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. When WMMS program director John Gorman found out Rio was not under contract in Houston, he offered Rio a job, and the comedian eventually moved to Cleveland. After leaving WMMS, he moved to WMJI-FM/105.7, as program and operations director. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!" Those guys are f--kin' heroes!" The announcement came less than two weeks before the show. 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. Goldberg started at WMMS-FM/100.7 in 1972 and remained there until 2004, longer than any other personality employed there during the Buzzard's heyday. Mama, come get your baby boy! [47] Owned by Malrite Communications from 1972 to 1993, subsequent consolidation in the radio industry saw WMMS change ownership five times in seven years, and has been in iHeartMedia's portfolio (originally under the Clear Channel name) since 1999. [139], Bo Matthews (Alex Gutierrez), who became the station's program director in early 2004, hired Ohio native Benjamin "Maxwell" Bornstein that April for a more "personality-driven" afternoon show following the departure of Tim "Slats" Guinane for WXTM. Ferenc also has a small advertising agency called Flashpoint. He helped launch progressive-rock radio as a DJ and programmer at both WMMS-FM/100.7 and WNCR-FM/99.5. Right up until his departure in 1988, Kid Leo played "Born to Run" as his signature sign-off song every Friday night at 5:55 to kick off the weekend for area listeners. Created in April 1974 as "an ironic twist on Cleveland's down-and-out reputation as a decaying Rust Belt city," the station's longtime promotional mascot has been an anthropomorphic "Buzzard" cartoon character. David Helton who at the time was working for American Greetings is the man responsible for giving us the iconic symbol we still use to this day. [167] WMMS also transmits text to compatible analog receivers, such as station IDs and artist and song information, via the Radio Data System (RDS); similarly, WMMS transmits text to HD Radio receivers known as Program Service Data (PSD). The station was known as "The Home of the Buzzard" at first. He made his debut on WMMS in 1984. (Additional reporting by cleveland.com staff. Monday, October 01, 2018. He also did a nightly oldies show there from 1988-2001. All rights reserved (About Us). Two of her audiobook projects were nominated for Grammy awards in the Best Spoken Word category. Ken Schneck. "[86] From 1991 to 1993, WMMS served as the FM flagship for the Cleveland Browns, sharing coverage with then-sister WHK; the late Nev Chandler served as play-by-play announcer. Craig Ehlo. [120], Co-hosts Duji (Susan Catanese) and Dominic Dieter each worked on Rover's Morning Glory before the move to WMMS; since then, the show has expanded to include sound engineer Chocolate Charlie (Mike Toomey), phone screener Mattitude/Flatitude (Matt Novick), Video Anthony Snitzer, Producer Dumb (Shaun Street) and former intern Jeffrey LaRocque. WMMS was the first radio station to employ full-time promotion and marketing directors: Dan Garfinkel and his successor, Jim Marchyshyn. WMMS is known for breaking artists like Bruce Springsteen, Rush, Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie, and for its Coffee Break Concerts that featured live performances by many of the top acts of the days, including Springsteen, U2, Cyndi Lauper and Warren Zevon. WMMS - Wikipedia From 1978 on, Belkin Productions conditioned its funding of the Free Clinic on the nondisclosure of the number of Clinic staff on duty at the concerts, the nature of conditions treated and the number of patients treated.[79][80]. Goldfinger, The Refreshments, Triple Fast Action and others played the second stage at the top of the hill. 26 Celebrities & Their Moms May 06, 2022. [120] Geared as a format change to contemporary hit radio (CHR) using the "KISS FM" brand,[30][126] the decision was reversed at the last minute by management. Radio Home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mark Madden, and The Woody Show. Good old Red! "I gotta blast this baby all the way to New Jersey," Springsteen quipped. WMMS' decline culminated on April 14, 1994, with the high-profile departure of Jeff Kinzbach, effectively ending "Jeff & Flash" on WMMS (Ferenc would leave the station several weeks later; both would pair up again at WWWE). During his time at WMMS, Bass coined the phrase, "Cleveland: The Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World." A comedic mainstay of the morning show at WMMS-FM/100.7 for years, the character is the creation of comedian John Carillo, a California native who uses John Rio as his stage name. He gave many new up and coming artists exposure and put them on the map to their road to stardom. [136], From the 1994 exit of Jeff Kinzbach and Ed Ferenc until the arrival of Rover's Morning Glory in 2008, WMMS gained notoriety for airing 13 distinct shows in morning drive. The show was a blend of music, comedy, news and sports, all with a definitively Cleveland sensibility. 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. She worked there until 1999. "I think it's like a young nation, the changes of the times," said John Gorman, the station's program director during its 1970s and '80s Buzzard heyday. Springsteen Concert Poster - Agora - August 9th, 1978, Springsteen - Agora - Scene Magazine - August, 1978. Host of "Rover's Morning Glory", a syndicated morning talk show that started at WXTM-FM/92.3 in 2003. Lawrence James Travagliante - aka Kid Leo. [87] Unable to service its growing debt, Malrite chose to leave radio and sold off all its remaining properties in 1993:[37] WMMS went to Shamrock Broadcasting, the Roy Disney broadcasting firm. Brian and Joe were the first to broadcast from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's radio station in 1995. The following local and national media outlets have attributed WMMS with this distinction: The following books have attributed WMMS with this distinction: harvnb error: no target: CITEREFNicks2003 (, "Rock Hall to Celebrate 40 Years of WMMS with New Exhibit", "Radio & Records 1981 on the WMMS Buzzard and Other Station Mascots", "The Media Business; Malrite's Buyout Price Disturbs Wall Street Analysts", "R.I.P. Saul kicked off the weekend every Friday at 6:00pm with his Get Down rants helping Clevelanders get ready for the weekend. She left Cleveland to take a radio job in Florida. "[33] By April 2008, the station had reverted to branding as The Buzzard but using a road sign-style logo similar to a U.S. Route shield in an allusion to the mascot. WMMS, WTAM and the other iHeart stations in Cleveland will get a new home this year. We joked about the Buzzard becoming Cleveland's Mickey Mouse a "Buzzard Land" amusement park filled with sex, drugs and rock and roll A study conducted by MBA students at Case Western Reserve University in 1975 found that the new WMMS logo was more recognizable to those living in Greater Cleveland than both Chief Wahoo of the Cleveland Indians and even Coca-Cola. In 2015, he founded oWOW, a thriving Cleveland-based internet radio. He became a part of the heyday of WMMS, which included on-air personalities like Kid Leo, Denny Sanders, Matt the Cat, Betty Korvan, Len Goldberg and the BLF Bash. She started at the Buzzard in 1976, and stayed until 1983, working mostly the evening shift. 26 memorable DJs and radio personalities from WMMS-FM's past: The : Michael K. McIntyre's Tipoff", "Cleveland radio personality Chad Zumock no longer working at WMMS after OVI arrest", "Bo Matthews to Program Cleveland's New 99X", "Bo Matthews Named VP Of Programming For CCM+E-Cincinnati", "Cavaliers and iHeartMedia Announce AM/FM Simulcast", "Cavs and Monsters Announce Multi-Year Extensions of Radio Broadcast Agreements", "As a reminder, we cannot stream @Cavs or @Indians on the Internet or via the @iHeartRadio app", "Nope - you'll want to grab the exclusive NBA Game Time app for that", "No, but you can listen free online w/ NBA Audio League Pass or paid w/ the NBA League Pass app", "Cleveland Indians, WTAM AM/1100 reach 5-year deal to broadcast games", "Cleveland Indians, WTAM, WMMS reach multiyear deal to carry games through (at least) 2023", "Per MLB rules we are not allowed to stream games", "MLB At Bat app only for streaming audio", "Streaming? Of special note was the early support of Bruce Springsteen by Kid Leo and others, prior to the release of the Born to Run album. Interview With Radio Legend And former Lakewood - Lakewood Observer In 2014, Rover pleaded guilty to four misdemeanors in relation to the illegal use of fireworks and a confrontation with an off-duty police officer at the Whiskey Island marina in downtown Cleveland. John Gorman, Denny Sanders and Kid Leo organized the original campaign with Tunc Erim, assistant to Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun. wmms radio personalities 20 Country Women We Are Celebrating During International Women's Day Mar 01, 2021. 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. About Stacy | 105.9 The X 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. Moms to be participated in the bikini contest for a chance to win $1,000. [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. 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. Rio created the Mr. Leonard character over several years at stations in Houston, New York and Philadelphia before his Cleveland debut. The first buzzard which has penned the name The Wrath of the Buzzard can be seen sitting atop a mushroom paying homage to the former logo along with the competitors call letters WGCL and WIXY grasped in its beak. WHK later became WMMS) (Plain Dealer file photo), Gained fame in local radio in the 1980s as part of "Jeff and Flash's Morning Zoo" on WMMS-FM/100.7. Denny Sanders Denny Sanders 1972 - 1986 Denny Sanders came to WMMS in 1971 from Boston where he'd been working as a DJ from the time he was just 16 years old. 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. Gorman has also written a book about his days at WMMS, "The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio." She stayed on when the station switched formats to modern rock in 1992, becoming 107.9 The End. In 1995 he was the PA voice introducing acts for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Grand Opening concert at Municipal Stadium. [98][101] Gorman brought back the original Buzzard design, now drawn by David Helton's successor Brian Chalmers. [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. On-site, play-by-play announcer Tim Alcorn calls games alongside color analyst Jim Chones, a former Cavaliers center. (Plain Dealer file photo). 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. Contrary to what many believe, the choice of the second Malrite logo had nothing to do with Buzzard Day, the annual "folksy event" held in Hinckley Township, Ohio. WMMS was directly influenced by then and current sister station WHTZ/New York (Z100), which rose to the top of the ratings books immediately after installing a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format. Jeff and Flash were accompanied by a list of other talent over the years which made up the Buzzard Morning Zoo. [60] Sounds described the station programming at this time as "totally off-the-wall in its choice of records, playing anything it liked. Cleveland's Rock Station- call: (216) 578-1007 toll free: (800) 348-1007 twitter: @wmms www.wmms.com | text: 35192 |Home of Rover's Morning Glory, See more 100.7 WMMS- We love to post about Cleveland, music, sports- and funny stuff we find out on the internets. (Plain Dealer file photo), A DJ at WMMS-FM/100.7 in the 1980s, Stein went on to work in programming at Westwood One and Launch Radio Networks. [117] BuzzardFest 2000 was held on June 30, 2000, at the Nautica Stage; Stone Temple Pilots, performing in Cleveland for the first time in six years, headlined the event.[118]. Album deejay Denny Sanders was brought in from Boston and key WNCR personnel (including former WHK-FM/WMMS personalities Martin Perlich and Billy Bass, and station newcomer David Spero) were soon hired by WMMS, taking most of their audience with them. Where are They Now? Pittsburgh Radio Personalities ), Bass built one of the most versatile careers in the history of Cleveland radio. It was the first time Stone Temple Pilots performed in Cleveland in six years. "Discover Financial Services (DFS.N), a provider . Rover regularly takes calls throughout the show, and often interviews guests in studio and over the phone. She now lives in Santa Monica, Calif. (Stile is pictured here, sitting next to Bruce Springsteen during his 1976 visit to the WMMS studios. [135] Former Lex and Terry producer Jason Carr was named the new WMMS assistant program director on February 1, 2018. As WMMS-FM/100.7 program director from 1973-86, Gorman led the Buzzard troops on a campaign of conquest that transformed an unknown, FM upstart into a rock 'n' roll powerhouse. During his long tenure doing evenings at the station Denny interviewed hundreds of rock stars including the late John Lennon. "[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. From celebrities and high profile sports stars, to iconic DJs who know music, SiriusXM has the best hosts in radio. [83][89] Lisa Dillon, Ric Bennett and Tom Renzy also would depart the station that same day. In other words, the carrion-eating bird represented "death and dying" a darkly comic reflection of the city's decline. His current roster includes Kenny Loggins, Marc Cohn, Dicky Betts, Simon Kirke, Richie Furay and others. [114] BuzzardFest II was held the very next fall (September 1995) again at Blossom and featured performances from the Goo Goo Dolls, Alanis Morissette, Jewel, as well as the Dance Hall Crashers, Eleven, Green Apple Quick Step, Prick and Sons of Elvis. They brought pleasure to the average Clevelanders workday with segments like Token Jokes of the Morning, Spousal Arousal and Blow Something Up. 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. [104] John Gorman was named Program Director of the Year (Rock) in 1995. An Oral History of WMMS, Cleveland's Legendary Radio Station 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. In 1966, in an effort to make the medium more commercially viable, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated that FM stations could no longer duplicate the programming of their AM sister stations. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's a big birthday for The Buzzard. She later worked in radio promotion and sales in Chicago and New York. 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. Erika Lauren's Real World - Cleveland Magazine Matt the Cat was permanently let go in December 1992 due to "budget problems. She left in 1989 to work for Top 40 station WPHR-FM/107. [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. [146] Rover is under contract with WMMS through 2022. WMMS News anchor, Mike Olszewski paints a picture of the scene on that dreadful day. For the station's tenth anniversary in 1978, WMMS hosted and broadcast a live Springsteen concert at the Agora Ballroom independent of his concert tour. of WIXY 1260. WMMS - Home | Facebook [151] In addition to the live broadcast, the show is available on demand through iHeartRadio; and can be downloaded as a podcast through iTunes. Under Malrite ownership, WMMS would become an album-oriented rock (AOR) powerhouse, much in the same vein as its former MetroMedia progressive rock siblings. [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. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 100.7 WMMS Podcasts See All Playlists from 100.7 WMMS Latest News The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. [120] Finally, The Bob & Tom Show aired in the time slot from 2006 until April 2008. 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. 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. [120] Meanwhile, ownership would change yet again as Nationwide Communications was bought out by Jacor in November 1997. Following the prank announcement, station management placed Maxwell on probation for 90 days. Owned by iHeartMedia . Lisa Dillon - Owner - Amalon Entertainment | LinkedIn We never learned what Mr. Leonard looked like, he never discussed it on the air. In 1988 he left to work as an executive at Columbia Records, where he served until 2002. (Cleveland) - One of our co-workers in the IHeartMedia Cleveland newsroom has passed away. 26 memorable DJs and radio personalities from WMMS-FM's past: The Buzzard turns 50 This year, WMMS turns 50. (Plain Dealer file photo). Denny Sanders came to WMMS in 1971 from Boston where hed been working as a DJ from the time he was just 16 years old. He now works as a stand-up comedian, actor and writer. The top 40 format also failed to make any major ratings impact. Halper left Cleveland in 1975 to work at Mercury Records in New York City, then spent years working in radio as a consultant and various other capacities. The Buzzard became synonymous with WMMS, Cleveland radio and the city itself, spawning a series of T-shirts so numerous that they are now impossible to catalog, many with slogans like "Where Music Means Something" and "Ruler of the Airwaves.". [145] WMMS itself also airs The Rover Rewind, a weekly recap show on Saturday mornings. [148][149] All other air talent heard on WMMS is provided via iHeartMedia's "Premium Choice" voice-tracking service. The company will move its regional office, including nine stations, downtown from the suburbs. Since retiring from WDVE last year, he's been roaming the country by car. For 50 years, WMMS-FM/100.7 has been making its mark on Cleveland's airwaves, breaking iconic rock bands and, lately, creating some of the most popular talk-radio shows in the country. In September 1995, he was hired to do nights at WRKR-FM in Kalamazoo, MI. On May 4, 1970 four students were killed by gunfire from the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University. On October 26, 2010, Rover hired a witch doctor to curse LeBron James after the NBA star left the Cleveland Cavaliers.