Tom Clay's "What the World Needs Now" - 1971

[radio124]

This song got up to #8 nationally. It was bigger in NY peaking at #4 on WABC. However, I find I do not see it listed on any KHJ survey. Was the song not a hit in LA, or did KHJ refuse to play it because Clay was a personality on competing KGBS?

 

[jonbruce]

Yes, as I recall that was the reason KHJ would not play it.

 

[Beachdog]

I do recall that the song got a lot of airplay in LA. It must have hurt KHJ for those weeks of not playing the record.

 

[Ultimajock]

...what hurt Clay himself is that he leased the record to his old Detroit pal Berry Gordy at Motown (it was issued on MoWest, a Motown subsidiary label) -- and Clay forever after claimed he was not paid one red cent by Gordy, before or after the thing became a million-seller...

 

[michael hagerty]

I do recall that the song got a lot of airplay in LA. It must have hurt KHJ for those weeks of not playing the record.

Old radio programming maxim: What you don't play can't hurt you. By 1971, it was Motown that got hurt by not having one of the few stations left in L.A. that influenced singles sales not playing the record.

---Michael Hagerty

 

[XRQKFM]

Tom's son was on the air at KKTO Thousand Oaks back in the mid 80's, Tom would call into the station from his Thousand Oaks home and talk shop. Tom's son was late to his air shift by 15 minutes or more on a daily basis, Tom wanted us to cut his son some slack; which we did for awhile. We finally had to roll him up when it became 25 minutes, word is he is doing airtime down in Florida.

Tom was always nice to us!

Steve
KNJO/XRQK