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The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio: A Memoir
by
John Gorman
This rock and roll radio memoir takes you behind the scenes at the nation's hottest station during FM's heyday, from 1973 to 1986. It was a wild time when the FM airwaves were wide open for innovation. John Gorman and a small band of true believers built WMMS into an influential powerhouse. Gorman tells how WMMS remade rock radio while Cleveland staked its claim as the "...more
Paperback, 289 pages
Published
September 1st 2008
by Gray & Company Publishers
(first published September 21st 2007)
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Anyone growing up in Cleveland in the 70's was affected by the "Rock and Roll Wars" of radio stations battling it out for supremacy of the airwaves. WMMS, M105, and to a lesser extent, G-98, KCLW, WGAR, and a few others were what played out of car radios, warehouses, garages, transistor radios on the schoolyard. They slandered each other on the air and in back-room hijinks, but most of all they tried to one-up each other with programming. Commercial-free weekends, exclusive concert ...more
This book is amazing. WMMS had been on the air for fifteen years when I was born, but as a northeastern Ohio resident and music fan, I am fascinated by the history we have here that people so tend to overlook. This memoir showcases in a fascinating narrative the rise and fall of WMMS, a renegade station unique unto itself who fought battles with competitive radio stations, station politics, and the changing musical landscape to continue to stay at the top. And the way they did it is nothing s...more
This book was a fun, quick read. I grew up near Cleveland so we listened to "The Buzzard" frequently.
Of course, the book is a memoir and John Gorman paints a picture of the Buzzard's "glory days" how he saw it. I am sure there are many sides to a story but it was a fun read.
If I still worked in the radio industry, I would use this book to help me create marketing plans...it is chock full of unique and fun marketing ideas that really worked!
Of course, the book is a memoir and John Gorman paints a picture of the Buzzard's "glory days" how he saw it. I am sure there are many sides to a story but it was a fun read.
If I still worked in the radio industry, I would use this book to help me create marketing plans...it is chock full of unique and fun marketing ideas that really worked!
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I too grew up in NE Ohio during the glory days of WMMS. I could not put this book down once I started it. Really enjoyed the details on "going to war vs going to work" and the amazing creativity of the promos they came up with.
I scoured the Internet for the other side of the story on how Gorman and Sanders left the station, but couldn't find anything especially from Kid Leo and Jeff Kinzbach who Gorman says were involved in him being "set up".
I have one o...more
I scoured the Internet for the other side of the story on how Gorman and Sanders left the station, but couldn't find anything especially from Kid Leo and Jeff Kinzbach who Gorman says were involved in him being "set up".
I have one o...more
If you grew up in the greater Cleveland area in the 70s and 80s, then you grew up with WMMS, and this book would be a good read. Not sure how others might feel about it, but I enjoyed it. For once I wish I was a little bit older so I would have grown up and been able to enjoy WMMS more during its glory days.
Makes me feel nostalgic for the days when radio was worth listening to, and not just run by faceless corporations that think we ought to hear the same Nickleback song 80-billion times a day.
The rise and fall of a great radio station. I lived in Cleveland and this was my station, seeing behind the scenes is funny and sad at the same time. Too bad it had to end.
It is a good book if you grew up in the 70's and early 80's and listened to WMMS. A lot of good memories and the behind the scenes stories.
The last third of the book was one long pat on the back for the author. The last couple of chapters is like he just wanted to get the book done and hurried through it.
Still, it is a good book and I would recommend it.
The last third of the book was one long pat on the back for the author. The last couple of chapters is like he just wanted to get the book done and hurried through it.
Still, it is a good book and I would recommend it.
This proved an interesting read from an insider's point-of-view to a radio station that was a driving force in FM radio and music in Cleveland for a long time. The book was organized into quick chapters that read a lot like serial newspaper reporting, which was appealing.
An informative, entertaining read.
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Rob
marked it as to-read
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Tracy
marked it as to-read
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