(Plain Dealer file photo), Maria Farina landed at WMMS in 1986 fresh out of Ohio University and quickly gained popularity. "[32] "De-emphasized" in the fall of 2007, the scavenger was revived the following spring to coincide with the station's 40th anniversary and with the arrival of morning personality Rover. The station was known as "The Home of the Buzzard" at first. WMMS during this period would play a key role in breaking several major acts in the U.S., including: Rush, Roxy Music, Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny, Fleetwood Mac, Meat Loaf, The Pretenders, the New York Dolls, Lou Reed, Mott the Hoople, Boston, and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Past affiliates at WMMS include WAMX/Huntington, WMFS-FM/Memphis, WNDE/Indianapolis, WXEG/Dayton, WRXS/Columbus, and the now defunct Extreme Talk. Already strained by ongoing contract renewal negotiations, the incident further alienated the two parties, and by November of that year the show was cancelled. Everything else in Cleveland was going wrong except us," said Gorman about his early years at WMMS in the '70s. Owned by iHeartMedia . February 11, 2020 Sean Collier, Photos by Becky Thurner Braddock Sean McDowell With time and freedom, longtime DJ Sean McDowell can't get off the road. It was supposed to be a colorful logo including all the rainbow colors - but at the time, the station didn't have the budget to do multiple colors so they kept it one color. He became one of the station's most popular jocks during its Buzzard heyday, and was perhaps best known as the host of the live Wednesday "Coffeebreak Concerts." He soon left radio and became an artist manager, working with the likes of Joe Walsh, Michael Stanley, Ian Hunter, Harry Nilsson, Yusuf (Cat) Stevens, Eric Carmen and others. See Tenille Arts' Bedazzled Guitar Oct 07, 2020. Quiet Riot played 11 songs. Since 1998, he's hosted "America's Workforce" a one-hour program sponsored by labor unions on WERE-AM/1490. [127] A new airstaff was assembled after the stunt: Tim "Slats" Guinane was hired for afternoon drive replacing Brian & Joe, who were transferred to WMVX, and music director Mark Pennington replaced Bill "BLF Bash" Freeman in overnights. We had a pretty good run with it in the '70s to the mid-'80s.". No Doubt performed Buzzard Fest on May 18, 1996. WMMS-FM started up on Sept. 28, 1968, as a progressive-rock station, and earned fame as one of the country's most successful rock stations in the '70s. Stern's ratings exploded and this along with a growing urgency from management not to compete with or mention Stern on the air led to a sudden and steep ratings decline for The Buzzard Morning Zoo. Rover is pictured in the middle in the 2009 WMMS promo photo above with partners Dieter and Duji. While both Rover and Alan Cox are primarily "hot talk" programs, rock music airs during regular middays, nights, overnights, weekends and online during Cavaliers and Guardians play-by-play. In the '90s, it re-focused on alternative rock programming, and in later years, moved into an active rock program with popular talk programs like "Rover's Morning Glory. Tony Tilford, WMMS program director (19992003), WMMS shifted format to active rock on February 17, 1997, under the direction of Bob Neumann, who had previously programmed WNCX and WENZ. In 2015, he founded oWOW, a thriving Cleveland-based internet radio. He would go on and on about what is wrong with the world, horrible co-workers and bosses and the daily grind of the work day. [107][108][109][110], During this time, WMMS held a series of sold-out rock festivals that featured many of the new up-and-coming artists receiving station airplay. Mr. Leonard, the self proclaimed assistant public service director made appearances on the Buzzard Morning Zoo for many years. Good old Red! Rumor has it that WMMS had ballots printed so the public could fill them out at various events. The show also drew national attention after holding a book burning party for Fifty Shades of Grey on July 8, 2012. [131][132], In September 2007, WMMS management chose to "de-emphasize" both The Buzzard and WMMS call letters, referring to the station as simply "100.7", save for the FCC-mandated legal ID at the top of every hour. Late Friday we received an email from Cleveland radio legend John Gorman, the former longtime PD of the equally legendary WMMS, who shared the sad news of the passing of former longtime WMMS late-night personality Betty Korvan, who died at the age of 67. She left in 1989 to work for Top 40 station WPHR-FM/107. Share this Story: UPDATE: Erika Lauren announced on Twitter Dec. 7 that she would not return to the Alan Cox Show in 2020. Pittsburgh Radio Personalities Recently retired from WDVE, longtime DJ Sean McDowell isn't sitting still. Under Malrite ownership, WMMS would become an album-oriented rock (AOR) powerhouse, much in the same vein as its former MetroMedia progressive rock siblings. Denny was also instrumental in convincing former WMMS owner Milton Maltz to continue the stations rock format in the mid-1970s. DJ additions included station engineer Ric Bennett as "Rocco the Rock Dog,"[86] Scooter (WMMS music director Brad Hanson), former WRQC nighttime Personality and later WNCX Afternoon Drive and Production Director, Tom "Jack" Daniels (who returned to the Cleveland airwaves after a successful stint as Program Director of WLEV, Allentown, PA), Lisa Dillon[86] and station veteran Matt the Cat,[86] (who returned to the midday slot in 1990 after a two-year absence.) One day a co-worker overheard him ranting in the halls of the radio station and got the idea to feature him on the air with a salute to the weekend. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. [38][39] Considered "a true radio legend," WMMS DJ Kid Leo was chosen for Rolling Stone's "Heavy Hundred: The High and Mighty of the Music Industry" (1980) and named "The Best Disc Jockey in the Country" in a special 1987 issue of Playboy. WMMS does not air additional network programming. All rights reserved (About Us). She stayed on when the station switched. Gorman returned to the Buzzard for a second brief run from 1994-96, but has spent most of the past 20 years as a radio consultant. Hes heard introducing Bruce Springsteens fabled WMMS tenth anniversary show at the Cleveland Agora which is thought to have been the most bootlegged radio concert ever before its official release. Win a Monster Zero Sugar prize pack from Circle K! Play-by-play announcers Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus call games on-site. His was the booming voice on the station's hourly IDs, music segues, sweepers, and commercials. Most station imaging is produced out-of-market by national voice talents "David Lee" Olejniczak, Malcolm Ryker,[166] Rena-Marie Villano, and former WMMS creative services director Miles Hlivko; additional voice-over audio is produced on-site by WMMS imaging director Billy Black. Win tickets to The Sonic Temple Art and Music Festival, Radio Daze: Stories from the Front in Clevelands FM Air Wars, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The trio moved to WMMS in 1971, laying the groundwork for the station's Buzzard heyday. No. BLF also praised musicians and was a great fan of the Texas Tornadoes and Blue Cheer. She has written several books, including "Boston Radio: 1920-2010." Discover Financial to reportedly track gun store purchases starting in During his long tenure doing evenings at the station Denny interviewed hundreds of rock stars including the late John Lennon. Perlich moved to Los Angeles in 1972 and became a radio legend in that town, too, working at KMET and later KFAC and KCSN, where he hosted acclaimed interview shows. The WMMS Coffee Break Concert was a weekly music-interview show broadcast live from the station's studio, and later with an audience at the Agora Ballroom. Win tickets to The Sonic Temple Art and Music Festival, 'People Magazine' Hits Newsstands On This Date in 1974, We're Celebrating Women Who Make Music & Culture. Mike had been heard on a number of Cleveland radio stations over the years, putting in 40 years ol the air. She introduced Rush when they got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June 2010. During the 20th anniversary broadcast, Mike Olszewski, along with Jeff & Flash, spoke with Wally Bryson of the Raspberries and one of the National Guardsmen. Erika Lauren's Real World - Cleveland Magazine WMMS (100.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, commonly identified as "TheBuzzard". [81], In the mid-1980s, WMMS was an important contributor in organizing a campaign (along with former Cleveland ad agency president Edward Spizel and author-deejay Norm N. Nite) which brought the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland. Date unknown. [26][38][39][75][76][77], The World Series of Rock was a recurring, day-long and usually multi-act summer rock concert held outdoors at Cleveland Municipal Stadium from 1974 through 1980. He is also the curator and archivist for the Ohio Broadcast Archive and Museum, and now teaches media communications classes at Kent State University and the University of Akron. April 16, 1974 the Buzzard was born. He also managed Grammy-winning R and B superstar Luther Vandross. 'MMS listener favorites like Green Day, Letters to Cleo, Everclear, Better Than Ezra, Alice in Chains, Garbage and Silverchair were just a few of the bands featured in Buzzard Bone. She worked in radio in Los Angeles from 1973-76 at KLOS and KMET. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. He would read some commercial copy and then "throw them in the bash bucket where they belong" and openly criticize music he didn't care for. Photo: Courtesy of John Gorman), One of the young DJs legendary WMMS program director John Gorman brought to the Buzzard when he took over again as WMMS chief in the early 1990s. [47][93] Stern continued on with the program over a phone line as engineers worked to quickly patch together the severed broadcast wire. Following the prank announcement, station management placed Maxwell on probation for 90 days. He worked a variety of record-industry jobs after that, becoming senior vice president of marketing at Chrysalis Records during the 1980s. The station first turned to adult contemporary, big band, the Drake-Chenault automated Hit Parade '69 and finally Top 40,. Featuring Kevin DuBrow on vocals, Frankie Banali on drums, Rudy Sarzo on bass and Carlos Cavazo on guitar. About: WMMS - DBpedia The Buzzard was the co-creation of Gorman, Sanders and American Greetings artist David Helton.[31]. Joining the Chicago native are Cleveland area comedians Bill Squire and Mary Santora, and former intern-turned-phone-screener Cody (Poundcake) Brown. In 1986, Gorman and 12 other staff members left WMMS to start classic-rock station WNCX-FM/98.5. Radio Personality Mike Gallagher Has Died - Newsradio WTAM 1100 She remained with the station until 1995. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. WMMS also airs The Week in Cox, a weekly recap show on Sunday mornings. Coaching Great Knute Rockne Born On This Date In 1888, 'Saving Private Ryan' Star Tom Sizemore Dead At 61, Flea Mourns Loss Of 'One Of The Greatest Musicians To Ever Walk The Planet', Roger Waters Shares First Preview Of Re-Recorded 'Dark Side Of The Moon', VIDEO: Cleveland Police Give Details of What Lead to Fatal Crash, Rapist Appeals 8-Year Sentence; Appeals Court Gives Him 11 Years Instead, Amazon Drops Trailer For Final "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" Season, Apple Goes Behind The Scenes Of Indie Wrestling With "Monster Factory", Honey Boo Boo's Boyfriend Chased By Poilce For DUIWith Her In The Car, Disney Shows Off First Look At "Haunted Mansion" Reboot, Logan Paul Wants To Get Revenge For His Bro, Todays Bride Wedding Show at John S Knight Center, MAC Tournament at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. "Born to Run" was the essence of everything I loved about rock 'n' roll. Live at the Agora Ballroom on August 10, 1983. Signing on in 1946 as the FM adjunct to WHK, the WMMS call letters were affixed in 1968 under Metromedia ownership, having stood for "MetroMedia Stereo" and meant as a compliment to the newly established progressive rock format, but have since taken on a variety of other meanings. At Bat only for streaming", "iHeart does not stream Indians games. Rio created the. Springsteen's music had become an important cornerstone of the Buzzard playlist and his profile had risen nationally, thanks to the release of the Born to Run album, with the title track quickly becoming an 'MMS staple that would endure for decades. WMMS at 50: Moments that made music history (photos) Spero is still active as an artist manager. [94] Station management initially claimed that Alford acted alone,[93] however WMMS Promotions Director Heidi Klostermanworking under the name Heidi Kramerlater pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempted disruption of a public service and a misdemeanor of receiving stolen property; Greg Smith, a former Klosterman colleague, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of breaking and entering. (Additional reporting by cleveland.com staff. He now does the morning show on WONE-FM/97.5 in Akron. We all got to know Billy Bass pretty good. Radio Personality Salary in Provo, Utah | Salary.com Born in Belgium, but raised in Cleveland and Maple Heights, Matt the Cat Lapczynski was a radio fan from an early age. wmms radio personalities. Other stations carried their birthday show. (Photo by Gus Chain, The Plain Dealer), The affable Spero was born into rock 'n' roll. WMMS will celebrate its birthday Sunday at Blossom Music Center with a special anniversary concert featuring Ozzy Osbourne. "[110] Studios were moved again to a combined facility in the suburb of Independence, Ohio. "[27][36] WMMS played a key role in breaking several major acts in the U.S., including David Bowie, Rush, and Bruce Springsteen. Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Detroit, St. Louis they ran another stations birthday party. In the early '90s, she started her own DJ and karaoke company, Amalon Entertainment, with husband Frank Amato, the lead singer for Beau Coup. The duo reigned over a zany -- and revolving -- supporting cast of characters on "Buzzard Morning Zoo" for 18 years from 1976-1994. Springsteen Concert Poster - Agora - August 9th, 1978, Springsteen - Agora - Scene Magazine - August, 1978. After leaving WMMS, he moved to WMJI-FM/105.7, as program and operations director. [58][59] During this time, WMMS used slogans derived from its call sign: first as "Music Means Satisfaction", and later as the place "Where Music Means Something". (Plain Dealer file photo), Proud Parma natives, this longtime duo is better known as the affable hosts of "The Brian and Joe Show." Kid Leo was actively involved in the campaign in bringing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland - which lead to the mayor Geroge Voinovich granting him a key to the city in 1990. The second logo, first one in print, used by WMMS was the Tongue Logo. [148][146][152][153][154][155], A devoted fan of heavy metal, Cox considers himself more of a comedian than a disc jockey. [102], While the change in programming alienated many longtime listeners, many of whom switched to WNCX and their full-time classic rock format, WMMS boosted its ratings for the first time in years with a new, younger audience. [51] Seeing a small but significant groundswell of support for the medium in the market, WHK-FM adopted a new progressive rock format on August 15, 1968. He first began in radio in 1973 at noted Cleveland rock station WMMS (100.7 FM, "The Buzzard"). You gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta get dooooooowwwwn!, His rant followed Bruce Springsteens Born to Run. The kickoff to the weekend continued with Ian Hunters Cleveland Rocks and Earth Quakes Friday on my mind.. During this time, WMMS also began broadcasting a remarkable number of live concerts, many of which originated in Cleveland and were produced by the station itself. Students were protesting the bombing of Cambodia by the United States Armed Forces. Ken Schneck. He is now a professional photographer in Cleveland. [51] On July 31, 1947, W8XUB began broadcasting at 100.7MHz. Denny left WMMS to start another local station, but returned for a long stay at WMJI. Bryan Adams Agora photo credit: Janet Macoska, Sammy Hagar Odeon photo credit: Daune Raz. 100.7 WMMS Podcasts See All Playlists from 100.7 WMMS Latest News (Halper is at center in the photo above, with members of Rush and WMMS staffers. She left in 1989 to work for Top 40 station WPHR-FM/107. Rolling Stone named WMMS "Best Radio Station" (Large Market) nine straight years (197987) as part of the magazine's annual Readers' Poll,[26] but the station admitted to stuffing the 1987 ballot following a February 1988 front-page story in The Plain Dealer exposing manipulation. Cox's intelligence, humor, and willingness to do a variety of on-air stunts for the show led to his hiring as a producer. In 1988 he left to work as an executive at Columbia Records, where he served until 2002. [171][173][174]. The contest titled the White Trash Wedding prize included everything needed to make a wedding day special limo, wedding dress, tuxedo rental, flowers, cake and the ceremony which took place at Mickeys Diamond Mens Club in the Flats. Kinzbach left the station in 1994. The Alan Cox Show is rated #1 in several key demographics, and readers of Cleveland Scene named Alan Cox the best Cleveland radio personality four straight years (201013). She also worked in TV production in LA, including at "Entertainment Tonight," and as a freelance producer, editor and writer for an audio book abridger. His voice is also heard on a number of Cleveland area radio and TV commercials. Ratings steadily increased during the time of the First Gulf War, but The Howard Stern Show was soon picked up by a then struggling WNCX. Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock stations in America throughout its history, the station has also drawn controversy for unusually aggressive tactics both on and off the air. He returned to Cleveland radio in 1997, working at both WMJO-FM/105.7 and WZJM-FM/92.3. chautauqua institution hotels; figs scrubs men; unexplained bruising on legs and hair loss. Sanders was instrumental in WMMS' rise. [97][98][99][100] To emphasize this change, WMMS was re-branded and aggressively promoted as "Buzzard Radio: The Next Generation", a reference to the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation and its continuation of the Star Trek franchise. [51] In order to firmly establish a separate identity, and to reflect the station's ownership,[55] the WHK-FM callsign was changed to WMMS on September 28, 1968. Thats how big MMS was. [85] Four different program directors, including Rich Piombino and Michael Luczak, came and went with varying levels of success. Danny Czekalinski and Darla Jaye teamed up in October 1997 with Liz Wilde holdover Cory Lingus (Cory Gallant) until August 1998. Steve and Tom would always come up to the station and hang out with me. Longtime radio newsman, Mike Olszewski worked over the years for WERE, WMMS, WNCX and WCLV. The other DJs in the photo are, from left: Billy Bass, Doc Nemo, Vic Boc and Pat Mack. The concert was broadcast on WMMS and an additional seven stations, reaching throughout the Midwest to Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis and other markets and would eventually reach far beyond that radius, thanks to the many who were rolling tape to record the concert from their stereo. The ritual lasted through his entire career at the Buzzard. In 1976, Bash began the tripped out tradition of playing Funkadelic Maggot Brain in its entirety every Saturday night at midnight. Each daily call-in would include an excuse that was crazier than the last. [105] John Gorman, who has since openly criticized the industry's current state, departed for CBS Radio in Detroit, but soon moved to media consulting. The other DJs in the photo are, from left: Doc Nemo, Vic Boc, Martin Perlich and Pat Mack. WMMS's studios are located at the Six Six Eight Building in downtown Cleveland's Gateway District;[48][49] the station transmitter resides in neighboring Seven Hills. Jeff & Flash were also credited as being major contributors in bringing the Rock Hall to Cleveland, by heavily promoting on-air a USA Today reader poll to decide which city should get it.[82]. In time, the station adopted new slogans reflecting the callsign: "We're your Modern Music Station" and "your Music Marathon Station. Past show members at WMMS include, Ryan Hoppe, Scott Taylor (now a reporter at WJLA in Washington, DC, Kaitlin Geosano, and Rob Garguilo. [148][149] All other air talent heard on WMMS is provided via iHeartMedia's "Premium Choice" voice-tracking service. He was the station's best-known personality and instrumental in breaking artists such as Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Pat Benatar and Mott the Hoople. [140] The Maxwell Show gradually evolved from airing mostly music to all talk, with Maxwell joined by WMMS music director Dan Stansbury and Tiffany "Chunk" Peck, the program's phone screener. It was the first time Stone Temple Pilots performed in Cleveland in six years. Sanders eventually turned over the program director job to Gorman, too, and they were close partners in building the station into a powerhouse. Play-by-play itself is also limited to over-the-air FM; due to league restrictions, the WMMS webcast on iHeartRadio does not stream play-by-play coverage online. During this time, with Denny Sanders as his creative services director and Rhonda Kiefer as programming assistant, WMMS broke all Cleveland ratings and revenue records. She left Cleveland to take a radio job in Florida. Seth "the Barbarian" Williams took the overnight shift when Pennington moved to evenings in 2001. On-site, play-by-play announcer Tim Alcorn calls games alongside color analyst Jim Chones, a former Cavaliers center. "Those guys who pilot those ships through here? EC horror comics, Fritz the Cat, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and Looney Tunes all served as inspirations for the "bird of prey with attitude" concept. [151] In addition to the live broadcast, the show is available on demand through iHeartRadio; and can be downloaded as a podcast through iTunes. Condolences: Betty Korvan. [115][116], The next of these multi-act shows, simply titled BuzzardFest, was held in May 1996 at Blossom Music Center and featured performances from 311 and No Doubt, along with Candlebox, The Nixons, Goldfinger, Gods Child, Dash Rip Rock, Holy Barbarians, and Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. [72] Rather, WMMS adopted a buzzard as its mascot in April 1974 because of the then tenuous economic state of Cleveland less than five years away from becoming the first major American city to enter into default since the Great Depression[73] and the winged-creature's classification as a scavenger. [68][69][70] WMMS also began referring to its frequency in promotions as "101 FM", a rounding-off which continued for the next decade. The phallic like logo depicted a large mushroom with a little elf hanging out smoking a joint. On October 26, 2010, Rover hired a witch doctor to curse LeBron James after the NBA star left the Cleveland Cavaliers. Additionally, Rover was the Midwest replacement for Howard Stern under CBS's Free FM branding concept following Stern's move to Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006, originating from Chicago's WCKG. "[66][67] Although never used on the air, listeners alternately knew the callsign as an acronym for "Weed Makes Me Smile" and "Magic MushroomS," the latter referencing the somewhat controversial logo used before the Buzzard.