USA Radio Museum

From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1981

Is It Dinosaur Rock?

 

 

 

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DETROIT — WLLZ-FM, Detroit’s “Rockin’ Best” was born in November, 1980. In the winter ’81 Arbitron book, it debuted at 9.2 share, second only to WJR-AM. Its secret is simple according to program director John Larson: “We play whatever listeners want.”

Owned by Doubleday & Co., the station employs a strategy developed by Bobby Hattrik, corporate vice-president of programming. The station make 800 to 1,000 phone calls a week, asking listeners what they want to hear. Larson says, “Songs they like, we play; songs they don’t like, we don’t play. It’s that simple. The listener request line gets about 500 calls a day.These requests clue Larson and music director Joe Urbiel to tunes they hadn’t thought of adding.

The playlist changes frequently, at least twice a week. The process is ongoing. Current hot numbers include “Tom Sawyer” by Rush, AC/DC’s “Problem Child,” Rainbow’s “No Release” and the new Moody Blues record.

Prior to WLLZ taking to the airwaves, the frequency was occupied by WBFG, a 50-kilowatt religious station. Doubleday also owns WDWB-AM-FM Minneapolis and St. Louis’ KWK-AM/WWWK-FM. These also employ listener-determined playlists. Larson says “This strategy mirrors local taste. Their playlists are not the same as WLLZ’s. In St. Louis, for example, they play more Southern music.”

Larson came to the station from Rockford, Illinois. In the course of seven years in radio, he developed a similar listener-determined playlist. “The station’s personality is the music,” he claims. “We have news, but news director Jeff Young spotlights stories the listeners consider important. “No blood and guts.”

Among the station’s many requests, Van Halen is a particular favorite. The Who, Boston, Bob Seger and Bad Company figure prominently. “Over-saturation causes an artist to go out of fashion. They come back, though its like eating chocolate cake every day. Eventually you get tired of even your favorites,” Larson says.

WLLZ hasn’t done any print advertising since it first broke into the market. Promotion concentrates on giving people things, especially money, because “it’s something everybody can use,” Larson continued. There are no contests involved. A station staffer roams the streets of Detroit, asking pedestrians and drivers with radios what station they’re tuned to. If the answer is WLLZ, the staffer hands the lucky listener $1,000. Understandably, the promotion is highly popular.

Larson reported little action with record companies, except a CBS album giveaway at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio. The station co-promotes concerts with Brass Ring, recently Rainbow/Krocus, Pat Travers and REO. Two local retailers, Harmony House and Musicland, handed out WLLZ bumper stickers. “It helped them with trafficto be mentioned on the air,” Larson says.

For the 4th of July, Larson ran an eight-hour special program of Detroit’s “Rockin’ Best” (also the station’s motto), the 98 favorite songs reported by listeners. The special included a motorcycle and cash giveaway.

“Our goal is to be number one in the market. We feel counter-programming is pointless, so we don’t do it. We want to take the offensive — do your own thing and hope it works,” Larson says describing his philosophy. “We don’t try to play what other stations are playing. We may play something we feel may do well, whether its getting the airplay elsewhere or not. We were the first to play Donnie Iris’ ‘Ah, Leah’ and Touch‘s ‘Don’t You Know What Love Is?’

“We try to keep a balance, not just appeal to 18-year old males who drink a lot of beer. We were number two with women in the last book,” Larson says. To introduce listeners to unfamiliar music, the station airs Rated Eight, playing new songs from new bands. Silver Condor was one recent newcomer aired.

Source concerts, weekly interviews and Album Review, a play through of listener-requested albums are some of WLLZ’s special programming the station has bonded favorably with its listeners. Rock Wars, aired from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. weeknights, pits well-known musicians against each other in sometimes bizarre battle-of-the-bands that net 250 calls nightly.

WLLZ doesn’t play much home-grown Detroit music. “There’s not a lot of interest from local people in local music,” Larson explains. The call-in line also gets negative requests, including complaint from new wavers and minorities that their music is being neglected. Larson defends the station by saying, “The playlist is based completely on calls. If listeners haven’t said they want to hear it, we don’t play it.

“Dinosaur rock is a term that has been thrown at us. But oldies are making a comeback. We use common sense. You can’t test songs no one knows. But you can look for certain ingredients that make it. Good songs and bad songs are obvious to everyone. END

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(Information and news source: Billboard; July 11, 1981)

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