What’s the ideal July 4th present for a Keenerfan? We got it when the red and green VU meter logo of Bob Green Productions graced our mailbox. The legendary WKNR production and programming ace found a box of cassettes in his vault that yielded these two 1970 Keener gems. There’s this extended Bob Green aircheck that gives you a feel for the Keener vibe during its second run for glory. The jingles are a mixture of Clyde and classic Keener jingles and an eclectic combination of current hits and WKNR gold. Bob’s presentation is straight ahead, playin the hits personality. His encyclopedic knowledge of the hits is in evidence and he makes it look all too easy, even when a planned record doesn’t want to play. Then we have Scott Regen, the night after R. Dean Taylor was his studio guest. Juxtapose this piece against his early Keener work and you’ll instantly feel the evolution into a more mature, yet perfectly executed performance. This was radio that you could leave on all day. Even as the playlists tightened up, the personality kept us coming back for more.

Some new and extended air check material from three guys who influenced or were influenced by WKNR. Mort Crowley was Keener’s first morning man. Hot off the heels of a succesfull run in the AM drive slot at WLS and just prior to a long career in St. Louis, the Mortacular Morning Show had a short, memorable run on WKNR. It ended suddenly when Mort quit on the air in March of 1964, after Michigan Bell threatened to cut off Keener’s phone service unless the station cut back on call volume. By today’s standards, it feels like Mort was totally justified in his anger, and even as he edges toward the door, his work on the air during his last day in Detroit is stellar.
Hear it here.

In 1967, down the road in Ann Arbor, WOIA was the only commercial FM station in town that played popular music in stereo at night. Art Vuolo, who made a career out of creating radio guides for people who travel, and who is legendary in the industry as broadcasting’s video archivist, earned an on air slot in the late evenings. He was fond of the “drop cart” sound effects that guys like Dick Biondi had perfected over at WCFL and made the most of the station’s stereo signal by featuring an hour of the stuff during his shift. Even more instersting is the guy who reads the news in this ultra rare aircheck. It’s a young John Landecker, practicing his craft as the WOIA news guy. We hear both at the dawn of their long and successful broadcasting careers (and listen closely for the Keener reference).
Hear it here.