1966 WJR radio station promotional video – One of a Kind
Andrew Norton
This was a promotional video by WJR to appeal to advertisers. Throughout the video, amidst scenes from around Detroit, happy listeners are smiling away while WJR is tuned in on the radio. Some of the highlights from this vintage video -
- Shots of Ernie Harwell interviewing White Sox manager, Al Lopez, and calling a home run by Tiger great, Norm Cash.
- Scenes from a Lions versus Packers game at venerable old Tiger Stadium.
- A look at the old newsroom with the line of clocks along the wall displaying the different time zones, typewriters hammering away, telephone ringing, and that good old-fashioned sense of urgency in the reporting.
- Live music from the WJR studio complete with orchestra and a gal struggling through “When The Saints Go Marching In.”
I found it interesting that the fact that “most everyone drives to work” is bragged about along with the lack of any mass transit being in existence. More drivers = more potential radio listeners as four out of five automobiles were equipped with a radio.
One last item of note was that at the time of this video 70% of the residents of Metro-Detroit owned their own homes. Today an estimated 54.9% own their own homes. [Via http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/26/2622000.html]