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. His was the booming voice on the station's hourly IDs, music segues, sweepers, and commercials. However, Matt would be dismissed permanently from the station in late 1992, the victim of budget cuts. She left in 1989 to work for Top 40 station WPHR-FM/107. "Discover Financial Services (DFS.N), a provider . Buzzard-Palooza was the first of these: held in July 1994 at the Nautica Stage, the all-day concert included sets from Collective Soul, Junkhouse and Fury in the Slaughterhouse,[111] but was cut short after turning into a "rock-and-bottle-throwing melee." The phallic like logo depicted a large mushroom with a little elf hanging out smoking a joint. [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. Cleveland Magazine has also described both Rover and Cox as "talk shows with a rock-oriented sensibility". The WMMS Coffee Break Concerts were booked and directed by Denny Sanders and hosted by Len "Boom" Goldberg, Debbie Ullman, and later, Matt the Cat. 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. 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. ), Bass built one of the most versatile careers in the history of Cleveland radio. They brought pleasure to the average Clevelanders workday with segments like Token Jokes of the Morning, Spousal Arousal and Blow Something Up. One lucky WMMS listener won a Harley Davidson signed by Sammy Hagar! [28][29][30] Owned by iHeartMedia, and broadcasting a mix of active rock and hot talk, WMMS is currently the flagship station for Rover's Morning Glory, the FM flagship for the Cavaliers AudioVerse and Cleveland Guardians Radio Network, the Cleveland affiliate for The House of Hair with Dee Snider and the home of radio personality Alan Cox. 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. (Photo courtesy Lou Santini), Saul is best known the "Get Down Man," whose Friday afternoon riffs and rants on WMMS-FM/100.7 made him a local celebrity in the 1970s. WMMS did remote interviews at KSU all morning which included an interview from 1972 presidential candidate, Senator George McGovern, KSU student and gunshot survivor, Dean Kahler, other May 4th wounded who survived, Governor Dick Celeste, current students and others. Denny was also instrumental in convincing former WMMS owner Milton Maltz to continue the stations rock format in the mid-1970s. [41] WMMS also lured popular morning personalities Brian Fowler and Joe Cronauer away from rival WENZthen also an alternative rock stationas the successors to Jeff and Flash (Jeff Kinzbach, Ed Ferenc) on The Buzzard Morning Zoo. [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. With content being supplied by journalists and WMMS personnel, it was the perfect companion to what WMMS was doing on air at the time with a focus on the new bands and artists of the alternative music era. [85] Four different program directors, including Rich Piombino and Michael Luczak, came and went with varying levels of success. He was best known as the voice for the station's hourly IDs, music segues, sweepers, and commercials, and was also a member of The Buzzard Morning Zoo in the mid-80s. Maria Farina landed at WMMS in 1986 fresh out of Ohio University and quickly gained popularity. 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. The company will move its regional office, including nine stations, downtown from the suburbs. WMMS-HD2, which relays its signal over low-power FM translator W256BT (99.1 FM), is the Cleveland affiliate for iHeart's all-news oriented Black Information Network. ", "We had the right staff, the right soundtrack at the time. In honor of the station's milestone birthday, we've compiled a list of some of the Buzzard's most memorable DJs and behind-scenes personalities, spanning the full 50-year history of the station. [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. The show's big following has spawned an annual summer festival, Roverfest, which has been held in Lorain for the past three years. Rio created the Mr. Leonard character over several years at stations in Houston, New York and Philadelphia before his Cleveland debut. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Rumor has it that WMMS had ballots printed so the public could fill them out at various events. He joined the station in early 1972 before its sale to Malrite, and stayed in different capacities until 2004. They were rewarded with a night that they would remember for the rest of their lives. Denny Sanders & Fred Griffith. [112] WMMS scheduled a second Green Day performance just two months later this time at Blossom Music Center and at a near-record-low cost of $5 per ticket, the station gave fans a "second chance" to see the band live. [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. [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. (Plain Dealer file photo). 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". The short-lived music magazine featured a diverse mix of interviews, opinion pieces, album reviews, Buzzard playlists, concert listings and photos from station events. She introduced Rush when they got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June 2010. Thats how big MMS was. [148][149] All other air talent heard on WMMS is provided via iHeartMedia's "Premium Choice" voice-tracking service. In 1976, Bash began the tripped out tradition of playing Funkadelic Maggot Brain in its entirety every Saturday night at midnight. WMMS does not air additional network programming, and the station only airs select games during spring training. We never learned what Mr. Leonard looked like, he never discussed it on the air. Based on considerably high record sales in the Cleveland market, Bowie (in his Ziggy Stardust persona alongside The Spiders from Mars) kicked off his first U.S. tour in "The Rock Capital" (a term coined by Bass). He also managed Grammy-winning R and B superstar Luther Vandross. [95], Already program director at OmniAmerica station WMJI, station veteran John Gorman returned to WMMS as vice-president and director of operations in early 1994. Gorman credits his decision to leave to changes in management, and the station's overall shift to a more "corporate" mentality. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [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. [39][40] Noted filmmakers, including Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) and Paul Schrader (Light of Day), have called on both TheBuzzard and its personnel while preparing for various rock-themed productions. 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. Matt remains one of the most popular air personalities from WMMS' fifty year history. ". Condolences: Betty Korvan. : 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? Kid Leo interviews David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony before their show at the Richfield Colesium. [31] In 1981, Radio & Records identified "the malevolent feathered figure" as "the best-known station symbol in the country. It's about an ex-Marine who is a hitman in the Midwest on March 25th. The station claimed it was simply "a marketing strategy" and "much in line with what many stations did. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 54,419 people like this 52,406 people follow this http://www.wmms.com/ (216) 578-1007 Bryan Adams Agora photo credit: Janet Macoska, Sammy Hagar Odeon photo credit: Daune Raz. Listeners signed up to participate in the contest What would you do for $5,000 which took place at Dicks Last Resort on the Flats East Bank. [119] Neumann defended the decision later as the right thing to have done, noting how alternative rock would eventually fade as a format several years later. April 16, 1974 the Buzzard was born. We all have such respect for what this station did back in the day. [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". His father, Herman, created Cleveland's legendary "Upbeat," an "American Bandstand"-style TV musical variety show which aired from 1964-71 and featured live performances of many of the great rock and pop acts of the era, from Simon and Garfunkel to Otis Redding. [62] The WMMS-sponsored concert was a "phenomenal success"[58][63] and prompted the station to sponsor a second show that year. He died in late 2006. Springsteen Concert Poster - Agora - August 9th, 1978, Springsteen - Agora - Scene Magazine - August, 1978. Jeff and Flash were accompanied by a list of other talent over the years which made up the Buzzard Morning Zoo. [57], Following a legal dispute with a competing station owner over non-compete clauses in their contracts, former Top 40 WIXY personalities Dick "the Wilde Childe" Kemp and Lou "King" Kirby were signed by MetroMedia for the top 40 format. During his time at WMMS, Bass coined the phrase, "Cleveland: The Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World." WMMS was the first radio station to employ full-time promotion and marketing directors: Dan Garfinkel and his successor, Jim Marchyshyn. [121] The Jacor purchase closed on August 10, 1998; 59days later, on October 8, 1998, Clear Channel Communications won a bidding war for Jacor in a $6.5billion deal. In 1973 WMMS unveiled a new logo The Mushroom. Rosenhaus hosts the network pregame show; and Hamilton hosts the network postgame show. 26 memorable DJs and radio personalities from WMMS-FM's past: The Buzzard turns 50 This year, WMMS turns 50. At Bat only for streaming", "iHeart does not stream Indians games. WMMS does not air additional network programming. 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. Today, he is the principal and chief content officer of WOW Media, LLC -- the parent company of oWOW. Kid Leo's boxing announcer themed introduction welcomed both the fans in the audience at the Cleveland Agora and the many more listening on the network radio broadcast, to the evening's "Main Event," the 10th anniversary concert celebration for WMMS, which would be hosted by The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. [129][130] Radio & Records twice named WMMS "Rock Station of the Year: Markets 1-25" (200506) as part of the now defunct publication's annual Industry Achievement Awards. [44][45][46] Seven years later, members of the station's staff and management pleaded guilty to disrupting a national broadcast of The Howard Stern Show that originated via the local Stern affiliate, cross-town rival WNCX. Radio Home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mark Madden, and The Woody Show. He was also a member of "The Buzzard Morning Zoo" in the mid-1980s. 1," released in 1999. WMMS, WTAM and the other iHeart stations in Cleveland will get a new home this year. We were very fortunate that at the right time, the people I had to report to liked what we were doing and encouraged us to keep on going.". Over the next twenty years Matt did mostly middays and hosted the weekly Coffee Break Concerts, likely introducing more concerts than anyone in Cleveland history. During his 16-year tenure, WMMS was consistently one of the highest-rated radio stations in the country. In 2015, he founded oWOW, a thriving Cleveland-based internet radio. On October 26, 2010, Rover hired a witch doctor to curse LeBron James after the NBA star left the Cleveland Cavaliers. All we're doing is shifting an image. She left in 1989 to work for Top 40 station WPHR-FM/107. A federal offense, the act nearly cost WMMS its broadcasting license. Here's a look at some of the most iconic radio personalities to appear on the. In July 1973, John Gorman joined WMMS as music director and was promoted to program director and operations manager two months later where he remained for thirteen years. Two of her audiobook projects were nominated for Grammy awards in the Best Spoken Word category. Other stations carried their birthday show. "[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. [142], Radio personality Rover (Shane French), host of Rover's Morning Glory, took over weekday mornings at WMMS on April 1, 2008, following a contract dispute with WKRK-FM owner CBS Radio; John Gorman compared signing the popular morning personality to a "coup". 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. Fans were encouraged to drop off a self-addressed stamped envelope to a local record store in order to score tickets. Following the prank announcement, station management placed Maxwell on probation for 90 days. The top 40 deejays were retained, but it was soon obvious that they were inadequate hosts for a progressive rock format. grand wailea pool menu; under armour ignite slides waterproof. Listen To The Most Popular Podcasts On iHeartRadio! 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. 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. On February 9, 2010, the show aired "Parma State of Mind", both a parody of the Jay-Z/Alicia Keys hit "Empire State of Mind" and a way of continuing the Northeast Ohio tradition of poking fun at the Cleveland suburb. Night on-air personality on The X. [143] Born in Chicago but raised in Las Vegas, Rover worked for rock stations KISW in Seattle and KXPK in Denver prior to arriving in Cleveland. In the trailer for the new show the character Barry, played by Bill Hader is wearing a vintage WMMS shirt.