WHK-FM became one of a handful of commercial stations in the country to try that format, many of which were owned by MetroMedia. DJ additions included station engineer Ric Bennett as "Rocco the Rock Dog,"[86] Scooter (WMMS music director Brad Hanson), former WRQC nighttime Personality and later WNCX Afternoon Drive and Production Director, Tom "Jack" Daniels (who returned to the Cleveland airwaves after a successful stint as Program Director of WLEV, Allentown, PA), Lisa Dillon[86] and station veteran Matt the Cat,[86] (who returned to the midday slot in 1990 after a two-year absence.) He would read some commercial copy and then "throw them in the bash bucket where they belong" and openly criticize music he didn't care for. [145] WMMS itself also airs The Rover Rewind, a weekly recap show on Saturday mornings. Spero would go on to become one of Cleveland's early progressive-rock DJs, working first at WNCR and then at WMMS. Ferenc is now the public information officer at the Cleveland Municipal Court. Matt the Cat was permanently let go in December 1992 due to "budget problems. Other shows, like The Buzzard Morning Show with Rick and Megalis (Rick Eberhart, Tom Megalis) and WMMS Mornings with Sean, Cristi, and Hunter (Sean Kelly, Cristi Cantle, Hunter Scott), came and went in quick succession. Longtime radio newsman, Mike Olszewski worked over the years for WERE, WMMS, WNCX and WCLV. Perlich is second from right in the photo above, kickin' it with the WHK crew, circa 1968. Cleveland's Rock Station- call: (216) 578-1007 toll free: (800) 348-1007 twitter: @wmms www.wmms.com | text: 35192 |Home of Rover's Morning Glory, See more 100.7 WMMS- We love to post about Cleveland, music, sports- and funny stuff we find out on the internets. WMMS did remote interviews at KSU all morning which included an interview from 1972 presidential candidate, Senator George McGovern, KSU student and gunshot survivor, Dean Kahler, other May 4th wounded who survived, Governor Dick Celeste, current students and others. WMMS does not air additional network programming, and the station only airs select games during spring training. The other DJs in the photo are, from left: Doc Nemo, Vic Boc, Martin Perlich and Pat Mack. The Buzzard became synonymous with WMMS, Cleveland radio and the city itself, spawning a series of T-shirts so numerous that they are now impossible to catalog, many with slogans like "Where Music Means Something" and "Ruler of the Airwaves.". On October 26, 2010, Rover hired a witch doctor to curse LeBron James after the NBA star left the Cleveland Cavaliers. In November 1972, WMMS was sold to Malrite Communications, a Michigan-based firm that relocated to Cleveland upon purchase. Syndicated radio show Rover's Morning Glory blends biting commentary, ridiculous antics and discussions that would get most people fired. [120] Finally, The Bob & Tom Show aired in the time slot from 2006 until April 2008. The company will move its regional office, including nine stations, downtown from the suburbs. Amy Murphy (formerly Hasten) The Voices of WIXY 1260. "I gotta blast this baby all the way to New Jersey," Springsteen quipped. [121] The Jacor purchase closed on August 10, 1998; 59days later, on October 8, 1998, Clear Channel Communications won a bidding war for Jacor in a $6.5billion deal. Thats how big MMS was. [151] In addition to the live broadcast, the show is available on demand through iHeartRadio; and can be downloaded as a podcast through iTunes. (Plain Dealer file photo), A true radio renaissance man, Perlich got his start in the 1960s as host of syndicated Cleveland Orchestra radio broadcasts, interviewing everyone from Aaron Copland to Isaac Stern. Rosenhaus hosts the network pregame show; and Hamilton hosts the network postgame show. Under Malrite ownership, WMMS would become an album-oriented rock (AOR) powerhouse, much in the same vein as its former MetroMedia progressive rock siblings. Other stations carried their birthday show. July 11, 1995. ', Rip It Up and Start Again: Postpunk 19781984, List of programming syndicated by iHeartMedia, List of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WMMS&oldid=1137903859, Active rock radio stations in the United States, Articles with dead external links from July 2018, Articles with permanently dead external links, All articles with bare URLs for citations, Articles with bare URLs for citations from March 2022, Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations, Articles with dead external links from February 2023, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with MusicBrainz place identifiers, Articles which contain graphical timelines, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, The Cleveland Plaza/Statler Office Tower (now, This page was last edited on 7 February 2023, at 00:47. Mike had been heard on a number of Cleveland radio stations over the years, putting in 40 years ol the air. [124], Following Jacor's takeover, WMMS ran a "Death of the Buzzard" month-long stunt in October 1998. The station was known as "The Home of the Buzzard" at first. Get Started Channel Hosts In Your Vehicle Streaming HOWARD STERN Howard 100 Hoda Kotb Today Show Radio Peter Mansbridge Canada Talks Sandra Bernhard Radio Andy Erin Burnett CNN Billy Idol 1st Wave Mad Dog Russo Mad Dog Sports Radio Sanders eventually turned over the program director job to Gorman, too, and they were close partners in building the station into a powerhouse. [129][130] Radio & Records twice named WMMS "Rock Station of the Year: Markets 1-25" (200506) as part of the now defunct publication's annual Industry Achievement Awards. Signing on in 1946 as the FM adjunct to WHK, the WMMS call letters were affixed in 1968 under Metromedia ownership, having stood for "MetroMedia Stereo" and meant as a compliment to the newly established progressive rock format, but have since taken on a variety of other meanings. On November 11, 1948,[54] the station adopted the callsign WHK-FM. : Michael K. McIntyre's Tipoff", "Cleveland radio personality Chad Zumock no longer working at WMMS after OVI arrest", "Bo Matthews to Program Cleveland's New 99X", "Bo Matthews Named VP Of Programming For CCM+E-Cincinnati", "Cavaliers and iHeartMedia Announce AM/FM Simulcast", "Cavs and Monsters Announce Multi-Year Extensions of Radio Broadcast Agreements", "As a reminder, we cannot stream @Cavs or @Indians on the Internet or via the @iHeartRadio app", "Nope - you'll want to grab the exclusive NBA Game Time app for that", "No, but you can listen free online w/ NBA Audio League Pass or paid w/ the NBA League Pass app", "Cleveland Indians, WTAM AM/1100 reach 5-year deal to broadcast games", "Cleveland Indians, WTAM, WMMS reach multiyear deal to carry games through (at least) 2023", "Per MLB rules we are not allowed to stream games", "MLB At Bat app only for streaming audio", "Streaming? (Plain Dealer file photo), Proud Parma natives, this longtime duo is better known as the affable hosts of "The Brian and Joe Show." Play-by-play itself is also limited to over-the-air FM; due to league restrictions, the WMMS webcast on iHeartRadio does not stream play-by-play coverage online. [33][34], Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, WMMS had a stable of personalities that remained fundamentally unchanged,[26][27] attained a dominant market share in the local ratings[27][35][36][37] and posted market record-high figures "never duplicated by any other Cleveland radio station since. Subscribe Now To Listen Your Favorite Songs On Demand! [51] In order to firmly establish a separate identity, and to reflect the station's ownership,[55] the WHK-FM callsign was changed to WMMS on September 28, 1968. The contest titled the White Trash Wedding prize included everything needed to make a wedding day special limo, wedding dress, tuxedo rental, flowers, cake and the ceremony which took place at Mickeys Diamond Mens Club in the Flats. Among the more significant moves taken by WMMS was the formatting of the morning zoo concept created by Z100's Scott Shannon onto the show Jeff & Flash (Jeff Kinzbach and Ed Ferenc) were already hosting. Sanders also booked the acts for WMMS' fame "Coffeebreak Concerts." She remained with the station until 1995. [148][149] All other air talent heard on WMMS is provided via iHeartMedia's "Premium Choice" voice-tracking service. In 2015, he founded oWOW, a thriving Cleveland-based internet radio. Mama, come get your baby boy! The show was a blend of music, comedy, news and sports, all with a definitively Cleveland sensibility. [88] Management ordered a change to the Buzzard by giving it a flat-top and mullet. [53] Listen To The Most Popular Podcasts On iHeartRadio! It was the same logo used by all of the FM radio stations owned by Metromedia at the time. Dean DePiero, then mayor of Parma, criticized the song and its accompanying YouTube video: "It's pretty sick. Spero is still active as an artist manager. Kid Leo was actively involved in the campaign in bringing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland - which lead to the mayor Geroge Voinovich granting him a key to the city in 1990. (Photo courtesy Lou Santini), Saul is best known the "Get Down Man," whose Friday afternoon riffs and rants on WMMS-FM/100.7 made him a local celebrity in the 1970s. [135] Former Lex and Terry producer Jason Carr was named the new WMMS assistant program director on February 1, 2018. Photos. Night on-air personality on The X. Ross Brittain temporarily filled in prior to the arrival of The Brian and Joe Radio Show on the Buzzard Morning Zoo, hosted by Brian Fowler and Joe Cronauer. The station also started to devote weekend programming to the classic rock format. A major contributor to the ratings success was an airstaff that remained fundamentally unchanged for many years: personalities like Kid Leo, Jeff & Flash, Matt the Cat, Dia Stein, Denny Sanders, Murray Saul, Debbie Ullman, Betty "Crash" Korvan, Ruby Cheeks (Debra Luray), BLF Bash (Bill Freeman), TR (Tom Renzy) and the late Len "Boom" Goldberg were invaluable to the station's popularity. [35] The fall 1998 Arbitron books showed WMMS with a substantial increase in listeners; Plain Dealer radio critic Roger Brown commented, "the scam worked" claiming it drove people to listen to the station again for what was supposedly the format's final days. [128] WMMS again served as the FM flagship to the Cleveland Browns Radio Network from 2002 to 2012, with Jim Donovan and Doug Dieken as announcers. The music structure also was modified at this time as artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince soon found airplay on WMMS. The average Radio Personality salary in Provo, Utah is $41,997 as of September 27, 2021, but the salary range typically falls between $33,686 and $55,388. In studio, WTAM sports director Mike Snyder hosts The Tip-Off Show, The Halftime Report, and The Nightcap Recap the network pregame, halftime, and postgame shows, respectively. Springsteen Concert Poster - Agora - August 9th, 1978, Springsteen - Agora - Scene Magazine - August, 1978. I met great radio personalities like Chuck Knapp, Lou King Kirby, Chuck Dunaway, Big John Roberts and Billy Bass. Mr. Leonard supposedly worked at the Buzzard, as the assistant public service director, but he was never able to make it into the office. Jeff and Flash were accompanied by a list of other talent over the years which made up the Buzzard Morning Zoo. In July 1973, John Gorman joined WMMS as music director and was promoted to program director and operations manager two months later where he remained for thirteen years. Matt was part of the early days at Cleveland State Universitys radio operation that only broadcast to the cafeteria, but soon after he got in on the ground floor of WMMS during its eventual transition to the Buzzard. Moms to be participated in the bikini contest for a chance to win $1,000. Denny Sanders Denny Sanders 1972 - 1986 Denny Sanders came to WMMS in 1971 from Boston where he'd been working as a DJ from the time he was just 16 years old. Alford was subsequently caught, arrested and later sentenced to ten days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Fowler works for country station WGAR-FM/99.5, and Cronauer is an on-air personality for WKYC-TV/Channel 3 and The Fish, WFHM-FM/95.5. Billy Bass. [105] John Gorman, who has since openly criticized the industry's current state, departed for CBS Radio in Detroit, but soon moved to media consulting. Since retiring from WDVE last year, he's been roaming the country by car. She worked in radio in Los Angeles from 1973-76 at KLOS and KMET. Today, he is the principal and chief content officer of WOW Media, LLC -- the parent company of oWOW. MLB At Bat", "Play-By-Play Streaming Rights: 'The Goal Posts Are Moving. [87] Unable to service its growing debt, Malrite chose to leave radio and sold off all its remaining properties in 1993:[37] WMMS went to Shamrock Broadcasting, the Roy Disney broadcasting firm. His current roster includes Kenny Loggins, Marc Cohn, Dicky Betts, Simon Kirke, Richie Furay and others. Murray Saul joined the WMMS staff as a salesman. Danny Czekalinski and Darla Jaye teamed up in October 1997 with Liz Wilde holdover Cory Lingus (Cory Gallant) until August 1998. When I was in 12th grade I landed a job on the air at a radio station in Flint, Michigan. wmms radio personalities. (Plain Dealer file photo), "Spaceman Scott" - Scott Hughes, better known as Spaceman Scott, was a member of WMMS-FM/100.7's top-rated "Buzzard Morning Zoo" in the 1980s, along with Jeff Kinzbach, Ed "Flash" Ferenc, and others. (Plain Dealer file photo), Matt Lapczinski, better known as "Matt The Cat," started at WMMS-FM/100.7 in 1974, fresh out of Cleveland State University. Boom also spent time on the Buzzard Morning Zoo and filled in during other air shifts. From 1978 on, Belkin Productions conditioned its funding of the Free Clinic on the nondisclosure of the number of Clinic staff on duty at the concerts, the nature of conditions treated and the number of patients treated.[79][80]. The two went their separate ways in 2011. Kid Leo interviews David Lee Roth, Alex Van Halen and Michael Anthony before their show at the Richfield Colesium. Past show members at WMMS include, Ryan Hoppe, Scott Taylor (now a reporter at WJLA in Washington, DC, Kaitlin Geosano, and Rob Garguilo. During the 20th anniversary broadcast, Mike Olszewski, along with Jeff & Flash, spoke with Wally Bryson of the Raspberries and one of the National Guardsmen. Win tickets to see Adam Sandler at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Win tickets to see Weezer at Blossom Music Center, Win tickets to see Disturbed at Blossom Music Center. [57], Following a legal dispute with a competing station owner over non-compete clauses in their contracts, former Top 40 WIXY personalities Dick "the Wilde Childe" Kemp and Lou "King" Kirby were signed by MetroMedia for the top 40 format. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). However, Matt would be dismissed permanently from the station in late 1992, the victim of budget cuts. He became a part of the heyday of WMMS, which included on-air personalities like Kid Leo, Denny Sanders, Matt the Cat, Betty Korvan, Len Goldberg and the BLF Bash. Contestants got a little crazy and ate everything from maggot sandwiches, piles of peoples left overs, urinal cakes and fish guts. (Plain Dealer file photo), The legendary gravel-voiced, graveyard-shift DJ at WMMS-FM/100.7, Bill Lionel Freeman, is best known in Cleveland by his initials, "BLF." On August 9, 1978, there was no hotter ticket in Cleveland. [131][132], In September 2007, WMMS management chose to "de-emphasize" both The Buzzard and WMMS call letters, referring to the station as simply "100.7", save for the FCC-mandated legal ID at the top of every hour. On-site, play-by-play announcer Tim Alcorn calls games alongside color analyst Jim Chones, a former Cavaliers center. No Doubt performed Buzzard Fest on May 18, 1996. The Cleveland Free Clinic staffed aid stations in the stadium with physicians, nurses and other volunteers, and through 1977, made its treatment statistics public. Soon after, the station revered back to the Progressive Rock format to battle WNCR of Nationwide Communications, itself filling the void created by the brief absence of WMMS on the album rock scene. [139], Bo Matthews (Alex Gutierrez), who became the station's program director in early 2004, hired Ohio native Benjamin "Maxwell" Bornstein that April for a more "personality-driven" afternoon show following the departure of Tim "Slats" Guinane for WXTM. [44][45][46] Seven years later, members of the station's staff and management pleaded guilty to disrupting a national broadcast of The Howard Stern Show that originated via the local Stern affiliate, cross-town rival WNCX. The announcement came less than two weeks before the show. He can still be heard on the radio, too. Win a Monster Zero Sugar prize pack from Circle K! The following local and national media outlets have attributed WMMS with this distinction: The following books have attributed WMMS with this distinction: harvnb error: no target: CITEREFNicks2003 (, "Rock Hall to Celebrate 40 Years of WMMS with New Exhibit", "Radio & Records 1981 on the WMMS Buzzard and Other Station Mascots", "The Media Business; Malrite's Buyout Price Disturbs Wall Street Analysts", "R.I.P. Stern's ratings exploded and this along with a growing urgency from management not to compete with or mention Stern on the air led to a sudden and steep ratings decline for The Buzzard Morning Zoo. [28][29][30] Owned by iHeartMedia, and broadcasting a mix of active rock and hot talk, WMMS is currently the flagship station for Rover's Morning Glory, the FM flagship for the Cavaliers AudioVerse and Cleveland Guardians Radio Network, the Cleveland affiliate for The House of Hair with Dee Snider and the home of radio personality Alan Cox. During a June 19, 2012 interview with Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler, the show broke news of the delayed release for Music from Another Dimension!, the band's first studio album in eight years. Cleveland's Rock Station, home of Rover's Morning Glory, The Alan Cox Show, and FM Home of Cleveland Guardians Baseball. Cleveland's Rock Station, home of Rover's Morning Glory, The Alan Cox Show, and FM Home of Cleveland Guardians Baseball. [78] Concertgoers occasionally fell or jumped off the steep stadium upper deck onto the concrete seating area far below, causing serious injury. We never learned what Mr. Leonard looked like, he never discussed it on the air. In 1958, both WHK and WHK-FM were sold to Metropolitan Broadcasting, itself renamed MetroMedia two years later. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's a big birthday for The Buzzard. (Halper is at center in the photo above, with members of Rush and WMMS staffers. Mike Gallagher died on Sunday after a year-long battle with cancer. [39][40] Noted filmmakers, including Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous) and Paul Schrader (Light of Day), have called on both TheBuzzard and its personnel while preparing for various rock-themed productions. ukrainian military patches; silicone sealant disadvantages; wmms radio personalities; June 22, 2022 . [152][156][157][158], Comedian Chad Zumock was a co-host until his dismissal on December 3, 2012, after being arrested for driving while intoxicated;[159] Zumock was acquitted of the charge on May 3, 2013. During his 16-year tenure, WMMS was consistently one of the highest-rated radio stations in the country. The eight-year radio host . Brian and Joe talk to Rob Thomas from Matchbox 20. [71], From the onset, Helton's streamlined artwork resulted in an aggressive, yet family-friendly symbol for the station, one that continues to endure more than 40 years later. The Alan Cox Show Corey Rotic 100.7 WMMS Podcasts See All The Alan Cox Show Rover's Morning Glory The Week in Cox The Bill Squire Show Latest Stories Local News VIDEO: Cleveland Police Give Details of What Lead to Fatal Crash Mar 03, 2023 Music News Why March 5th Matters In Rock History Mar 03, 2023 Music News It was the first time Stone Temple Pilots performed in Cleveland in six years. He was also a member of "The Buzzard Morning Zoo" in the mid-1980s. The cast included Casey Coleman on sports, Pat Brady with traffic, Len Boom Goldberg as the voice of the morning show, Ruby Cheeks, Spaceman Scott, Captain Kenny Clean and Mr. Leonard. Gorman credits his decision to leave to changes in management, and the station's overall shift to a more "corporate" mentality. Cleveland Magazine has called the show a "juggernaut", and readers of Cleveland Scene named Rover the best Cleveland radio personality in 2009, 2014, and 2015 (Scene had previously recognized either Rover or his show four straight years, from 2004 to 2007, all prior to the move to WMMS). The Alan Cox Show is rated #1 in several key demographics, and readers of Cleveland Scene named Alan Cox the best Cleveland radio personality four straight years (201013). [72] Rather, WMMS adopted a buzzard as its mascot in April 1974 because of the then tenuous economic state of Cleveland less than five years away from becoming the first major American city to enter into default since the Great Depression[73] and the winged-creature's classification as a scavenger. [123] WMMS veteran John Gorman has remained a vocal critic of iHeartMedia, once remarking on the company's former Cleveland executive, Kevin Metheny (dubbed "Pig Virus" by Howard Stern during their time at WNBC): "He had a volatile time here. For 50 years, WMMS-FM/100.7 has been making its mark on Cleveland's airwaves, breaking iconic rock bands and, lately, creating some of the most popular talk-radio shows in the country. She has written several books, including "Boston Radio: 1920-2010." The WMMS morning show Dick Dale & Rick hosted the event. During his time at WMMS, Bass coined the phrase, "Cleveland: The Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World." He helped launch progressive-rock radio as a DJ and programmer at both WMMS-FM/100.7 and WNCR-FM/99.5. He would go on and on about what is wrong with the world, horrible co-workers and bosses and the daily grind of the work day. He briefly worked mid-days at the end of his career, but soon retired. [85] Four different program directors, including Rich Piombino and Michael Luczak, came and went with varying levels of success. [38][39] Considered "a true radio legend," WMMS DJ Kid Leo was chosen for Rolling Stone's "Heavy Hundred: The High and Mighty of the Music Industry" (1980) and named "The Best Disc Jockey in the Country" in a special 1987 issue of Playboy. "Those guys who pilot those ships through here? He offered "Solid Goldbergers" and ordered us to "EN-joy". Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock stations in America throughout its history, the station has also drawn controversy for unusually aggressive tactics both on and off the air. (Scott is far right in the photo above, in the WMMS studio with Ed Kinzbach, Ed "Flash" Ferenc and Kenny Clean.) During this time, WMMS also began broadcasting a remarkable number of live concerts, many of which originated in Cleveland and were produced by the station itself. Arriving from Boston in Cleveland in September 1976, BLF was highly opinionated. GLAAD is calling on Clear Channel and Cleveland radio station WMMS to suspend radio personality Dominic Dieter for telling a father to essentially arrange for his daughter to be raped if he suspects she's gay. As a kid he was part of a sophisticated bootleg radio station in his neighborhooduntil the FCC shut it down. WMMS's studios are located at the Six Six Eight Building in downtown Cleveland's Gateway District;[48][49] the station transmitter resides in neighboring Seven Hills. Attendance was by general admission. Goldfinger, The Refreshments, Triple Fast Action and others played the second stage at the top of the hill. Described by Talkers magazine as "a bold anomaly worthy of industry attention", the show itself has successfully continued the format established by its predecessor The Maxwell Show all talk during afternoon drive on an FM rock station. [148][149][143][150], Radio personality Alan Cox, formerly host of The Morning Fix at WKQX/Chicago and The Alan Cox Radio Show at WXDX-FM/Pittsburgh, took over weekday afternoons as host of The Alan Cox Show on December 16, 2009. Later, he worked as Senior Marketing and Sales Strategist for Telos Alliance, a local technology firm that designs and manufactures audio equipment. ". [115][116], The next of these multi-act shows, simply titled BuzzardFest, was held in May 1996 at Blossom Music Center and featured performances from 311 and No Doubt, along with Candlebox, The Nixons, Goldfinger, Gods Child, Dash Rip Rock, Holy Barbarians, and Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. what are the non legislative powers of congress. Some other possible meanings "Where Music Means Something" or "Weed Makes Me Smile". [81], In the mid-1980s, WMMS was an important contributor in organizing a campaign (along with former Cleveland ad agency president Edward Spizel and author-deejay Norm N. Nite) which brought the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to Cleveland. [91] As promised, Stern held a party for his fans on the streets of Cleveland a "Funeral" for his local rivals, much like similar events held in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia and broadcast it nationwide. This feature ran at the exact moment of the KSU shootings twenty years later. Rolling Stone Magazine conducted a yearly Readers Poll to which WMMS won Best Radio Station of the Year nine years in a row from 1979 to 1987. He also did a nightly oldies show there from 1988-2001. [171][173][174]. Quiet Riot played 11 songs. He was vice president of education and public programs at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum from 2000-2003. [136], From the 1994 exit of Jeff Kinzbach and Ed Ferenc until the arrival of Rover's Morning Glory in 2008, WMMS gained notoriety for airing 13 distinct shows in morning drive. [133] "Chris Tyler" Merluzzo, former program director for Providence's WHJY, took over for Bo Matthews as WMMS program director on February 17, 2014. Buzzard-Palooza was the first of these: held in July 1994 at the Nautica Stage, the all-day concert included sets from Collective Soul, Junkhouse and Fury in the Slaughterhouse,[111] but was cut short after turning into a "rock-and-bottle-throwing melee." Tony Tilford, WMMS program director (19992003), WMMS shifted format to active rock on February 17, 1997, under the direction of Bob Neumann, who had previously programmed WNCX and WENZ. In 2014, Rover pleaded guilty to four misdemeanors in relation to the illegal use of fireworks and a confrontation with an off-duty police officer at the Whiskey Island marina in downtown Cleveland. Cleveland Police briefly detained Ky-Mani Marley after the singer threatened Rover for comments made during an April 20, 2010 in-studio interview. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. ", WMMS-FM---FREEMAN,-Bill-'BLF-Bash'--(Date-Unknown). While both Rover and Alan Cox are primarily "hot talk" programs, rock music airs during regular middays, nights, overnights, weekends and online during Cavaliers and Guardians play-by-play. EC horror comics, Fritz the Cat, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and Looney Tunes all served as inspirations for the "bird of prey with attitude" concept. He influenced many listeners of the station and kept the momentum alive pushing new music into the ears and speakers of the audience of WMMS.