The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio: A Memoir [Paperback]

John Gorman (Author), Tom Feran (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2008

This rock and roll radio memoir takes you behind the scenes at the nation's hottest station during FM's heyday, from 1973 to 1986. Sex and drugs, music and merchandising--it was a wild time when the FM airwaves were wide open for innovation.
John Gorman led a small band of true believers who built Cleveland's WMMS from a neglected stepchild into an influential powerhouse. The station earned high praise from musicians and even higher ratings from listeners.
Gorman tells how WMMS remade rock radio while Cleveland staked its claim as the "Rock and Roll Capital" by breaking many major international music acts. The fun may have died when FM went corporate in the late 1980s, but it was a hell of a ride while it lasted.
Filled with juicy insider details, this fast-paced story will entertain anyone who listened in during those glory days when FM delivered excitement and the Buzzard ruled the airwaves.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Gorman's memoir isn't just about a radio station in Cleveland; it's about the precarious place of rock radio in American culture . . . His love for the station he helped to create is apparent on every page. In fact, Gorman's tale is so engaging that it's hard not to become a fan of WMMS even for those of us who never had the chance to tune in. --Small Press Reviews, April 2009

About the Author

John Gorman began his broadcasting career in Boston and in 1973 moved to Cleveland to join WMMS, a small, free-form FM station then under new ownership. Over the next thirteen years he would help turn WMMS into one of the most popular and influential rock stations in the country. He served as music director and program director, and eventually became operations manager of WMMS and WHK.
In 1986 Gorman and twelve other staff members left WMMS to start 98.5 WNCX in Cleveland. He also founded a radio consulting firm, Gorman Media, and has worked with stations in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Cleveland, and other markets.
Gorman won the Radio Consultant of the Year award at the 1985 annual Pop Music Convention and was awarded Operations Director of the Year in 1995 by Billboard magazine. He was inducted into the Ohio Radio-TV Hall of Fame in 2000. He lives in Bay Village, Ohio. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 289 pages
• Publisher: Gray & Company Publishers (September 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598510517
• ISBN-13: 978-1598510515
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #575,168 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique memoir and remarkable history of FM radio, November 12, 2007

By 

Nicole Hunter (Cleveland, OH, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of Wmms and Cleveland Rock Radio--a Memoir (Hardcover)

This book is so good that my husband and I clearly needed two copies, as we wrestled each other nightly for reading rights (I finished the book last night, so he has it all to himself now).

The Buzzard is John Gorman's unique memoir and singular history of WMMS. For people who love Cleveland/Northeast Ohio and WMMS, it's a must-read.

The book is also a remarkable insider's view of the beginnings of FM radio. My sons (in their 20s) are music aficionados, and I've tried and failed to convey to them the thrills, the excitement, the quantum leap that FM radio was many moons ago. Where I failed, John Gorman succeeds brilliantly, in prose that's conversational, intelligent, and engaging.

I also found The Buzzard to be a timeless primer on genius in marketing and promotions, and the physical/mental/emotional and spiritual dedication required to achieve greatness in a business endeavor.

I'm still laughing at Gorman's stories about Joan Jett's visit to WMMS and the "Welcome WMMS Buzzards" banners at the Roman Gardens restaurant -- my favorites among dozens of unforgettable moments he shares.

Enjoy The Buzzard!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great radio books, November 13, 2007

By 

John E. Hannibal III "Bean" (Olmsted Twp., Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of Wmms and Cleveland Rock Radio--a Memoir (Hardcover)

This is a must read for radio fans, rock music fans, Cleveland fans, marketing fans. In other words, a number of people will find different things to enjoy about this book.
The book describes the rise and fall of one of the greatest radio stations. For Clevelanders who've always tried to describe what we had to others...well, hand them this book.
I plan on buying multiple copies for Xmas gifts and for friends hitting 50 as I'm about to do.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'd buy the next one too!, April 26, 2008

By 

James D. Grazko (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Buzzard: Inside the Glory Days of Wmms and Cleveland Rock Radio--a Memoir (Hardcover)

This book is fantastic for anyone who came of age during the 70's and early 80's in Cleveland, OH, and listened to radio. WMMS was what EVERYONE under 30 was listening to back then, and the DJ's were larger than life personalities who were friends with Springsteen, Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music, etc. This book gives insights into the world of WMMS of that era. HIGHLY recommended from this displaced Clevelander now living life in Seattle (sigh....)