He started at WLAV in 1970. Tony and I were friends and he used to bring me on air to bullshit before my shift. We know the killer chemistry he's enjoyed best with Michelle McKormick, and paired with the comedic timing of Travis Gibbs, Mornings on WLAV will be transcendent and almost criminally funny. ", Henson remarked, "Returning home to Michigan to work with Michelle McKormick and Cumulus is very exciting for me and my family. We're beyond happy with our next adventure. by MWmetalhead Mon May 02, 2022 3:50 pm, Post The legendary Grand Rapids DJ and radio personality finally revealed this week the medical issue and surgery that's kept him out of the public eye in recent months. by unreel Mon Sep 30, 2019 3:22 pm, Post (Photo/John Sinkevics), EDITORS NOTE: Longtime Grand Rapids DJ Aris Hampers represents a legacy of groundbreaking rock n roll radio, part of WLAV-FMs progressive, landscape-changing format in the 1970s that influenced artists regionally and nationally with help from a familiar crew of memorable on-air personalities. The Richmond native began her career in her hometown, and for over a decade has been More HIS Radio Network Welcomes New Additions to Lineup Matthews, 55, a Detroit-area native who got his start at WLAV-FM in the early 1980s, later left for St. Louis but was recruited nine months later by Dahl to come to Chicago for a run lasting more than 22 years. Citadel Broadcasting acquired the station from Bloomington Broadcasting (doing business as Michigan Media) in 2000. I worked middays at LAV-AM late 70s early 80s. His radio career then took him to stations in Austin, Philadelphia, Dallas and Pittsburgh. Several of WLAV's DJs appear in. To make matters worse, many of WLAVs top D.J.s began to leave. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Radio news and headlines delivered right to your e-mail box -- and it's free. Seems like some nationwide budget cuts could be imminent for the Cloud company. In 1974, it became western Michigan's first full-time AOR station and was an instant success. He joins West Michigan personality Michelle McKormick and audience favorite Travis Gibbs on WLAV, weekdays from 5:30-10am on the newly-named "Michelle and Gregg With Travis Show." 33 years in the radio business and she has great advice for bonding with talent and facing industry challenges. If I recall one/some individual(s) went into the Federal Witness program. Necessary cookies are responsible for the basic functionality of Online Radio Box. A longtime West Michigan radio personality has disappeared from the airwaves and listeners have been left in the cold wondering what exactly happened to Tony Gates at WLAV?. Most recently, BUCHANAN hosted LAVs Uncle Bucks Basement SUNDAYS from 7a-9a, and was co-host of LAVs The TONYGATES Morning Show with MICHELLE MCKORMICK and UNCLE BUCK.". Michelle Mckormick (@Mckormickradio) / Twitter ), https://www.mibuzzboard.com/phpBB3/view 16&t=48619. None of that was even remotely truthful. After prerecorded shows have been running for weeks, Tony Gates has been pulled off the website. Tweets. Falter, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus West Michigan, commented: Behind Greggs hardcore Rock roots and razor-sharp wit is a dedicated community leader and passionate advocate of the audio industry. Today, Local Spins shares his story. Wait until the next big company swoops in, they will reorganize again. Jackie is why WLAV's numbers have tanked. We're beyond happy with our next adventure. Her afternoon NBC interview program commanded an audience of millions, and she enjoyed a reported $52,000 annual salary in 1941. Your email address will not be published. by Michael Mackie. Myself, John Barry and yes Mike Slavko aka Dung worked on the AM/weekends at that time. For those who may not be keeping score, WLAV is near all-time record low ratings, WHTS is at all-time record low ratings, and hardly anyone has listened to WTNR since its move to 107.3 (I think every WTNR book but one has been beneath a 2 share at 107.3 MHz). by MWmetalhead Sun May 01, 2022 11:10 pm, Post The station was a simulcast of WLAV 1340 in its early days, but began to break the simulcast in the early 1970s to first utilize the syndicated "Love" format with the likes of Brother John and then went live to play AOR music at night. Dahl, of Chicago, inaugurated the Steve DahlCast in September 2009 after 30 years in traditional radio in the Windy City, where listeners grew up listening to his parodies and his characters, including Ben Gay, the sports reporter, and Tyrone, the traffic reporter. Tony Gates left in 1984, and in 1986 popular morning personality Kevin Matthews left to work in St . Cancer took my mom 30 years ago. WOOD-TV - Wikipedia GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A longtime Grand Rapids radio personality has died. Some stations had people fly into Chicago and write down everything and try to duplicate it, Matthews recalled. Michelle McKormick (born November 28, 1964) is a Grand Rapids, Michigan based talk radio personality. I apologize if I mis-spelled any names. 467 Following. Radio personality..CLASSIC ROCK 97 WLAV..Talk show host The Buzz with Michelle McKormick 1340am WJRW. But now I must profusely apologize to the MANY of you who texted, emailed, called on my cell, etc., asking questions and were completely ignored by me. Jackie Green will host middays on WLAV from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning 9/23 and West Michigan's own Steve Gorman is hosting nights from 7 p.m. to Midnight, and made his debut on 9/9. Many of its top D.J.s began to leave: morning host Laurie DeYoung left for Baltimore, Tony Gates left in 1984, and in 1986 popular morning personality Kevin Matthews left to work in St. Louis. He gave permission to Local Spins to re-publish this personal essay and we are hopeful that hell continue to share his stories in coming months with Local Spins in words, if not in that oh-so-familiar voice. Ironically, as it got to a point where it was really noticeable, I suddenly got more offers than I had in years for voice work, guest podcast requests and even an offer to go back on the radio for a full-time afternoon air shift. 595 Followers. sometimes jockeys just go on their own and try out satellite, perhaps he moved there! I really do, My ties are here., E-mail Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk: jkaczmarczyk@mlive.com. It is the dominant classic rock-formatted radio station in the market and is generally a top ten performer in the Grand Rapids ratings. How do we use Cookies. . I was hired in the spring of 1979 by Curt Kelly to work Sunday afternoons from Noon-6. Still Standing: Aris Hampers (Courtesy Photo). Authorization is only required to store your personal settings. Preferred radio stations and music genres, user's Favorites, stations reviews and many other services need your personal data processing. It was a 14-day stay in the hospital requiring two surgeries equal to the cost of a mid-sized home on the West Side. Henson joins renowned West Michigan personality Michelle McKormick and audience favorite, Travis Gibbs, on WLAV weekdays from 5:30am-10:00am on the newly-named Michelle and Gregg With Travis show. A West Michigan radio personality has passed away. As founder of Gottmann GmbH she was involved in various business areas such as "360 degree management" of World Top celebrities, the production of live entertainment shows & TV productions. Our heartfelt condolences go out to EDs family at this sad time as we honor his memory and remember his lasting contributions to our community and to radio.. In the early 2000s, Henson moved to Detroits Talk WKRK-FM and created a ground-breaking hybrid FM Hot Talk show, Motor City Middays, with Michelle McKormick. I'm going to be 65 years old next month.Uncle fred of wyoming michigan.could you please play when i'm 64 by the beatles for me. Those Tony Gates Laurie DeYoung and raft race years of the 1970s and early 1980s were very chaotic. In life when I have decisions to make I always think to myself, What Would Scott Hall Do? Kevin Matthews - Facebook The Cumulus Radio Group of West Michigan owns and operates 5 live and local over the air radio brands in the Grand Rapids radio market; 105.3 HOT FM, 97 LAV, Thunder 107.3, The Ticket, and The Q 94-5. Kevin Matthews, Grand Rapids radio icon, is broadcasting once again, thanks to the world wide web. "UNCLE BUCK" joined WLAV in 1974 and was the founding father of its current Classic Rock brand. What Happened To Tony Gates Of WLAV Radio From Grand Rapids? Is The CUMULUS MEDIA has announced that longtime Classic Rock WLAV (97 LAV-FM)/GRAND RAPIDS, MI radio personality ED 'UNCLE BUCK' BUCHANAN died TODAY at the age of 69. by unreel Mon Sep 30, 2019 3:23 pm, Discussion pertaining to Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Battle Creek, Big Rapids, and Michiana. After decades of broadcasting on GRAND RAPIDS' airwaves, most notably at Classic Rocker WLAV a famed personality is surviving without his well known voice. That's what's great about the world wide web. It seems like Tony Gates left for LA back then because there was a lot of heat going down with regards to a ???? There are a handful of people that must be thanked. i have been listening to wlav since 1993 and i still love it ..the best classic rock is on wlav. Im the only person with all of this stuff and Im determined to get all of it out there before I drop. The entertainment/music business is filled with bad health choices and I dabbled in all of them over those 40 years before retiring. This is short of a travesty. On that first day after surgery I was relieved with every nurse/doctor who mispronounced my name since I just wanted to get through this anonymously and get home to recover. We look forward to Gregg's contributions to the next incredible chapter in the history of one of the country's greatest Classic Rock stations. Matthews, 55, a Detroit-area native who got his start at WLAV-FM in the early 1980s, later left for St. Louis but was recruited nine months later by Dahl to come to Chicago for a run lasting more. I was too ill to talk to her before she passed. I'm in the entertainment business, and when you remove 'entertainment,' it's all business. At this time, WLAV was tanking in the ratings, and had a decimated air staff that was made up of rookies. Harte had been in a medically induced. Henson returns to Michigan from Richmond, VA, after a successful run at heritage News/Talk station, WRVA. On the plus side, it was non-invasive cancer, meaning not only was it not going to spread anywhere else in my body, but it also eliminated any need for chemotherapy. It ever so slowly got worse over the next three but a lack of insurance in the beginning and a general so what attitude prevented me from following up on it. 97 LAVFM, WLAV-FM 96.9 FM, Grand Rapids, MI | Free Internet Radio - TuneIn These people spent a good chunk of their time to really help me get through this: Wendi & Bruce, Mitch, Stephanie (with daughters Sloan and Drew who made hand-drawn get well cards for my hospital room), Mark & Lori and Sam & Bob. A longtime broadcaster for 97 LAV-FM, Matthews was ousted in Cumulus Media's takeover of Citadel Broadcasting. He and I would smoke together often, but nothing outside of a few joints. drop the mic, btw think you could play Tommy Shaw's girls with guns? Kevin Matthews - Biography - IMDb by MWmetalhead Sun Sep 22, 2019 6:37 pm, Post If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Add your comment below. There are too many of us fighting these fights Darla Jaye and Jay Allen Swieringa, both former radio partners of mine are currently dealing with cancer issues and supertalented local musician John Sanger recently won his fight. Paying homage to Grand Rapids radio legend Ed Buchanan (Podcast WLAV-FM - Wikipedia Henson fills the opening created by Tony Gates exit in April. Alternatively, you can select which cookies or technologies you want to allow in "Settings". Steve Aldrich joins the show to talk about this long-time friend and the legacy he left behind. Henson Comes Home to Michigan in Time for the Holidays, Joining Co-Host Michelle McKormick and Travis Gibbs on WLAV's "Michelle and Gregg With Travis" GRAND RAPIDS, MI - DECEMBER 7, 2022 - CUMULUS MEDIA announces that it has appointed well-known former Detroit radio personality Gregg Henson as On-Air Co-Host, Mornings, on heritage Classic Rock station [] WLAV posted on it's Facebook page that Ed Buchanan, or Uncle Buck died Thursday. I don't recall who did the evening shift and we had Larry King overnights. In 1949, WLAV-TV 7 signed on, later becoming WOOD-TV 8. Please accept my apologies for that. Description: Western Michigan's Home for Classic Rock Language: English Contact: 60 Monroe Center NW Grand Rapids, MI 49503 US Website: http://www.wlav.com Stations 97 LAVFM Overnights with LAV! On Memorial Day 1992, the station changed to a modern rock-based format, since it felt that modern rock was the direction that progressive rock and album-oriented rock radio was heading towards. Install the free Online Radio Box app for your smartphone and listen to your favorite radio stations online - wherever you are! CUMULUS MEDIA announces that it has appointed well-known former Detroit radio personality Gregg Henson as On-Air Co-Host, Mornings, on heritage Classic Rock station 97 WLAV-FM (96.9) in Grand Rapids, MI.
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