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The Great American Talent Hunt

T

thebig143

As some of you no doubt remember, Jack Armstrong left WKBW in 1973 and the station decided to hold a contest to find a replacement. I believe it was called "The Great American Talent Hunt", or something similar.

My fading memory tells me that there were eight "contestants", including singers Albert Hammond and Harry Chapin, and deejays Shane, Randy Michaels, the Greaseman and The Janitor. Each did a four-hour show in Armstrong's 6-10 p.m. time slot and at the end of all the trials the listeners voted. The Janitor got the job, later to be replaced by Shane.

That's six. Just wondering - who were the other two contestants?
 
> Banana Joe (?)

Don't think Banana Joe was one of the contestants, Doctor Jazz. Though hell, I could be wrong. Afterall, it was 35 years ago!!!

Nor was Randy Michaels a contestant to the best of my recollection. That would be the Randy Michaels, Ben Hummel.

Two guys should remember the line-up: Don Berns and Jeff Kaye.

I listened to every contestant and graded them on a 1 to 10 scale but I can't remember the line-up. Armstrong was a tough act to follow. I didn't envy any of those guys who auditioned. Think about it: 50kW blowtorch; Every ear in Buffalo evaluating your every word; Legendary PD evaluating your act; New engineers and format to work with. Damn!

There were some medium market guys trying to snatch the brass ring. Interesting that The Janitor came in from WLOF, Orlando and these days the WLOF call letters are assigned to 101.7, Catholic Radio, Amherst-Attica.

As I remember one of the jocks was from CapCities WPRO... and a guy from WGH Norfolk? Another guy who'd worked in Jamestown, though not Tom Barney (Barney Luv.)

Greaseman was absolutely hysterical and on merit should have gotten the job. Word is he wanted a bit more than KB was willing to pay for a night guy. Jeff told me a few good stories about the contestants, in his own inimitable style.

Ironic. I got hired at KB about a year later based on an aircheck I submitted to Jeff hoping to get a shot on the talent hunt. Jeff did me a favor. As Stewey from Family Guy might say, "I think I might have 'soiled myself.'"

Berns can tell us more, as well as a few stories about the, ahem, venerable GM at the time, who I believe was R. Thomas Cronk.
 
> Greaseman was absolutely hysterical and on merit should have
> gotten the job. Word is he wanted a bit more than KB was
> willing to pay for a night guy. Jeff told me a few good
> stories about the contestants, in his own inimitable style.

Jeff told me all about that talent hunt one day right after we wrapped up a WBEN morning show. He confirmed that Greaseman was actually both the listener vote winner and his own first choice---but they were miles apart on money (WAXC in Rochester was already paying him nearly as much money as 'KB had budgeted for the night show, and NBC O&O WRC in Washington, DC was already starting to talk with him at the same time-so KB didn't have much chance of getting him). Shane was a close second in listener popularity and was under serious consideration but apparently did not hit it off with anyone at 'KB during the negotiations. Janitor, from Orlando, was a respectable third in the listener poll and was Jeff;s third choice but was willing to come for the money KB wanted to pay. So he was announced as the winner and came up to Buffalo. He didn't work out, and IIRC they ended up hiring Jim Quinn (who DID succeed for 'KB) a matter of months later.

I don't think Randy Michaels was ever part of that contest. He would have been at WGR on the night show at the time, opposite whoever was battling for the gig at 'KB, and IIRC, that was his last fulltime air job before starting his move out of Buffalo and into management. When Michaels left 'GR later in '73 or early '74, didn't Shane finally end up in Buffalo as his replacement?
 
> Janitor,
> from Orlando, was a respectable third in the listener poll
> and was Jeff;s third choice but was willing to come for the
> money KB wanted to pay. So he was announced as the winner
> and came up to Buffalo. He didn't work out, and IIRC they
> ended up hiring Jim Quinn (who DID succeed for 'KB) a matter
> of months later.
>
> I don't think Randy Michaels was ever part of that contest.
> He would have been at WGR on the night show at the time,
> opposite whoever was battling for the gig at 'KB, and IIRC,
> that was his last fulltime air job before starting his move
> out of Buffalo and into management. When Michaels left 'GR
> later in '73 or early '74, didn't Shane finally end up in
> Buffalo as his replacement?
>

Yes, Randy Michaels was at WGR and did not participate in the WKBW Talent Hunt. The Janitor got the gig as Bob notes, but his stay at WKBW was brief. Shane was brought in to clean up for the Janitor when he was dispatched from KB. The Janitor, according to many sources, was a decent soul but was too green for the assignment and never emerged from the shadow of the legendary Jack Armstrong.

As I understand, he did the all night show for a while and then moved on to Minot or Spearfish. Too bad. The guy had a catchy name and act. Had this happened in the last ten years, he would have found a gig as a morning guy in a top 50 market. Timing is everything.
 
Re: Great American Talent Hunt- Here's the line up

Well, I now know I'm officially a nerd. Like Jim Pastrick, I listened to all ten jocks and rated each. But unlike Jim Pastrick, I still have my notes! Hey, I was 13 at the time and a big KB fan.

One thought before I share these notes- I remember that Albert Hammond, Harry Chapin and either Peter or Paul from Peter, Paul and Mary did guest slots with Don Berns serving as cohost from 6-10pm immediately following Jack's departure. Those musicians were not part of the Great American Talent Hunt.

So here's who was part of the contest, and my notes, typos and all, from 1973 (As I read them all these years later, I guess I favored the Janitor over Greaseman and Shane at the time).

WKBW GREAT AMERICAN TALENT HUNT

March 5- Dick Kemp. Rating 3. Kemp who hadn't worked in radio for two years after a bleeding ulcer forced him out of radio for two years now owns a truck rental firm. His last job was in Cleveland.

March 6- Andrew Jackson. Rating: 2. Big Ange from Providence relied on the telephone to boost his show. And didn't have the professional sound to follow up Jack Armstrong.

March 7- Judd Coursey. Rating: 5. Coursey is my pick for the first week. He sounded and preformed much better than the two before him. However he did talk slow for a night jock.

March 8- Shane (WLEE). Rating: 4. From Richmond, Shane would start up what sounded like the beginning of a joke, howere he never came up with a punch line. He came in 4th in the voting.

March 9- Greaseman (WAXC). Rating: 4. The Greaseman, was a billed as a deejay who worked in Rochester, admitted he never worked in radio before. He sounded old but did a good job.

March 12- Mike St James (WFTL). Rating: 6. St James used a lot of clever lines and sound effects. He was the first of two from Florida.

March 13- Bruce Clark (WKAZ). The sreaming Clark from West Virginia kept you awake. He did tell the time every chance he got.

March 14- The Janitor (WLOF). Rating: 10. After hearing the Janitor, he makes the other deejays sound as if they were talking in their sleep. The closest thing to Jack Armstrong and should walk away with the contest.

March 15- Jim Carter (WBAB). Rating: 7. Gentlemen Jim used the phone more than the turntrables but more effectively than Andrew Jackson.

March 16- Supershannon. Rating: 9. Third in the final voting, Supershannon gave a good show. He was fast with the tounge and quick with a joke.

My final voting ended up as follows:
5- The Greaseman
4- Shane
3- Supershannon
2-Jim Carter
1-The Janitor

<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Waddy_Harvey on 04/14/06 02:23 AM.</FONT></P>
 
Talent Hunt line up - any of these names ring a bell??

> March 12- Mike St James (WFTL). Rating: 6. St James used a
> lot of clever lines and sound effects. He was the first of
> two from Florida.

Wow stuff you never knew about people you know. Mike St James did afternoon drive at WFTL in the early '70's before I got there. We met and talked, actually becoming good friends. He never mentioned the "Great American Talent Hunt". I could see him at KB he was completely nuts on and off the air!

I ran into some other Buffalo radio alumni back when I worked in Florida. Does anyone remember Charlie Warren? He did afternoons at WBEN for a short time on the way to Pittsburgh and WWSW (great story there). How about a guy who called himself "Chucker" he worked at WFUN in Miami and claimed to have worked at KB. Then there was Paul Cavanaugh who had worked part-time at KB. I also ran into Pat Fagan in Palm Beach. Any of these names ring a bell?

MikeM
 
Re: Great American Talent Hunt- Here's the line up

> Well, I now know I'm officially a nerd. Like Jim Pastrick,
> I listened to all ten jocks and rated each. But unlike Jim
> Pastrick, I still have my notes! Hey, I was 13 at the time
> and a big KB fan.

Amazing! Thoroughly enjoyable (especially for radio afficianados [geeks] like me) Thank you for your meticulous record-keeping. How cool that you found your notes. Don't tell me, they were in a binder on looseleaf paper or a spiral notebook... if you did them on a yellow legal pad, you're probably practicing law these days.

Your list and notes are worthy of the Buffalo Broadcasters Hall Of Fame. The names and comments brought back a flood of cool memories. Although I graded the jocks differently, your appraisal is interesting and makes for good reading. Already saved the page in my "Radio Stuff" folder.
<hr>
Now back to work on the Shuffle Lunch Hour.
 
Re: Talent Hunt line up - any of these names ring a bell??

> > March 12- Mike St James (WFTL). Rating: 6. St James used
> a
> > lot of clever lines and sound effects. He was the first
> of
> > two from Florida.
>
> Wow stuff you never knew about people you know. Mike St
> James did afternoon drive at WFTL in the early '70's before
> I got there. We met and talked, actually becoming good
> friends. He never mentioned the "Great American Talent
> Hunt". I could see him at KB he was completely nuts on and
> off the air!
>
> I ran into some other Buffalo radio alumni back when I
> worked in Florida. Does anyone remember Charlie Warren? He
> did afternoons at WBEN for a short time on the way to
> Pittsburgh and WWSW (great story there). How about a guy
> who called himself "Chucker" he worked at WFUN in Miami and
> claimed to have worked at KB. Then there was Paul Cavanaugh
> who had worked part-time at KB. I also ran into Pat Fagan
> in Palm Beach. Any of these names ring a bell?
>
> MikeM
>
In response to:"Wow stuff you never knew about people you know (or used to know, as the case may be!)"
I was back and forth at WBAB in 1973 doing fill on the then just split-off AM daytimer (now WNYG), and crossed paths many times with ole Gentleman Jim Carter, and I never knew that he had even applied tried out for The KB Talent Hunt. Jim was from Texas, and I believe he returned there after his stint at WBAB. Maybe the day he "demo-ed" at KB was one of the many he took off when at BAB. He did often suffer from a little too much drink...the night before...and definitely not enough sleep for a morning man. He lived directly across the street from the station, and for good reason. I now believe that such a stipulation must have been "in his contract", as many a Saturday morning (how convenient), I had to run, in between 3 minute "records" mind you, back and forth across the street, a couple of times, when the album side I had put on the FM was about to run down, and someone (not me) needed to talk!
Yup...them were the DAZE!!!
 
The Chucker?

> How about a guy who called himself "Chucker" he worked at WFUN in Miami and
> claimed to have worked at KB.

I suspect you met Chuck Lakefield, who called himself "The Laker". He worked at KB in the '80s, as well as WGR and WBUF in Buffalo. He also spent time in Rochester, and now works in Green Bay, WI. It looks like he's either syndicated or VT'ing a few other stations. Nice guy, good jock.
 
Re: Great American Talent Hunt- Here's the line up

>
> Amazing! Thoroughly enjoyable (especially for radio
> afficianados [geeks] like me) Thank you for your meticulous
> record-keeping. How cool that you found your notes. Don't
> tell me, they were in a binder on looseleaf paper or a
> spiral notebook... if you did them on a yellow legal pad,
> you're probably practicing law these days.
>
> Your list and notes are worthy of the Buffalo Broadcasters
> Hall Of Fame. The names and comments brought back a flood of
> cool memories.


Ditto---Ditto---Ditto!!!
I* was going to mention the celebrity musician thing but I haven't been able to log on to this board from the remote computer where I'm staying in NYC this weekend.

FYI-Albert Hammond's son is in The Strokes.

Harry Chapin became a life long friend after co-hosting that show. I remember that better than all the contestants. And didn't Larry O'Brien (WCFL) also come in as a ringer as opposed to an entrant in the GATH?
 
Re: Great American Talent Hunt- Here's the line up

It's interesting to look at what happened to them afterward....


> WKBW GREAT AMERICAN TALENT HUNT
>
> March 5- Dick Kemp. Rating 3. Kemp who hadn't worked in
> radio for two years after a bleeding ulcer forced him out of
> radio for two years now owns a truck rental firm. His last
> job was in Cleveland.

He may also be the same Dick Kemp who's been running a pretty large commercial property outfit in Texas since the late 1970s.

> March 6- Andrew Jackson. Rating: 2. Big Ange from
> Providence relied on the telephone to boost his show. And
> didn't have the professional sound to follow up Jack
> Armstrong.

Talk about disappearing without a trace...no record of him in 440 Satisfaction or anywhere else on the Web.

> March 7- Judd Coursey. Rating: 5. Coursey is my pick for
> the first week. He sounded and preformed much better than
> the two before him. However he did talk slow for a night
> jock.

Right after the KB contest he ended up at WDRC in Hartford for several years as "Otis in the Nighttime." Later on, he was a personality in Houston, Tampa and San Diego for many years. Sadly, he passed away a few years ago from cancer at the age of 55.

> March 8- Shane (WLEE). Rating: 4. From Richmond, Shane
> would start up what sounded like the beginning of a joke,
> howere he never came up with a punch line. He came in 4th
> in the voting.

We know Shane's story...as soon as Randy Michaels started his climb up the corporate ladder, Shane moved in to take his slot and rock through the night for years on WGR. He soon got to nights in Buffalo after all---just at the other end of the dial.

> March 9- Greaseman (WAXC). Rating: 4. The Greaseman, was a
> billed as a deejay who worked in Rochester, admitted he
> never worked in radio before. He sounded old but did a good
> job.

As mentioned above he was Jeff Kaye's and the voters' first choice so they approached him first. Didn't work, when Jeff asked "deal or no deal?" he said, "no deal." KB's loss when they couldn't come to terms with him was WRC's immediate gain, although he got the can tied to him there about a year later and spent several years in Jacksonville, FL before moving back to DC to take Howard Stern's place in the early '80s when Stern moved to WNBC. He spent the next 18 years as DC's most successful and controversial morning guy, and eventually built a pretty good lineup of stations in syndication although he never beat Howard in any market but DC. We know how his crashing and burning after a racist-osunding on-air joke left him a pariah for several years and made him a one-night national wonder as subject of a Nightline episode. He's trying now to rebuild his syndicated show.

> March 12- Mike St James (WFTL). Rating: 6. St James used a
> lot of clever lines and sound effects. He was the first of
> two from Florida.

Web search seems to find him at KCMQ in Columbia, MO

> March 13- Bruce Clark (WKAZ). The sreaming Clark from West
> Virginia kept you awake. He did tell the time every chance
> he got.

Next stop for him was WKLO, Louisville...don't know what happened to him from there.

> March 14- The Janitor (WLOF). Rating: 10. After hearing
> the Janitor, he makes the other deejays sound as if they
> were talking in their sleep. The closest thing to Jack
> Armstrong and should walk away with the contest.

Could he have become Rocco The Janitor, who's now at Philly's Wired 96.5?

> March 15- Jim Carter (WBAB). Rating: 7. Gentlemen Jim used
> the phone more than the turntrables but more effectively
> than Andrew Jackson.

Gentleman Jim shortly afterward moved up to Rochester to hold down middays at WAXC. Eventually wound up on the air in San Antonio, TX, where he lives now.

> March 16- Supershannon. Rating: 9. Third in the final
> voting, Supershannon gave a good show. He was fast with the
> tounge and quick with a joke.

Scott Shannon was founder of the original morning zoo at New York's WHTZ/Z100 back in the '80s, taking over the music radio ratings crown in Market #1, and is now morning man and PD at ABC O&O WPLJ/95.5 in NYC. He's had arguably the best overall career of any of the 1973 'KB Great American Talent Hunt contenders.

And after The Janitor got swept away, KB of course found more success at night with Jim Quinn, who is now Pittsburgh's most controversial morning talk jock, followed by Jay Fredericks, now known by his real name of Fritz Coleman and enjoying his status as #1 TV weathercaster in Los Angeles (on KNBC-TV).
 
Re: Great American Talent Hunt- Here's the line up

> Scott Shannon was founder of the original morning zoo at New
> York's WHTZ/Z100 back in the '80s, taking over the music
> radio ratings crown in Market #1, and is now morning man and
> PD at ABC O&O WPLJ/95.5 in NYC. He's had arguably the best
> overall career of any of the 1973 'KB Great American Talent
> Hunt contenders.

I'm fairly certain that WPLJ's Scott Shannon is not the same jock who was Supershannon in Buffalo. After not winning the talent hunt, Supershannon did end up at WGRQ doing nights sometime later (months/ a year?), and eventually did wind up at KB for weekends. (So who was Supershannon?)

>
> And after The Janitor got swept away, KB of course found
> more success at night with Jim Quinn, who is now
> Pittsburgh's most controversial morning talk jock, followed
> by Jay Fredericks, now known by his real name of Fritz
> Coleman and enjoying his status as #1 TV weathercaster in
> Los Angeles (on KNBC-TV).
>

Shane replaced the Janitor after a few months. I don't remember exactly how long Shane lasted at KB, but I'm pretty sure he moved to WYSL after getting bounced at KB, then he wound up at WGR. (Sandy Beach replace Randy Michaels at WGR for a few months that summer before going to Erie)

At any rate, Don Berns (with an E) moved from middays to nights and replaced Shane, all before Jim Quinn. After Berns left KB, shortly after Beach's departure, I remember he ended up at WPHD during their final days as a "progressive rock" station. And did a nice job despite being a total departure from KB's format.


<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by Waddy_Harvey on 04/15/06 12:51 AM.</FONT></P>
 
Re: Great American Talent Hunt- Here's the line up

> I'm fairly certain that WPLJ's Scott Shannon is not the same
> jock who was Supershannon in Buffalo. After not winning the
> talent hunt, Supershannon did end up at WGRQ doing nights
> sometime later (months/ a year?), and eventually did wind up
> at KB for weekends. (So who was Supershannon?)

Check the tapes of the two men on reelradio.com. They're one and the same guy. Scott Shannon has mentioned at various times that he worked in Buffalo back in the early 70s...

> > And after The Janitor got swept away, KB of course found
> > more success at night with Jim Quinn, who is now
> > Pittsburgh's most controversial morning talk jock,
> followed
> > by Jay Fredericks, now known by his real name of Fritz
> > Coleman and enjoying his status as #1 TV weathercaster in
> > Los Angeles (on KNBC-TV).
> >
>
> Shane replaced the Janitor after a few months. I don't
> remember exactly how long Shane lasted at KB, but I'm pretty
> sure he moved to WYSL after getting bounced at KB, then he
> wound up at WGR. (Sandy Beach replace Randy Michaels at WGR
> for a few months that summer before going to Erie)
>
> At any rate, Don Berns (with an E) moved from middays to
> nights and replaced Shane, all before Jim Quinn. After
> Berns left KB, shortly after Beach's departure, I remember
> he ended up at WPHD during their final days as a
> "progressive rock" station. And did a nice job despite
> being a total departure from KB's format.
>
Hmmm, why don't I remember Shane on KB? Must have been a temporary thing. I remember Sandy's brief sojurn at GR, which was clearly a temporary stop and even announced as such because he went to Erie specifically to get his first shot at being a PD.
 
The Shannon Mystery

Professor, I respectfully submit that Scott Shannon and Super Shannon are two distinctly different persons. I met Super Shannon when he jocked at the Super-Q around 1973-1974, just before WGRQ became Q-FM-97. To the best of my recollection of conversations, he came to Buffalo after a successful stint at WQRK-FM, Norfolk. Also, his appearance was not as robust at Scott Shannon.

I have an American Top 40 Airchex LP in the Pastrick Archives (also known as "those boxes of junk in the basement") that features a few minutes of Scott Shannon wailing away at WMAK, Nashville.

Not to make a mountain out of a molehill, but a scan of Scott Shannon on Google searches yields no mention of WKBW or WGRQ.

Entries for Scott Shannon can be found at Wikipedia and 440Satisfaction.com. The Scott Shannon website mentions nothing about Buffalo, either WGRQ or WKBW. One would think those two Top 40 stations would be part of his biography, even if they were of the proverbial "cup of coffee" nature.
<p align="center">
Scott Shannon
WFBS [Fayetteville NC] 1967
WCLS [Columbus GA] 1967
WABB [Mobile AL] 1968
WMPS [Memphis TN] 1969
WMAK [Nashville] 1970
WQXI [Atlanta GA] 1974
WPGC/WPGC-FM [Washington DC] 1976
WRBQ/WRBQ-FM [Tampa FL] 1979
WHTZ [Newark NJ - NYC] 1983
KQLZ [Los Angeles CA] 1988
WPLJ [New York] 1991
</p>
The period from 1970 to 1973 is interesting. Only WMAK, Nashiville is noted. It was during the latter part of this period that Top 40 WGRQ Buffalo came to prominence as the Super-Q. Conceivably, Scott Shannon may have come north for a spell to do his act at the Super-Q as Super Shannon. Based on recollections (albeit 30+ years mature) reading Vox Jox, Claude Hall's chronicles of radio personalities hop-scotching America, Scott Shannon successfully transitioned from WMAK, Nashville to WQXI, Atlanta.

I'm open to correction should facts indicate otherwise. It's an interesting short research project. Both men were outstanding top 40 jocks.

Resepectfully,

Jim
 
Re: Great American Talent Hunt- Here's the line up

Hmmm, why don't I remember Shane on KB? Must have been a
> temporary thing. I remember Sandy's brief sojurn at GR,
> which was clearly a temporary stop and even announced as
> such because he went to Erie specifically to get his first
> shot at being a PD.
>
Shane's tenure at KB was short. Recall that late 1973 and early 1974 was a tumultuous time at KB. KB was making the transition to a more music intensive station. Remember Jeff Kaye's promotional ads, "KB Radio is becoming a thing of the past"? KB transitioned to "KB-15, the Great American Music Machine." Kaye left shortly afterward. And because Shane was Kaye's man, he left too, after perhaps four months on the job. We all know Sandy Beach left at that time. And Jon Summers arrived. (Sorry, Jon. While many of us think highly of you today as a veteran Buffalo broadcaster, your arrival in 1973 and the changes at KB didn't sit well with us then.) Berns did the evening show for a few more months before he left WPHD. I think that's when Jim Quinn came on board.
 
Re: Great American Talent Hunt- Here's the line up

Berns did the evening show for a few more months
> before he left WPHD. I think that's when Jim Quinn came on
> board.
>

That would be before I left FOR wphd. Quinn did replace me in he evenings; later we worked together at WTAE in Pittsburgh.
 
Re: The Chucker?

> > How about a guy who called himself "Chucker" he worked at
> WFUN in Miami and
> > claimed to have worked at KB.
>
> I suspect you met Chuck Lakefield, who called himself "The
> Laker". He worked at KB in the '80s, as well as WGR and WBUF
> in Buffalo. He also spent time in Rochester, and now works
> in Green Bay, WI. It looks like he's either syndicated or
> VT'ing a few other stations. Nice guy, good jock.
>
Hi SirRoxalot!

My bud, Chris Lash, informed me there was discussion as to whether I worked at WKBW. Well...I was there...whether you consider it work (I didn't; I loved it!) or not is another thing.

It was "One of America's two great radio stations." (Jeff Kaye line). I was there when Bob Harper was PD, Norm Schrutt was Sales Mgr., and Tom Cronk GM.

Email me anytime at: [email protected]<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by drdrthayer on 04/20/06 10:29 PM.</FONT></P>
 
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