The influence of WCIN is far reaching...just ask Super Star Bigg Robb



Bigg Robb



What wcin means to my
By Robert”BiggRobb”Smith.
www.heybiggrobb.com

 

 

 

As a young child I grew up 10 houses from wcin am 1480
Which also sat next to cedar hill farms the local dairy which provided amongst many products those small 8 oz cartons of milk that were served everyday in the Cincinnati public school system
I rode my bike everyday up and down glenwood ave after school and in the big parking lot that was shared between both wcin and the dairy
And on occasion after mr sonny burns would leave  and the front office was closed  we would play football in the grass of  106 glenwood ave -aka wcin.

 

My love for music has been a god given gift  that has been chiseled by many musical endeavors but one of the greatest is wcin I listened  learned and now as I write this have just come to understand how much a part of my life it was and still is the jocks were like superstars to me
I can remember spider webb,bob long,frank bailey,Lincoln ware ,symphony sid kennedy sweet jelly roll,lil Abraham,virgil Nixon,marsha robinson,gina ruffin, and my personal fave THE CORK! They played the hottest jams and were celebrities In their own right sometimes opening the mic to say the first person who rings the bell on the back door wins a pair of tickets to “the easter ball” or everybody callin in to say “I got it “and Lincoln ware always  hollerin “BYE” when he had enuff of you callin all your friends names

 

 Man this is such a part of my  musical heritage this is the place I first learned what records sound like and how to Speak to a crowd  you see  all the jocks were characters and entertainers in their own right they had personality and charisma for days and those lessons I have used endlessly as a M.C The music from back then is what I have downloaded on my ipod right now when I hear  the enchantment its u that I need I think of cork doin 7-midnite Or when I hear Tell I t by our own Charles Fold I think of getting up early for school while my granny is enjoying little Abrahams gospel show and all the people callin in for prayer which by the way doesn’t even exist on black radio anymore wonder what would happen if Tom joyner  did a prayer line huh?

 

At the age of 12 I became a d.j. at Waif-Fm a small community station  and was taught the art of radio by Tom knox a wcin alumni he had a program called the radio workshop which allowed us his students to be on the air sometimes @ wcin it is from these beginning I met all the movers n shakers in the music biz from Cincinnati and eventually went to work for Roger Troutman and Zapp a group which began as Roger and the Human Body and whose first local L.P.. had liner notes written by wcin”s bob long I stayed with the group for 25 years and am now a record producer,recording artist and record company owner throughout

 

 My 30 plus years in the music biz ive seen and experienced  many things but some of the most joyful times go back to being a lil boy sittin on my bike and talkin to the cork thru the back window of wcin while he was on the air  because unlike a lot of the other jocks he was always willin to answer my many questions about records  the billboard charts and the recording artists He is the one who explained to me why a record like The Commodores brick house which wcin had been playing for 6 months was now being called “new” on the pop station Q-102.

 

So I guess to sum it up wcin is as much a part of my dna as life itself because before I was a artist or producer I was just a plain on music lover and it was wcin am 1480 that kept my needs supplied
So I will close this like wcins’s great sportsman Bill Meredith
By sayin

 

BIGG ROBB -30.

Mike Roberts..orchestrated the simulcast of WCIN and WBLZ

     Orchestrating this combination  of medias was a young, future radio mogul out of Buffalo, New York, by the name of Mike Roberts.  Mike realized his destiny early in life when he built his own radio station in his home and was able to broadcast it to a couple block radius surrounding his "station".  He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Syracuse and honed his skiled with various gigs and internships that prepared him for the beginning of his meteroic rise in the business.

Our memories are jogged to think back to when WCIN was affilitated with an FM station...WBLZ. We sat around the radio in hopes of finally hearing our favorite station on the FM dial after so many years of anticipation. We heard new voices introing and outtroing our favorite artists and songs. There was the Snowman..Jim Snowden, John Monds, Deborah Kennedy, Jill Frost, Ken Kilgore, Edna Howell and events that allowed all of us to interact with the new sound of WCIN/WBLZ.

Mike Roberts

     He skillfully programmed both WBLZ and WCIN..giving them both credibility and respect in the greater Cincinnati area. Basketball games and baseball games come to mind first as well as various community appearances. (Side note:...I owe a great amount of gratitude to Mike because he trusted in my ability enough to appoint me as his assistant program director, with charge over the WCIN side of the merger...this gave me the necessary experience I would need later on in my career in programming WCIN as a standalone station.)

    Mike Roberts left Cincinnati for the larger market of Atlanta, where his career really took off with a stint at WIGO...and then Atlanta experienced..."Mike Roberts in the Mohnin"...where he worked with Carolyn Ford who can now be heard on Sirius XM radio and nationally known...Robin Roberts of Good Morning America.
     Mike currently is the only african-american owner of a radio station in central Georgia..WQMJ broadcasting to the Macon, Ga., area. He is on facebook and you can like his page at...Majic 100 FM.

I visit Mike at his station every time I go to Atlanta and see that he still possesses the same passion he displayed when we first met. The following is a bio he sent me at my request..

           MIKE ROBERTS

                                                               President, RCI

In 1996, Mike Roberts achieved his life long goal of radio ownership when he formed

Roberts Communications Incorporated (RCI). In July of 1997, the company purchased

WALJ-FM (now WFXM), WBNM-AM (now WXJO), WFXM-FM (now WQMJ), and

WXKO-AM in Macon, Georgia. RCI is currently Central Georgia’s only African-

American owned broadcasting company. While the company sold most of it’s stations

between 2006 and 2008, RCI still operates WQMJ-FM (Majic 100).

Mike’s career in radio is extensive. He served as program director of V-103 for three

years and retired from his morning show in 1998. He was also program director of

WIGO from 1982 until 1985. Prior to working in the Atlanta market, Mike served as

program director of WBLZ and WCIN in Cincinnati, OH and WSOQ in Syracuse, NY.

He had a chance to sharpen his broadcasting skills when he first worked as an

announcer at WHEN, WNDR and WEZG in Syracuse. Mike also spent two summers

on the floor crew of WKBW-TV in Buffalo, NY. The ABC television affiliate was his

first professional broadcasting position in 1975.

Mike has received numerous awards and honors. He has also been nominated three

times as major market personality of the year by the National Association of

Broadcasters in 1994, 1995 and 1998.

Mike Roberts is an active friend of many civic organizations. He is a life member of the

NAACP, works with several Macon charities, and is a member of the Monroe County

Chamber of Commerce. Terry Mill Elementary School in Dekalb County, Georgia,

named Mike as it’s first honorary teacher. He has one adopted son (Joseph).

Mike received his Bachelor of Science in Communications from Syracuse University in

1979.

Those of you who remember those days...give Mike a like on his FaceBook page or even give him a shout out..he'll be glad to hear from you!!

Deborah Kennedy...a mellow voice that captured a city. I caught up with her and you can still hear her!

I remember the first time I heard Deb Kennedy on the air....it was electrifying. From her first words..the listener is put at ease by her complete command of the art of speaking. She made me feel like I was listening to an old friend who knew just how to introduce and outro the music I loved listening to. I had met her prior to hearing her on air persona and it was one of the smoothest transitions I had experienced up to that point because we all know about the "crazy personalities" radio..who were a bit different when not behind the microphone.  Not so with Deborah Kennedy, it was as though someone slipped a microphone in front of her while she was just doing her thing. I caught up with her on Facebook and, as I am doing with all the former folks of WCIN, encouraged her to give me her story leading up to WCIN...during and life after moving on...this is her response!

 



Deborah Kennedy



My radio career began in my home town Springfield,Il. After graduation from the University of Ill, I landed a job on WTAX. After a couple of years I moved to Cedar Falls-Waterloo, Iowa..KUNI where I hosted an "urban"

radio show for the University of Norther Iowa. I was on vacation visiting  a life long friend in Cincinnati and was listening to WCIN. I decided to go by the radio station to see if I could speak with the program director. Bob Long was very gracious and said send him a tape when I got back to Iowa. About a month later I was in "Cincy" on the air midnight to 4am!! It was also very exciting to be part of the team put together by Mike Roberts..Cincinnatti's first urban FM  WBLZ..7-midnight was my shift. After leaving "Cincy" I landed in Memphis,Tn..WHRK K97 FM..another 7-midnight shift. Loved Memphis..great music town. Next it was on to St.Louis,Mo  Majic 108 FM..first day time shift..10a-3pm. After St.Louis I returned to my home town, Springfield..WNNS FM hosted 7-midnight. Although it was a small market..my next moved was the biggest acomplishment in my career..Champagin-Urbana, Il...I was hired as general manager and program director..WBCP AM..the station was "dark". I put together the entire operation ..it was like giving birth!!

I returned to my home town, Springfield, back to WNNS and remained on the air until my "retirement" in 2007. I  spent a glorious 32 years in radio broadcasting..it was a hell of a ride!!! Presently I host a Saturday night radio show "Smooth Jazz Take Out" a mix of smooth jazz and cool vocals. Streaming live audio WQNA.org..9pm until midnight..central time..Saturday nights. Tune in sometime!!  Love ya!  

 

Remember that she is on 9pm until Midnight..CENTRAL TIME...Saturday nites. Check her out and you will hear the sound that captivated this city for what seemed too short a time...

 

Love ya, Deb!

The reality star known by one name...Omarosa once worked as an intern at WCIN..

Omarosa

Before she left WCIN to join the Bill Clinton campaign, Omaroseonee Manigault-Stallworth, whom the world now knows simply as Omarosa, worked as an intern at iconic WCIN. I remember her enthusiastic spirit and she was always smiling and vibrant. If I'm not mistaken, she was also named Homecoming Queen or Miss Central State or whatever the proper name of that title was.  I also remember how close she was to her mother, who I think she later paid for a breast augmentation following her stint on Donald Trumps' "Celebrity Apprentice". I can still hear her updates on the Clinton campaign that she phoned back to Lincoln Ware while she was away.  She, of course, went on to become the villain on Trumps show and another reality show that she found her niche in. She has always been a go-getter and I'm not surprised to see the level of success she has attained.  Now she has made the news by saving the life of her beau, Michael Clarke Duncan of "The Green Mile" fame. As an alumnus of WCIN...we wish her the best of everything and a speedy recovery to her fellow. We are still watching you "Onee" and I wonder if you are still an expert in sign language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omarosa_Manigault-Stallworth

Angela Bofill....the Angel of the Night and Randi..the voice of the night

WCIN brought Angela Bofill to Eden Park one year and here she posed with evening announcer Randi.

T.C. Conductor of The Nite Train...that little piece of leather that's well put together.

For those of us who loved to party hearty on the weekends...friday and saturday nites, starting at midnite, were special times because it would be time to "get aboard...the Nite Train" with T.C. It would be difficult to call it a night after coming in from partying somewhere and having the radio tuned to AM1480WCIN where T.C. was not only playing the "best music of your life", but giving you the history and side stories about the music from the 50's, 60's and 70's. Just when you think you might drift off to sleep he would hit you with "your jam" from back in the day.



King of Dusties in Cincinnati
T.C.



     I've got to say that T.C. holds a special place in my heart because at the time WCIN was undergoing an ownership change and the format was not one that the community was accustomed to...I had the good fortune of being able to call on some old friends to come back behind the mike and breath life back into that iconic radio station. I'll never forget T.C.'s reaction when I asked him to revive his oldies show..he almost had tears in his eyes because of the joy he felt to be able to keep the music alive. He is a true historian of our music and I'm proud to be able to put his story in this blog. Not only is he an historian of the music, but he also has salvaged a lot of the on air sound that I'll be featuring from the various personalities of yesterday.

T.C., (Tyrone Cannon), is a Cincinnatian born on May 22, 1965..(Wow, a year after I graduated from high school!) in Corryville. He attended Hughes High School and graduated in 1983. While at Hughes, T.C. enrolled in the Radio and Television Vocational Program.  While in this program he was appointed Music Director and Disc Jockey for the school radio station WHBA 1200AM. After high school he continued to pursue his career in radio, and in 1984 volunteered to co-host and program an Oldies Show on AM1480WCIN. The program was called "Sunday Soul Serenade" with DJ Pat Gregory..who gave him the radio name T.C. Soul Serenade was cancelled in 1985 and in November of 1987 T.C. was hired on as an overnight Board Operator.  January 2, 1991 T.C. was given his own show, called The Nite Train, the best music of your life, which aired Friday and Saturday nights from midnite til 6am. The show featured classic and rare dusties, blues, doo-wop and jazz with a history lesson behind the music and artist. In April 1997, T.C. produced the first Nite Train Dusty Convention at the Apple Nightclub in the local community of Woodlawn. In attendance at this first convention were over four hundred people who came to hear the music they grew up with in addition to doing all the old dances of that day. The inspiration for T.C.'s convention was the legendary Chicago DJ Richard Pegue who was to become a mentor and major influence in T.C.'s radio career. Subsequently, The Nite Train Dusty Convention was housed at the Hartwell Country Club in Cincinnati for the following nine years, and moved to a new location at the UAW Hall 647 in the community of Reading, Ohio. There was a format change at WCIN and The Nite Train ran for the last time on May 13, 2007 making it the longest running "Dusty" show in the greater Cincinnati area.








T.C.'s love for the dusties started as a young boy when his mother Betty would play music around the house.  He started collecting records at the age of eight, and has a very large collection of classic and hard to find 45's and LP's in his record library. Some of his favorite artists are: The Impressions, The Spaniels, The Dells, and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.  T.C. refers to himself as the "King of Dusties in Cincinnati", due to his vast knowledge of the music.  In his spare time T.C. travels, watches old 1970.s blaxploitation movies, stepping Chicago style, reading and hanging out with family and friends.

T.C. has recently stepped up to fill a void in the Chicago area by continuing a tradition that the market has been accustomed to for many years.  T.C's convention is put on twice a year in the Chicago area and is always well anticipated and well attended.  This blog will make sure that the word will get out announcing the next time the Nite Train Dusty Convention will convene.

     



Jimmy Wonder "The Ball of Thunder"...His Story

WCIN brought us many local heroes and celebrities...the local listener knew that when they were tuned in 1480AM they would be thoroughly entertained by both the music and the smooth, clear, phonetically correct, mellow, and captivating sounds of the announcer on the air. Most of the on-air personalities, and they definitely were personalities, had their "own thing". They would come onto their shift with a certain style that let you know it was their time to command the airwaves. As time went on...these personalities were known by their "on air personna". Most of us who are over forty remember a young man who was simply known as "The Boy Wonder". He captivated WCIN listeners for a number of years and has gone on to make quite a name for himself in the entertainment industry..specifically the radio industry. I caught up to James Alexander and asked him to give viewers of this blog an insight into what got him into radio, some of the highlights of his time on WCIN and what he's doing now and what is in the future for him.


Jimmy Wonder...The Ball of Thunder






In his words...This is the Jimmy Wonder Story!

From the desk of James Alexander

My first inclination of being a radio personality begins at a young age (approx. 10 y/o); I am from and grew up in Cincinnati during the “CIN” era of Buggs Scruggs, Jockey Jack, Eddie Castleberry, Tom Knox- TKO, Ed Wright and Little Abraham – Rev Swanson.

I would envision myself on the radio w/ a style of the likes of Buggs Scruggs (flair, personality, magnetism, popularity, good diction and a proper use of the English language)

Let’s fast forward to my upcoming junior year in high school, 1967 (Walnut Hills) during summer practice; playing defensive line while leaping to block the quarterback’s pass – my defensive line mate & I locked our feet and I came down on the side of my knee…my football career ended that afternoon

By this time I had really intensified as my plan was to go to The Ohio State University play football, go to the pros, obtain my law degree and become an attorney, judge, and / or politician   

Fast forward to the next year – leg was healing and the remembrance of broadcasting hit my mind; it was followed by a call to Tom Knox – “TKO” who became my mentor

Flashing back… I had the opportunity to visit my first radio station and meet Bill Moss (WVKO – Columbus) and later Tom Hankerson (WCIN); meeting Bill Moss, like Tom Hankerson were pivotal points – these gentlemen were not only popular (on-air) but were the Program Directors; they wore shirt &ties, had an office, people coming to them for clearance, when they spoke, people listened and followed their directives; this again was pivotal for a young man to see these Black men in action in 1967. You never know whose watching you and the impact that it will have on their lives

Back to Tom Knox – it was him that took an interest in preparing me for my goal – I was the pre-eminent for his “Radio Workshop” where numerous individuals followed after me

It all culminated on an August evening in 1968 (at the age of 17) when the then Program Director, Bob Hudson went out of town to an industry convention – Knox put me on the air not late night / weekends but from 6p-8p.

In retrospect Hudson had to of known; although TKO was a “free spirit” that would have been a bit much!

It obviously worked out as we Fast forward (one month) to the beginning of my senior year…The Jimmy Wonder era began!

My first shift was what we call in the industry – afternoon drive; from 3p-6p (again un-heard of) a beginner and being just 17 years old)

The journey continues to be “illustrious” – I was at WCIN for 41/2 years, then WDAO “Da-you” in Dayton, New Orleans, and Chicago, Detroit (twice, Houston and Dallas

I continued to achieved notoriety – while in Detroit (WJLB) the station achieved the #1 rating (overall) and forced the primary competitor (WDRQ) out of the format (the analogy would be like The Lakers forcing the Celtics – out of the league / out of the game)

Similar success in the other cities; have worked with and have been instrumental in the careers of many individuals and have had many mentors throughout the years

I am embarking on the next phase of my career w/ a group of industry persons for a Syndication company that will be a full service provider of programming content and other related areas

***P.S –

If “Jimmy Wonder” could return home to Cincinnati – what do you think???

Well, Jimmy, I think that it's an idea whose time has come....in this age of syndication....our community could use a seasoned professional!

~I'm curious to find out how the viewers of this blog will react to that possiblity. I'm posing that question to the community at large...

I WOULD LOVE TO ONCE AGAIN HEAR.....

Jimmy Wonder, The Ball of Thunder…the Men’s threat & the Ladies pet…a lover’s supreme & every girl’s dream.

The one who did it, hit it, split it but never quit it, but got away “wit” it

The Soul of the New Breed…The Teenage Wonder - The 8^th Wonder