During the 20th anniversary broadcast, Mike Olszewski, along with Jeff & Flash, spoke with Wally Bryson of the Raspberries and one of the National Guardsmen. Boom also spent time on the Buzzard Morning Zoo and filled in during other air shifts. The announcement came less than two weeks before the show. He joined the station in early 1972 before its sale to Malrite, and stayed in different capacities until 2004. typify the show's irreverent style. WMMS during this period would play a key role in breaking several major acts in the U.S., including: Rush, Roxy Music, Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny, Fleetwood Mac, Meat Loaf, The Pretenders, the New York Dolls, Lou Reed, Mott the Hoople, Boston, and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Marilyn Manson served as an opener. Bryan Adams Agora photo credit: Janet Macoska, Sammy Hagar Odeon photo credit: Daune Raz. The movie is loosely written about director, Cameron Crowes life who as a child did in fact write for Rolling Stone and spent time on tour with bands like Led Zeppelin, Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Regular segments include "The Shizzy", a daily news update; "Tech Tuesday", where listeners pose consumer electronics questions to an industry expert; and "The Thursday Hook-Up", a call-in dating game. [74] Of all the personalities that worked at WMMS, Len "Boom" Goldberg remained the longest. Past show members at WMMS include, Ryan Hoppe, Scott Taylor (now a reporter at WJLA in Washington, DC, Kaitlin Geosano, and Rob Garguilo. "Born to Run" was the essence of everything I loved about rock 'n' roll. [167] WMMS also transmits text to compatible analog receivers, such as station IDs and artist and song information, via the Radio Data System (RDS); similarly, WMMS transmits text to HD Radio receivers known as Program Service Data (PSD). Excerpts from Denny Carleton's Coffee Break Concert 1976 with Fred Grupe Randy Klawon with Matt The Cat on WMMS. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). The show is now syndicated to WKGB-FM/Binghamton, WRKK/Williamsport, and WZNE/Rochester; replays continuously on a dedicated iHeartRadio channel; is available on demand through iHeartRadio; and broadcasts over the Livestream video platform. All we can do is hope to create something cool so that in 20 years people will say, 'Man, remember what WMMS used to be like? In 1984, Mellencamp delivered one of the greatest concerts in the WMMS Coffee Break series, opting to go acoustic at the height of his popularity for a set highlighted by stunning covers of songs from Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones and others. [68][69][70] WMMS also began referring to its frequency in promotions as "101 FM", a rounding-off which continued for the next decade. He would read some commercial copy and then "throw them in the bash bucket where they belong" and openly criticize music he didn't care for. With Lou Reed. In 1976, Bash began the tripped out tradition of playing Funkadelic Maggot Brain in its entirety every Saturday night at midnight. Album deejay Denny Sanders was brought in from Boston and key WNCR personnel (including former WHK-FM/WMMS personalities Martin Perlich and Billy Bass, and station newcomer David Spero) were soon hired by WMMS, taking most of their audience with them. [44][45][46] Seven years later, members of the station's staff and management pleaded guilty to disrupting a national broadcast of The Howard Stern Show that originated via the local Stern affiliate, cross-town rival WNCX. [33] Regarding the change, WMMS program director Bo Matthews (Alex Gutierrez) 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. 22 tracks (57:53). [135] Former Lex and Terry producer Jason Carr was named the new WMMS assistant program director on February 1, 2018. Other artists that shared the main stage were No Doubt, Patti Rothberg, The Tragically Hip, 311, and the Holy Barbarians. 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. All we're doing is shifting an image. [119] Neumann defended the decision later as the right thing to have done, noting how alternative rock would eventually fade as a format several years later. Cox also frequently takes calls from listeners, and often interviews guests in studio and over the phone. He played just seven songs, two of which were covers. But her Agora set was modest, featuring just seven songs. Warren Zevon, John Mellencamp, Lou Reed, Tim Buckley, Peter Frampton, and a host of others performed on the program over the years, recordings of which are still widely available as bootlegs. From the extraordinary Concert for the Rock Hall lineup, to Springsteen's iconic 1978 Agora set, to Bruno Mars' early show at the Grog Shop, relive some of the city's wildest nights for live music with these video recordings, bootlegs and audio streams of concerts. With content being supplied by journalists and WMMS personnel, it was the perfect companion to what WMMS was doing on air at the time with a focus on the new bands and artists of the alternative music era. People in radio say he was not an easy guy, that dealing with him was like a daily root canal. But the recorded performance offers a rare look at Gene Simmons and company's early years with a tight, eight-song set. Following the prank announcement, station management placed Maxwell on probation for 90 days. The music structure also was modified at this time as artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince soon found airplay on WMMS. CLICK TO LISTEN. The cast included Casey Coleman on sports, Pat Brady with traffic, Len Boom Goldberg as the voice of the morning show, Ruby Cheeks, Spaceman Scott, Captain Kenny Clean and Mr. Leonard. WMMS News anchor, Mike Olszewski paints a picture of the scene on that dreadful day. Thu . [71], 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. [148][149] All other air talent heard on WMMS is provided via iHeartMedia's "Premium Choice" voice-tracking service. But the band's 2003 Agora show on its "Elephant" tour was an epic showcase of just how big the band had become. [57], Following a legal dispute with a competing station owner over non-compete clauses in their contracts, former Top 40 WIXY personalities Dick "the Wilde Childe" Kemp and Lou "King" Kirby were signed by MetroMedia for the top 40 format. [88] Management ordered a change to the Buzzard by giving it a flat-top and mullet. [96][98] Billboard and Airplay Monitor magazines together named WMMS Rock Station of the Year (Medium Market) in 1995,[103] and Modern Rock Station of the Year (Medium Market) in 1996. - Recorded live performance on 7/23/83 during Breaker's WMMS's Coffee Break Concert Series. The concert was broadcast on WMMS and an additional seven stations, reaching . Murray Saul joined the WMMS staff as a salesman. Close Menu. U2's arrival at the Agora came smack dab in the middle of the band releasing its first two albums -- "Boy" and "October." This feature ran at the exact moment of the KSU shootings twenty years later. In time, the station adopted new slogans reflecting the callsign: "We're your Modern Music Station" and "your Music Marathon Station. The flick which takes place in the 70s tells the story of a teenage boy who writes for Rolling Stone with the main focus being the rock band Stillwater. Kid Leo was actively involved in the campaign in bringing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland - which lead to the mayor Geroge Voinovich granting him a key to the city in 1990. Yes, the station had lost its way for a bit, but MMS was the standard. In 1995 he was the PA voice introducing acts for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Grand Opening concert at Municipal Stadium. On March 30, 1946,[50] radio station WHK owned at that time by United Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of Forest City Publishing, itself the parent company of The Plain Dealer launched an experimental FM station under the callsign W8XUB at 107.1 megahertz (MHz). Heard are: John Bassette, Brewer & Shipley, Dan Hill, Tom Waits, Flatbush, Leo Kottke, Buzzy Linhart, Martin Mull, Pete Laughner and Walter Egan. Past affiliates at WMMS include WAMX/Huntington, WMFS-FM/Memphis, WNDE/Indianapolis, WXEG/Dayton, WRXS/Columbus, and the now defunct Extreme Talk. One day a co-worker overheard him ranting in the halls of the radio station and got the idea to feature him on the air with a salute to the weekend. The station claimed it was simply "a marketing strategy" and "much in line with what many stations did. Seth's Big Fat Barbarian Wedding - August 19th, 2005 at Shooters on the Water. Denny left WMMS to start another local station, but returned for a long stay at WMJI. Her first major headlining tour, in support of "Shes So Unusual," came to the Agora, where Lauper delivered a 12-song set. It was the perfect way to keep the party rolling. Judas Priest's 1981 "World Wide Blitz Tour" was a treat for multiple reasons. Based on considerably high record sales in the Cleveland market, Bowie (in his Ziggy Stardust persona alongside The Spiders from Mars) kicked off his first U.S. tour in "The Rock Capital" (a term coined by Bass). [142], Radio personality Rover (Shane French), host of Rover's Morning Glory, took over weekday mornings at WMMS on April 1, 2008, following a contract dispute with WKRK-FM owner CBS Radio; John Gorman compared signing the popular morning personality to a "coup". Hes heard introducing Bruce Springsteens fabled WMMS tenth anniversary show at the Cleveland Agora which is thought to have been the most bootlegged radio concert ever before its official release. INXS - WMMS Coffee Break Concert Live At The Cleveland Agora 27 June 1984 More images Tracklist Notes Recorded Live At The Cleveland Agora (Cleveland, OH) On 06-27-1984, Where INXS Performed A Very Rare Free Afternoon Concert In A Small Club, Sponsored By Local Radio Station WMMS 100.7 FM (Show Was Broadcast Live On The Air By WMMS). He was best known as the voice for the station's hourly IDs, music segues, sweepers, and commercials, and was also a member of The Buzzard Morning Zoo in the mid-80s. . WMMS Coffee Break Concert Cleveland Agora 1979. Kid Leo interviews David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony before their show at the Richfield Colesium. The Buzzard was the co-creation of Gorman, Sanders and American Greetings artist David Helton.[31]. 100.7 WMMS Cleveland's Rock Station. Rolling Stone once called it the greatest live LP in Springsteen's catalog. [58][59] During this time, WMMS used slogans derived from its call sign: first as "Music Means Satisfaction", and later as the place "Where Music Means Something". Concerts Skillet & Theory Of A Deadman at The Agora Mar 03, 2023. Tickets, $24 to $275, plus fees, at the box office, ticketmaster.com and livenation.com and by. Brian Chalmers, Rock 'N' Roll Artist", "Film; Paul Schrader Plumbs Grassroots Rock", "iHeartMedia Cleveland To Move To New Facility As Company Begins Cloud Based Tech Rollout", "Downtown TV station group may move to the suburbs", "Cleveland Broadcast Radio Archives WMMS timeline", "Rock in Akron: The Music Of Greater Akron", "The Second WMMS Music Marathon Station TV Spot", "Recalling a couple of wacky radio guys", http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1994/RR-1994-11-04.pdf, http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1994/RR-1994-12-02.pdf, "Billboard/Airplay Monitor Radio Awards Bestowed", "Kevin Metheny, a.k.a. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The Agora is etched in Cleveland music history. Play-by-play itself is also limited to over-the-air FM; due to league restrictions, the WMMS webcast on iHeartRadio does not stream play-by-play coverage online. Alford was subsequently caught, arrested and later sentenced to ten days in jail and a $1,000 fine. [91] 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. [131][132], In September 2007, WMMS management chose to "de-emphasize" both The Buzzard and WMMS call letters, referring to the station as simply "100.7", save for the FCC-mandated legal ID at the top of every hour. But she brought The Pretenders back to Northeast Ohio for an epic homecoming show at the Agora on St. Patrick's Day 1980. [47][93] Stern continued on with the program over a phone line as engineers worked to quickly patch together the severed broadcast wire. ", It's a snapshot of one of the most important all-female rock bands at their peak. Until Aug 27, 2022. WMMS sponsored the concerts. At the same time, the music communicates frustration and a constant longing to escape. 1.2.1Coffee Break Concerts 1.3Album-oriented rock (1973-94) 1.3.1From "Find Me" to FM powerhouse 1.3.2World Series of Rock 1.3.3Rock Forty and the Rock Hall 1.3.4Rolling StoneReaders' Poll 1.3.5Changing times 1.3.6The Cleveland Funeral 1.4Alternative rock (1994-97) 1.4.1The Next Generation 1.4.2BuzzardFest 1.5Active rock (1997-present) Other stations carried their birthday show. For the next three hours, spread across two sets, Springsteen did just that, telling stories and playing the best of his catalog, including a lengthy version of "Growin' Up," in which he told the tale of being sent to have a conversation with God about what he should do with his life, encountering Kid Leo along the way, who was "prayin' for more watts" for WMMS. Candlebox headlined the 2 stage show at Blossom Music Center on May 18, 1996. [125] As part of the stunt, Denny Sanders returned to host an airshift, programming the music at his discretion. [129][130] Radio & Records twice named WMMS "Rock Station of the Year: Markets 1-25" (200506) as part of the now defunct publication's annual Industry Achievement Awards. Police arrested Williams after the show, causing legal troubles for the band and the venue. Born in Belgium, but raised in Cleveland and Maple Heights, Matt the Cat Lapczynski was a radio fan from an early age. [117] BuzzardFest 2000 was held on June 30, 2000, at the Nautica Stage; Stone Temple Pilots, performing in Cleveland for the first time in six years, headlined the event.[118]. The station also started to devote weekend programming to the classic rock 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. He came to the Agora armed with a new album, Darkness on the Edge of Town. Win tickets to see Santana at MGM Northfield Park, Win tickets to see Kevin Hart at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Radio Daze: Stories from the Front in Clevelands FM Air Wars, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [51], Among the most notorious broadcasts of The Howard Stern Show occurred on June 10, 1994. Spring Bling Fine Arts And Crafts Show. Len "Boom" Goldberg's unmistakable voice was heard for three decades on 100.7 WMMS. Radio Daze: Stories from the Front in Clevelands FM Air Wars by Mike Olszewski (Kent State University Press), Cleveland Radio Tales by Mike & Janice Olszewski (Gray & Co., Publishers). Joining the Chicago native are Cleveland area comedians Bill Squire and Mary Santora, and former intern-turned-phone-screener Cody (Poundcake) Brown. Workhouse Arts Center: Mount Vernon Nights. Matt remains one of the most popular air personalities from WMMS' fifty year history. [127] A new airstaff was assembled after the stunt: Tim "Slats" Guinane was hired for afternoon drive replacing Brian & Joe, who were transferred to WMVX, and music director Mark Pennington replaced Bill "BLF Bash" Freeman in overnights. In 1984, Mellencamp delivered one of the greatest concerts in the WMMS Coffee Break series, opting to go acoustic at the height of his popularity for a set highlighted by stunning covers of. 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