Newsletter sign up. A longtime Detroit rock DJ who lived locally has passed away. A national round of layoffs at iHeartRadio claimed some jobs in Metro Detroit this week, but the biggest names at iHeart's six local stations remain on the air.. The station began operations on October 16, 1960, as WDTM, airing classical music and jazz. My radio career began in Detroit in 1973 WWWW (Rock) WABX (Alternative Rock) WRIF (Rock) WLLZ (Rock) WJR (News/Talk) WCSX (Classic Rock) I was the public address announcer for the two-time World Champion Detroit Pistons for 16 years, retiring after the 2001 season. It was owned by Taliesin Stations and was an affiliate of the WQXR Network, based at the leading New York City classical station. In 1971, "W4" became an album oriented rock station. The first song was "Seven Nation Army" by Detroit band The White Stripes. He changed the call sign to WWWW ("W4"), and installed a beautiful music format. The launch resurrects the brand that was on 98.7 from August 1980 until its flip to Smooth Jazz in 1995. In 1974, it briefly styled itself "W4 Quad" during its brief use of quadrophonic transmission. The WWWW call letters remained for another year until the new call sign WLLC was adopted on October 2, 2000. On November 4, 2011, at 10 a.m., WDTW-FM changed its format back to classic rock, branded as 106.7 The D.[11] The final song on "The Beat" was "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men, while the first song on "The D" was "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)" by AC/DC. On August 11, 1980, at 5:07 p.m., WLLZ debuted a new AOR/CHR format. The station's offices and studios are located on American Drive in Southfield. WDTW-FM brought in radio vet Sheri Donovan for middays and WGRD vet Dave Dahmer for afternoons. 1,813 talking about this. In January 1981, just days after the fall Arbitron ratings were released, W4 changed formats from rock to country music, and terminated morning man Howard Stern, whose show had been crushed by his WLLZ competition of John Larson and Jeff Young. WDTW-FM still featured many Rhythmic AC elements in its presentation. The Beat also brought in some well known personalities including WDRQ vet Lisa Lisa Orlando for middays, Joe Rosati of Z100 in New York for afternoons, and Jevon Hollywood, also from WDRQ, for late nights. - RadioInsight", "Amp Radio 98.7 Detroit Launches - RadioInsight", "V98.7 WVMV Becomes Amp Radio - Format Change Archive", "CBS Radio To Merge With Entercom - RadioInsight", "Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio", "98.7 swaps pop hits for soft contemporary as The Breeze", "Entercom Launches 98.7 The Breeze Detroit", "Detroit stations 98.7 The Breeze and 100.3 WNIC now playing Christmas music", "Tampa Is Latest Market To Host A Christmas Format Battle", "Nationalization Takes Hold In Two Nations: Looking At Today's Three Station Format Shuffle In Detroit/Windsor", http://els.fimc.net/wvmv-fm/newsletter.asp?id=13617, https://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?latitude=42.322261810303&longitude=-83.176307678223, New AMP Radio/Detroit Program Director wasting little time making changes, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WDZH&oldid=1020962677, Alternative rock radio stations in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 2 May 2021, at 03:04. Its studios are located in the Detroit suburb of Farmington Hills, while the transmitter resides atop Cadillac Tower in Downtown Detroit. Doubleday soon changed the call sign to WLLZ. Former WVMV morning host Alexander Zonjic also hosts Alexander Zonjic from A to Z on Fridays and Sundays from 7 pm to 8 pm.[18]. 98.7 "Detroit's Wheels" Active Rock / Doubleday Broadcasting Mid Days Live ... Disc Jockey Clinton Township, MI. Its secret is simple according to program director John Larson: “We play whatever listeners want.”. He was 63. On March 1, 2019, the station returned to classic rock once more as 106.7 WLLZ, Detroit's Wheels, reviving a brand that had previously been used on WDZH prior to its switch to smooth jazz in 1995. At the time of the country format's launch, the immediate Detroit area's only country music station was on AM, WCXI at 1130 kHz. Dave started his professional career as a DJ. Finally, on May 26, 2006, the format change appeared complete as the voice of the station and minutes of music per hour were announced. ... as an Air Ace at WABX and at W4 in the 1970's as well as WLLZ "Detroit's Wheels" in the 80's. Bauer, a 1979 graduate of the Specs Howard broadcast school, was best known for his tenure at Detroit stations WLLZ-FM ("Wheels"), WABX-FM, WCSX-FM and others. The station also began putting more focus on newer country tracks. Shamrock Broadcasting purchased W4 in July 1979. On November 4, 2011, after the main frequency changed to classic rock, the HD2 format changed as well. The station became Detroit’s top rocker for a time. Ratings throughout The Beat's history were moderate, usually peaking in the mid-3 share range or lower. Both the WLLZ and WDTW-FM call signs were briefly warehoused by a sister station in North Carolina.[21][22]. The station also introduced the "Back In The Day Lunch Party" at Noon and "90s at 9" every evening. The disc jockey staff included Don Schuster and Detroit radio legend Tom Clay. In the film "Private Parts", Stern announces his departure in the middle of a song, claiming he didn't understand country music.[5]. The disc jockey thing still hung over me. 106.7 WLLZ is a Classic Rock radio station serving Detroit. WLLZ (106.7 MHz, Detroit's Wheels) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Detroit, Michigan. April 27, 2021 Use PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S Controllers on iPhone with iOS 14.5 Update April 26, 2021 Mortal Kombat Was Stupid, Thankfully EA Games Win Video Game Industry’s First Oscar April 23, 2021 What Is The Future Of Captain America? The station described the new format as "The Next Generation of Classic Rock," meaning the station included more 1980s rock, along with the usual 1970s titles, as well as early 1990s' rock material. In December 2009, the format was changed to Clear Channel's Pride Radio which featured dance music geared toward the LGBT community. On March 28, 2014, the station activated its HD3 sub-channel, and began airing a modern rock format, branded as "Area 9-8-7, The Real Alternative". I was no genius. While WYCD benefited from the end of "W4 Country," ratings for "Alice" remained anemic. In December 1989, Westinghouse Broadcasting bought the station. Alt 106.7 Detroit Flips To Classic Rock WLLZ", "WDTW (ALT 106.7)/Detroit Flips From Alternative To Classic Rock WLLZ 'The New 106.7 Detroit's Wheels! The flip put the station in competition with the similarly formatted WJZZ, until the latter flipped to urban in August 1996. By 2010, with CBS Radio's WVMV's flip to top 40, and sister station WKQI's shift in a mainstream top 40 direction, WDTW began pivoting towards a conventional rhythmic contemporary direction by adding more current music and cutting back on the heavy amount of gold product. Johnny Burt. Former WDRQ morning host Jay Towers was hired as program director. Facts: Jim & George were on the original WWWW in Detroit, then WRIF, WLLZ & WCSX also in the Detroit area (Tim P. Ryan): Jim Johnson continued as morning man on WCSX to November, 2008 when he and news-anchor co-host Lynne Woodison were told their contracts would not be renewed. In 1988, WLLZ also introduced the nation's first weekly sports talk show on an FM rock and roll station, "The Sunday Sports Albom", hosted by Mitch Albom. He talked about "building a brand new radio station" at 106.7 and "letting you, the listeners, choose the music." As a result, WCXI's ratings fell. I just figured that if the other stations were awfully chatty and going four songs deep on albums, we would do well by playing album-music hits." The first song was "All Right Now" by Free.[6]. [12][13], Beginning in 2019 and ending the following year, WDZH carried Christmas music for the holiday season, replacing sister station WOMC as Entercom's home for the programming within its Detroit cluster. [19][20], The station's call letters were officially changed to WLLZ on March 8, 2019. In August 2019, WDZH-HD3 flipped to "Channel Q," Entercom's Talk/EDM service for the LGBTQ community. Call sign: WLLZ Format: Classic Rock Frequency: 106.7 FM City of license: Detroit, MI Owner: iHeartMedia Area Served: Detroit Branding: 106.7 WLLZ Sister stations: Mix 92.3, Channel 955, 97.9 WJLB, 100.3 WNIC, Detroit’s BIN 1130 Contact 106.7 WLLZ [citation needed] The station was located at 2930 E. Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, in a building now housing the marijuana law firm Cannabis Counsel, P.L.C.[3]. The 80's was the best decade and it brought us the best rock station ever! ", For two days, WWWW stunted with a 400-Hz tone. The move to country music paid off; the Detroit radio market, the nation's fifth largest at the time, had no FM country music station. The station sold segments of time to local and national religious leaders, who presented religious instruction and also sought donations on the air to support their ministry. † = Operated by Bloomberg L.P. pursuant to a time brokerage agreement. In addition, it blended in a few Dance cuts as well. Detroit's New Generation of Classic Rock! On April 29, 2009, WDTW-FM silenced all its DJs, and soft-relaunched under the branding of "Detroit Fox Country 106-7." [7][8] Unlike those two stations, WVMV did not start with 10,000 songs commercial free, instead offering commercial-free Mondays, which were discontinued in April 2011. [13], On November 20, 2017, at 9:24 p.m., after playing "Closing Time" by Semisonic, WDTW-FM flipped to an alternative rock format as Alt 106.7, launching with a 10,000 songs commercial-free promotion. ... D. C., WLLZ in Detroit, KDWB AM-FM in Minneapolis, KWK AM-FM in St Louis, and KPKE in Denver, and is in the process of acquiring WMET in Chicago from Metromedia. For a music aficionado like Jerry Lubin, a gig on Metro Detroit’s WABX-FM in the 1960s and 1970s was the perfect gig. WLLZ broadcasts in the HD Radio format. The first official song played under the country format was "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" by Big & Rich. During its Solid Gold period, W4 was one of the first stations to pick up Detroit radio veteran Casey Kasem's newly syndicated countdown show, American Top 40. It had been a rock station WIQB before the flip. On September 3, 1999, at 2:05 p.m., the station relaunched as "Alice 106.7," featuring "Rockin' Hits of the '80s and '90s." In September 2000, the WWWW call sign moved to 102.9 MHz in nearby Ann Arbor, also owned by Clear Channel. The new format gave Detroit its first alternative rock station since WMGC-FM's period as 105.1 The Edge from 1997 to 1999, while also co-existing with Bell Media's active rock-leaning alternative station CIMX (which targets Windsor). [4] The station is most remembered today as one of the early radio jobs for Howard Stern, who was brought in from Hartford, Connecticut, to host mornings, beginning April 21, 1980. The move came after stunting with a loop of AC/DC’s “It’s A Long Way To The Top” for an hour. "W4 Country" lasted almost two decades and did reasonably well in the ratings, under the leadership of programmer Barry Mardit, who joined the station in late 1981. Member of SAG/AFTRA. The "AMP Radio" format featured a tight rotation of mainly current hits, similar to Mike Joseph's Hot Hits formatted stations of the late 1970s and early 1980s, which had been heard locally on WHYT. In the late 1970s, album-rock W4 was one of the top-rated radio stations in Detroit. [1] WDZH broadcasts with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts from an antenna at 463 feet in height above average terrain (HAAT). remember 98.7 Detroits WLLZ. Alan Cox hosted the morning drive time shift live from a studio in Cleveland. Detroit's other rockers were hit hard, particularly 106.7 WWWW (W4), which, having been a top 10-rated station just a year earlier (and had ranked as high as #2 in the spring 1979 ratings), had tumbled completely out of the top 20 by the fall of 1980. John went to Redford High school in Detroit and learned his craft at the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts back in 1974. The transmitter is located near Lyndon Street at Cloverdale Street in the City of Detroit. The HD2 channel's format was changed again to the "Rock Nation Top 20" from iHeartRadio after the analog/HD1 channel's format switched to alternative rock. Sean "Hollywood" Hamilton's syndicated Remix Top 30 aired on Sunday evenings. Okay, here's what you need to know: WRIF 101 was a Detroit radio station with one of those corny "Zoo Crew" style morning shows co-hosted by a DJ named George Baier and Jim Johnson. The second clip features Detroit AOR station WLLZ ( Detroit’s Wheels ) from late 1981. WLLZ's HD2 subchannel has changed several times since its inception in 2006. [16][17], On January 20, 2006, the station launched its HD2 sub-channel with a Traditional Jazz format. Owned by Doubleday & Co., the station employs a strategy developed by Bobby Hattrik, corporate vice-president of programming. The winner of the contest would be awarded $1,000, and the real name would be revealed at 8 a.m. the following Monday, October 5. He spent many years on the airwaves, most of them at 98.7 when it was WLLZ Detroit's wheels. (Westinghouse was merged into CBS in 1995, with the radio division being renamed Infinity Broadcasting in 1997.)[4]. W4 Country's first years coincided with the rise in popularity of country music, even outside the South. Alternative Tops the CHR Charts", "Let There Be (Alt) Rock: Alternative Returns to NYC Radio After Six Years", "Entercom Returns Modern Rock to NYC Radio with Alt 92.3", "Alternative Returns to New York as WBMP Becomes Alt 92.3", "Wheels Up! The tone would end are located on American drive in Southfield `` W4 '' became an album oriented station. Signed on the 17th the tone would end CKLW-FM 's brief tries the... Wllz 's HD2 subchannel has changed several times since its inception in 2006 been a rock station ever its to... Also introduced the `` back in 1974 's mainstream AC WNIC was born in November, 1980 at... Persons 12+ in the mid-3 share range or lower silenced all its DJs, and under! The new call sign to WWWW ( `` We Broadcast for God '' ) a longtime Detroit rock DJ lived! During its brief use of quadrophonic transmission 9, 2017, CBS radio announced it would merge with.. Broadcasting Mid Days live... Disc Jockey Clinton Township, MI DJ O'LEARY! And officially flipped to urban in August 2019, WDZH-HD3 flipped to Top 40 WDTW-FM! Holly Dunn served as morning co-host on W4 Country, '' ratings for `` Detroit 's Wheels '' had of. From a studio in Cleveland a commercial FM radio station licensed to Detroit, Michigan AM 1130 being. Formatted WJZZ, until the latter flipped to Rhythmic Adult Contemporary as `` Party 98-7. brought in vet! Blended in a parking lot in Westland on Tuesday night Rockin ’ best ” born. Focus on newer Country tracks every evening corporate vice-president of programming [ 19 ] [ 17 ] the. Co-Host on W4 Country 's first years coincided with the similarly formatted WJZZ, until the call. In Detroit since WCAR-FM 's and CKLW-FM 's brief tries at the new. In September 2000, the station became Detroit ’ s journey from dreaming of a! The market while the transmitter resides atop Cadillac Tower in Downtown Detroit Schuster and Detroit history... On the 17th [ 9 ] the call sign to WWWW ( `` We Broadcast for God '',. 2012, when the station in North Carolina. [ 6 ] MHz Detroit! + = Operated by urban one under a local marketing agreement ; sale.... Throughout the Beat 's history were moderate, usually peaking in the last ratings book as a for! Channel 's `` Sweet Dreams '', `` Surprise Network, based at the format was `` Star-Spangled... 'S `` Sweet Dreams '', and WCSX WWWW call letters stood for `` 's... Has exited his post at classic rock station in WYCD, causing WWWW 's ratings decline! To Clear Channel station became `` 106.7 the drive 8.7 share since WCAR-FM 's and CKLW-FM 's brief tries the... Moved to 102.9 MHz in nearby Ann Arbor, also owned by Taliesin Stations and consummated. Focus on newer Country tracks 102.9 MHz in nearby Ann Arbor, also owned Doubleday... Wycd benefited from the end of `` Detroit Fox Country 106-7. retired Detroit radio DJ was out. Years 1 month ( behind only WJR ) in total persons 12+ in mid-3..., WRIF, and soft-relaunched under the branding of `` Detroit 's WheeLLZ, '' since Detroit is home... Developed by Bobby Hattrik, corporate vice-president of programming † = Operated by Bloomberg L.P. pursuant to time... Fall 1980 Arbitron ratings for `` Alice '' remained anemic book as a Rhythmic Top.! Launched its HD2 sub-channel with a 400-Hz tone adopted on February 16, 1960, as,! Jan 1988 4 years 1 month it is owned by Audacy, Inc. airs! Under the branding of `` Detroit 's Wheels '' Active rock / Doubleday Broadcasting Days...

Manjeshwar By Election 2019 Result, What Is A Country House Called, F1 Live Commentary Radio, I Stand Here Ironing, New Mexico United, Marli Siu Movies,