco Kid. The Lone Ranger was still the big show on Thursday nights. Over on the radio dial, interspersed between network news and commentaries, music shows and local programming, WXYZ brought Detroiters Ozzie and Harriet, Corliss Archer and Big Time Boxing on Friday nights. Still prime on WXYZ radio since coming back to Detroit from New York in 1947 was Johnny Slagle. Slagle initially came over to Detroit (WXYZ) from Cleveland in 1935. And WXYZ had the most popular disk jockey in all of Detroit during that time, Ed McKenzie.
Paul Winter c.1956.It was a bold move which proved successful. Now riding on its new-found successes, WXYZ evolved into playing more of the mainstream pop hits, rock ‘n’ roll and current popular album themes being played around the country in the modern radio era.
By 1958, there was a strict playlist with a more contemporary music format to follow. No longer were the deejays allowed to play whatever they wanted to play. Another page in Detroit radio history had been turned. WXYZ was to become the first ABC-owned radio station to play Top 40 hits (or then labeled as ‘Formula Radio’) in the entire country.
The All Americans c.1964.
The energetic Lee Alan.The year is 1965 and the jock playing records is the zany Lee Alan. [ LISTEN ] (46:06)
By then WXYZ radio held down a huge Detroit audience over the competition for market share. Radio 1270 became the hottest commodity on the radio dial for local music venues and dance entertainment. No. 1 in the ratings, they became a heavy influence for record sales in Detroit. The station’s playlist now comprised mostly the nation’s most popular records from the Billboard charts, and by 1962 WXYZ was center stage of what was happening in and around town. There was the legendary broadcasts from the Walled Lake Casino, Club 182 and more . . . and on the television side Club 1270 was gaining Detroit audience popularity as Joel Sabastian and Lee Alan introduced the hottest WIXIE hits on WXYZ-TV.
By early 1963, after coming on board the ABC-owned and operated station in February the previous year, Lee Alan, with the “Lee Alan Show” was by then pulling in a phenomenal 40 per cent share of the Detroit audience during the early evening and night time hours, according to a 1963 Hooper radio survey. Lee Alan. The name itself would come to be one of the most popular and recognized names ever in ’60s Detroit radio history.
Lee Alan 1964WXYZ, under the direction of Chuck Fritz, the 37-year old general manager at the station since 1963, was by then re-structuring the station’s appeal for a younger audience. With the Fred Wolf era gone and out of the picture, Fritz extended his sights in search for a younger (but calmer, more contemporary) voice in filling the morning void. They found that voice in Marc Avery. He was hired with the hopes in retaining the older Wolf audience, while at the same time appeal to a younger audience being drawn to the “New Radio 13” popularity on the radio dial. The new “Keener Sound” was by then fast retaining the largest rise in total market share in Detroit radio history. By the latter part of 1965, there was several changes in the WXYZ line-up. The WIXIE drive was gearing forward with their biggest run against the competition in the Detroit top 40 market.
The WXYZ line-up in late 1965 consisted of some of the greatest radio voices heard on Detroit radio during that time. Marc Avery, 6-10; Steve Lundy, 11-2; Dave Prince, 2-6; Lee Alan, 7:15-10; Danny Taylor, 10-1; Pat Murphy, 1-6 AM.
But it was also during this time the station’s own commitment to recapture a higher market share, seemingly came to an impasse, a standstill in the ratings. But certainly not for any lack in trying. At the station, there were those who were beginning to feel their efforts moving forward for a larger audience share was by now, possibly, being hampered by all the network programming fed into the Detroit affiliate out of New York.
Also, according to Billboard, WXYZ was now ranked third at 22% below CKLW’s 34% and WKNR’s 44% share of the Detroit market overall, in that order. But on the side, there was still glimmers of hope. Despite the lowest ratings of the top 3, WXYZ’s The Marc Avery Show held the No. 1 pick for the mid-morning time-slot over Robin Seymour at WKNR, according to Billboard’s Radio Response Ratings in the same July 17, 1965 issue.
Moving into the new year in 1966, more changes were in the wind for WXYZ. Lee Alan, was by now in line for program director by station manager Chuck Fritz. The suggested appointment for PD was approved by the ABC brass-heads in New York. Replacing Bruce Still, Lee moved into his new position in March. By then Steve Lundy headed out west to another ABC-owned station, in San Francisco.
Under Alan’s tenure as new station PD, Pat Murphy would move up in the afternoon time-slot on WIXIE, from the all-night hours. Meanwhile, during a short stay in Cleveland in early 1966, Lee Alan discovered the sound of Joey Reynolds at WIXY. By April, after talking to Fritz that he should hire him immediately, Alan had Joey Reynolds making the move over to the Motor City.
DJ Jim Hampton is multitasking behind the mic in August of 1966. [ LISTEN ] (22:18)
Hampton is doing the all-night show, and he does everything including the news. There’s one sponsor during his first hour, a local audio retailer selling a record player for automobiles.
About this same time, Jimmy Hampton was hired as the new over-night personality on 1270. In April, Alan also brought back the Detroit Sound Surveys for record retail outlets scattered throughout the Detroit metro area, highlighting the best in top 40 music WXYZ could offer from Broadcast House. Lee Alan also had written, composed and produced the music for the new ‘Personality-Plus’ jingles package (click highlighted reference for audio) for the station’s new sound for 1966. The new jingles custom were produced in Chicago by Dick Marx Productions for Lee Alan and were beautifully sung for WXYZ by the famous Anita Kerr Singers. Management, the entire radio staff and Lee Alan, now as program director were convinced the right formula was now in place moving forward for 1966.
But by mid-1966, not much had changed for WXYZ during their battle for higher ratings in Detroit. According to the Billboard trade publication from July 1966, CKLW lost five percentage points from the year before. Now holding a 29% share, a year earlier they held a higher 34% in 1965. Still at second overall in 1966, 3 of the CKLW share percentage points went to WKNR, who gained at 47 from a 44 previous. Meanwhile, WXYZ, gained two percentage points from the 5 CKLW lost within a year. By year’s end, WXYZ was now a slight 24 from the previous 22% they held in '65, yet the station found itself still mired at third in the top 40 market.
But the “problem” about network programming was still there. For many at the station it only served as reminder who it was who still owned the station. Some had advocated openly to the station manager, Lee Alan among them, that network programming out of New York was “killing” the station. That it should be dropped. That in 1966 the listeners instead wanted more of the music. But pleas towards Fritz to persuade ABC in New York to drop network programming fell on deaf ears.
According to Lee’s book, entitled, “Turn Your Radio On,” during the battle for ratings in 1966, Alan stated, “I have to say that in despite Chuck Fritz’s and ABC’s stubborn refusal to kill the old network programs, and let us be the pillar sound we needed to be, to get back on top — boy, we gave it everything, everything we had. And we had a terrific time doing it.”
In concluding, Alan elaborated further, “I still had hopes that ABC would kill the breakfast club and that listener-chasing hour and 20 minutes of news, 6 O’clock – 5:55 – when all of a sudden Bill Drake came into town and did exactly what Joel Sabastian, Dave Prince and I, had pleaded with Chuck Fritz to do back in 1963.
Martin and HowardBill Drake came here, and turned CKLW into the BIG 8. Bill Drake made the BIG 8 happen. Did it against WKNR just the way we could of. Now we have both ‘CK and Keener to contend with. Instead of staying in the battle, Chuck Fritz and WXYZ were about to give up, were about to surrender. Martin and Howard were hired - the scene was set for the end. And it would unfold just as I had predicted.” It was over.
After just two weeks going into 1967, it was apparent the top 40 run at WXYZ was finished, over and was done. By January’s end Lee Alan was gone. The format was changed. Martin and Howard was in, Joe Bacarella was the new program director and WXYZ was officially “Sound Of The Good Life.”
WXYZ's "The Good Life" Jingle Package. [ LISTEN ] (15:10)
By early 1968, the highly-invested Martin and Howard team tanked within earshot of a dismal 4.0 rating for the morning drive. Shortly thereafter, after much anticipated acclaim, the comedy-duo were finally dumped by the ‘XYZ brass. Martin and Howard were finished and done in Detroit. Dick Purtan, who was hired at the station for afternoons after returning back to Detroit from a very short stay at Baltimore’s WBAL, was then promoted by Bacarella to be the new morning man at WXYZ.
All in all it was the end of a Detroit broadcasting legend. The end of an era.
WHO WORKED AT WXYZ? Here is the list: Lee Alan, Hugh Copland, Tom Dean, John Dew, Fred Foy, Jimmy Hampton, Jack Hines, Harry Martin aka Happy Hare, Malcomb Russell McCoy, Steve Lundy, Don Zee, Fred Weiss, Fred Wolf, Marc Avery, Paul Winter, George Washington, Micky Shorr, Jack Sorrel, Dave Prince, Dick Purtan, Johnny Randall, Jack Hayes, Danny Taylor, Pat Murphy, Joey Reynolds, Eddie Rogers, Joel Sebastian, Tommy Shannon, and John Todd.
Some materials found on this page were originally published by the following: Airchexx, Motor City Radio Flashbacks.
