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). We all have such respect for what this station did back in the day. BuzzardFest 2000 took Place on June 30, 2000 at Nautica on the Flats West Bank. [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. The Coffee Break Concerts Roadies n Rockstars 1.58K subscribers Subscribe 0 1 view 3 minutes ago Growing up in Cleveland the local radio station WMMS would put on free shows during the week. Workhouse Arts Center: Mount Vernon Nights. blink-182. 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. "I gotta blast this baby all the way to New Jersey," Springsteen quipped. 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. Springsteens famous 1978 Agora show is, arguably, the most famous gig in Cleveland history. Denny Sanders Denny Sanders 1972 - 1986 Conditions Governing Access Seth "the Barbarian" Williams took the overnight shift when Pennington moved to evenings in 2001. Kid Leo interviews David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony before their show at the Richfield Colesium. Judas Priest's 1981 "World Wide Blitz Tour" was a treat for multiple reasons. In time, the station adopted new slogans reflecting the callsign: "We're your Modern Music Station" and "your Music Marathon Station. 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. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WMMS broadcasts over two HD Radio channels and is available online via iHeartRadio. He made his debut on WMMS in 1984. Under Malrite ownership, WMMS would become an album-oriented rock (AOR) powerhouse, much in the same vein as its former MetroMedia progressive rock siblings. The station also started to devote weekend programming to the classic rock format. Concerts Skillet & Theory Of A Deadman at The Agora Mar 03, 2023. If you need a reminder of just how many great acts stepped onto an Agora stage, here's a look back at 35 legendary concerts that took place inside the venue since the early 1970s. It's most famous for heavily plugging the MC5, The Velvets and The Dolls on one hand and science-art groups like Soft Machine and King Crimson on the other. 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. They brought pleasure to the average Clevelanders workday with segments like Token Jokes of the Morning, Spousal Arousal and Blow Something Up. Stern's ratings exploded and this along with a growing urgency from management not to compete with or mention Stern on the air led to a sudden and steep ratings decline for The Buzzard Morning Zoo. By the late 1980s, most of the original staff members had departed: John Gorman and Denny Sanders left in 1986 to launch upstart station WNCX, and Columbia Records hired Kid Leo in 1988. Lawrence James Travagliante - aka Kid Leo. Jack and Meg played 22 songs with an encore capped by "Seven Nation Army.". Lorton. 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. Goldfinger, The Refreshments, Triple Fast Action and others played the second stage at the top of the hill. [51] In order to firmly establish a separate identity, and to reflect the station's ownership,[55] the WHK-FM callsign was changed to WMMS on September 28, 1968. Coffee Break Concert WMMS DENNy carleton originals . [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. Features Breaker s original line-up and is their only official live recording to date. 1201 S Joyce St Arlington, VA. Other artists that shared the main stage were No Doubt, Patti Rothberg, The Tragically Hip, 311, and the Holy Barbarians. Concerts Morgan Wade at The Agora Mar 04, 2023. Several of the songs from the album were featured at the show. 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. Nevertheless, another great "Coffee Break Concert" from WMMS, Cleveland. "[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. [51] Like most early FM stations, WHK-FM mostly simulcast the Top 40 programming of its AM sister station. With content being supplied by journalists and WMMS personnel, it was the perfect companion to what WMMS was doing on air at the time with a focus on the new bands and artists of the alternative music era. The Agora "Alpha" first opened in 1966 in Little Italy before moving a year later to East 24th Street. It was brief but memorable, especially for fans of college rock. "[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. Featuring Kevin DuBrow on vocals, Frankie Banali on drums, Rudy Sarzo on bass and Carlos Cavazo on guitar. [83][89] Lisa Dillon, Ric Bennett and Tom Renzy also would depart the station that same day. ". Good old Red! It's one of Bon Jovi's more legendary early shows, before the band fully blew up. Thus, the recording of its raucous Agora show is a must for diehards. Matt remains one of the most popular air personalities from WMMS' fifty year history. 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. Young liked his performance at the Agora so much that some of the recordings were released on the archival set "Bluenote Caf.". [74] Of all the personalities that worked at WMMS, Len "Boom" Goldberg remained the longest. [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. [97][98][99][100] To emphasize this change, WMMS was re-branded and aggressively promoted as "Buzzard Radio: The Next Generation", a reference to the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation and its continuation of the Star Trek franchise. With Lou Reed. 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. - The original source tape was cut short, therefore the final two minutes of track 14 (normally 3:01 in length) is missing. Rolling Stone named WMMS "Best Radio Station" (Large Market) nine straight years (197987) as part of the magazine's annual Readers' Poll,[26] but the station admitted to stuffing the 1987 ballot following a February 1988 front-page story in The Plain Dealer exposing manipulation. But the fact it featured Iron Maiden's first U.S. run as an opener made it extra special. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. music community WMMS Coffee Break Concert - Cleveland, OH (5 - 30 - 1972) by Glass Harp Share / Embed supported by logibear3001 I love the layback atmosphere of Phil and the group being loose on set. The ritual lasted through his entire career at the Buzzard. [90][92], During the now infamous broadcast, WMMS engineer William Alford snipped a broadcast wire used for the Stern show's satellite feed. In other words, the carrion-eating bird represented "death and dying" a darkly comic reflection of the city's decline. Saturday, Mar 4, 2023 from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock stations in America throughout its history,[a][b][26][27] the station has also drawn controversy for unusually aggressive tactics both on and off the air. WMMS Coffee Break Concert 5-26-1982 Encore Host Denny Sanders Statesboro Blues . Win a Monster Zero Sugar prize pack from Circle K! One lucky WMMS listener won a Harley Davidson signed by Sammy Hagar! 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 . Sat, Aug 27, 6:30 PM + 2 more events. WMMS also streams it's coverage of selected games on iHeartRadio, even outside of the Cleveland market. [41][42] WMMS was also a major driving force behind the successful campaign to bring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland.[26][43]. 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.) 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 new logo depicted the sex, drugs and rock and roll image that the owner was looking for. Springsteen played the Agora in the spring of 1974 as part of "The Wild, The Innocent & The E Street Shuffle Tour." Rumor has it that WMMS had ballots printed so the public could fill them out at various events. She was well on her way to becoming the queen of rock and roll. In 1973 WMMS unveiled a new logo The Mushroom. There's proof! [148][149] All other air talent heard on WMMS is provided via iHeartMedia's "Premium Choice" voice-tracking service. He finds himself traveling to LA to kill someone but ends up becoming a part of the theater scene. It was the perfect way to keep the party rolling. - Recorded live performance on 7/23/83 during Breaker's WMMS's Coffee Break Concert Series. WMMS Coffee Break Concert Find Us Address 123 Main Street New York, NY 10001 Hours MondayFriday: 9:00AM-5:00PM Saturday & Sunday: 11:00AM-3:00PM Search About This Site This may be a good place to introduce yourself and your site or include some credits. Saul kicked off the weekend every Friday at 6:00pm with his Get Down rants helping Clevelanders get ready for the weekend. The Agora is etched in Cleveland music history. The music structure also was modified at this time as artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince soon found airplay on WMMS. The bands performing are: Kelly Rowland / Aqua / Kelis / Natasha Bedingfield / Rachel Stevens / Beverley Knight / 911 / clea / Jamelia / Jayde Adams / Soul II Soul / Krystal Klear / Arielle Free / hifi sean / Queer House Party / Ekkah / Leo Kalyan / Louis III / Nimmo / Tom Aspaul / Artful . [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. But both were to feature Steve Van Zandt. The station continued to decline during the ownership transition from Malrite to Shamrock; then Shamrock sold both WMMS and WHK to OmniAmerica, a broadcasting company run by former Malrite executives Carl Hirsch and Dean Thacker, which already owned oldies station WMJI. [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. April 16, 1974 the Buzzard was born. [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. Meat Loaf's 1977 album "Bat Out of Hell" was an epic extravaganza with a tour that could match it. [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 also airs The Week in Cox, a weekly recap show on Sunday mornings. Students were protesting the bombing of Cambodia by the United States Armed Forces. 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. Count this as one of those shows you still can't believe came to The Agora. The broadcast consists entirely of talk, a mix of current events, pop culture, and stories from the staff. A few of the live recordings during the band's "Stained Class Tour" gig worked their way onto single releases. Goldfinger, The Refreshments, Triple Fast Action and others played the second stage at the top of the hill. Since AEG Presents purchased the venue, it has invested $3 million in improvements and upgrades to the legendary concert club. They broadcast many live concerts, including their Coffee Break Concerts, which were a mix of performance and interview content, in the 1970s and 80s. [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. But her Agora set was modest, featuring just seven songs. During the 20th anniversary broadcast, Mike Olszewski, along with Jeff & Flash, spoke with Wally Bryson of the Raspberries and one of the National Guardsmen. It's popular among collectors. His album with backing band The Bluenotes "This Notes For You," was different than anything Young had released before. [120] Geared as a format change to contemporary hit radio (CHR) using the "KISS FM" brand,[30][126] the decision was reversed at the last minute by management. [78] Concertgoers occasionally fell or jumped off the steep stadium upper deck onto the concrete seating area far below, causing serious injury. He joined the station in early 1972 before its sale to Malrite, and stayed in different capacities until 2004. WMMS coffee break concert with Feather, March 1978 - YouTube Back in the 70's, radio station WMMS in Cleveland, Ohio hosted an hour long in studio concert series known as, the Coffee. "[27][36] WMMS played a key role in breaking several major acts in the U.S., including David Bowie, Rush, and Bruce Springsteen. Judas Priest was one of those bands that made a stop at the Agora before they became famous during the 1970s. 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. Tarara Summer Concerts (Fee-Based) Leesburg. Now, imagine that level of theatrics inside the Agora that November. [104] John Gorman was named Program Director of the Year (Rock) in 1995. Attendance was by general admission. Other stations carried their birthday show. [91] As promised, Stern held a party for his fans on the streets of Cleveland a "Funeral" for his local rivals, much like similar events held in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia and broadcast it nationwide. Soon after, the station revered back to the Progressive Rock format to battle WNCR of Nationwide Communications, itself filling the void created by the brief absence of WMMS on the album rock scene. In 2014, Springsteen finally released the Agora concert officially on CD and download. Belkin Productions staged these events, attracting popular hard rock bands and as many as 88,000 fans. Her first major headlining tour, in support of "Shes So Unusual," came to the Agora, where Lauper delivered a 12-song set. During a June 19, 2012 interview with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, the show broke news of the delayed release for Music from Another Dimension!, the band's first studio album in eight years. [26] Station employees went on to take director and executive-level positions in the recording industry, namely with labels RCA, Mercury, and Columbia. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. A federal offense, the act nearly cost WMMS its broadcasting license. On October 26, 2010, Rover hired a witch doctor to curse LeBron James after the NBA star left the Cleveland Cavaliers. Spring Bling Fine Arts And Crafts Show. Thus, Springsteen made the trip to the Agora with Van Zandt and performed a few songs to the surprise of the crowd. Tickets, $24 to $275, plus fees, at the box office, ticketmaster.com and livenation.com and by. Play-by-play announcers Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus call games on-site. 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