CKLW's 20/20 News Team

[MegaJustGeorge]

Based on what I have just seen, I would have loved - just loved - to have worked at the Big 8 during that time; if not in the news department, then as a deejay coming in after the news.

Very good video, and thanks for posting, friend!

[leelogan13]

Grew up with the BIG 8! Where oh where is amazing radio like that today?

[BobWXXI]

What they did, was cranik up a few notches the high energy, high intensity style of news started in 1958 by Irv Weinstein's "Pulse Beat News" at WKBW in Buffalo

So many CKLW stars moved on. The late Byron McGregor was, and Dan Donovan still is, key to CBS blowtorch WWJ in Detroit. Randall Carlisle's on the tube in Salt Lake City and Keith Radford's lead anchor at WKBW-TV in Buffalo. Dick Smyth moved to 1050 CHUM and later CFTR/680 News in Toronto. The influence of CKLW is everywhere...

[1954bigdog]

The sound of a generation. The "American Graffiti" of the late '60's and early '70's. I can't wait for the movie. CKLW was truly the sound track of my generation!!!

[fubisd]

Jewharp it's an unfortunate truth that today it's zero about entertainment and 100% about what can we do to earn money. And your generation is the prime target demo man.

Today's prime example is the columbus homeless guy with the "golden voice". I was beyond pissed to see him on WNCI having those poachers offering him jobs. 2 years removed from radio due to downsizing, still trying to find a job in radio again, and this guy gets offers from organizations that rejected me for PART TIME position

[aagjmb]

Les Nessman would be proud.

[mrdreamwhip]

growing up in the 70's... this station made life more fun! miss these cats.

[artradioguy1]

CKLW was one of the finest news staff's I have ever had the pleasure to serve on. We were more than just sensational news, we were great news

[Redwingsfan51]

Randal Carlisle is out here in Salt Lake City now. It was SOOO shocking/funny to turn on the TV when I first moved out here and see him on the ABC affiliate. "This is Randall Carlisle, KTVX News."

[moosewelch]

RIP Mark Dailey

[edwardprzydzial]

cklw... yep. as a kid they introduced me to my love of music!

[emeraldcityvideos]

c...k...l...w... the motor city! i remember that on my coca cola can [am] radio!

[viddymeenow]

When my family would go up to the Warren/Detroit area, I'd be searching for CKLW for music. That was the mid 70's and I'll never forget that station.

[howellfilm]

Great piece, thank you!

[KFodor]

Mojo Man: 490 some characters cannot allow me time to explain why you are passionate...but wrong. If you ever worked in radio, you'd know that. Wolfman was a brand of a different time. It wouldn't work on radio today. Advertisers won't buy a show with an audience that, in their view is "too old".

I'll put my 36 years actual radio programming experience against your theories any day. And I would win. The audience wants Less Talk/More Music. CK and the Drake stations knew it. They won.

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@sygo7g EVERYBODY FORGETS THE OLD CONCEPT "IF IT AIN'T BROKE DON'T FIX IT"

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@sygo7g  And what those DUMMIES don't realize that if we weren't here you people would be speaking Japanese or German by now

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

Songs like AMERICAN WOMAN didn't help the cause,,it only riled people up against the USA.. Although I loved the song,,I really did know what it meant. DO YOU ?

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@windsorwindow I once had a job offer at XERB in Juarez,,we went out there and they put us up at the Sheraton,,in El Paso. They were recording the shows from there and couriering them over to the transmitter,,I also had a job offer at WGOW in Cahattanooga (Ted Turner owned). I turned down the Border Blaster job and went to Tenn. Little more money and I was paying support. I often think,,what a mistake that was. 150,000 watts 800AM west of the MISSISSIPPI to protect CK Argentina to Alaska

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@windsorwindow Of course as you know Hindsight is 20/20. I've always said that if I got The Power Ball or some Lottery,,I'd go see Lew Dickey Jr (whom I've known since he was 10-12 yrs. old) and show him how to bring CUMULUS back from THE EDGE. see my webpage themojoman(.)com

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@sygo7g  Yeah SOMEONE there wasn't get enough CASH under the table

[cinerama62]

Traffic report: "It's bumper to bummer on the Edsel Ford" I swear thats what he said one day, ha. Thanks shitdate.

[muzzmatrix]

Thank you Keith Radford, for allowing me a one-week internship back in 1981. The auto industry gets too much credit as the first thought one thinks when it comes to Detroit. I think of radio & television news.

[victorinocks]

KF, if it was ever considered to do this format again, I'd love to be a part of it. I know it is difficult to redo the past. However this is what radio was and should be now. My comment sounds kind of like an old fart but those were the days of great radio. I miss it.

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@victorinocks The world is only getting worse,,this is only a small proof of it.

[ParkAveWoman]

I really enjoyed this..thanks for the trip back in time. CKLW, loved it, miss it.

[CJARCHIVES]

Fantastic job on this! Although if this is all you talk about ever, I can see how you got your youtube nickname, LOL

[malibuchrichri]

HAHAHAHAHA this is so awsome.

[RealDetroiter]

CKLW on Transistor Radio. Wish I could go back..

[radiorickyp]

I have to believe that this format could not work today........Bring back CKLW and '' Boss Radio '''

[newhotman1001]

Why as a teenager in the 60's would I like to listen to their news versus another station? Because I didn't want to miss the music starting again. Plus they were so entertaining and gave money away for news tips. The greatest radio station in the US and has never been duplicated and never will.

[fifh89]

like Rick James said, cocaine is a crazy drug.

[newsgodaz]

the all time best radio station.

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@newsgodaz You're WRONG they were very good,,but XPRS in Mexico was the best with WOLMAN JACK on every night,,,THE MIGHTY 1090

[victorinocks]

I am in my 50's now and vividly recall the Big 8. I grew in Erie, Pa and could easily pick up CKLW unless there was bad weather over Lake Erie. I think we all like to hear oldies music but the formats and the jocks also made the station. It is too bad we dont have newsman like this anymore. Thanks to all at the Big 8CKLW. They changed radio broadcasting for the better. I wish the same concept could come back.

[KFodor]

As a 35 plus year radio vet, I think the concept could be brought back. But today, you'd probably have to rehearse the new, young staff for about 6 months to even come close to the Bill Drake inspired sound of what was both KHJ/Los Angeles and, of course, The Big 8 - certainly one of the greatest AM Top 40 stations...ever!

[moosewelch]

@KFodor Jon Belmont could train the news guys.. still works in DC at AP Radio.. Keith Radford is at WKBW in Buffalo.. they're still around. And.. have the kids hear logger tapes of CK .. in 10 minutes I'd want to train... no.. 5 minutes. I'm only 32. I crave this sound.

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@KFodor Well I beg to differ,,the WE PLAYED IT FIRST and MUCH MORE MUSIC concept only reminded the listener that there were other stations that they could switch to. Those so called "formats" only helped ruin rock radio. Wolfman Jack is proof of that. He played "less" music per hour but "entertained" the audience and is a legend. themojoman(.)com

[wwebtime]

I'm 51 years old now, and to this day, I have yet to find a news cast that I enjoy! The Big 8 News was the best, and in my teens I listened to the news, becuase of the way it was presented! By those that meant what they said, and said what they meant! What happen to America! God help us all!

[SWhit62030]

This was radio at its best!!! The Big 8 was the bomb!!!!

[Christian06820]

This brings back some fantastic memories for me in Windsor in the mid-60's and early 70's - all these guys were legends and when you heard the news coming on, you wouldn't even think of changing the station. No radio station today comes close. Hey, Grant Hudson - still getting your lunch all over your tie???

[megjonaslove333]

CKLW had "the whole package" -- superb signal, dj's whose intros were tight, music (especially Motown) that was fabulous, and of course, 20-20 News and those alliterations -- some of them were funny as hell. Those guys were so into those newscasts it was fun to listen to.

[citytvman]

i remember dick smythe on chum in the 80's and was on 680 news from it's start until 1997 man he's a ,legend

[genericsoul]

Dick Smythe taught me how to talk with my hands when i was on air. not personally but i learned that sitting still and being tense was a piss poor way to read the news! thanks dick!

[newhotman1001]

When I listened to CKLW, I never changed the station when the news came on. How many teenagers did that in the 60's?  It is true, their newscasters were celebrities just like the dj's. Loved everything about the Big 8 and there will never be anything like it in radio again.

[dukey96]

The Motor City Murder Meter! You gotta love it. Radio will never be the same.

[dicarlo57]

Our radio stations in Cleveland couldnt compete with CKLW in the early seventys which is what made CKLW so popular here, in fact, our D.J.s still suck outloud.If Cleveland is judged by its radio and television stations, we are in deep shit

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

dicarlo57 it all sounds the SAME,,THAT'S THE PROBLEM. UNIQUENESS is the ANSWER.

[dicarlo57]

This station was really popular in Cleveland in the early seventies. Its hard to believe that Byron Macgregor was only 24 at the time. Many Canadians seem to have great voices for radio

[tleparskas]

This is a great DVD documentary. Get the DVD and there are plenty of extras,photos and jingle. A super job by Michael MacNamara and Markham Street Films. I've posted the radio reunion 3 hour radio special that was filmed for this documentary.

Look for charlieobrienvoice.

Charlie O'Brien / Big 8 Jock 1975-1985

[koolbossjock]

I still have all of these drake format drops/Stagers etc on cart..lol

[damron112]

Nowadays, you only get Mike Kakuk and Lisa Williams in the morning....they suck big time ! Borrrring !

[jjnixnixnix]

fascinating! Thanks for posting.

[whitebengal987]

Too funny. Yeah, that's exactly how it was. These were a great bunch of guys. Some are friends to this day...Keith Radford, Randall Carlyle. Greats to this day. Greater than great!!! RIP Byron....love you JoJo....You know who...hahaha.

[dogterd]

squashed beyond recognize-ation! lol!

[terrykozak]

Lee Marshall was an announcer for the wrestling organization WCW and is now the voice of Tony the Tiger in the Kellogg's commercials.

[windsorwindow]

The Canadian Radio and Television Commission was the authority that brought down The Big 8. Their new regulations should have allowed for an exception to all radio stations found within border communities of the United States. Fairness did not apply here and the forward development of Canadian, general creativity, was, then and there, greatly diminished.

[dogterd]

Yes, there are many mediocre Canadian acts that have been able to count on Can con requirements to get them airplay they don't deserve!

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@windsorwindow POLITICS IN ACTION !!! Never mind what the people want,RIGHT?

[jimwalsh2001]

It's like a radio version of the New York Post...

[horarwgt]

Interesting that this includes clips of the ethically-challenged Lee Marshall.

[windsorwindow]

@horarwgt No one was interested in either ethics or ethnics; just if you had a good show voice to fit the format. The station was ALWAYS the star!

[moborisn]

KLIF started the style, the 20-20 came from...perhaps CKLW...or was it Todd Storz someplace? KHJ and KNUS did the same GREAT news!!! Where did it all go? To the waistline, methinks.

[koolbossjock]

KHJ was the best at this.

[windsorwindow]

@koolbossjock I disagree. KHJ may have had a larger, listening audience, however all of the Drake stations were the same. They had the same format. The Big 8 out of Windsor had the top news. Detroit was murder city, USA, then, and with that 20-20 news-style format how could Byron McGregor, Grant Hudson and the boys lose out?

[MarkhamStreetMichael]

This is part of a cool feature length documentary about CKLW in the glory years. Lots of Jocks, newsguys, and musical artists from the period. check it out with a web search for Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8

[blt4speed52]

Let's get a petition up and have CKLW go back to the way they use to do radio! Pure entertainment!! Where do I sign...........from

Toledo Ohio

[koolbossjock]

Good luck Brother,first you have to kill Cheapchannel and the FCC.People today have NO IDEA what radio entertainment is all about.DEATH to Randy Michaels and the Mays family and the FCC.I hope they all die violent deaths for ruining radio and thousands of jox careers.

[troyboy1971]

koolbossjock is right. Besides, CHUM tried to launch CKLW-FM on 93.9 (They were known briefly as "The Legend") back in the early 1990's, and the ratings plummeted. Today WOMC in Detroit and CKWW in Windsor both do Big 8 contributions often. For now this is the best you get. There is a satellite radio channel that airs old CKLW broadcasts sometimes, but you need people who actually recorded this stuff from the 1970's.

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@koolbossjock RIGHT ON !!!!!! You forgot CUMULUS

[disastertom]

borrowin' my dad's car keys and sitting in the driveway before I could drive listening to the Big 8.

[5BGVO4]

SCREW today's mealy-mouthed peanut-allergy-sensitive political correctness. Hands down...this was the best damn radio station...EVER!

[troyboy1971]

By the way, The classic CKLW page is available on the net where you can hear a few of these old 20/20 newscasts.

[troyboy1971]

I remember those old news casts, These should be on CD. I've actually heard some of the original reel-to-reel tapes when I worked at CKWW (AM 580 Memories) back in 1998.

[MarvD]

Thank you. This was the radio station I listened to most growing up!

[Hroller1]

It's shameful that radio, outside of newsradio does very little to deliver up to date information, and entertain at the same time no less.

[KFodor]

Unfortunately, that's because the American public told "musicradio" that the less news there was, the better. Less news meant more music, just like fewer commercials meant more music.

[THEMOJOMANsince1959]

@KFodor And I can tell all those "format" concepts didn't work did they ?? WE PLAYED IT HERE FIRST,,,MUCH MORE MUSIC,,ETC ETC Wolfman Jack had no format and became a legend. More "entertainment less music format"

[moosewelch]

This is just about that time in human history in North America... especially the US when people are about up-to-here with humongous corporate very-nearly-automated radio. Sounds like the perfect time for some bold group of people to get together and burn up the airwaves like The Big 8 did then.

[fubisd]

Take it from someone in the business, we are a product of the culture. People that listen to top 40 radio today have zero attention span. If you can't play what they want to hear then forget about it.

The mindless masses don't want entertainment on their music station. They want the same, terrible music being put out by today's terrible artists.

[howellfilm]

@fubisd don't blame it on the listeners, blame it on the 3 consultants who program the same 30 songs everyday. Radio's been in the toilet since Clear Channel bought up 80% of the stations, then run commercials 60% of the time to pay for them.

[jawharp1992]

@fubisd Don't let my generation speak for me.

[aagjmb]

@fubisd Take it from someone in the business, you're 100% correct!

[thinkimfallin66]

What can one comment. CKLW was the best station in America and their news department was entertaining, and dynamic.

[manorrd]

Talent and vision!!! What a success story.

C-K-L-W....the Motor Citeeeeeeee.