But one of the best-known gigs took place at the Agora in 1977. Buzzard Morning Zoo video featuring Mr. Leonard. [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. Kid Leo interviews David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony before their show at the Richfield Colesium. 11-09-22 AN coffee break concert 5-26-82 ENCORE 99 [143] Born in Chicago but raised in Las Vegas, Rover worked for rock stations KISW in Seattle and KXPK in Denver prior to arriving in Cleveland. [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". "[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. . WMMS sponsored the concerts. MLB At Bat", "Play-By-Play Streaming Rights: 'The Goal Posts Are Moving. [137] Cantle later called the failure of Sean, Cristi and Hunter as "a real team effort" and compared herself unfavorably to Johnny Manziel: "too young, too overconfident and too drunk to handle the responsibility however I have no intentions of playing Canadian football". Joan Jett, Sandy West and company played 13 songs, including "Cherry Bomb" and a cover of The Velvet Underground's "Rock & Roll. Though, one of the was "Heartbreaker.". The concert series continued on well into the 1990s and early 2000s, albeit much less frequently.[64][65]. Tarara Summer Concerts (Fee-Based) Leesburg. played the Agora in 1982, opening for Steve Forbert and the Flying Squirrels. 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. Murray Saul joined the WMMS staff as a salesman. During their infamous show at the Agora, Plasmatics frontwoman Wendy O. Williams tore apart the stage with a chainsaw and covered herself in whipped cream (which is about all she wore). [31] In 1981, Radio & Records identified "the malevolent feathered figure" as "the best-known station symbol in the country. Students were protesting the bombing of Cambodia by the United States Armed Forces. With Lou Reed. [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. The short-lived music magazine featured a diverse mix of interviews, opinion pieces, album reviews, Buzzard playlists, concert listings and photos from station events. Following the prank announcement, station management placed Maxwell on probation for 90 days. Win tickets to see Brit Floyd at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica. 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. 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. No Doubt shared the 2 stage show at Blossom with Candlebox, Patti Rothberg, The Tragically Hip, 311, and the Holy Barbarians. [47] Owned by Malrite Communications from 1972 to 1993, subsequent consolidation in the radio industry saw WMMS change ownership five times in seven years, and has been in iHeartMedia's portfolio (originally under the Clear Channel name) since 1999. Rosenhaus hosts the network pregame show; and Hamilton hosts the network postgame show. Springsteen played the Agora in the spring of 1974 as part of "The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle Tour." By 1984, the WMMS format moved to an CHR/AOR hybrid, playing a great deal of Top 40 rock singles in hot rotation mixed with album cuts; this new blended rock/Top 40 format was soon known by those at the station as Rock Forty. [62] The WMMS-sponsored concert was a "phenomenal success"[58][63] and prompted the station to sponsor a second show that year. [88] Management ordered a change to the Buzzard by giving it a flat-top and mullet. Alex Bevam is a folk singer from the Cleveland OH area who is best known for the song "Skinny Little Boy From Cleveland Ohio". The phallic like logo depicted a large mushroom with a little elf hanging out smoking a joint. Saul kicked off the weekend every Friday at 6:00pm with his Get Down rants helping Clevelanders get ready for the weekend. Rush's 1974 show at the Agora, aka "The First American Broadcast," was part of a successful run early on in Cleveland, which helped Rush gain popularity in the States. One lucky WMMS listener won a Harley Davidson signed by Sammy Hagar! In 1958, both WHK and WHK-FM were sold to Metropolitan Broadcasting, itself renamed MetroMedia two years later. [53] The Agora is etched in Cleveland music history. 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. Quiet Riot played 11 songs. WMMS News anchor, Mike Olszewski paints a picture of the scene on that dreadful day. The performance was recorded for radio and titled "A Small Affair in Ohio." A federal offense, the act nearly cost WMMS its broadcasting license. Smith's 1976 performance came right as punk was taking off and featured her famous live recording of The Who's "My Generation. [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. What puts the show over the top is David Bowie backing Iggy on keyboard. A few of the live recordings during the band's "Stained Class Tour" gig worked their way onto single releases. Other artists that shared the main stage were No Doubt, Patti Rothberg, The Tragically Hip, 311, and the Holy Barbarians. . The first buzzard which has penned the name The Wrath of the Buzzard can be seen sitting atop a mushroom paying homage to the former logo along with the competitors call letters WGCL and WIXY grasped in its beak. Dead & Company. Mr. Leonard, the self proclaimed assistant public service director made appearances on the Buzzard Morning Zoo for many years. [41] WMMS also lured popular morning personalities Brian Fowler and Joe Cronauer away from rival WENZthen also an alternative rock stationas the successors to Jeff and Flash (Jeff Kinzbach, Ed Ferenc) on The Buzzard Morning Zoo. 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. We never learned what Mr. Leonard looked like, he never discussed it on the air. ", A 10-song set that lasted nearly an hour. [47][93] Stern continued on with the program over a phone line as engineers worked to quickly patch together the severed broadcast wire. . The announcement came less than two weeks before the show. [134] Following Merluzzo's departure, senior vice president of programming for iHeartMedia's North Ohio region Keith Abrams was named as program director on December 4, 2017. [38][39] 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. Matt remains one of the most popular air personalities from WMMS' fifty year history. The Buzzard was the co-creation of Gorman, Sanders and American Greetings artist David Helton.[31]. WMMS Coffee Break Concert 5-26-1982 Encore Host Denny Sanders Statesboro Blues . [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. Joining the Chicago native are Cleveland area comedians Bill Squire and Mary Santora, and former intern-turned-phone-screener Cody (Poundcake) Brown. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Talking Heads' 1978 Agora show is so beloved by fans the original master tapes have gone up for auction. Find tickets to all live music, concerts, tour dates and festivals in and around Ashburn. ", It's a snapshot of one of the most important all-female rock bands at their peak. Needless to say, for health reasons, this contest changed the way promotions were done going forward at WMMS. In 1995 he was the PA voice introducing acts for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Grand Opening concert at Municipal Stadium. [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. His cover of "River Deep, Mountain High" is mind-blowing. They brought pleasure to the average Clevelanders workday with segments like Token Jokes of the Morning, Spousal Arousal and Blow Something Up. The station serves as the FM flagship for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Guardians radio networks. Win a Monster Zero Sugar prize pack from Circle K! WMMS "Coffee Break Concert" series hosted lots of name artists and legendary performances over the years. 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. Matt the Cat was permanently let go in December 1992 due to "budget problems. It was brief but memorable, especially for fans of college rock. WMMS did remote interviews at KSU all morning which included an interview from 1972 presidential candidate, Senator George McGovern, KSU student and gunshot survivor, Dean Kahler, other May 4th wounded who survived, Governor Dick Celeste, current students and others. [141] Maxwell was known for having feuds with other radio personalities during the show's time at WMMS, including Rover of Rover's Morning Glory and fellow WTAM afternoon host Mike Trivisonno; by 2009, Maxwell had become the number one afternoon program in several key demographics. Some of those artists were Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Pat Benatar, Roxy Music, Cyndi Lauper, The Pretenders, New York Dolls, and Southside Johnny. WMMS does not air additional network programming, and the station only airs select games during spring training. The ritual lasted through his entire career at the Buzzard. He is part of the permanent radio exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 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. He was on WMMS for more than twenty years, and would end his show with, "Blue skies and green lights to ya. [56], MetroMedia found major success with progressive rock at KMET Los Angeles, KSAN San Francisco, WMMR Philadelphia and WNEW-FM New York, but a lack of commitment from MetroMedia led the company to drop the format at WMMS by May 1969. Rolling Stone once called it the greatest live LP in Springsteen's catalog. Cleveland Police briefly detained Ky-Mani Marley after the singer threatened Rover for comments made during an April 20, 2010 in-studio interview. The next Artful Dodger concert is on June 03, 2023 at Brockwell Park in London, England, United Kingdom. [52] On November 13, 1947, the new FM station transitioned from experimental to commercial status; increased its power; and changed its callsign to WHKX. The concert was broadcast on WMMS and an additional seven stations, reaching throughout the Midwest to Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis and other markets and would eventually reach far beyond that radius, thanks to the many who were rolling tape to record the concert from their stereo. 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. 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? The Agora "Alpha" first opened in 1966 in Little Italy before moving a year later to East 24th Street. He offered "Solid Goldbergers" and ordered us to "EN-joy". I suppose it doesn't get more Cleveland than Ian Hunter performing "Cleveland Rocks" in Cleveland, which you can find live in various format. 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. WMMS was directly influenced by then and current sister station WHTZ/New York (Z100), which rose to the top of the ratings books immediately after installing a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format. ', 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. You gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta get dooooooowwwwn!, His rant followed Bruce Springsteens Born to Run. The kickoff to the weekend continued with Ian Hunters Cleveland Rocks and Earth Quakes Friday on my mind.. WMMS was the first radio station to employ full-time promotion and marketing directors: Dan Garfinkel and his successor, Jim Marchyshyn. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. It came during the band's "Darkness" tour. Play-by-play announcers Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus call games on-site. Warren Zevon began the WMMS session with a version of what at the time was a brand new, unheard number, entitled Excitable Boy. The WMMS broadcast features numerous highlights, including the hit "Runaway.". [98][106] The sale came almost immediately after passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, a time when radio companies nationwide rushed "at a fever pitch" to acquire new properties. 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. "[32] "De-emphasized" in the fall of 2007, the scavenger was revived the following spring to coincide with the station's 40th anniversary and with the arrival of morning personality Rover. Not only did it feature a up-and-coming band called Foo Fighters as the opening act, but Seattle band Hovercraft was also on the bill. Benatar had just released her soon-to-be massive success of a debut, In the Heat of the Night." [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 also streams it's coverage of selected games on iHeartRadio, even outside of the Cleveland market. Dean DePiero, then mayor of Parma, criticized the song and its accompanying YouTube video: "It's pretty sick. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. But the recorded performance offers a rare look at Gene Simmons and company's early years with a tight, eight-song set. 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). [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. People in radio say he was not an easy guy, that dealing with him was like a daily root canal. Zero Sugar prize pack from Circle K Class tour '' gig worked their onto. Circle K MetroMedia two years later years with a little elf hanging out smoking a joint probation for 90.. 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