Joining the Chicago native are Cleveland area comedians Bill Squire and Mary Santora, and former intern-turned-phone-screener Cody (Poundcake) Brown. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. WMMS Cleveland, Ohio United States Broadcast area Greater Cleveland Northeast Ohio Frequency 100.7MHz(HD Radio) Branding 100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard Programming Language(s) English Format Active rock/hot talk Subchannels HD2: BIN 99.1(All-news) Affiliations Cavaliers AudioVerse Cleveland Guardians WOIO Ownership Owner iHeartMedia (iHM Licenses, LLC) Of special note was the early support of Bruce Springsteen by Kid Leo and others, prior to the release of the Born to Run album. 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. Alford was subsequently caught, arrested and later sentenced to ten days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Denny Sanders & Fred Griffith. WMMS also streams it's coverage of selected games on iHeartRadio, even outside of the Cleveland market. [26][38][39][75][76][77], 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. 'MMS listener favorites like Green Day, Letters to Cleo, Everclear, Better Than Ezra, Alice in Chains, Garbage and Silverchair were just a few of the bands featured in Buzzard Bone. With news still in her blood, she returned to KSL-TV in 2013 where she rejoined the station's award-winning investigate team. Goldberg started at WMMS-FM/100.7 in 1972 and remained there until 2004, longer than any other personality employed there during the Buzzard's heyday. It's about an ex-Marine who is a hitman in the Midwest on March 25th. Following the prank announcement, station management placed Maxwell on probation for 90 days. Spero would go on to become one of Cleveland's early progressive-rock DJs, working first at WNCR and then at WMMS. [170][171][172], WMMS has also served as the FM flagship station for the Cleveland Guardians Radio Network since 2013, again sharing network flagship status with AM sister station WTAM. His current roster includes Kenny Loggins, Marc Cohn, Dicky Betts, Simon Kirke, Richie Furay and others. 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. "[83] Negative reaction was swift and widespread;[44][45] some called the scheme a mere "lack of judgement,"[44] while a reporter for the Akron Beacon Journal compared the station's response to that of discredited former Vice-president Spiro Agnew.[84]. safeway new westminster station parking; pluto conjunct prenatal solar eclipse; shandon hotel balance back [115][116], 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, Holy Barbarians, and Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. 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. In 1966, in an effort to make the medium more commercially viable, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mandated that FM stations could no longer duplicate the programming of their AM sister stations. (Plain Dealer file photo), Halper worked as a DJ and music director for WMMS-FM/100.7 from 1973-75 and was instrumental in helping the band Rush land a record deal. During the 1990s, he applied the same, take-no-prisoners promotion, programming and marketing strategy as operations manager of WMJI-FM/105.7, pushing the oldies station to the top of the radio ratings. [124], Following Jacor's takeover, WMMS ran a "Death of the Buzzard" month-long stunt in October 1998. The stations involved are WMMS (FM), WTAM (AM/FM), WMJI (FM), WGAR (FM), WHLK (FM), WAKS (FM), WKAS (HD2) and WARF (AM). She introduced Rush when they got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in June 2010. [51], Among the most notorious broadcasts of The Howard Stern Show occurred on June 10, 1994. Host of "Rover's Morning Glory", a syndicated morning talk show that started at WXTM-FM/92.3 in 2003. [114] 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 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.". [137][138], In 2000, the station turned to Wakin' up with Wolf and Mulrooneyhosted by Bob Wolf and John Mulrooneyfrom Albany's WPYX, which initially continued to originate and simulcast the program. She worked in radio in Los Angeles from 1973-76 at KLOS and KMET. Denny left WMMS to start another local station, but returned for a long stay at WMJI. "[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 worked the afternoon-drive shift until 1997 when he headed to Los Angeles. In the '90s, it re-focused on alternative rock programming, and in later years, moved into an active rock program with popular talk programs like "Rover's Morning Glory. In the trailer for the new show the character Barry, played by Bill Hader is wearing a vintage WMMS shirt. His was the booming voice on the station's hourly IDs, music segues, sweepers, and commercials. The call letters WMMS stand for "MetroMedia Stereo". [102], 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 with a new, younger audience. Denny was also instrumental in convincing former WMMS owner Milton Maltz to continue the stations rock format in the mid-1970s. Other artists that shared the main stage were No Doubt, Patti Rothberg, The Tragically Hip, 311, and the Holy Barbarians. [107][108][109][110], During this time, WMMS held a series of sold-out rock festivals that featured many of the new up-and-coming artists receiving station airplay. 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). WMMS, WTAM and the other iHeart stations in Cleveland will get a new home this year. (Plain Dealer file photo), "Spaceman Scott" - Scott Hughes, better known as Spaceman Scott, was a member of WMMS-FM/100.7's top-rated "Buzzard Morning Zoo" in the 1980s, along with Jeff Kinzbach, Ed "Flash" Ferenc, and others. But after a few years, he wanted to concentrate on being a DJ, so he reached out to an old friend, John Gorman, to come Cleveland as the station's music director. 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. In 1958, both WHK and WHK-FM were sold to Metropolitan Broadcasting, itself renamed MetroMedia two years later. (Plain Dealer file photo), Santini came to WMMS-FM/100.7 in 1994 after a stint at Canton's WRQK-FM/106.9. Tony Tilford, WMMS program director (19992003), WMMS shifted format to active rock on February 17, 1997, under the direction of Bob Neumann, who had previously programmed WNCX and WENZ. [133] "Chris Tyler" Merluzzo, former program director for Providence's WHJY, took over for Bo Matthews as WMMS program director on February 17, 2014. (Lapczinski is at far right in this photo along with his Buzzword crewmates in the WMMS studios) (Plain Dealer file photo), Kid Leo, whose real name is Lawrence James Travagilante, ruled the Buzzard roost at WMMS for 16 years from 1973-1988. (Plain Dealer file photo), Proud Parma natives, this longtime duo is better known as the affable hosts of "The Brian and Joe Show." "Discover Financial Services (DFS.N), a provider . Seth "the Barbarian" Williams took the overnight shift when Pennington moved to evenings in 2001. Gorman has also written a book about his days at WMMS, "The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio." (Scott is far right in the photo above, in the WMMS studio with Ed Kinzbach, Ed "Flash" Ferenc and Kenny Clean.) [123] WMMS veteran John Gorman has remained a vocal critic of iHeartMedia, once remarking on the company's former Cleveland executive, Kevin Metheny (dubbed "Pig Virus" by Howard Stern during their time at WNBC): "He had a volatile time here. She was on-air from 1993-1997, and had a popular 7-midnight show. Listen To The Most Popular Podcasts On iHeartRadio! Cleveland's Rock Station, home of Rover's Morning Glory, The Alan Cox Show, and FM Home of Cleveland Guardians Baseball. Buzzard-Palooza was the first of these: held in July 1994 at the Nautica Stage, the all-day concert included sets from Collective Soul, Junkhouse and Fury in the Slaughterhouse,[111] but was cut short after turning into a "rock-and-bottle-throwing melee." "[110] Studios were moved again to a combined facility in the suburb of Independence, Ohio. 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. [144] Rover's contract with CBS was set to expire, but it was an affiliate contract inherited from the Free FM stintCBS transferred him back to WKRK-FM after WCKG cancelled itand not a talent contract, thus he was not subject to a non-compete clause. The phallic like logo depicted a large mushroom with a little elf hanging out smoking a joint. He became one of the station's most popular jocks during its Buzzard heyday, and was perhaps best known as the host of the live Wednesday "Coffeebreak Concerts." [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. Today, she is an assistant professor of communication at Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. July 11, 1995. The other DJs in the photo are, from left: Doc Nemo, Vic Boc, Martin Perlich and Pat Mack. He is part of the permanent radio exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Dean DePiero, then mayor of Parma, criticized the song and its accompanying YouTube video: "It's pretty sick. Ken Schneck. Contrary to what many believe, the choice of the second Malrite logo had nothing to do with Buzzard Day, the annual "folksy event" held in Hinckley Township, Ohio. He offered "Solid Goldbergers" and ordered us to "EN-joy". The ritual lasted through his entire career at the Buzzard. The duo reigned over a zany -- and revolving -- supporting cast of characters on "Buzzard Morning Zoo" for 18 years from 1976-1994. [26] Station employees went on to take director and executive-level positions in the recording industry, namely with labels RCA, Mercury, and Columbia. This feature ran at the exact moment of the KSU shootings twenty years later. ". She worked there until 1999. Lawrence James Travagliante - aka Kid Leo. Win a Monster Zero Sugar prize pack from Circle K! February 11, 2020 Sean Collier, Photos by Becky Thurner Braddock Sean McDowell With time and freedom, longtime DJ Sean McDowell can't get off the road. It was the perfect way to keep the party rolling. Reporting news, weather, sports and bringing you daily local programming, each member of the ABC4 Utah team is dedicated to bringing balanced reporting, journalistic integrity, and honesty to Utah's news. BuzzardFest 2000 took Place on June 30, 2000 at Nautica on the Flats West Bank. [51] Like most early FM stations, WHK-FM mostly simulcast the Top 40 programming of its AM sister station. Rover regularly takes calls throughout the show, and often interviews guests in studio and over the phone. He stayed at WMMS until 1992, moving then to WNCX-FM/98.5 and WDOK-FM/102.1. [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. 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). She now lives in Santa Monica, Calif. (Stile is pictured here, sitting next to Bruce Springsteen during his 1976 visit to the WMMS studios. As WMMS celebrates the anniversary, both on-air and online, using archival audio, memorabilia and station-related artifacts to offer a cross-section of the station's diverse history and the. He now lives in Texas and works at an addiction recovery center, but he still does the Mr. Leonard character on former WMMS DJ Jeff Kinzbach's morning show on Akron's WONE-FM/97.5. Yes, the station had lost its way for a bit, but MMS was the standard. [148][146][152][153][154][155], A devoted fan of heavy metal, Cox considers himself more of a comedian than a disc jockey. Fans were encouraged to drop off a self-addressed stamped envelope to a local record store in order to score tickets. Everything else in Cleveland was going wrong except us," said Gorman about his early years at WMMS in the '70s. 1," released in 1999. He is also the curator and archivist for the Ohio Broadcast Archive and Museum, and now teaches media communications classes at Kent State University and the University of Akron. Cleveland Magazine has also described both Rover and Cox as "talk shows with a rock-oriented sensibility". In November 1972, WMMS was sold to Malrite Communications, a Michigan-based firm that relocated to Cleveland upon purchase. Len "Boom" Goldberg's unmistakable voice was heard for three decades on 100.7 WMMS. 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. There were other really good rock stations around, but those other stations opted in to carry the live broadcast of the MMS birthday show (in 1978). 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. 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. We had a pretty good run with it in the '70s to the mid-'80s.". They worked together on four different stations in the Cleveland/Akron area over the years: WONE-FM/97.5, WENZ-FM/107.9, WMMS-FM/100.7 and WMVX-FM/106.5. Bruce held on to the innocence and the romance. [120] Meanwhile, ownership would change yet again as Nationwide Communications was bought out by Jacor in November 1997. 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. WMMS's studios are located at the Six Six Eight Building in downtown Cleveland's Gateway District;[48][49] the station transmitter resides in neighboring Seven Hills. As WMMS-FM/100.7 program director from 1973-86, Gorman led the Buzzard troops on a campaign of conquest that transformed an unknown, FM upstart into a rock 'n' roll powerhouse. A federal offense, the act nearly cost WMMS its broadcasting license. [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. Her LinkedIn Profile says she is now an independent radio professional in New York. [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. He had that gig for seven years and parlayed it into a regular show on WCLV-FM-95.5 called the "Perlich Project," featuring everything from classical music to jazz to progressive rock. John Gorman, Denny Sanders and Kid Leo organized the original campaign with Tunc Erim, assistant to Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun. Moms to be participated in the bikini contest for a chance to win $1,000. [142], On April 3, 2009, The Maxwell Show went on the air claiming that Metallicain Cleveland for the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony the very next daywas playing a free show in the WMMS parking lot later that evening. "[27][36] WMMS played a key role in breaking several major acts in the U.S., including David Bowie, Rush, and Bruce Springsteen. This second show sold out immediately, and was held at the city's largest venue: Cleveland Public Hall.[63]. [152][156][157][158], Comedian Chad Zumock was a co-host until his dismissal on December 3, 2012, after being arrested for driving while intoxicated;[159] Zumock was acquitted of the charge on May 3, 2013. She has written several books, including "Boston Radio: 1920-2010." 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. The Buzzard made its first appearance in a print ad in a magazine called Zeppelin. MLB At Bat", "Play-By-Play Streaming Rights: 'The Goal Posts Are Moving. Some of those artists were Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Pat Benatar, Roxy Music, Cyndi Lauper, The Pretenders, New York Dolls, and Southside Johnny. 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). (Plain Dealer file photo), Matt Lapczinski, better known as "Matt The Cat," started at WMMS-FM/100.7 in 1974, fresh out of Cleveland State University. Today, she is a regular DJ on oWOW Radio on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons. Subscribe Now To Listen Your Favorite Songs On Demand! She also worked in TV production in LA, including at "Entertainment Tonight," and as a freelance producer, editor and writer for an audio book abridger. [53] Mr. Leonard supposedly worked at the Buzzard, as the assistant public service director, but he was never able to make it into the office. That will never be done again. He can still be heard on the radio, too. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band!" The Buzzard was the co-creation of Gorman, Sanders and American Greetings artist David Helton.[31]. of WIXY 1260. Needless to say, for health reasons, this contest changed the way promotions were done going forward at WMMS. [142], Radio personality Rover (Shane French), host of Rover's Morning Glory, took over weekday mornings at WMMS on April 1, 2008, following a contract dispute with WKRK-FM owner CBS Radio; John Gorman compared signing the popular morning personality to a "coup". He first began in radio in 1973 at noted Cleveland rock station WMMS (100.7 FM, "The Buzzard"). WMMS (100.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, commonly identified as "TheBuzzard". She was among the first DJs to put the group's seven-minute opus, "Working Man," into regular rotation. In the early '90s, she started her own DJ and karaoke company, Amalon Entertainment, with husband Frank Amato, the lead singer for Beau Coup.