WIXYHappenings!

This page was originally going to be called "WIXY Events," but in keeping with the spirit of the 60s, here is..,...WIXY HAPPENINGS! WIXY was much more than just a radio station...it was a major and influential force in Cleveland, and was always involved with the community through its constant promotions. This page is devoted to the events, contests, stunts, and promotions that kept WIXY in the forefront of Cleveland!

THE WIXY SATELLITE STUDIOS and AMPHICAR

Made from a converted ice cream truck, the WIXY Satellite Studios could go anywhere in town and was a complete remote broadcast center. It appeared at all WIXY functions, helping to spread the WIXY name all over town!

The studios at the WIXY Appreciation Day at Geauga Lake

The WIXY Amphicar (a modified car that goes in the water like a boat) was used to give boating reports from Lake Erie! Info and photo supplied by Cindy Cassidy.

THE 1966 BEATLES CONCERT
WIXY brought the Beatles to the Cleveland Municipal Stadium on Aug. 29, 1966. As former WIXY DJ Johnny Canton tells it:
The night I introduced The Beatles in Aug., '66, the crowd broke barriers and police lines, stormed the second base stage at Cleve-and's then-baseball stadium. Brian Epstein ordered the group offstage and into the mobile home "green room". He told me he wouldn't allow the group to continue until the concert-goers returned to their seats. I got on the mike and informed the crowd of this and, magically, they returned to their seats in an orderly fashion. What a tense moment, but the concert continued.
Thanks for the first-hand play-by-play, Johnny! Here are some screenshots from some film clips of this incredible piece of Cleveland history!

And here's a photo of an unused ticket for this event, pulled off an eBay auction. Notice the $4.00 price tag!!

THE "FRANCINE" CONTEST
What better way to stop traffic at 12 noon at the corner of E. 9th & Euclid than to hold a "Most Well-Endowed" contest? Taken from a similar contest in New York, whose winner was named Francine, WIXY had to do it better! This took place in 1968, and drew 10,000 curious onlookers...at the height of lunch hour!!

THE WIXY "APPRECIATION DAYS"
The WIXY Appreciation Days were held at Public Hall, Geauga Lake, and Edgewater Park. They ran from approximately 1968 thru 1972. The WIXY Superman, clad in their blue Superman shirts, ran the show. A rock concert usually ended the excitement.

The 1969 Appreciation Day at Geauga Lake Park
Here are some screenshots from a home-made film of this event.



	The crowd gathers for the concert
The Satellite Studio broadcasts the whole day's events!	Dick "The Wilde Childe" Kemp poses for a photo

The 1972 Appreciation Day at Edgewater Park
This was the biggest of them all, with attendance topping 120,000! Some of the musical acts included Brownsville Station, Buffy Sainte-Marie, The James Gang, Tony Joe
White, Lobo, Country Joe and the Fish, The Raspberries, and Brewer and
Shipley.   A thunderstorm ended the festivities early.
Photos and info courtesy of WIXY's Chuck Dunaway,



The day after the concert, WIXY morning man Mike Reineri organized "Reineri's Raiders" while
on the air, and over 300 volunteers ascend on Edgewater Park to clean it up -- turned out better than
before the concert! Mike (center, in beard) received an award from Mayor Perk of Cleveland. WIXY's Chuck Dunaway is on the left.

This photo shows WIXY DJs Jeff McKee (left) and Chuck Dunaway (right) presenting a plaque to Buffy St. Marie (center).   WIXY DJ Gene Taylor, wearing the CAT hat, is behind Dunaway. At the left in the background is WIXY jock Mike Kelly. Our thanks to Jeff McKee for sending this photo and the info!

THE WIXY/MAY CO. CHRISTMAS PARADE
WIXY co-sponsored this parade with the May Company, in the early 70s.

JOE FINAN'S BALLOON RIDE
WIXY's Joe Finan (below, in the gold shirt) took a hot-air balloon ride as a promotional stunt, taking off from a shopping center in Parma. Here are some screenshots from a film that was shot that day.

THE WIXY SUPERMEN BASKETBALL TEAM
Like other Cleveland stations of the day, WIXY had its DJs play basketball at local area high schools. They even played the Harlem Globetrotters! The proceeds usually went to the high school or to charity. The picture below is from 1967. Left to right is Bill Clark, WIXY News Director, Lou "King" Kirby, Larry Morrow, Mike Reineri, and (squatting) Jack Armstrong.

"GREASE" PROMOTIONAL PHOTO - 1972
This photo of the WIXY jocks was taken around 1972, for a promotion for the musical "Grease" that was coming to Cleveland. The photo appeared in the Cleveland Press.
The DJs include, left to right:
Bob Shannon, Terry Stevens, Jeff McKee, secretary Sue Paris, Mike Reineri, Chuck Dunaway, and Gary Drake. To the right of Gary is Connie Grozdanik, who worked in Accounting.

MIKE KELLY'S WORLD'S-RECORD FERRIS WHEEL RIDE - 1972!!

"WIXY GOES BANANAS" - 1973
This photo shows WIXY Air Personality Gary Drake tossing out bananas from the upper floor of the WIXY building at 3940 Euclid Ave., sometime in 1973, as part of the WIXY GOES BANANAS promotion. Thanks to Gary for supplying this photo!

AIR PERSONALITIES	JINGLES	SOUND FILES	NEWS STAFF
HISTORY	WIXZ 1360	COLLECTIBLES	MEDIA
SURVEYS	REUNIONS	WEBMASTER	RADIO LINKS

Free counters provided by Andale.