Great story. Thanks for sharing. For some reason, I love stories of the old radio business.
I grew up in the Detroit suburbs just after the heyday of CKLW radio. It was an absolute powerhouse. Based in Windsor, Ontario. At one point it was the highest rated station in 5 or 6 states plus 1 or 2 provinces.
It was a white station that played white and black music, in many ways bringing the races together.
Of course, being the same time as Motown Heyday didn’t hurt.
Side story. I was talking with a friend the other day. He’s black, I’m white. We were talking about growing up and I brought up I Wish by Stevie Wonder. I said I grew up in the suburbs, not the ghetto and outside of not being a “nappy headed boy” I could relate with almost everything in that song. I thought my friend was going to die he was laughing so hard.
I worked with a black guy in Helena back in the 70s and one day we were talking about growing up. I told him we had a wood stove and an out house and would sometimes go to be hungry, etc. He said “Hell, you’re a n****r, too!”