Past show members at WMMS include, Ryan Hoppe, Scott Taylor (now a reporter at WJLA in Washington, DC, Kaitlin Geosano, and Rob Garguilo. Dean DePiero, then mayor of Parma, criticized the song and its accompanying YouTube video: "It's pretty sick. No Doubt performed Buzzard Fest on May 18, 1996. Rolling Stone named WMMS "Radio Station of the Year" nine straight years (197987) 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. Leesburg. Most station imaging is produced out-of-market by national voice talents "David Lee" Olejniczak, Malcolm Ryker,[166] Rena-Marie Villano, and former WMMS creative services director Miles Hlivko; additional voice-over audio is produced on-site by WMMS imaging director Billy Black. Play-by-play announcers Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus call games on-site. Check out our coffee break concert selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. [112] WMMS scheduled a second Green Day performance just two months later this time at Blossom Music Center and at a near-record-low cost of $5 per ticket, the station gave fans a "second chance" to see the band live. [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. [94] Station management initially claimed that Alford acted alone,[93] however WMMS Promotions Director Heidi Klostermanworking under the name Heidi Kramerlater pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempted disruption of a public service and a misdemeanor of receiving stolen property; Greg Smith, a former Klosterman colleague, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of breaking and entering. [74] Of all the personalities that worked at WMMS, Len "Boom" Goldberg remained the longest. For the station's tenth anniversary in 1978, WMMS hosted and broadcast a live Springsteen concert at the Agora Ballroom independent of his concert tour. [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. Sat 03 Jun 2023 Jiffy Lube Live Bristow, VA, US. The band's set included two songs from its debut EP, including "Wolves, Lower" and "Gardening at Night.". ", WMMS-FM---FREEMAN,-Bill-'BLF-Bash'--(Date-Unknown). [124], Following Jacor's takeover, WMMS ran a "Death of the Buzzard" month-long stunt in October 1998. Later the program moved to the Agora Ballroom and was done with an audience. 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). [68][69][70] WMMS also began referring to its frequency in promotions as "101 FM", a rounding-off which continued for the next decade. "Born to Run" was the essence of everything I loved about rock 'n' roll. Thus, Springsteen made the trip to the Agora with Van Zandt and performed a few songs to the surprise of the crowd. ", It's a snapshot of one of the most important all-female rock bands at their peak. But she brought The Pretenders back to Northeast Ohio for an epic homecoming show at the Agora on St. Patrick's Day 1980. A few of the live recordings during the band's "Stained Class Tour" gig worked their way onto single releases. The program ran on the station from the early 70s to the early 80s and featured an amazing number of noteable performers in performance from the WMMS studios. In November 1972, WMMS was sold to Malrite Communications, a Michigan-based firm that relocated to Cleveland upon purchase. Leesburg, VA. Read More . The show itself rapidly covers a range of topics in a comedic format, from major current events to obscure pop culture; regular segments like "Sperm News", "Why Florida Sucks", and "Are You Smarter Than a Dumbass?" Conditions Governing Access While both Rover and Alan Cox are primarily "hot talk" programs, rock music airs during regular middays, nights, overnights, weekends and online during Cavaliers and Guardians play-by-play. [52] On November 13, 1947, the new FM station transitioned from experimental to commercial status; increased its power; and changed its callsign to WHKX. 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). [88] Management ordered a change to the Buzzard by giving it a flat-top and mullet. The Buzzard was the co-creation of Gorman, Sanders and American Greetings artist David Helton.[31]. Win tickets to see Brit Floyd at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica. Springsteen's music had become an important cornerstone of the Buzzard playlist and his profile had risen nationally, thanks to the release of the Born to Run album, with the title track quickly becoming an 'MMS staple that would endure for decades. In the trailer for the new show the character Barry, played by Bill Hader is wearing a vintage WMMS shirt. However, Matt would be dismissed permanently from the station in late 1992, the victim of budget cuts. 'Pig Virus,' riles WGN Radio's Chicago fan base", http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1997/RR-1997-02-21.pdf, "Clear Channel Wins Bidding Contest, Agrees to Buy Jacor Communications", "Clear Channel Renames Itself iHeartMedia in Nod to Digital", "At the controls: Clear Channel programmer rules radio in Cleveland", "Buzzard scam gets WMMS what it wanted: more listeners", "Arbitron: Listening Up, Fave Stations The Same", "Browns next to explore market for radio rights", "CCM+E/Cleveland Names Chris Tyler PD Of WMMS, WAKS, 99X", "Jason Carr Named PD Alt 99.1 FM and APD for WMMS/Cleveland", "Pair of Indianapolis Morning Show Changes", "93X/Memphis Flips, ESPN Sportsradio 680 Gets FM Simulcast", "iHeartRadio: Rover's Morning Glory Replay", "iHeartRadio: Rover's Morning Glory On Demand", "June 4th 2014 - Tweens Kill For Slenderman/Chef Steve Schimoler In-Studio/Racism In America", "Rover and WMMS Agree to a Contract Extension That Will Keep Him on the Air Through 2017", "Best of Cleveland 2004: Best Morning DJ", "Best of Cleveland 2005: Best Radio Morning Show", "Best of Cleveland 2006: Best Radio-Host Homecoming", "Best of Cleveland 2007: Best Radio Show", "Best of Cleveland 2009: Best Local Radio Personality", "Best of Cleveland 2014: Best Radio Personality", "Best of Cleveland 2015: Best Radio Show", "Cleveland DJ Helps Cast a Spell on LeBron", "Best of Cleveland 2011: People & Places", "Best of Cleveland 2012: People & Places", "Best of Cleveland 2013: People & Places", "Alan Cox Talk Show Rocks Cleveland on WMMS-FM", "iHeartRadio Shows & Personalities: The Alan Cox Show 24/7", "December 16, 2014 episode - Alan Renews His Contract/The Show Recaps Bad Decisions/Drunk or Kid", "Cody 'Poundcake' Brown is out and entertaining as part of popular 'Alan Cox' show on WMMS", "Aerosmith Frontman Explains New Album Delay (Audio) - June 26, 2012", "Forbes has it in for Cleveland. . Thu . . (Interview) 3. The broadcast consists entirely of talk, a mix of current events, pop culture, and stories from the staff. [148][146][152][153][154][155], A devoted fan of heavy metal, Cox considers himself more of a comedian than a disc jockey. It was the first time Stone Temple Pilots performed in Cleveland in six years. Needless to say, for health reasons, this contest changed the way promotions were done going forward at WMMS. . For STP vocalist Scott Weiland, who spent time as a kid living in Bainbridge Township and attending grade school in Chagrin Falls, the concert was a homecoming experience and he referenced his time growing up in Northeast Ohio during his conversations with the crowd that evening. [136], From the 1994 exit of Jeff Kinzbach and Ed Ferenc until the arrival of Rover's Morning Glory in 2008, WMMS gained notoriety for airing 13 distinct shows in morning drive. Ross Brittain temporarily filled in prior to the arrival of The Brian and Joe Radio Show on the Buzzard Morning Zoo, hosted by Brian Fowler and Joe Cronauer. WMMS also streams it's coverage of selected games on iHeartRadio, even outside of the Cleveland market. Smith's 1976 performance came right as punk was taking off and featured her famous live recording of The Who's "My Generation. [148][149][143][150], Radio personality Alan Cox, formerly host of The Morning Fix at WKQX/Chicago and The Alan Cox Radio Show at WXDX-FM/Pittsburgh, took over weekday afternoons as host of The Alan Cox Show on December 16, 2009. [28][29][30] Owned by iHeartMedia, and broadcasting a mix of active rock and hot talk, WMMS is currently the flagship station for Rover's Morning Glory, the FM flagship for the Cavaliers AudioVerse and Cleveland Guardians Radio Network, the Cleveland affiliate for The House of Hair with Dee Snider and the home of radio personality Alan Cox. The band featured Eddie Vedder (trying to remain lowkey) as the drummer, who was helping out his then wife and bassist Bethe Liebling. "[86] From 1991 to 1993, WMMS served as the FM flagship for the Cleveland Browns, sharing coverage with then-sister WHK; the late Nev Chandler served as play-by-play announcer. 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. In July 1973, John Gorman joined WMMS as music director and was promoted to program director and operations manager two months later where he remained for thirteen years. She was well on her way to becoming the queen of rock and roll. Rover regularly takes calls throughout the show, and often interviews guests in studio and over the phone. Described by Talkers magazine as "a bold anomaly worthy of industry attention", the show itself has successfully continued the format established by its predecessor The Maxwell Show all talk during afternoon drive on an FM rock station. Phil Keaggy & Lynn Nichols ~ Gentle Eyes - WMMS Coffee Break Concert4/28/78 - WMMS Coffee Break Concert featuring Phil Keaggy and Lynn Nichols doing a rare . 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. Chrissie Hynde had to go to Europe to form the band that would make her famous. Brian and Joe were moved to afternoons in February 1997 after a change in ownership, with shock jock Liz Wilde (Anne Whittemore) from WPLL/Miami taking their place; her firing less than a year later sparked a successful lawsuit against both the station and then-owner Nationwide Communications. On February 9, 2010, the show aired "Parma State of Mind", both a parody of the Jay-Z/Alicia Keys hit "Empire State of Mind" and a way of continuing the Northeast Ohio tradition of poking fun at the Cleveland suburb. [72] Rather, WMMS adopted a buzzard as its mascot in April 1974 because of the then tenuous economic state of Cleveland less than five years away from becoming the first major American city to enter into default since the Great Depression[73] and the winged-creature's classification as a scavenger. The station claimed it was simply "a marketing strategy" and "much in line with what many stations did. 4, their fourth album, which had been released the previous year, but dug deep into their back catalog for a crowd-pleasing set that featured all of the hits and a hefty selection of deeper tracks that were also fan favorites. Right up until his departure in 1988, Kid Leo played "Born to Run" as his signature sign-off song every Friday night at 5:55 to kick off the weekend for area listeners. The Buzzard in Cleveland is one of the country s most well-known commercial FM radio stations. 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. 1201 S Joyce St Arlington, VA. Cleveland Magazine has also described both Rover and Cox as "talk shows with a rock-oriented sensibility". Danny Czekalinski and Darla Jaye teamed up in October 1997 with Liz Wilde holdover Cory Lingus (Cory Gallant) until August 1998. We joked about the Buzzard becoming Cleveland's Mickey Mouse a "Buzzard Land" amusement park filled with sex, drugs and rock and roll A study conducted by MBA students at Case Western Reserve University in 1975 found that the new WMMS logo was more recognizable to those living in Greater Cleveland than both Chief Wahoo of the Cleveland Indians and even Coca-Cola. Hi Fis live on WMMS Coffee Break Concert with Mat the Cat at the Agora in Cleveland Ohio Early 1980s 01. It really was an awesome time.' [47][93] Stern continued on with the program over a phone line as engineers worked to quickly patch together the severed broadcast wire. 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. WMMS, broadcasting on 100.7 FM, has been a Cleveland-area radio station since 1946, and has had a rock or progressive rock format since the 1960s. 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. Benatar had just released her soon-to-be massive success of a debut, In the Heat of the Night." All we're doing is shifting an image. Jerry Busch.com. The following local and national media outlets have attributed WMMS with this distinction: The following books have attributed WMMS with this distinction: harvnb error: no target: CITEREFNicks2003 (, "Rock Hall to Celebrate 40 Years of WMMS with New Exhibit", "Radio & Records 1981 on the WMMS Buzzard and Other Station Mascots", "The Media Business; Malrite's Buyout Price Disturbs Wall Street Analysts", "R.I.P. blink-182. Hometown punk heroes the Dead Boys' played the Agora in 1977 on a bill with the Dictators and a young Cheap Trick. The very first logo to ever be created for WMMS was a red and white rainbow. 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. 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 also started to devote weekend programming to the classic rock format. WMMS-HD2, which relays its signal over low-power FM translator W256BT (99.1 FM), is the Cleveland affiliate for iHeart's all-news oriented Black Information Network. ". 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. "[66][67] Although never used on the air, listeners alternately knew the callsign as an acronym for "Weed Makes Me Smile" and "Magic MushroomS," the latter referencing the somewhat controversial logo used before the Buzzard. [168], WMMS has served as the FM flagship station for the Cleveland Cavaliers AudioVerse since 2014, sharing network flagship status with AM sister station WTAM. Copyright - OceanWP Theme by Nick Close Menu It was supposed to be a colorful logo including all the rainbow colors - but at the time, the station didn't have the budget to do multiple colors so they kept it one color. He is part of the permanent radio exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Some of those artists were Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Pat Benatar, Roxy Music, Cyndi Lauper, The Pretenders, New York Dolls, and Southside Johnny. Matt remains one of the most popular air personalities from WMMS' fifty year history. Phil Keaggy & Lynn Nichols ~ Full Circle - WMMS Coffee Break Concert - YouTube 0:00 / 5:05 Phil Keaggy & Lynn Nichols ~ Full Circle - WMMS Coffee Break Concert 4,364 views Jan 6, 2010 21. ', Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 19781984, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WMMS&oldid=1137903859, The Cleveland Plaza/Statler Office Tower (now, This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 00:47. Nevertheless, another great "Coffee Break Concert" from WMMS, Cleveland. [148][149] All other air talent heard on WMMS is provided via iHeartMedia's "Premium Choice" voice-tracking service. He would go on and on about what is wrong with the world, horrible co-workers and bosses and the daily grind of the work day. The top 40 format also failed to make any major ratings impact. [62] The WMMS-sponsored concert was a "phenomenal success"[58][63] and prompted the station to sponsor a second show that year. Concerts Skillet & Theory Of A Deadman at The Agora Mar 03, 2023. The performance was recorded for radio and titled "A Small Affair in Ohio." Saturday, Mar 4, 2023 from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Warren Zevon began the WMMS session with a version of what at the time was a brand new, unheard number, entitled Excitable Boy. Born in Belgium, but raised in Cleveland and Maple Heights, Matt the Cat Lapczynski was a radio fan from an early age. DJ additions included station engineer Ric Bennett as "Rocco the Rock Dog,"[86] Scooter (WMMS music director Brad Hanson), former WRQC nighttime Personality and later WNCX Afternoon Drive and Production Director, Tom "Jack" Daniels (who returned to the Cleveland airwaves after a successful stint as Program Director of WLEV, Allentown, PA), Lisa Dillon[86] and station veteran Matt the Cat,[86] (who returned to the midday slot in 1990 after a two-year absence.) He finds himself traveling to LA to kill someone but ends up becoming a part of the theater scene. [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". [135] Former Lex and Terry producer Jason Carr was named the new WMMS assistant program director on February 1, 2018. Belkin Productions staged these events, attracting popular hard rock bands and as many as 88,000 fans. Over the next twenty years Matt did mostly middays and hosted the weekly Coffee Break Concerts, likely introducing more concerts than anyone in Cleveland history. He gave many new up and coming artists exposure and put them on the map to their road to stardom. WMMS Coffee Break Concert Cleveland Agora 1979. Additionally, Rover was the Midwest replacement for Howard Stern under CBS's Free FM branding concept following Stern's move to Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006, originating from Chicago's WCKG. His cover of "River Deep, Mountain High" is mind-blowing. 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. The second logo, first one in print, used by WMMS was the Tongue Logo. 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? Alford was subsequently caught, arrested and later sentenced to ten days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Thousands of entries were received, but only 375 lucky listeners received two tickets to the concert. On October 26, 2010, Rover hired a witch doctor to curse LeBron James after the NBA star left the Cleveland Cavaliers. Seth's Big Fat Barbarian Wedding - August 19th, 2005 at Shooters on the Water.