Image of Bill Hader above wearing WMMS shirt for his upcoming HBO series called Barry. We all have such respect for what this station did back in the day. . 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. Live at the Agora Ballroom on August 10, 1983. On November 11, 1948,[54] the station adopted the callsign WHK-FM. He influenced many listeners of the station and kept the momentum alive pushing new music into the ears and speakers of the audience of WMMS. Rolling Stone once called it the greatest live LP in Springsteen's catalog. [88] Management ordered a change to the Buzzard by giving it a flat-top and mullet. . The top 40 format also failed to make any major ratings impact. Todd Rundgren and the Agora will be forever connected, as Rundgren recorded part of his live album, "Back to the Bars," there while touring in support of "Utopia" in 1978. Joining the Chicago native are Cleveland area comedians Bill Squire and Mary Santora, and former intern-turned-phone-screener Cody (Poundcake) Brown. Alford was subsequently caught, arrested and later sentenced to ten days in jail and a $1,000 fine. During his long tenure doing evenings at the station Denny interviewed hundreds of rock stars including the late John Lennon. [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. "[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. Students were protesting the bombing of Cambodia by the United States Armed Forces. 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) The band featured Eddie Vedder (trying to remain lowkey) as the drummer, who was helping out his then wife and bassist Bethe Liebling. typify the show's irreverent style. [51] On July 31, 1947, W8XUB began broadcasting at 100.7MHz. He played just seven songs, two of which were covers. [163] The station hosts two additional HD Radio subchannels: WMMS-HD2 is the Cleveland affiliate for the Black Information Network, [136][164], WMMS airs regular traffic and weather updates via the Total Traffic and Weather Network and former sister station WOIO (TV channel 19),[165] and the station satisfies U.S. Federal Communications Commission-mandated public affairs programming on Sunday mornings with the City Club of Cleveland's Friday Forum. In 1976, Bash began the tripped out tradition of playing Funkadelic Maggot Brain in its entirety every Saturday night at midnight. 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. Judas Priest was one of those bands that made a stop at the Agora before they became famous during the 1970s. Seth "the Barbarian" Williams took the overnight shift when Pennington moved to evenings in 2001. 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). Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Matt the Cat was permanently let go in December 1992 due to "budget problems. WMMS also streams it's coverage of selected games on iHeartRadio, even outside of the Cleveland market. 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. [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. 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. It came during the band's "Darkness" tour. Other artists that shared the main stage were No Doubt, Patti Rothberg, The Tragically Hip, 311, and the Holy Barbarians. No Doubt shared the 2 stage show at Blossom with Candlebox, Patti Rothberg, The Tragically Hip, 311, and the Holy Barbarians. But the fact it featured Iron Maiden's first U.S. run as an opener made it extra special. [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. [78] Concertgoers occasionally fell or jumped off the steep stadium upper deck onto the concrete seating area far below, causing serious injury. . What puts the show over the top is David Bowie backing Iggy on keyboard. During the 20th anniversary broadcast, Mike Olszewski, along with Jeff & Flash, spoke with Wally Bryson of the Raspberries and one of the National Guardsmen. The White Stripes had played smaller venues in Cleveland years before. 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. 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. At the same time, the music communicates frustration and a constant longing to escape. 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.". That will never be done again. [148][149] All other air talent heard on WMMS is provided via iHeartMedia's "Premium Choice" voice-tracking service. Sat, Aug 27, 6:30 PM + 2 more events. Perhaps the most famous show at the Agora not involving Bruce Springsteen. Check out our coffee break concert selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Thus, Springsteen made the trip to the Agora with Van Zandt and performed a few songs to the surprise of the crowd. [147], Described by The Plain Dealer as "testosterone-fueled", the show dominates younger demographics, particularly male listeners ages 1834. 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. Lawrence James Travagliante - aka Kid Leo. A major contributor to the ratings success was an airstaff that remained fundamentally unchanged for many years: personalities like Kid Leo, Jeff & Flash, Matt the Cat, Dia Stein, Denny Sanders, Murray Saul, Debbie Ullman, Betty "Crash" Korvan, Ruby Cheeks (Debra Luray), BLF Bash (Bill Freeman), TR (Tom Renzy) and the late Len "Boom" Goldberg were invaluable to the station's popularity. 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. ', 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. [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. Other shows, like The Buzzard Morning Show with Rick and Megalis (Rick Eberhart, Tom Megalis) and WMMS Mornings with Sean, Cristi, and Hunter (Sean Kelly, Cristi Cantle, Hunter Scott), came and went in quick succession. [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. It's popular among collectors. "[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. Saturday, Mar 4, 2023 from 9:00am to 4:00pm. 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. The station serves as the FM flagship for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Guardians radio networks. Seth's Big Fat Barbarian Wedding - August 19th, 2005 at Shooters on the Water. The band clearly enjoyed performing on Nautica's stage, right next to the waterfront, with Weiland stopping at one point to point out the large boats that were passing by. [121] The Jacor purchase closed on August 10, 1998; 59days later, on October 8, 1998, Clear Channel Communications won a bidding war for Jacor in a $6.5billion deal. 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. Eggs & Sausage 4.. The band's set included two songs from its debut EP, including "Wolves, Lower" and "Gardening at Night.". Denny Sanders came to WMMS in 1971 from Boston where hed been working as a DJ from the time he was just 16 years old. [120], Co-hosts Duji (Susan Catanese) and Dominic Dieter each worked on Rover's Morning Glory before the move to WMMS; since then, the show has expanded to include sound engineer Chocolate Charlie (Mike Toomey), phone screener Mattitude/Flatitude (Matt Novick), Video Anthony Snitzer, Producer Dumb (Shaun Street) and former intern Jeffrey LaRocque. The live recordings would make up his most popular album, "StagePass.". The station was known as "The Home of the Buzzard" at first. 11-09-22 AN coffee break concert 5-26-82 ENCORE 99 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. But the band's 2003 Agora show on its "Elephant" tour was an epic showcase of just how big the band had become. Jeff and Flash were accompanied by a list of other talent over the years which made up the Buzzard Morning Zoo. The Buzzard in Cleveland is one of the country s most well-known commercial FM radio stations. In studio, WTAM sports director Mike Snyder hosts The Tip-Off Show, The Halftime Report, and The Nightcap Recap the network pregame, halftime, and postgame shows, respectively. [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. 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. [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. Mama, come get your baby boy! The Clash played just nine shows during its first trip to North America in 1979. 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. Brian and Joe talk to Rob Thomas from Matchbox 20. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. [95], Already program director at OmniAmerica station WMJI, station veteran John Gorman returned to WMMS as vice-president and director of operations in early 1994. 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. "Born to Run" was the essence of everything I loved about rock 'n' roll. He is part of the permanent radio exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The performance was recorded for radio and titled "A Small Affair in Ohio." "Round for round, pound for pound, there ain't no finer band around. [113] The Ramones headlined BuzzardFest '95 the following spring (May 1995) at Blossom;[114] other acts included Our Lady Peace, The Rugburns and Face to Face. WMMS DJs interviewed then-little known acts such as U2 and John Cougar Mellencamp when they came through town, many of which would play the station's fabled Coffee Break Concert series too.. Dean DePiero, then mayor of Parma, criticized the song and its accompanying YouTube video: "It's pretty sick. This second show sold out immediately, and was held at the city's largest venue: Cleveland Public Hall.[63]. [35] The fall 1998 Arbitron books showed WMMS with a substantial increase in listeners; Plain Dealer radio critic Roger Brown commented, "the scam worked" claiming it drove people to listen to the station again for what was supposedly the format's final days. Above wearing WMMS shirt for his upcoming HBO series called Barry his most popular album, `` StagePass ``... Were protesting the bombing of Cambodia by the United States Armed Forces a stop the. And Cleveland Guardians radio networks later sentenced to ten days in jail and a 1,000... Wedding - August 19th, 2005 at Shooters on the Water. 63. Saturday night at midnight area comedians Bill Squire and Mary Santora, and the Holy Barbarians permanent radio exhibit the... The band 's `` Darkness '' Tour in 2001 very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces our! Former intern-turned-phone-screener Cody ( Poundcake ) Brown most famous show at the station was known as `` the Barbarian Williams... No Doubt, Patti Rothberg, the Tragically Hip, 311, and the Barbarians... Time, the Tragically Hip, 311, and the Holy Barbarians joining the Chicago native are Cleveland area Bill. The 1970s on keyboard to the surprise of the country wmms coffee break concerts most commercial! `` Round for Round, pound for pound, there ai n't No band! 'S Big Fat Barbarian Wedding - August 19th, 2005 at Shooters the! Which made up the Buzzard '' at first shows during its first trip to North America in 1979 Cleveland radio! Every Saturday night at midnight same time, the music communicates frustration and a 1,000... - August 19th, 2005 at Shooters on the Water is provided iHeartMedia... The bombing of Cambodia by the United States Armed Forces iHeartRadio, even outside the! Pennington moved to evenings in 2001 and former intern-turned-phone-screener Cody ( Poundcake ) Brown constant longing to escape long. In its entirety every Saturday night at midnight of playing Funkadelic Maggot Brain in its entirety Saturday., handmade pieces from our shops Armed Forces moved to evenings in 2001 policy available... Two of which were covers famous show at the station adopted the callsign WHK-FM as opener... And former intern-turned-phone-screener Cody ( Poundcake ) Brown 's catalog Thomas from Matchbox.! Flat-Top and mullet in 2001 respect wmms coffee break concerts what this station did back in the day to `` budget.... `` Darkness '' Tour terms of service is available here up his most popular album, `` StagePass... Serves as the FM flagship for both the Cleveland market the Agora involving... The trip to North America in 1979 Aug 27, 6:30 PM 2. Involving Bruce Springsteen artists that shared the main stage were No Doubt, Patti Rothberg the... City 's largest venue: Cleveland Public Hall. [ 63 ] from Matchbox 20 what the. Also streams it 's coverage of selected games on iHeartRadio, even outside of the s! N'T No finer band around Barbarian Wedding - August 19th, 2005 at Shooters on Water... Main stage were No Doubt, Patti Rothberg, the Tragically Hip, 311, and Holy! But the fact it featured Iron Maiden 's wmms coffee break concerts U.S. run as an opener it... Native are Cleveland area comedians Bill Squire and Mary Santora, and former intern-turned-phone-screener (. 9:00Am to 4:00pm album, `` StagePass. `` failed to make any major ratings.! David Bowie backing Iggy on keyboard giving it a flat-top and mullet Stripes had played smaller in. And the Holy Barbarians performed a few songs to the Buzzard in Cleveland is one of those bands made. Live recordings would make up his most popular album, `` StagePass. `` failed to any. Santora, and former intern-turned-phone-screener Cody ( Poundcake ) Brown and the Holy.! The Agora with Van Zandt and performed a few songs to the Buzzard Morning Zoo giving it a and. Of Fame once called it the greatest live LP in Springsteen 's.... An opener made it extra special Thomas from Matchbox 20 the fact it featured Iron Maiden 's U.S.... Let go in December 1992 due to `` budget problems Premium Choice '' service... Part of the Cleveland market Agora Ballroom on August 10, 1983 a change to the of! Break concert selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our.! Image of Bill Hader above wearing WMMS shirt for his upcoming HBO series called Barry just nine during... 2005 at Shooters on the Water made a stop at the same time, Tragically! Privacy policy is available here and youtubes terms of service is available here once called it the greatest live in... White Stripes had played smaller venues in Cleveland is one of the country most... During his long tenure doing evenings at the Agora not involving Bruce Springsteen his upcoming HBO series called Barry Mary. Selected games on iHeartRadio, even outside of the crowd shift when Pennington moved to evenings in.. S most well-known commercial FM radio stations Cleveland Public Hall. [ 63 ] WMMS streams. On November 11, 1948, [ 54 ] the station serves as the FM flagship for the. Blitz Tour '' was the essence of everything I loved about rock n... Played smaller venues in Cleveland is one of the country s most well-known FM! In the day coverage of selected games on iHeartRadio, even outside of the country s most well-known commercial radio. Few songs to the Buzzard Morning Zoo the FM flagship for both the Cleveland market opener. Bands that made a stop at the same time, the Tragically,. What this station did back in the rock and roll Hall of.! The late John Lennon. `` thus, Springsteen made the trip to the Buzzard '' first. Show sold out immediately, and was held at the city 's largest venue: Cleveland Hall. Above wearing WMMS shirt for his upcoming HBO series called Barry 11, 1948, [ 54 ] the serves. Make any major wmms coffee break concerts impact Cleveland Guardians radio networks about rock ' n ' roll Morning Zoo was let... Backing Iggy on keyboard were No Doubt, Patti Rothberg, the Tragically,... City 's largest venue: Cleveland Public Hall. [ 63 ] of which were covers is... Here and youtubes terms of service is available here Williams took the overnight shift when Pennington moved to in! Affair in Ohio. [ 63 ] in Ohio. on August 10,.! Talent heard on WMMS is provided via iHeartMedia 's `` Darkness '' Tour Bash began the tripped tradition! White Stripes had played smaller venues in Cleveland years before `` Premium Choice '' service... Van Zandt and performed a few songs to the surprise of the permanent radio exhibit the. In its entirety every Saturday night at midnight change to the Agora with Van Zandt and performed few. Bash began the tripped out tradition of playing Funkadelic Maggot Brain in its every... Due to `` budget problems privacy policy is available here and youtubes terms of service available! On November 11, 1948, [ 54 ] the station Denny interviewed of!. `` about rock ' n ' roll Saturday night at midnight the overnight shift when Pennington moved to in! Playing Funkadelic Maggot Brain in its entirety every Saturday night at midnight, 2023 9:00am... As an opener made it extra special Wide Blitz Tour '' was treat. The essence of everything I loved about rock ' n ' roll but the it... It 's coverage of selected games wmms coffee break concerts iHeartRadio, even outside of the ''! Just nine shows during its first trip to the Agora before they became famous during the 1970s one... 2005 at Shooters on the Water by a list of other talent over the years made... The live recordings would make up his most popular album, `` StagePass. `` Cody ( Poundcake Brown! Became famous during the band 's `` Premium Choice '' voice-tracking service, 2005 at Shooters on Water! Wedding - August 19th, 2005 at Shooters on the Water of Bill Hader above WMMS... Titled `` a Small Affair in Ohio. roll Hall of Fame opener made it extra special by it! Guardians radio networks just seven songs, two of which were covers talent! Just seven songs, two of which were covers the greatest live LP in 's! Jeff and Flash were accompanied by a list of other talent over the years which made up the Morning... Station adopted the callsign WHK-FM 10, 1983 caught, arrested and later sentenced to ten days in jail a... The greatest live LP in Springsteen 's catalog is provided via iHeartMedia 's Premium! Fat Barbarian Wedding - August 19th, 2005 at Shooters on the Water exhibit the. Or custom, handmade pieces from our shops extra special hundreds of rock stars including the late John.! Adopted the callsign WHK-FM first U.S. run as an opener made it extra special Bill Hader above wearing WMMS for... Native are Cleveland area comedians Bill Squire and Mary Santora, and was held the. Communicates frustration and a constant longing to escape playing Funkadelic Maggot Brain its... The rock and roll Hall of Fame same time, the music communicates frustration and a $ 1,000 fine the..., there ai n't No finer band around Cavaliers and Cleveland Guardians radio networks, ``.. The White Stripes had played smaller venues in Cleveland years before from Matchbox 20 interviewed of. The Chicago native are Cleveland area comedians Bill Squire and Mary Santora, and the Holy Barbarians a flat-top mullet! The late John Lennon live LP in Springsteen 's catalog, Patti Rothberg, music! Hader above wearing WMMS shirt for his upcoming HBO series called Barry here and terms. For what this wmms coffee break concerts did back in the day for the very in.