WMMS
Encyclopedia
WMMS — branded 100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio
, widely recognized as one of the most influential rock
stations in America
throughout much of the history of FM broadcasting. At times, the station has also drawn controversy for unusually aggressive tactics both on and off the air.
Owned by Clear Channel Communications
since 1999 and broadcasting a mix of mostly hot talk and active rock
, WMMS serves as the flagship station for Rover's Morning Glory
, the Cleveland affiliate for Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx, and the FM flagship for the Cleveland Browns
. In addition, radio personality Alan Cox is heard during afternoon drive
.
The WMMS studios are currently located at the former Centerior Energy building in the Cleveland suburb
of Independence
, and the station's transmitter resides in neighboring Seven Hills
. The WMMS call letters
first referred to a former owner — "MetroMedia
Stereo
" — but over the years have taken on a variety of other meanings.
city," the station's longtime promotional mascot has been The Buzzard. "De-emphasized" in the fall of 2007, the iconic scavenger
was revived the following spring to coincide with both the station's 40th anniversary and the arrival of current morning personality Rover.
Throughout the 1970s
and 80s
, WMMS had a stable of personalities
that remained fundamentally unchanged, attained a dominant market share in the local ratings and posted market record-high figures "never duplicated by any other station." WMMS played a key role in breaking several major acts in the U.S.
, including David Bowie
, Rush
and Bruce Springsteen
. Station employees went on to take director and executive-level positions in the recording industry, namely with label
s RCA
, Mercury
and Columbia
. 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
. Noted filmmakers
, including Cameron Crowe
(Almost Famous
) and Paul Schrader
(Light of Day
), have called on both The Buzzard and its personnel while preparing for various rock-themed productions
. WMMS was also a major driving force behind the successful campaign to bring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
to Cleveland.
The station is not without controversy. Although Rolling Stone named WMMS "Best Radio Station" (Large Market) nine times in a row (1979–1987) as part of the magazine's annual Readers' Poll, the station admitted to stuffing the 1987 ballot following a February 1988 front-page story in The Plain Dealer exposing manipulation. Seven years later, members of both the station's staff and management pled guilty to disrupting a national broadcast of The Howard Stern Show that originated via the local Stern affiliate, cross-town rival WNCX
. A federal offense, the act nearly cost WMMS its broadcasting license.
licenses under the callsign W8XUB at 107.1 Megahertz
(MHz). Upon receipt of a commercial license on November 11, 1948, the new FM station adopted the callsign WHK-FM at 100.7 MHz. Both WHK and WHK-FM were sold in 1958 to Metropolitan Broadcasting
, itself renamed MetroMedia two years later. Like most early FM stations, WHK-FM mostly simulcast
ed the Top 40 programming of its AM
sister station.
In 1966, in an effort to make the medium more commercially viable, the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) mandated that FM stations could no longer duplicate the programming of their AM sister stations. Seeing a small but significant groundswell of support for the medium in the market, WHK-FM adopted a new progressive rock
format. WHK-FM became one of a handful of commercial stations in the country to try that format, many of which were owned by MetroMedia. Two years later, in order to firmly establish a separate identity, and to reflect the station's ownership, the callsign of WHK-FM was changed to WMMS ("MetroMedia Stereo") on September 28, 1968.
at KMET in Los Angeles
, KSAN in San Francisco, WMMR
in Philadelphia and WNEW in New York
, but low ratings and revenue in Cleveland led the company to drop the format at WMMS by May 1969. The station first turned to adult contemporary
, then Top 40, big band
and finally the Drake-Chenault
automated Hit Parade '69.
WMMS reverted to progressive rock
less than a year later. The station briefly battled with WNCR of Nationwide Communications
, itself filling the void created by the brief absence of WMMS on the rock scene. Key WNCR personnel — including former WMMS personalities The Perlich Project (Martin Perlich
) and Billy Bass — were soon hired by WMMS, taking most of their audience with them.
Under the leadership of Station Manager Billy Bass and Program Director Denny Sanders (who came to WMMS from Boston
in 1971), WMMS helped break many new rock artists nationally, most notably David Bowie
. 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 "The Rock Capital" (a term coined by Bass). The WMMS-sponsored concert was a "phenomenal success" and prompted the station to sponsor a second show that year — rarely done at that time for an artist's first tour. This second show sold out immediately, and was held at the city's largest venue: Cleveland Public Hall
.
In November 1972, WMMS was sold to Malrite Communications, a Michigan-based
firm that relocated to Cleveland upon purchase. Under Malrite ownership, WMMS would become an album-oriented rock
(AOR) powerhouse, much in the same vein as its former MetroMedia progressive rock siblings.
joined WMMS as music director and was promoted to program director and operations manager two months later where he remained for 13 years. 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. WMMS was the first radio station to employ full-time promotion and marketing directors: Dan Garfinkel and his successor, Jim Marchyshyn.
During this time, WMMS was billed as the place "Where Music Means Something," followed by "We're your Modern Music Station" and "your Music Marathon Station." 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.
Contrary to what many believe, the choice of the new WMMS mascot had nothing to do with Buzzard Day, the annual "folksy event" held in Hinckley Township
, Ohio
. 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
— and the winged-creature's classification as a scavenger
. In other words, the carrion-eating
bird represented "death and dying" — a darkly comic
reflection of the city's actual decline. Horror comics
, specifically those of EC Comics
, served partly as inspiration for the concept. The Buzzard was the co-creation of Gorman, Sanders and American Greetings
artist David Helton:
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
.
From the onset, Helton's streamlined artwork resulted in an aggressive, yet family-friendly symbol for the station, one that continues to endure more than 40 years later. 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."
At first, the station was known as The Home of the Buzzard, rather than simply "The Buzzard."
A major contributor to the ratings success was an airstaff that remained fundamentally unchanged for many years: personalities like Kid Leo
, Jeff & Flash, Matt the Cat, Dia Stein, Denny Sanders, Murray Saul, Betty "Crash" Korvan, Ruby Cheeks, BLF Bash (Bill Freeman), TR (Tom Renzy) and Len "Boom" Goldberg were invaluable to the station's popularity.
Of all the personalities that worked at WMMS, Len "Boom" Goldberg was there the longest. He joined the station in early 1972 before its sale to Malrite, and stayed in different capacities until 2004. He was best known as the voice for the station's top of the hour IDs, music segues and sweepers, and commercials for WMMS, and was also a member of The Buzzard Morning Zoo in the mid 80s. He died on December 27, 2006.
WMMS would play a key role in breaking several other major acts in the U.S.
, including Roxy Music
, Bruce Springsteen
, Rush
, Fleetwood Mac
, Meat Loaf
, the Pretenders, the New York Dolls
, Southside Johnny
, Lou Reed
, Mott the Hoople
, Boston
and Cheap Trick
. Of special note was the early support of Bruce Springsteen
by Kid Leo and others, from even before Born to Run
came out. For the station's tenth anniversary in 1978, WMMS hosted and broadcast a live Springsteen concert at the Agora Theatre and Ballroom
independent of his concert tour. Heavily bootlegged, the concert further cemented the relationship between the two in fans' minds, and well into the 2000s Cleveland remains one of Springsteen's strongest bases. Right up until his departure in 1988, Kid Leo played Born to Run
as his signature sign-off song every Friday night: "Born to Run was the essence of everything I loved about Rock 'n' Roll."
At the time, WMMS was also broadcasting a remarkable amount of live concert broadcasts, many of which originated in Cleveland and were produced by the station itself. The 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). Warren Zevon
, John Mellencamp
, Lou Reed
, Peter Frampton
, and a host of others performed on the program, recordings of which are widely available as bootlegs. The WMMS Coffee Break Concerts were booked by Denny Sanders and hosted by Len "Boom Boom" Goldberg and later, Matt the Cat. The concert series continued on well into the 90s, albeit much less frequently.
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. Belkin Productions staged these events, attracting popular hard rock
bands and as many as 88,000 fans. WMMS sponsored the concerts. Attendance was by general admission.
Concertgoers occasionally fell—or jumped—off the steep stadium upper deck onto the concrete seating area far below, causing serious injury. The Cleveland Free Clinic
staffed aid stations in the stadium with physicians, nurses and other volunteers, and through 1977, made its treatment statistics public. 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.
(100.3 FM, "Z100") in New York
, New York
, which rose to the top of the ratings books immediately after installing a contemporary hit radio
(CHR) format. Among the more significant moves taken by WMMS was the formatting of the Morning Zoo
concept created by Z100's Scott Shannon
onto the show Jeff & Flash (Jeff Kinzbach and Ed Ferenc) were already hosting. Kinzbach and Ferenc had already been a morning team—with sidekicks—since 1976, seven years prior to adopting the Morning Zoo label, so the basic structure was already in place.
The music structure also was modified at this time as artists such as Michael Jackson
, Madonna
and Prince
soon found airplay on WMMS. The change was done for many reasons: as a nod to the sudden influence Z100's format had on the Malrite group; Gorman and Sanders intention to stay with the current music trends as the album-oriented rock
(AOR) format was, even then, in a state of decline; and as a means to attract a female audience. By 1984, the WMMS format moved to an CHR/AOR hybrid, playing almost entirely Top 40 rock singles; this new blended rock/Top 40 format was soon known by those at the station as Rock Forty. The station also started to devote weekend programming to the classic rock
format.
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. John Gorman, Denny Sanders and Kid Leo organized the original campaign with Tunc Erim, assistant to Atlantic Records
president Ahmet Ertegun
.
John Gorman and Denny Sanders left the station in fall of 1986, leading 14 staff members with them to start rival station WNCX
. Gorman credits his decision to leave to changes in management, and the station's overall shift to a more "corporate" mentality.
named WMMS "Radio Station of the Year" nine straight years (1979–1987) as part of its annual Readers' Poll, but a February 1988 front-page story in The Plain Dealer revealed station employees had stuffed the annual survey's ballot box for the 1987 poll to allow for the possibility of a tenth straight win the following year. Lonnie Gronek, then General Manager of the station, claimed in The Plain Dealer article that the process had gone on "for years", however other accounts dispute Gronek's claim.
The station claimed it was simply "a marketing strategy" and "much in line with what many stations did." Negative reaction was swift and widespread; some called the scheme a mere "lack of judgement," while a reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal
compared the station's response to that of discredited former Vice-President
Spiro Agnew
.
, and Columbia Records
hired Kid Leo in 1988. Four different program directors, including Rich Piombino and Michael Luczak, came and went with varying levels of success. DJ
additions included station engineer Ric Bennett as "Rocco the Rock Dog," Scooter (WMMS Music Director Brad Hanson), Lisa Dillon and station veteran Matt the Cat, who returned to the midday slot in 1990 after a two year absence. However, Matt would be dismissed permanently from the station in late 1992, the victim of budget cuts.
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
. 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. Matt the Cat was permanently let go in December 1992 due to "budget problems." Unable to service its growing debt, Malrite chose to leave radio and sold off all its remaining properties in 1993: WMMS went to Shamrock Broadcasting
, the Roy Disney
broadcasting firm. Management ordered a change to the Buzzard by giving it a flat-top
and mullet
.
The station continued to decline during the ownership transition from Malrite to Shamrock; then Shamrock sold both WMMS and WHK to OmniAmerica, a broadcasting company run by former Malrite executives Carl Hirsch and Dean Thacker, which already owned oldies station WMJI
. 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
). Lisa Dillon, Ric Bennett and Tom Renzy also would depart the station that same day.
ranking of thirteen to number one. As promised, Stern held a party for his fans on the streets of Cleveland — a "Funeral" for his local rivals, much like similar events held in New York
, Los Angeles
and Philadelphia — and broadcast it nationwide.
During the now infamous broadcast, WMMS engineer William Alford snipped a broadcast wire used for the Stern show's satellite feed. Stern continued on with the program over a phone line as engineers worked to quickly patch together the severed broadcast wire. Alford was subsequently caught, arrested and later sentenced to ten days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Station management initially claimed that Alford acted alone, however WMMS Promotions Director Heidi Klosterman — working under the name Heidi Kramer — later pled 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, pled guilty to a misdemeanor of breaking and entering.
). Gorman redesigned The Buzzard as a modern rock
(alternative
) station, playing new acts like Nirvana
, The Offspring
and Nine Inch Nails
. To emphasize this change, WMMS was re-billed and aggressively promoted as The Buzzard: The Next Generation, a direct reference to the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation
and its revival of the aging Star Trek
franchise
. Gorman also brought back the original Buzzard design, now drawn by David Helton's successor Brian Chalmers. WMMS even managed to lure popular morning personalities Brian and Joe (Brian Fowler and Joe Cronauer, cohosts of The Brian and Joe Radio Show) away from rival WENZ
— then a modern rock station known as 107.9 The END — as the successors to Jeff and Flash (Jeff Kinzbach and Ed Ferenc) on The Buzzard Morning Zoo.
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 by drawing in a new young audience. Billboard
and Airplay Monitor magazines together named WMMS Rock Station of the Year (Medium Market) in 1995, and Modern Rock Station of the Year (Medium Market) in 1996. John Gorman was named Program Director of the Year (Rock) in 1995.
Despite quantifiable success, the station was sold yet again in 1996, this time to Nationwide Communications
(meanwhile, longtime WMMS sister station WHK was sold off to Salem Communications
). The sale came almost immediately following passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
, as radio companies nationwide rushed "at a fever pitch" to acquire new properties. John Gorman — who has since openly expressed his frustration with the industry's current state — first departed for CBS Radio
in Detroit, but soon left traditional radio altogether.
s that featured many of the new up-and-coming artists receiving station airplay
. 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
, but was cut short after turning into a "rock-and-bottle-throwing melee." Cleveland Police
wearing riot gear
were called in just as punk rock
group Green Day
, the event's headliner, took the stage. 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.
The Ramones
headlined BuzzardFest '95 the following spring (May 1995) at Blossom; other acts included Our Lady Peace
, The Rugburns
and Face to Face
. 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
.
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
and the Holy Barbarians.
BuzzardFest 2000 was held June 30, 2000 at the Nautica Stage. Stone Temple Pilots
, performing in Cleveland for the first time in six years, headlined the event.
in 1997. Following Jacor's takeover, WMMS ran a "Death of the Buzzard" month-long stunt
in October 1998. Geared as a format change to Contemporary Hit Radio
(CHR) as KISS 100.7
, the decision was reversed last-minute by management, though the "KISS" brand and format did later end up on WMMS sister station WAKS
. In the wake of the month-long stunt, a new airstaff was assembled. Most notably, Slats (Tim Guinane) was hired for afternoon-drive replacing Brian & Joe, who took the morning slot on sister station WMVX
, and music director Mark Pennington replaced "BLF Bash" (Bill Freeman) during overnights. Seth the Barbarian (Seth Williams) took the overnight shift when Pennington moved to evenings in 2001.
Less than a year later, Jacor was absorbed by media giant Clear Channel
: the May 1999 sale continued the buying frenzy brought on by controversial and far-reaching federal deregulation
.
Bo Matthews, who became program director for WMMS in early 2004, hired Maxwell (Ben Bornstein) that April for a more "personality-driven" afternoon show: The Maxwell Show
gradually evolved from airing mostly music to all talk, and by 2009 had become the number one afternoon program in several key demographics
. Loveline
— Westwood One
's nationally syndicated call-in show
hosted by Dr. Drew
— aired weeknights from August 2008 through June 2010.
WMMS veteran John Gorman
has remained a vocal critic of Clear Channel; Gorman recently commented on the company's former Cleveland executive, Kevin Metheny
(the man dubbed "Pig Virus" by Howard Stern
during their time at WNBC
):
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. Regarding the change, WMMS Program Director Bo Matthews said, "… nobody's killing anything... Chief Wahoo
is not on every piece of Indians
promotional material... Ronald McDonald
is not in every McDonald's
commercial... We're not losing the letters. All we're doing is shifting an image."
By April 2008, the station had reverted to its traditional branding, once again frequently making use of both the noted mascot (in name) and famed call letters — though the station had also opted to replace the classic Buzzard design (David Helton's original is still frequently used for promotional purposes). The change continued the reduced emphasis on the station's earlier years while also acknowledging The Buzzard's storied past. The new WMMS logo — created by Cleveland area web/graphic designer Scott Schumacher — displays orange wings on the sides of a weathered black shield in the shape of a U.S. Route sign
, with white print reading "100.7 WMMS."
Liz Wilde
(Anne Whittemore). Her firing less than a year later sparked a successful lawsuit against both the station and then-owner Nationwide Communications. Danny Czekalinski and Darla Jaye
were teamed up in October 1997 with Liz Wilde holdover Cory Lingus (Cory Gallant) until August 1998. Matt Harris served in the interim until WMMS hired Dick Dale from Jacksonville
, Florida
.
In 2000, the station turned to Wakin' up with Wolf and Mulrooney (Bob Wolf, John Mulrooney
) from sister station WPYX
in Albany
, New York
. The show was simulcast from Albany, marking the first time that a morning show on WMMS did not originate in Cleveland. The team did later relocate to Cleveland, but lasted only months until an acrimonious breakup forced the station to look elsewhere. Other shows, like The Buzzard Morning Show with Rick and Megalis (Rick Eberhart, Tom Megalis) and WMMS Mornings with Sean, Cristi, and Hunter (Sean Kelly, Cristi Cantle, Hunter Scott), came and went in quick succession. The Bob and Tom Show aired from 2006 through early 2008, the only time since adopting a rock format that WMMS carried a syndicated program in that time slot with no connection to the station through out the duration of its run.
native Maxwell (Ben Bornstein) was hired on for the WMMS afternoon drive in April 2004 following the departure of Slats (Tim Guinane) for rival station WXTM
. An experienced on air personality, Maxwell was joined by WMMS Music Director Dan Stansbury and Chunk (Tiffany Peck), a young phone screener whose role grew significantly during the course of the show's run.
The Maxwell Show
began as a mostly a kind-of rock/talk hybrid, but gradually became all talk. Humor was always a major component of the show, but the cast occasionally delved into rather serious issues. Maxwell was known for having feuds with other radio personalities during the show's time at WMMS, including fellow WMMS personality Rover of Rover's Morning Glory
and fellow Clear Channel
host Mike Trivisonno
, airing directly opposite The Maxwell Show on WTAM
.
On April 3, 2009, The Maxwell Show went on the air claiming that Metallica
— in Cleveland for the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony
the very next day — was playing a free show in the WMMS parking lot later that evening. Following the prank announcement, station management placed Maxwell on probation for 90 days. Already strained by ongoing contract renewal negotiations, the incident further alienated the two parties, and by November of that year the show was cancelled.
). The station's problems are further compounded by lesser emphasis on local personalities (in particular, voice-tracking
nights and weekends); ever shrinking and homogenized playlists; over-commercialization; greater censorship; and increasingly limited creative control. Much of this is attributed to the station's current ownership of Clear Channel Communications
.
Regardless, WMMS remains one of the most important rock stations in the history of FM radio. Radio & Records
(R&R) twice named WMMS "Rock Station of the Year: Markets 1-25" (2005, 2006) as part of R&R's annual Industry Achievement Awards (R&R has subsequently been absorbed by Billboard
magazine). More recently, readers of Cleveland Scene
chose both Rover (2009) and Alan Cox (2010, 2011) as the best radio personalities in Cleveland; WMMS itself was named best radio station in 2010.
Program Director Bo Matthews recently summarized the station's current programming philosophy:
Besides a standard analog transmission
, WMMS broadcasts over two HD Radio
channels. 100.7 HD-1 simulcast
s the analog feed, while 100.7 HD-2 broadcasts an alternative rock
format
as The Alternative Project. Both feeds are available online and via iHeartRadio
.
(now WKRK-FM), but in what was considered "a big blow" to that station and "a coup" for The Buzzard by WMMS veteran John Gorman
, Rover ended his contract CBS Radio
and moved the program over in the spring of 2008.
The show is also carried on WZNE
in Rochester, New York
, a holdover affiliate from when the program was syndicated by CBS Radio as a regional replacement for The Howard Stern Show.
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.
Cox is joined by comedian Chad Zumock
(formerly of Last Call Cleveland
) and Erika Lauren
(Erika Wasilewski), a cast member from the MTV
reality series The Real World: Washington D.C..
) airs during the evening hours. The program, hosted by former Motley Crue
co-founder/bassist Nikki Sixx
and radio personality Kerri Kasem
, combines celebrity interviews and discussion about rock music, the "rock star life," and pop culture with music from the WMMS playlist. Sixx and Kasem also host a companion show airing Sunday nights, The Side Show with Nikki Sixx.
disc jockey
s are Maria (Maria Calo) middays and Shroom (Jason Schumm) overnights. Maria is locally-based while Shroom is voice-tracked
from Cincinnati. Corey Rotic (Corey Hawkins) hosts The Rock Report, a brief daily segment devoted to rock news that regularly repeats throughout each weekday.
Maria, Corey Rotic, Miles (Miles Hlivko), Keith (Keith Hotchkiss) and Josh Kolodny are the local DJs heard weekends, as WMMS is much more music intensive on Saturday and Sunday than it is during the week. Other weekend programming includes Skratch'N'Sniff, a syndicated mash-up
show hosted by Malcolm Ryker and DJ Mike Czech; and The House of Hair, a syndicated heavy metal
show hosted by Dee Snider
.
since 2001, sharing coverage with AM sister station WTAM
. WMMS previously shared Browns coverage in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s with former AM sister station WHK.
WTAM serves as the sole flagship station for both the Cleveland Cavaliers
and Cleveland Indians
, but WMMS does function as its backup station, carrying select games of each team during scheduling conflicts (this includes Indians spring training
games). If during a Cavaliers/Indians conflict the Cavaliers are not in a playoff game, WMMS carries the Cavaliers (unless it's during spring training, then WMMS carries the Indians). If during a Cavaliers/Indians conflict the Cavaliers are in a playoff game, WMMS carries the Indians.
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, widely recognized as one of the most influential rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
stations in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
throughout much of the history of FM broadcasting. At times, the station has also drawn controversy for unusually aggressive tactics both on and off the air.
Owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
since 1999 and broadcasting a mix of mostly hot talk and active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
, WMMS serves as the flagship station for Rover's Morning Glory
Rover's Morning Glory
Rover’s Morning Glory is a syndicated hot-talk radio show airing weekday mornings Monday through Friday from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM ET on 100.7 FM WMMS in Cleveland, Ohio. Hosted by Rover , the show is distributed by Clear Channel and features a blended discussion of current events and pop culture,...
, the Cleveland affiliate for Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx, and the FM flagship for the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. In addition, radio personality Alan Cox is heard during afternoon drive
Drive time
Drive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
.
The WMMS studios are currently located at the former Centerior Energy building in the Cleveland suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Independence
Independence, Ohio
Independence is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,133.-Geography:Independence is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, and the station's transmitter resides in neighboring Seven Hills
Seven Hills, Ohio
Seven Hills is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,804 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Seven Hills is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land....
. The WMMS call letters
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
first referred to a former owner — "MetroMedia
Metromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
Stereo
Stereophonic sound
The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...
" — but over the years have taken on a variety of other meanings.
Overview
Created in April 1974 as "an ironic twist on Cleveland's down-and-out reputation as a decaying Rust BeltRust Belt
The Rust Belt is a term that gained currency in the 1980s as the informal description of an area straddling the Midwestern and Northeastern United States, in which local economies traditionally garnered an increased manufacturing sector to add jobs and corporate profits...
city," the station's longtime promotional mascot has been The Buzzard. "De-emphasized" in the fall of 2007, the iconic scavenger
Scavenger
Scavenging is both a carnivorous and herbivorous feeding behavior in which individual scavengers search out dead animal and dead plant biomass on which to feed. The eating of carrion from the same species is referred to as cannibalism. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by...
was revived the following spring to coincide with both the station's 40th anniversary and the arrival of current morning personality Rover.
Throughout the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
and 80s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, WMMS had a stable of personalities
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
that remained fundamentally unchanged, attained a dominant market share in the local ratings and posted market record-high figures "never duplicated by any other station." WMMS played a key role in breaking several major acts in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
. Station employees went on to take director and executive-level positions in the recording industry, namely with label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, Mercury
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
and Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. Considered "a true radio legend," WMMS DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Kid Leo
Kid Leo
Lawrence J. Travagliante — better known by his on-air personality Kid Leo — serves as both program director and afternoon disc jockey on Little Steven's Underground Garage on Sirius XM Radio...
was chosen for Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
'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
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
. Noted filmmakers
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, including Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
(Almost Famous
Almost Famous
Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
) and Paul Schrader
Paul Schrader
Paul Joseph Schrader is an American screenwriter, film director, and former film critic. Apart from his credentials as a director, Schrader is most notably known for his screenplays for Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and Raging Bull....
(Light of Day
Light of Day
The soundtrack to the film was released in 1987. As a single, "Light of Day" reached number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received additional album-oriented rock airplay due to the connection of Joan Jett and Bruce Springsteen....
), have called on both The Buzzard and its personnel while preparing for various rock-themed productions
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
. WMMS was also a major driving force behind the successful campaign to bring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
to Cleveland.
The station is not without controversy. Although Rolling Stone named WMMS "Best Radio Station" (Large Market) nine times in a row (1979–1987) as part of the magazine's annual Readers' Poll, the station admitted to stuffing the 1987 ballot following a February 1988 front-page story in The Plain Dealer exposing manipulation. Seven years later, members of both the station's staff and management pled guilty to disrupting a national broadcast of The Howard Stern Show that originated via the local Stern affiliate, cross-town rival WNCX
WNCX
WNCX — branded 98.5 WNCX — is commercial radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, broadcasting a classic rock format. The station's studios are currently located in Cleveland's historic Halle Building, in the Playhouse Square District...
. A federal offense, the act nearly cost WMMS its broadcasting license.
Early years
In August 1946, radio station WHK — owned at that time by Forest City Publishing, itself then the parent company of The Plain Dealer — received one of the earliest experimental FMFM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
licenses under the callsign W8XUB at 107.1 Megahertz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
(MHz). Upon receipt of a commercial license on November 11, 1948, the new FM station adopted the callsign WHK-FM at 100.7 MHz. Both WHK and WHK-FM were sold in 1958 to Metropolitan Broadcasting
Metromedia
Metromedia was a media company that owned radio and television stations in the United States from 1956 to 1986 and owned Orion Pictures from 1986-1997.- Overview :...
, itself renamed MetroMedia two years later. Like most early FM stations, WHK-FM mostly simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ed the Top 40 programming of its AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
sister station.
In 1966, in an effort to make the medium more commercially viable, the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) mandated that FM stations could no longer duplicate the programming of their AM sister stations. Seeing a small but significant groundswell of support for the medium in the market, WHK-FM adopted a new progressive rock
Progressive rock (radio format)
Progressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide latitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is played...
format. WHK-FM became one of a handful of commercial stations in the country to try that format, many of which were owned by MetroMedia. Two years later, in order to firmly establish a separate identity, and to reflect the station's ownership, the callsign of WHK-FM was changed to WMMS ("MetroMedia Stereo") on September 28, 1968.
Progressive rock years
MetroMedia found major success with progressive rockProgressive rock (radio format)
Progressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide latitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is played...
at KMET in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, KSAN in San Francisco, WMMR
WMMR
WMMR is an active rock radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, broadcasting at 93.3 MHz FM. The station is owned by Greater Media....
in Philadelphia and WNEW in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, but low ratings and revenue in Cleveland led the company to drop the format at WMMS by May 1969. The station first turned to adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
, then Top 40, big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
and finally the Drake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault Enterprises was a radio syndication company that specialized in automation on FM radio stations. The company was founded in the late-1960s by radio programmer and deejay Bill Drake , and his business partner, Lester Eugene Chenault...
automated Hit Parade '69.
WMMS reverted to progressive rock
Progressive rock (radio format)
Progressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide latitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is played...
less than a year later. The station briefly battled with WNCR of Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications Inc. was a media subsidiary of the Nationwide Insurance Company, which operated from 1946 until 1997. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Communications owned and operated a variety of radio and television stations across the United States until it sold off all its radio...
, itself filling the void created by the brief absence of WMMS on the rock scene. Key WNCR personnel — including former WMMS personalities The Perlich Project (Martin Perlich
Martin Perlich
Martin Perlich, born 1937 in Cleveland, Ohio is an American broadcaster and writer. He attended Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio and Columbia University where he studied music history with composer Douglas Moore....
) and Billy Bass — were soon hired by WMMS, taking most of their audience with them.
Under the leadership of Station Manager Billy Bass and Program Director Denny Sanders (who came to WMMS from Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in 1971), WMMS helped break many new rock artists nationally, most notably David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. Based on considerably high record sales in the Cleveland market, Bowie — in his Ziggy Stardust
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars is a 1972 concept album by English musician David Bowie, which is loosely based on a story of a rock star named Ziggy Stardust. It peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 75 in the United States on the Billboard Music...
persona alongside the Spiders from Mars — kicked off his first U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tour in the "The Rock Capital" (a term coined by Bass). The WMMS-sponsored concert was a "phenomenal success" and prompted the station to sponsor a second show that year — rarely done at that time for an artist's first tour. This second show sold out immediately, and was held at the city's largest venue: Cleveland Public Hall
Public Auditorium
Public Auditorium is located in the central business district of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Since it was opened in 1922, it has served as a concert hall, sports arena and convention center. Although it was planned and funded prior to World War I, construction did not begin until 1920. Designed by...
.
In November 1972, WMMS was sold to Malrite Communications, a Michigan-based
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
firm that relocated to Cleveland upon purchase. Under Malrite ownership, WMMS would become an album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
(AOR) powerhouse, much in the same vein as its former MetroMedia progressive rock siblings.
From "Find Me" to FM powerhouse
In July 1973, John GormanJohn Gorman (radio)
John Gorman is a radio personality and author from Cleveland, Ohio. He has a long history in media, but most notable is his 13 years at WMMS in Cleveland. In the 1970s, his innovative marketing of WMMS turned a nearly defunct station into one of the most popular in the United States. The station...
joined WMMS as music director and was promoted to program director and operations manager two months later where he remained for 13 years. 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. WMMS was the first radio station to employ full-time promotion and marketing directors: Dan Garfinkel and his successor, Jim Marchyshyn.
During this time, WMMS was billed as the place "Where Music Means Something," followed by "We're your Modern Music Station" and "your Music Marathon Station." Although never used on the air, listeners alternately knew the callsign as an acronym
Acronym and initialism
Acronyms and initialisms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These components may be individual letters or parts of words . There is no universal agreement on the precise definition of the various terms , nor on written usage...
for "Weed
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
Makes Me Smile" and "Magic MushroomS
Psilocybin mushroom
Psilocybin mushrooms are fungi that contain the psychoactive compounds psilocybin and psilocin. There are multiple colloquial terms for psilocybin mushrooms, the most common being shrooms or magic mushrooms....
," the latter referencing the somewhat controversial logo used before the Buzzard.
Contrary to what many believe, the choice of the new WMMS mascot had nothing to do with Buzzard Day, the annual "folksy event" held in Hinckley Township
Hinckley Township, Medina County, Ohio
Hinckley Township is one of the seventeen townships of Medina County, Ohio, United States, located in the northeast corner of the county. The 2000 census found 6,753 people in the township.-Geography:...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Rather, WMMS adopted a buzzard
Turkey Vulture
The Turkey Vulture is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. It is also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard , and in some areas of the Caribbean as the John Crow or Carrion Crow...
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
Default (finance)
In finance, default occurs when a debtor has not met his or her legal obligations according to the debt contract, e.g. has not made a scheduled payment, or has violated a loan covenant of the debt contract. A default is the failure to pay back a loan. Default may occur if the debtor is either...
since the Great Depression
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...
— and the winged-creature's classification as a scavenger
Scavenger
Scavenging is both a carnivorous and herbivorous feeding behavior in which individual scavengers search out dead animal and dead plant biomass on which to feed. The eating of carrion from the same species is referred to as cannibalism. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by...
. In other words, the carrion-eating
Carrion
Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...
bird represented "death and dying" — a darkly comic
Black comedy
A black comedy, or dark comedy, is a comic work that employs black humor or gallows humor. The definition of black humor is problematic; it has been argued that it corresponds to the earlier concept of gallows humor; and that, as humor has been defined since Freud as a comedic act that anesthetizes...
reflection of the city's actual decline. Horror comics
Horror comics
Horror comics are comic books, graphic novels, black-and-white comics magazines, and manga focusing on horror fiction. Horror comic books reached a peak in the late 1940s through the mid-1950s, when concern over content and the imposition of the self-censorship Comics Code Authority contributed to...
, specifically those of EC Comics
EC Comics
Entertaining Comics, more commonly known as EC Comics, was an American publisher of comic books specializing in horror fiction, crime fiction, satire, military fiction and science fiction from the 1940s through the mid-1950s, notably the Tales from the Crypt series...
, served partly as inspiration for the concept. The Buzzard was the co-creation of Gorman, Sanders and American Greetings
American Greetings
American Greetings Corporation, Inc. is the world's largest publicly-traded greeting card company. It is based in Brooklyn, Ohio and sells paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, party products , and electronic expressive content...
artist David Helton:
A study conducted by MBA
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
students at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
in 1975 found that the new WMMS logo was more recognizable to those living in Greater Cleveland
Greater Cleveland
Greater Cleveland is a nickname for the metropolitan area surrounding Cleveland, Ohio and is part of what used to be the Connecticut Western Reserve.Northeast Ohio refers to a similar but substantially larger area as described below...
than both Chief Wahoo
Chief Wahoo
Chief Wahoo is a trademarked logo for the Cleveland Indians baseball team. The illustration is a Native American cartoon caricature.Although the club had adopted the name "Indians" starting with the 1915 season, there was no acknowledgment of this nickname on their uniforms until 1928...
of the Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
and even Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
.
From the onset, Helton's streamlined artwork resulted in an aggressive, yet family-friendly symbol for the station, one that continues to endure more than 40 years later. 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."
At first, the station was known as The Home of the Buzzard, rather than simply "The Buzzard."
A major contributor to the ratings success was an airstaff that remained fundamentally unchanged for many years: personalities like Kid Leo
Kid Leo
Lawrence J. Travagliante — better known by his on-air personality Kid Leo — serves as both program director and afternoon disc jockey on Little Steven's Underground Garage on Sirius XM Radio...
, Jeff & Flash, Matt the Cat, Dia Stein, Denny Sanders, Murray Saul, Betty "Crash" Korvan, Ruby Cheeks, BLF Bash (Bill Freeman), TR (Tom Renzy) and Len "Boom" Goldberg were invaluable to the station's popularity.
| Start | Finish | Personality | Tenure |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 am | 10 am | Jeff & Flash (Jeff Kinzbach, Ed Ferenc) | 1977–1994 |
| 10 am | 2 pm | Matt the Cat (Matt Lapczynski) | 1974-88; 90-92 |
| 2 pm | 6 pm | Kid Leo (Lawrence Travagliante) | 1974–1988 |
| 6 pm | 10 pm | Denny Sanders | 1971–1986 |
| 10 pm | 2 am | Steve Lushbaugh | 1973–1976 |
| 10 pm | 2 am | Betty Korvan | 1976–1983 |
| 10 pm | 2 am | TR (Tom Renzy) | 1983–1988 |
| 2 am | 6 am | BLF Bash (Bill Freeman) | 1976–1998 |
Of all the personalities that worked at WMMS, Len "Boom" Goldberg was there the longest. He joined the station in early 1972 before its sale to Malrite, and stayed in different capacities until 2004. He was best known as the voice for the station's top of the hour IDs, music segues and sweepers, and commercials for WMMS, and was also a member of The Buzzard Morning Zoo in the mid 80s. He died on December 27, 2006.
WMMS would play a key role in breaking several other major acts in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British–American rock band formed in 1967 in London.The only original member present in the band is its eponymous drummer, Mick Fleetwood...
, Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
, the Pretenders, the New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
, Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny
Southside Johnny is an American singer-songwriter, who usually fronts his band Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.-Early days:...
, Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
, Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople
Mott the Hoople were a British rock band with strong R&B roots, popular in the glam rock era of the early to mid 1970s. They are popularly known for the song "All the Young Dudes", written for them by David Bowie and appearing on their 1972 album of the same name.-The early years:Mott The Hoople...
, Boston
Boston (band)
Boston is an American rock band from Boston, Massachusetts that achieved its most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. Centered on guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and producer Tom Scholz, the band is a staple of classic rock radio playlists...
and Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973. The band consists of members Robin Zander , Rick Nielsen , Tom Petersson , and Bun E...
. Of special note was the early support of Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
by Kid Leo and others, from even before Born to Run
Born to Run
The album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...
came out. For the station's tenth anniversary in 1978, WMMS hosted and broadcast a live Springsteen concert at the Agora Theatre and Ballroom
Agora Theatre and Ballroom
The Agora Theatre and Ballroom is a concert club located in Cleveland, Ohio. The Agora name was previously used by two other Cleveland venues in succession, the latter of which was destroyed by fire in 1984...
independent of his concert tour. Heavily bootlegged, the concert further cemented the relationship between the two in fans' minds, and well into the 2000s Cleveland remains one of Springsteen's strongest bases. Right up until his departure in 1988, Kid Leo played Born to Run
Born to Run
The album's release was accompanied by a $250,000 promotional campaign by Columbia directed at both consumers and the music industry, making good use of Landau's "I saw rock 'n' roll's future—and its name is Bruce Springsteen" quote. With much publicity, Born to Run vaulted into the top 10 in its...
as his signature sign-off song every Friday night: "Born to Run was the essence of everything I loved about Rock 'n' Roll."
At the time, WMMS was also broadcasting a remarkable amount of live concert broadcasts, many of which originated in Cleveland and were produced by the station itself. The 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). Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
, John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
, Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
, Peter Frampton
Peter Frampton
Peter Kenneth Frampton is an English musician, singer, producer, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist. He was previously associated with the bands Humble Pie and The Herd. Frampton's international breakthrough album was his live release, Frampton Comes Alive!. The album sold over 6 million copies...
, and a host of others performed on the program, recordings of which are widely available as bootlegs. The WMMS Coffee Break Concerts were booked by Denny Sanders and hosted by Len "Boom Boom" Goldberg and later, Matt the Cat. The concert series continued on well into the 90s, albeit much less frequently.
The World Series of Rock
World Series of Rock
The World Series of Rock was a recurring, day-long and usually multi-act summer rock concert held outdoors at Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio from 1974 through 1980. Belkin Productions staged these events, attracting popular hard rock bands and as many as 88,000 fans. FM rock radio station...
was a recurring, day-long and usually multi-act summer rock concert
Rock concert
The term rock concert refers to a musical performance in the style of any one of many genres inspired by "rock and roll" music. While a variety of vocal and instrumental styles can constitute a rock concert, this phenomenon is typically characterized by bands playing at least one electric guitar,...
held outdoors at Cleveland Municipal Stadium
Cleveland Stadium
Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football...
from 1974 through 1980. Belkin Productions staged these events, attracting popular hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
bands and as many as 88,000 fans. WMMS sponsored the concerts. Attendance was by general admission.
Concertgoers occasionally fell—or jumped—off the steep stadium upper deck onto the concrete seating area far below, causing serious injury. The Cleveland Free Clinic
Free clinic
A free clinic is a medical facility offering community healthcare on a free or very low-cost basis in countries with marginal or no universal health care. Care is generally provided in these clinics to persons who have lower or limited income and no health insurance, including persons who are not...
staffed aid stations in the stadium with physicians, nurses and other volunteers, and through 1977, made its treatment statistics public. 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.
Rock Forty and the Rock Hall campaign
WMMS was directly influenced by then (and current) sister station WHTZWHTZ
WHTZ — branded Z100 — is a commercial pop/contemporary hit radio radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey serving the New York metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications...
(100.3 FM, "Z100") in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, which rose to the top of the ratings books immediately after installing a contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
(CHR) format. Among the more significant moves taken by WMMS was the formatting of the Morning Zoo
Morning zoo
Morning zoo is a format of morning radio show common to English-language radio broadcasting. The name is derived from the "wackiness and zaniness" of the activities, bits, and overall personality of the show and its hosts...
concept created by Z100's Scott Shannon
Scott Shannon
Michael Scott Shannon is a radio disc jockey, current co-host of the "Scott and Todd in the Morning" show on WPLJ, host of The True Oldies Channel, and the official voice of The Sean Hannity Show.-Early Radio Career:...
onto the show Jeff & Flash (Jeff Kinzbach and Ed Ferenc) were already hosting. Kinzbach and Ferenc had already been a morning team—with sidekicks—since 1976, seven years prior to adopting the Morning Zoo label, so the basic structure was already in place.
The music structure also was modified at this time as artists such as Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
soon found airplay on WMMS. The change was done for many reasons: as a nod to the sudden influence Z100's format had on the Malrite group; Gorman and Sanders intention to stay with the current music trends as the album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
(AOR) format was, even then, in a state of decline; and as a means to attract a female audience. By 1984, the WMMS format moved to an CHR/AOR hybrid, playing almost entirely Top 40 rock singles; this new blended rock/Top 40 format was soon known by those at the station as Rock Forty. The station also started to devote weekend programming to the classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
format.
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
Norm N. Nite
Norm N. Nite , was born Norman Durma and is the author of the Rock On! series of books. Rock On is coined as the official encyclopaedia of rock and roll music. He has spent many years on radio stations such as WGAR-AM and WMJI-FM in Cleveland and WCBS-FM in New York City...
) which brought the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
to Cleveland. John Gorman, Denny Sanders and Kid Leo organized the original campaign with Tunc Erim, assistant to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
president Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
.
John Gorman and Denny Sanders left the station in fall of 1986, leading 14 staff members with them to start rival station WNCX
WNCX
WNCX — branded 98.5 WNCX — is commercial radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, broadcasting a classic rock format. The station's studios are currently located in Cleveland's historic Halle Building, in the Playhouse Square District...
. Gorman credits his decision to leave to changes in management, and the station's overall shift to a more "corporate" mentality.
Rolling Stone Readers' Poll
Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
named WMMS "Radio Station of the Year" nine straight years (1979–1987) as part of its annual Readers' Poll, but a February 1988 front-page story in The Plain Dealer revealed station employees had stuffed the annual survey's ballot box for the 1987 poll to allow for the possibility of a tenth straight win the following year. Lonnie Gronek, then General Manager of the station, claimed in The Plain Dealer article that the process had gone on "for years", however other accounts dispute Gronek's claim.
The station claimed it was simply "a marketing strategy" and "much in line with what many stations did." Negative reaction was swift and widespread; some called the scheme a mere "lack of judgement," while a reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal
Akron Beacon Journal
The Akron Beacon Journal is a four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning morning newspaper in Akron, Ohio, United States, and published by Black Press Ltd.. It is the sole daily newspaper in Akron and is distributed throughout Northeast Ohio. The paper places a strong emphasis on local news and business...
compared the station's response to that of discredited former Vice-President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Richard Nixon, and the 55th Governor of Maryland...
.
Changing times
By the late 80s, most of the original staff members had departed: John Gorman and Denny Sanders left in 1986 to launch upstart station WNCXWNCX
WNCX — branded 98.5 WNCX — is commercial radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, broadcasting a classic rock format. The station's studios are currently located in Cleveland's historic Halle Building, in the Playhouse Square District...
, and Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
hired Kid Leo in 1988. Four different program directors, including Rich Piombino and Michael Luczak, came and went with varying levels of success. DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
additions included station engineer Ric Bennett as "Rocco the Rock Dog," Scooter (WMMS Music Director Brad Hanson), Lisa Dillon and station veteran Matt the Cat, who returned to the midday slot in 1990 after a two year absence. However, Matt would be dismissed permanently from the station in late 1992, the victim of budget cuts.
Ratings steadily increased during the time of the First Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
, but The Howard Stern Show was soon picked up by a then struggling WNCX
WNCX
WNCX — branded 98.5 WNCX — is commercial radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, broadcasting a classic rock format. The station's studios are currently located in Cleveland's historic Halle Building, in the Playhouse Square District...
. 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. Matt the Cat was permanently let go in December 1992 due to "budget problems." Unable to service its growing debt, Malrite chose to leave radio and sold off all its remaining properties in 1993: WMMS went to Shamrock Broadcasting
Shamrock Holdings
Shamrock Holdings is the firm founded as the Roy E. Disney family investment firm and the Disney family remains a key investor. Roy was its chairman, and Stanley Gold its President/CEO. Shamrock owns a number of assets including hotels and radio and television stations. Shamrock often takes an...
, the Roy Disney
Roy E. Disney
Roy Edward Disney, KCSG was a longtime senior executive for The Walt Disney Company, which his father Roy Oliver Disney and his uncle Walt Disney founded. At the time of his death he was a shareholder , and served as a consultant for the company and Director Emeritus for the Board of Directors...
broadcasting firm. Management ordered a change to the Buzzard by giving it a flat-top
Flattop
A flattop is a type of very short hairstyle similar to the crew cut, with the exception that the hair on the top of the head is deliberately styled to stand up and is cut to be flat, resulting in a haircut that is square in shape...
and mullet
Mullet (haircut)
The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. . The mullet began to appear in popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not become generally well-known until the early 1980s...
.
The station continued to decline during the ownership transition from Malrite to Shamrock; then Shamrock sold both WMMS and WHK to OmniAmerica, a broadcasting company run by former Malrite executives Carl Hirsch and Dean Thacker, which already owned oldies station WMJI
WMJI
WMJI — branded Majic 105.7 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio broadcasting a classic hits format. The station serves Cleveland, Akron and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio....
. 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
WTAM
WTAM — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts primarily a news/talk format...
). Lisa Dillon, Ric Bennett and Tom Renzy also would depart the station that same day.
The Cleveland Funeral
Among the most notorious broadcasts of The Howard Stern Show occurred on June 10, 1994. Stern had arrived on the Cleveland airwaves less than two years earlier, and in that time took his syndicated program on rival WNCX from an ArbitronArbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
ranking of thirteen to number one. As promised, Stern held a party for his fans on the streets of Cleveland — a "Funeral" for his local rivals, much like similar events held in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Philadelphia — and broadcast it nationwide.
During the now infamous broadcast, WMMS engineer William Alford snipped a broadcast wire used for the Stern show's satellite feed. Stern continued on with the program over a phone line as engineers worked to quickly patch together the severed broadcast wire. Alford was subsequently caught, arrested and later sentenced to ten days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Station management initially claimed that Alford acted alone, however WMMS Promotions Director Heidi Klosterman — working under the name Heidi Kramer — later pled guilty to a felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
charge of attempted disruption of a public service and a misdemeanor
Misdemeanor
A misdemeanor is a "lesser" criminal act in many common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished much less severely than felonies, but theoretically more so than administrative infractions and regulatory offences...
of receiving stolen property; Greg Smith, a former Klosterman colleague, pled guilty to a misdemeanor of breaking and entering.
Modern rock years
Under OmniAmerica ownership, WMMS veteran John Gorman returned as Vice-President and Director of Operations (Gorman had already been serving as program director for OmniAmerica station WMJIWMJI
WMJI — branded Majic 105.7 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio broadcasting a classic hits format. The station serves Cleveland, Akron and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio....
). Gorman redesigned The Buzzard as a modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
(alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
) station, playing new acts like Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
, The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
and Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
. To emphasize this change, WMMS was re-billed and aggressively promoted as The Buzzard: The Next Generation, a direct reference to the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
and its revival of the aging Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
franchise
Media franchise
A media franchise is an intellectual property involving the characters, setting and trademarks of an original work of media , such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, along with merchandising and endorsements...
. Gorman also brought back the original Buzzard design, now drawn by David Helton's successor Brian Chalmers. WMMS even managed to lure popular morning personalities Brian and Joe (Brian Fowler and Joe Cronauer, cohosts of The Brian and Joe Radio Show) away from rival WENZ
WENZ
WENZ —branded Z 107.9—is a mainstream urban commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio serving surrounding Northeast Ohio...
— then a modern rock station known as 107.9 The END — as the successors to Jeff and Flash (Jeff Kinzbach and Ed Ferenc) on The Buzzard Morning Zoo.
While the change in programming alienated many longtime listeners — many of whom switched to WNCX
WNCX
WNCX — branded 98.5 WNCX — is commercial radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, broadcasting a classic rock format. The station's studios are currently located in Cleveland's historic Halle Building, in the Playhouse Square District...
and their full-time classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
format — WMMS boosted its ratings for the first time in years by drawing in a new young audience. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
and Airplay Monitor magazines together named WMMS Rock Station of the Year (Medium Market) in 1995, and Modern Rock Station of the Year (Medium Market) in 1996. John Gorman was named Program Director of the Year (Rock) in 1995.
Despite quantifiable success, the station was sold yet again in 1996, this time to Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications Inc. was a media subsidiary of the Nationwide Insurance Company, which operated from 1946 until 1997. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Communications owned and operated a variety of radio and television stations across the United States until it sold off all its radio...
(meanwhile, longtime WMMS sister station WHK was sold off to Salem Communications
Salem Communications
Salem Communications is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S....
). The sale came almost immediately following passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
, as radio companies nationwide rushed "at a fever pitch" to acquire new properties. John Gorman — who has since openly expressed his frustration with the industry's current state — first departed for CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
in Detroit, but soon left traditional radio altogether.
BuzzardFest series
During this time, WMMS held a series of sold-out rock festivalRock festival
A rock festival, or a rock fest, is a large-scale rock music concert, featuring multiple acts.The first rock festivals were put on in the late 1960s and were important socio-cultural milestones. In the 1980s a minor resurgence of festivals occurred with charity as the goal.Today, they are often...
s that featured many of the new up-and-coming artists receiving station airplay
Airplay
* Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay...
. Buzzard-Palooza was the first of these: held in July 1994 at the Nautica Stage, the all-day concert included sets from Collective Soul
Collective Soul
Collective Soul is an American rock band originally formed in Stockbridge, Georgia. Collective Soul broke into mainstream popularity with their first hit single, "Shine", which came from their debut album Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid, released in 1993...
, Junkhouse
Junkhouse
-History:Formed in 1989 in Hamilton, Ontario, the band consisted of vocalist and guitarist Tom Wilson, guitarist Dan Achen, bassist Russ Wilson and drummer Ray Farrugia....
and Fury in the Slaughterhouse
Fury in the Slaughterhouse
Fury in the Slaughterhouse was a German rock band founded in 1987 and broke up in 2008. Their hits include: "Time To Wonder", "Every Generation Got Its Own Disease", "Won't Forget These Days", "Radio Orchid", "Dancing in the Sunshine of the Dark", "Milk & Honey", and "Trapped Today, Trapped...
, but was cut short after turning into a "rock-and-bottle-throwing melee." Cleveland Police
Cleveland Division of Police
The Cleveland Division of Police is the law enforcement agency responsible for the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Since 2005, Michael McGrath has been the chief of police.-Pre-World War II:...
wearing riot gear
Riot control
Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
were called in just as punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
group Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, the event's headliner, took the stage. WMMS scheduled a second Green Day performance just two months later — this time at Blossom Music Center
Blossom Music Center
Blossom Music Center is an amphitheatre located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The pavilion seats 5,700 people, with space for about 13,500 more on the lawn. It is the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra, which performs its annual Blossom Festival there. The venue is also host to a full summer...
— and at a near record-low cost of $5 per ticket, the station gave fans a "second chance" to see the band live.
The Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
headlined BuzzardFest '95 the following spring (May 1995) at Blossom; other acts included Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace
Our Lady Peace is a Canadian alternative rock band that formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1992. Headed by lead vocalist Raine Maida since its formation, the band additionally consists of Jeremy Taggart on percussion, Duncan Coutts on bass, and Steve Mazur as lead guitarist...
, The Rugburns
The Rugburns
The Rugburns was an American musical group originally formed by Steve Poltz, "Dr." Robert Driscoll, and Gerald "Child" McMullin.-History:Starting as classmates at the University of San Diego, the group formed in the mid-1980s and began playing in the San Diego, CA area...
and Face to Face
Face to Face (punk band)
Face to Face is an American pop punk band from Victorville, California formed in 1991 by frontman Trever Keith. Originally known as "Zero Tolerance", Keith had been the only constant member of the band during their years of touring and recording albums. The group was initially signed by Dr. Strange...
. BuzzardFest II was held the very next fall (September 1995) — again at Blossom — and featured performances from the Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
, Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
, Jewel
Jewel (singer)
Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
, as well as the Dance Hall Crashers
Dance Hall Crashers
Dance Hall Crashers is an American ska punk band formed in 1989 in Berkeley, California.-Early years:The original incarnation of the Dance Hall Crashers was formed in 1989 by Matt Freeman and Tim Armstrong, formerly of the seminal Bay Area ska-punk band Operation Ivy, after both musicians...
, Eleven
Eleven (band)
Eleven was a hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1990 by Alain Johannes , Natasha Shneider , and Jack Irons .-History:...
, Green Apple Quick Step
Green Apple Quick Step
Green Apple Quick Step, often abbreviated as GAQS, is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington. Their sound was described as hard-edged, post-grunge rock. The band began as Inspector Luv and the Ride Me Babys in Tacoma, Washington before becoming Green Apple Quick Step, in Seattle, by 1992...
, Prick and Sons of Elvis
Sons of Elvis
Sons of Elvis was a post-grunge group active in the early 1990s, best known for their hit single, "Formaldehyde".-History:Sons of Elvis was formed by musicians from Cleveland, Ohio. After winning some local airplay in Cleveland and building a small following, they relocated to New York City so that...
.
The next of these multi-act shows — simply titled BuzzardFest — was held in May 1996 at Blossom Music Center and featured performances from 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
and No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, along with Candlebox
Candlebox
Candlebox is an American alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since their debut, the group has released four studio albums, which have achieved multi-platinum and gold certification, as well as numerous charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD....
, The Nixons
The Nixons
The Nixons were an American post-grunge rock band, finding some commercial success in the mid-1990s.-Band history:The Nixons were founded in Oklahoma City by singer/guitarist Zac Maloy, guitarist Jesse Davis, bassist Ricky Brooks, and drummer Tye Robison...
, Goldfinger
Goldfinger (band)
Goldfinger is a Los Angeles pop punk/ska punk band that formed in 1994. Currently, the band is composed of vocalist/guitarist John Feldmann, guitarist Charlie Paulson, bassist Kelly LeMieux, and drummer Darrin Pfeiffer...
, Gods Child
Joe 90 (band)
Joe 90 is an alternative rock band, which was formed from the group Gods Child, based in New York City, and was later relocated to Los Angeles...
, Dash Rip Rock
Dash Rip Rock
Dash Rip Rock is a New Orleans based rock band built around the songs of singer-guitarist Bill Davis.The band is a legendary live powerhouse, often being credited with founding the musical genre known as "Country Punk." The New York Times said Dash Rip Rock is "the kind of band that provides a...
and the Holy Barbarians.
BuzzardFest 2000 was held June 30, 2000 at the Nautica Stage. Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots is an American rock band from San Diego, California that consists of Scott Weiland , brothers Robert DeLeo and Dean DeLeo , and Eric Kretz ....
, performing in Cleveland for the first time in six years, headlined the event.
Active rock years
WMMS owner Nationwide Communications was bought out by Jacor CommunicationsJacor
Jacor Communications was a media corporation which owned a large number of radio stations in the United States. Inside the radio industry, Jacor was seen as one of the most competitive broadcast companies in history. Jacor's re-image in 1996 created the slogan "The Noise You Can't Ignore".Jacor was...
in 1997. Following Jacor's takeover, WMMS ran a "Death of the Buzzard" month-long stunt
Stunting (broadcasting)
In radio broadcasting, stunting occurs when a station abruptly airs programming that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play...
in October 1998. Geared as a format change to Contemporary Hit Radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
(CHR) as KISS 100.7
KISS-FM (brand)
KISS-FM is the brand name of a Top 40 music format heard on FM radio stations in many cities in the United States . Clear Channel Communications claims ownership of the KISS-FM brand and operates most KISS-FM formatted stations, though not KISS-FM in San Antonio, Texas itself .-Origin and...
, the decision was reversed last-minute by management, though the "KISS" brand and format did later end up on WMMS sister station WAKS
WAKS
WAKS — branded 96.5 KISS-FM — is a commercial radio station licensed to Akron, Ohio broadcasting a pop/contemporary hit radio format. The station serves Cleveland, Akron and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio....
. In the wake of the month-long stunt, a new airstaff was assembled. Most notably, Slats (Tim Guinane) was hired for afternoon-drive replacing Brian & Joe, who took the morning slot on sister station WMVX
WHLK
WJQM is a radio station serving Madison, Wisconsin and surrounding areas. The station is owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting and launched a Rhythmic Contemporary format as "106.7 Jamz" in January 2007 before the move to 93.1 FM in October 2008....
, and music director Mark Pennington replaced "BLF Bash" (Bill Freeman) during overnights. Seth the Barbarian (Seth Williams) took the overnight shift when Pennington moved to evenings in 2001.
Less than a year later, Jacor was absorbed by media giant Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
: the May 1999 sale continued the buying frenzy brought on by controversial and far-reaching federal deregulation
Telecommunications Act of 1996
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was the first major overhaul of United States telecommunications law in nearly 62 years, amending the Communications Act of 1934. This Act, signed by President Bill Clinton, was a major stepping stone towards the future of telecommunications, since this was the...
.
Bo Matthews, who became program director for WMMS in early 2004, hired Maxwell (Ben Bornstein) that April for a more "personality-driven" afternoon show: The Maxwell Show
The Maxwell Show
The Maxwell Show was a hot talk radio show which aired weekday mornings on classic rock radio station WNCX in Cleveland, Ohio. The show first began in April 2004 on noted Cleveland rock station WMMS , and over the course of the next five years, grew to become the Cleveland radio market's #1...
gradually evolved from airing mostly music to all talk, and by 2009 had become the number one afternoon program in several key demographics
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
. Loveline
Loveline
Loveline is a syndicated radio call-in program in North America, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners, often with the assistance of guests, typically actors and musicians. Its flagship station is KROQ-FM in Los Angeles....
— Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
's nationally syndicated call-in show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
hosted by Dr. Drew
Drew Pinsky
David Drew Pinsky , best known as Dr. Drew, is an American board-certified internist, addiction medicine specialist, and radio and television personality. He has hosted the nationally syndicated radio talk show Loveline since the show's inception in 1984. On television, he hosts the talk show Dr...
— aired weeknights from August 2008 through June 2010.
WMMS veteran John Gorman
John Gorman (radio)
John Gorman is a radio personality and author from Cleveland, Ohio. He has a long history in media, but most notable is his 13 years at WMMS in Cleveland. In the 1970s, his innovative marketing of WMMS turned a nearly defunct station into one of the most popular in the United States. The station...
has remained a vocal critic of Clear Channel; Gorman recently commented on the company's former Cleveland executive, Kevin Metheny
Kevin Metheny
Kevin Metheny is a radio executive, famously nicknamed "Pig Virus" by Howard Stern from his days as Program Director at WNBC. He and various other historical Stern program directors were portrayed by Paul Giamatti as a composite character under the name Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton in the 1997 movie,...
(the man dubbed "Pig Virus" by Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
during their time at WNBC
WNBC (AM)
WNBC was a radio station that operated in New York City from 1922 to 1988. For most of its history, it was the flagship station of the NBC Radio Network...
):
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. Regarding the change, WMMS Program Director Bo Matthews said, "… nobody's killing anything... Chief Wahoo
Chief Wahoo
Chief Wahoo is a trademarked logo for the Cleveland Indians baseball team. The illustration is a Native American cartoon caricature.Although the club had adopted the name "Indians" starting with the 1915 season, there was no acknowledgment of this nickname on their uniforms until 1928...
is not on every piece of Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
promotional material... Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. In television commercials, the clown inhabits a fantasy world called McDonaldland, and has adventures with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and...
is not in every McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
commercial... We're not losing the letters. All we're doing is shifting an image."
By April 2008, the station had reverted to its traditional branding, once again frequently making use of both the noted mascot (in name) and famed call letters — though the station had also opted to replace the classic Buzzard design (David Helton's original is still frequently used for promotional purposes). The change continued the reduced emphasis on the station's earlier years while also acknowledging The Buzzard's storied past. The new WMMS logo — created by Cleveland area web/graphic designer Scott Schumacher — displays orange wings on the sides of a weathered black shield in the shape of a U.S. Route sign
U.S. Route shield
The U.S. Route shield is the marker used for United States Numbered Highways. Since the first U.S. Route signs were installed in 1926, the general idea has remained the same, but many changes have been made in the details. Originally, the shield included the name of the state in which the sign was...
, with white print reading "100.7 WMMS."
Morning troubles
From the 1994 exit of Jeff & Flash (Jeff Kinzbach, Ed Ferenc) — themselves enjoying a run of nearly twenty years — until the arrival of Rover (Shane French) in 2008, WMMS was beset by a roster of thirteen different morning shows in as many years. Ross Brittain temporarily filled in prior to the arrival of Brian and Joe (Brian Fowler, Joe Cronauer). Brian and Joe were moved to afternoons in February 1997 after a change in ownership brought the addition of shock jockShock jock
Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of any radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent broadcasters whose mannerisms,...
Liz Wilde
Liz Wilde
Liz Wilde is an American radio personality best known for her shock jock radio program, The Liz Wilde Show.-History:...
(Anne Whittemore). Her firing less than a year later sparked a successful lawsuit against both the station and then-owner Nationwide Communications. Danny Czekalinski and Darla Jaye
Darla Jaye
Darla Jaye is a talk show host at radio station KMBZ in Kansas City, Missouri. Until July 1, 2005, Darla Jaye hosted the afternoon show at WVNN in Huntsville, Alabama....
were teamed up in October 1997 with Liz Wilde holdover Cory Lingus (Cory Gallant) until August 1998. Matt Harris served in the interim until WMMS hired Dick Dale from Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
In 2000, the station turned to Wakin' up with Wolf and Mulrooney (Bob Wolf, John Mulrooney
John Mulrooney
John Mulrooney is an American comedian, humorist, TV show host, actor, teacher, and spiritualist.Mulrooney was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He began his career on the Comedy Tonight variety show in the 1970s...
) from sister station WPYX
WPYX
WPYX is a Classic Rock radio station licensed to Albany, New York and primarily serving New York's Capital Region, the Adirondacks, and surrounding areas...
in Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The show was simulcast from Albany, marking the first time that a morning show on WMMS did not originate in Cleveland. The team did later relocate to Cleveland, but lasted only months until an acrimonious breakup forced the station to look elsewhere. Other shows, like The Buzzard Morning Show with Rick and Megalis (Rick Eberhart, Tom Megalis) and WMMS Mornings with Sean, Cristi, and Hunter (Sean Kelly, Cristi Cantle, Hunter Scott), came and went in quick succession. The Bob and Tom Show aired from 2006 through early 2008, the only time since adopting a rock format that WMMS carried a syndicated program in that time slot with no connection to the station through out the duration of its run.
The Maxwell Show
OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
native Maxwell (Ben Bornstein) was hired on for the WMMS afternoon drive in April 2004 following the departure of Slats (Tim Guinane) for rival station WXTM
WKRK-FM
WKRK-FM — branded Sports Radio 92.3 The Fan — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, WKRK-FM is owned by CBS Radio and broadcasts a sports format...
. An experienced on air personality, Maxwell was joined by WMMS Music Director Dan Stansbury and Chunk (Tiffany Peck), a young phone screener whose role grew significantly during the course of the show's run.
The Maxwell Show
The Maxwell Show
The Maxwell Show was a hot talk radio show which aired weekday mornings on classic rock radio station WNCX in Cleveland, Ohio. The show first began in April 2004 on noted Cleveland rock station WMMS , and over the course of the next five years, grew to become the Cleveland radio market's #1...
began as a mostly a kind-of rock/talk hybrid, but gradually became all talk. Humor was always a major component of the show, but the cast occasionally delved into rather serious issues. Maxwell was known for having feuds with other radio personalities during the show's time at WMMS, including fellow WMMS personality Rover of Rover's Morning Glory
Rover's Morning Glory
Rover’s Morning Glory is a syndicated hot-talk radio show airing weekday mornings Monday through Friday from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM ET on 100.7 FM WMMS in Cleveland, Ohio. Hosted by Rover , the show is distributed by Clear Channel and features a blended discussion of current events and pop culture,...
and fellow Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
host Mike Trivisonno
Mike Trivisonno
Mike Trivisonno is a Radio Broadcaster, best known for hosting his own self-titled afternoon talk show on Cleveland radio station WTAM-AM/1100...
, airing directly opposite The Maxwell Show on WTAM
WTAM
WTAM — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts primarily a news/talk format...
.
On April 3, 2009, The Maxwell Show went on the air claiming that Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
— in Cleveland for the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
the very next day — was playing a free show in the WMMS parking lot later that evening. Following the prank announcement, station management placed Maxwell on probation for 90 days. Already strained by ongoing contract renewal negotiations, the incident further alienated the two parties, and by November of that year the show was cancelled.
Studio and transmitter locations
| W8XUB/WHK-FM Studios | |||
| Location | Years | Address | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal Tower Terminal Tower The Terminal Tower is a landmark skyscraper located on Public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was built during the skyscraper boom of the 1920s and 1930s, and was the second-tallest building in the world when it was completed. The Terminal Tower stood as the tallest building in North America... |
1946–1951 | 50 Public Sq., Suite 1311 Cleveland, OH Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... 44113 41°29′53.72"N 81°41′38.78"W |
|
| WHK Building (now Agora Theatre and Ballroom Agora Theatre and Ballroom The Agora Theatre and Ballroom is a concert club located in Cleveland, Ohio. The Agora name was previously used by two other Cleveland venues in succession, the latter of which was destroyed by fire in 1984... ) |
1951–1968 | 5000 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, OH 44103 41°30′13.50"N 81°39′13.83"W |
|
| WMMS Studios | |||
| Location | Years | Address | Photo |
| WHK Building (now Agora Theatre and Ballroom Agora Theatre and Ballroom The Agora Theatre and Ballroom is a concert club located in Cleveland, Ohio. The Agora name was previously used by two other Cleveland venues in succession, the latter of which was destroyed by fire in 1984... ) |
1968–1977 | 5000 Euclid Ave. Cleveland, OH Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... 44103 41°30′13.50"N 81°39′13.83"W |
|
| Statler Office Tower (now Statler Arms) |
1977–1992 | 1127 Euclid Ave., 12th Floor Cleveland, OH 44115 41°30′2.33"N 81°41′5.38"W |
|
| Skylight Office Tower | 1992–2001 | 1660 W. 2nd St., Suite 200 Cleveland, OH 44113 41°29′50.00"N 81°41′36.25"W |
|
| Centerior Energy Building (fmr.) | 2001–Present | 6200 Oak Tree Blvd., 4th Floor Independence Independence, Ohio Independence is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,133.-Geography:Independence is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.... , OH 44131 41°23′37.77"N 81°39′41.97"W |
|
| WMMS Transmitter Site in continuous use by station since 1946 Current tower constructed in 1991 |
||
| Years | Address | Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 1991–Present | 3650 Pleasant Valley Rd., Tower 2 Seven Hills Seven Hills, Ohio Seven Hills is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 11,804 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Seven Hills is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.... , OH Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... 41°21′32.00"N 81°40′5.00"W |
Current programming
At this point, WMMS has not regained the number one total listener audience which it held, more or less continuously, from 1975 to 1991. Additionally, the station now carries more than nine hours of talk programming every weekday (moreover, during drive timeDrive time
Drive time is the daypart analog to prime time for radio broadcasting. It consists of the morning hours when listeners wake up, get ready, and/or head to work or school, and the afternoon hours when they are heading home and before their evening meal. These are the periods where the number of...
). The station's problems are further compounded by lesser emphasis on local personalities (in particular, voice-tracking
Voice-tracking
Voice-tracking, also called cyber jocking and referred to sometimes colloquially as a robojock, is a technique employed by some radio stations in radio broadcasting to produce the illusion of a live disc jockey or announcer sitting in the radio studios of the station when one is not actually...
nights and weekends); ever shrinking and homogenized playlists; over-commercialization; greater censorship; and increasingly limited creative control. Much of this is attributed to the station's current ownership of Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
.
Regardless, WMMS remains one of the most important rock stations in the history of FM radio. Radio & Records
Radio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
(R&R) twice named WMMS "Rock Station of the Year: Markets 1-25" (2005, 2006) as part of R&R's annual Industry Achievement Awards (R&R has subsequently been absorbed by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine). More recently, readers of Cleveland Scene
Cleveland Scene
The Cleveland Scene is an alternative weekly newspaper based in Cleveland, Ohio. The newspaper includes highlights of Cleveland-area arts, music, dining, and films, as well as classified advertising...
chose both Rover (2009) and Alan Cox (2010, 2011) as the best radio personalities in Cleveland; WMMS itself was named best radio station in 2010.
Program Director Bo Matthews recently summarized the station's current programming philosophy:
Besides a standard analog transmission
Analog transmission
Analog transmission is a transmission method of conveying voice, data, image, signal or video information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that of a variable...
, WMMS broadcasts over two HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
channels. 100.7 HD-1 simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
s the analog feed, while 100.7 HD-2 broadcasts an alternative rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
as The Alternative Project. Both feeds are available online and via iHeartRadio
Iheartradio
iHeartRadio is a Clear Channel Radio network to aggregate local radio brands, personalities and on-demand content. It is best known as a mobile application...
.
Rover's Morning Glory
Rover's Morning Glory serves as the current WMMS morning show. Rover (Shane French) began in Cleveland in 2003 at rival WXTMWKRK-FM
WKRK-FM — branded Sports Radio 92.3 The Fan — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, WKRK-FM is owned by CBS Radio and broadcasts a sports format...
(now WKRK-FM), but in what was considered "a big blow" to that station and "a coup" for The Buzzard by WMMS veteran John Gorman
John Gorman (radio)
John Gorman is a radio personality and author from Cleveland, Ohio. He has a long history in media, but most notable is his 13 years at WMMS in Cleveland. In the 1970s, his innovative marketing of WMMS turned a nearly defunct station into one of the most popular in the United States. The station...
, Rover ended his contract CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
and moved the program over in the spring of 2008.
The show is also carried on WZNE
WZNE
WZNE — branded The Zone @ 94.1 — is a modern rock commercial radio station in Brighton, Monroe County, New York, broadcasting to the Rochester, New York area...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, a holdover affiliate from when the program was syndicated by CBS Radio as a regional replacement for The Howard Stern Show.
The Alan Cox Show
Radio personality Alan Cox took over the afternoon-drive slot as host of The Alan Cox Show on December 16, 2009, replacing former host Maxwell (Ben Bornstein) after contract renewal negotiations fell through between Bornstein and the station. Before arriving at WMMS, Cox was host of The Morning Fix at the former WKQX in Chicago, Illinois and The Alan Cox Radio Show at WXDX-FMWXDX-FM
WXDX-FM — branded 105.9 The X — is a modern rock radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts at 105.9 MHz with an effective radiated power of 15.5 kw.-History:...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
.
Cox is joined by comedian Chad Zumock
Chad Zumock
-Early years:Chad Zumock grew up in Brady Lake, Ohio and later Kent, Ohio where he graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School. While enrolled at Kent State University, Zumock was actively involved with Last Call – a popular late-night sketch comedy show airing on the student-run campus TV...
(formerly of Last Call Cleveland
Last Call Cleveland
Last Call Cleveland is a sketch comedy troupe. The members originally met when they were students at Kent State University, where they produced a late-night cable show that aired on the student-run campus network TV2. The show moved to Cleveland in 2001 to local broadcast cable station THE CAT...
) and Erika Lauren
Erika Lauren Wasilewski
Erika Lauren Wasilewski — also known by her radio/stage name Erika Lauren — is an American radio personality and singer-songwriter. She currently serves as both on air contributor and phone screener on The Alan Cox Show, heard during afternoon drive on noted Cleveland rock station WMMS...
(Erika Wasilewski), a cast member from the MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality series The Real World: Washington D.C..
Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx
The nationally-syndicated Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx (via Premiere Radio NetworksPremiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
) airs during the evening hours. The program, hosted by former Motley Crue
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
co-founder/bassist Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx
Nikki Sixx is an American musician, songwriter, author, fashion designer, radio host, and photographer, best known as the co-founder and bassist of the band Mötley Crüe. Prior to forming Mötley Crüe, Sixx was a member of Sister before going on to form London with his Sister band mate Lizzie Grey...
and radio personality Kerri Kasem
Kerri Kasem
Kerri Kasem July 12, 1978 in Los Angeles, California) is a radio and television host, actress and covermodel.She is the daughter of the radio host Casey Kasem and his first wife, Linda Myers Kasem, a Republican Party fund raiser.BIOGRAPHY...
, combines celebrity interviews and discussion about rock music, the "rock star life," and pop culture with music from the WMMS playlist. Sixx and Kasem also host a companion show airing Sunday nights, The Side Show with Nikki Sixx.
Active rock and weekends
The weekday active rockActive rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s are Maria (Maria Calo) middays and Shroom (Jason Schumm) overnights. Maria is locally-based while Shroom is voice-tracked
Voice-tracking
Voice-tracking, also called cyber jocking and referred to sometimes colloquially as a robojock, is a technique employed by some radio stations in radio broadcasting to produce the illusion of a live disc jockey or announcer sitting in the radio studios of the station when one is not actually...
from Cincinnati. Corey Rotic (Corey Hawkins) hosts The Rock Report, a brief daily segment devoted to rock news that regularly repeats throughout each weekday.
Maria, Corey Rotic, Miles (Miles Hlivko), Keith (Keith Hotchkiss) and Josh Kolodny are the local DJs heard weekends, as WMMS is much more music intensive on Saturday and Sunday than it is during the week. Other weekend programming includes Skratch'N'Sniff, a syndicated mash-up
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...
show hosted by Malcolm Ryker and DJ Mike Czech; and The House of Hair, a syndicated heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
show hosted by Dee Snider
Dee Snider
Daniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister...
.
Sports coverage
WMMS has served as the FM flagship station for the Cleveland BrownsCleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
since 2001, sharing coverage with AM sister station WTAM
WTAM
WTAM — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts primarily a news/talk format...
. WMMS previously shared Browns coverage in the 1970s, 80s and early 90s with former AM sister station WHK.
WTAM serves as the sole flagship station for both the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
and Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
, but WMMS does function as its backup station, carrying select games of each team during scheduling conflicts (this includes Indians spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
games). If during a Cavaliers/Indians conflict the Cavaliers are not in a playoff game, WMMS carries the Cavaliers (unless it's during spring training, then WMMS carries the Indians). If during a Cavaliers/Indians conflict the Cavaliers are in a playoff game, WMMS carries the Indians.