1 00:00:02,012 --> 00:00:11,255 ** 2 00:00:11,288 --> 00:00:13,590 ** 3 00:00:32,676 --> 00:00:35,179 - My name is Michael Scott Shannon. 4 00:00:35,212 --> 00:00:38,649 I'm a radio programmer and radio deejay. 5 00:00:38,682 --> 00:00:43,154 I'm standing in 333 Meadowlands Parkway 6 00:00:43,187 --> 00:00:46,690 in Secaucus, New Jersey. Why? 7 00:00:46,723 --> 00:00:51,362 Because this is where the story began. 8 00:00:51,395 --> 00:00:53,430 - Serving the universe. 9 00:00:53,464 --> 00:00:55,065 - Good morning, everybody. 10 00:00:55,098 --> 00:00:58,235 - The top of the Empire State Building. 11 00:00:58,269 --> 00:00:59,603 - It's on the air everywhere. 12 00:00:59,636 --> 00:01:02,105 - WHTZ. 13 00:01:02,139 --> 00:01:04,508 We're going from worst to first. 14 00:01:04,541 --> 00:01:05,676 - Z100, babe. 15 00:01:09,613 --> 00:01:12,449 - Top hits. - Pop/rockin'. 16 00:01:12,483 --> 00:01:14,117 - Z100! - They did it. 17 00:01:14,151 --> 00:01:15,152 - They've gone from worst to first. 18 00:01:15,186 --> 00:01:17,221 - They went from worst to first. - Worst to first. 19 00:01:17,254 --> 00:01:19,323 - The winning formula is wild and wacky. 20 00:01:19,356 --> 00:01:21,992 - Happy birthday. - You made my monkey weird. 21 00:01:22,025 --> 00:01:24,728 - Z100! 22 00:01:24,761 --> 00:01:27,964 - Z100, New York. 23 00:01:30,767 --> 00:01:35,439 [ "Wanted Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi playing ] 24 00:01:35,472 --> 00:01:37,708 - * All right 25 00:01:37,741 --> 00:01:41,044 - Every kid dreams of being heard on the radio. 26 00:01:41,077 --> 00:01:43,214 I was driving across the Driscoll Bridge 27 00:01:43,247 --> 00:01:46,350 in New Jersey on my way back to my parents' house 28 00:01:46,383 --> 00:01:49,186 and I was alone and it came on 29 00:01:49,220 --> 00:01:51,655 and I started to drive fast and turned it up louder, 30 00:01:51,688 --> 00:01:53,457 hoping to really to get pulled over 31 00:01:53,490 --> 00:01:56,327 just so you could tell the cop, "That's me on the radio!" 32 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:57,361 * Wanted 33 00:01:57,394 --> 00:01:59,463 - * Wanted 34 00:01:59,496 --> 00:02:06,270 - * Dead or alive 35 00:02:06,303 --> 00:02:16,179 ** 36 00:02:16,213 --> 00:02:18,449 - It was the summer of 1983. 37 00:02:18,482 --> 00:02:20,817 Back then, the radio ratings 38 00:02:20,851 --> 00:02:23,687 came in on the Associated Press Newswire. 39 00:02:23,720 --> 00:02:26,290 People would stand around the machine 40 00:02:26,323 --> 00:02:27,391 waiting for it to come off. 41 00:02:27,424 --> 00:02:29,360 If we had taken this format, 42 00:02:29,393 --> 00:02:32,263 if we'd taken this show to Des Moines, Iowa 43 00:02:32,296 --> 00:02:35,198 or to someplace out in Kentucky, we would have had a great shot. 44 00:02:35,232 --> 00:02:39,703 I see the number one station, the R&B station, WRKS. 45 00:02:39,736 --> 00:02:42,172 I didn't expect to be in the top 10. 46 00:02:42,205 --> 00:02:45,409 So I look down in the next 10, no Z100. 47 00:02:45,442 --> 00:02:47,411 - But in New York, we're going against the best. 48 00:02:47,444 --> 00:02:50,814 - And I get down to like 40 and 45. 49 00:02:50,847 --> 00:02:54,351 - The biggest radio stations had a reputation that went back 50 00:02:54,385 --> 00:02:56,186 20, 30, 40, 50 years. 51 00:02:56,219 --> 00:02:59,122 - There are stations from Philadelphia 52 00:02:59,155 --> 00:03:01,124 that are leaking into New Jersey, 53 00:03:01,157 --> 00:03:03,694 but just had enough listeners to get in the ratings. 54 00:03:03,727 --> 00:03:06,663 - A good rating is somewhere like over five close to a 10. 55 00:03:06,697 --> 00:03:12,703 - And at number 51, W-H-T-Z. 56 00:03:12,736 --> 00:03:15,306 - We had a two. A two rating is lousy. 57 00:03:15,339 --> 00:03:18,342 - We were in last effing place. 58 00:03:18,375 --> 00:03:20,677 I went home that night. I couldn't sleep. 59 00:03:20,711 --> 00:03:24,147 My wife said, what's wrong? We suck. That's what's wrong. 60 00:03:24,180 --> 00:03:28,319 ** 61 00:03:28,352 --> 00:03:32,589 - In 1983, I was vice president of radio programming from 62 00:03:32,623 --> 00:03:36,159 Malrite Communications Group based in Cleveland, Ohio. 63 00:03:36,192 --> 00:03:39,863 Malrite's chairman and CEO was Milton Maltz. 64 00:03:39,896 --> 00:03:41,131 One day he popped his head in my office and said, 65 00:03:41,164 --> 00:03:44,768 "Jim, we're going to buy a new radio station for New York City. 66 00:03:44,801 --> 00:03:46,703 "Just outside the city limits 67 00:03:46,737 --> 00:03:49,640 just across the river in New Jersey." 68 00:03:49,673 --> 00:03:53,143 And that radio station had the approval of the FCC 69 00:03:53,176 --> 00:03:55,346 to move its tower and transmitter 70 00:03:55,379 --> 00:03:57,147 to the Empire State Building. 71 00:03:57,180 --> 00:04:00,384 Now it was time to go find just the right person 72 00:04:00,417 --> 00:04:02,319 to oversee the programming, 73 00:04:02,353 --> 00:04:05,889 the talent, and the marketing of the radio station. 74 00:04:05,922 --> 00:04:09,159 This person had to be just a little bit screwed up 75 00:04:09,192 --> 00:04:11,328 because they were going to take on the biggest 76 00:04:11,362 --> 00:04:13,664 broadcasting companies in the world, 77 00:04:13,697 --> 00:04:16,667 and that person was in Tampa, Florida. 78 00:04:16,700 --> 00:04:18,702 [ Static ] 79 00:04:18,735 --> 00:04:21,372 - General on the Q Zoo, final chapter. 80 00:04:21,405 --> 00:04:25,241 - Today, it was a time to cry. Scott Shannon was leaving. 81 00:04:25,275 --> 00:04:27,444 - Some may say goodbye and good riddance. 82 00:04:27,478 --> 00:04:28,645 - New York was calling. 83 00:04:28,679 --> 00:04:29,480 - Well, for thousands, others, 84 00:04:29,513 --> 00:04:32,215 it was an emotional, sad farewell. 85 00:04:32,248 --> 00:04:33,450 - I really think that... [ speaks indistinctly ] 86 00:04:33,484 --> 00:04:34,718 - Come on, ma'am, perk up. 87 00:04:34,751 --> 00:04:36,520 - As co-keeper of the Q Zoo, 88 00:04:36,553 --> 00:04:39,656 Scott Shannon bid final farewell to radio fans. 89 00:04:39,690 --> 00:04:40,957 - Well, let's laugh right now, okay? 90 00:04:40,991 --> 00:04:42,693 - He, indeed, will be missed. - And we'll miss him. 91 00:04:42,726 --> 00:04:44,961 - Boom, I'm out of here. 92 00:04:44,995 --> 00:04:49,366 - New York City was an impossibly saturated media market. 93 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,503 It is the toughest market in the world to break into. 94 00:04:52,536 --> 00:04:54,805 If you want to be on radio in New York, 95 00:04:54,838 --> 00:04:56,973 particularly in that era, 96 00:04:57,007 --> 00:04:59,610 you were facing the giants of the business, 97 00:04:59,643 --> 00:05:01,678 the Goliaths of the business. 98 00:05:01,712 --> 00:05:04,581 - This guy kept calling me from Cleveland 99 00:05:04,615 --> 00:05:05,716 and I had a stack of, you know, 100 00:05:05,749 --> 00:05:08,585 those pink callback pads, you know? 101 00:05:08,619 --> 00:05:10,721 So then I got a call from a buddy of mine 102 00:05:10,754 --> 00:05:13,990 who is a program director, and he says to me, 103 00:05:14,024 --> 00:05:16,827 "Why don't you call these people back in Cleveland? 104 00:05:16,860 --> 00:05:18,595 "I just interviewed up there. 105 00:05:18,629 --> 00:05:20,964 Then I realized that they kept asking me questions about you." 106 00:05:20,997 --> 00:05:23,734 I said why don't you just call him? 107 00:05:23,767 --> 00:05:26,703 And they said, "Well, we did, but he won't return our calls." 108 00:05:26,737 --> 00:05:28,772 - And to come from the south with, 109 00:05:28,805 --> 00:05:30,340 you know, kind of a funky accent. 110 00:05:30,373 --> 00:05:32,609 I don't even know what Scott's accent is. 111 00:05:32,643 --> 00:05:36,279 It was really a daunting task, to say the least. 112 00:05:36,312 --> 00:05:37,548 - There are a lot of golden retrievers 113 00:05:37,581 --> 00:05:39,349 in New York in the early '80s. 114 00:05:39,382 --> 00:05:42,385 You had the traditional talk radio audience. 115 00:05:42,419 --> 00:05:45,489 Listen to John A. Gambling at W-O-R. 116 00:05:45,522 --> 00:05:49,259 And you still had WBLS and WKTU being very popular. 117 00:05:49,292 --> 00:05:50,293 You had WPLJ, 118 00:05:50,326 --> 00:05:53,997 which was a rock station with some pop tendencies. 119 00:05:54,030 --> 00:05:56,366 You are WNBC, which had Imus in the morning, 120 00:05:56,399 --> 00:05:57,668 Stern in the afternoon, 121 00:05:57,701 --> 00:05:59,970 and really Top 40 music in between. 122 00:06:00,003 --> 00:06:02,906 But those personalities were so powerful 123 00:06:02,939 --> 00:06:05,942 that they overwhelmed the image of the station. 124 00:06:05,976 --> 00:06:08,011 ** 125 00:06:08,044 --> 00:06:10,447 - Well, to understand what was going on in 1983, 126 00:06:10,481 --> 00:06:14,017 you really have to go back to the mid to late 1970s 127 00:06:14,050 --> 00:06:16,386 because a lot of very significant changes 128 00:06:16,419 --> 00:06:18,321 in the media marketplace took place. 129 00:06:18,354 --> 00:06:21,725 See, in 1974, when I started at WPLJ, 130 00:06:21,758 --> 00:06:25,896 which became New York's dominant rock station on FM, 131 00:06:25,929 --> 00:06:29,600 rock had a very broad definition. 132 00:06:29,633 --> 00:06:30,967 It encompassed Led Zeppelin, 133 00:06:31,001 --> 00:06:32,803 but also Carly Simon and Carole King 134 00:06:32,836 --> 00:06:36,306 and Joni Mitchell the great Motown catalog. 135 00:06:36,339 --> 00:06:38,709 Then came 1977. 136 00:06:38,742 --> 00:06:40,477 Then came disco. 137 00:06:40,511 --> 00:06:42,012 - * Oh, freak out 138 00:06:42,045 --> 00:06:45,348 - And the rock community fragment. 139 00:06:45,381 --> 00:06:48,351 - Basically, what wound up happening at radio 140 00:06:48,384 --> 00:06:52,556 from the way I saw it was they could extract one lane 141 00:06:52,589 --> 00:06:54,758 that they thought was really working, 142 00:06:54,791 --> 00:06:56,392 and they could just format 143 00:06:56,426 --> 00:06:59,796 a whole show or a station like that. 144 00:06:59,830 --> 00:07:01,898 - * About the new dance craze 145 00:07:01,932 --> 00:07:05,335 - I get out there and I got this really carefully 146 00:07:05,368 --> 00:07:07,671 prepared presentation, you know, 147 00:07:07,704 --> 00:07:10,707 so I could pass them out to all the goobers in the room. 148 00:07:10,741 --> 00:07:12,776 And I play a tape of our morning show. 149 00:07:12,809 --> 00:07:14,878 - * The Q Zoo in the morning 150 00:07:14,911 --> 00:07:17,514 - This is Elmer Smud Pucker. 151 00:07:17,548 --> 00:07:19,783 - * Shannon, Cleveland, Brooks, and Tedd Webb * 152 00:07:19,816 --> 00:07:22,753 * Billy Bob, Phil, and Johnson's the latest man * 153 00:07:22,786 --> 00:07:26,089 * Good morning from the Q morning Zoo * 154 00:07:26,122 --> 00:07:28,925 - And finally, there's one wiseacre and he says, 155 00:07:28,959 --> 00:07:31,728 "Well, what makes you think that you're ready 156 00:07:31,762 --> 00:07:34,364 for the biggest market in the country?" 157 00:07:34,397 --> 00:07:36,600 Then I just snapped, I don't need this job. 158 00:07:36,633 --> 00:07:38,702 And I threw my little booklet at him 159 00:07:38,735 --> 00:07:40,771 and I got up and I walked out. 160 00:07:40,804 --> 00:07:45,742 So I'm at the elevator bank and out comes Mr. Malrite. 161 00:07:45,776 --> 00:07:48,011 He's the guy who owns the company. 162 00:07:48,044 --> 00:07:49,279 And he said, "Where are you going?" 163 00:07:49,312 --> 00:07:51,915 I said, "I'm going home. I don't want to work for that idiot." 164 00:07:51,948 --> 00:07:54,985 So he said, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, you're our guy." 165 00:07:55,018 --> 00:07:57,120 And I said, "I got to make my plane back." 166 00:07:57,153 --> 00:07:59,923 He says, "Oh, but you're still going to take the job, right?" 167 00:07:59,956 --> 00:08:01,124 I said, "Yeah, yeah, I'll take the job." 168 00:08:01,157 --> 00:08:02,092 Then I realized... 169 00:08:02,125 --> 00:08:04,094 [ Horn honks ] 170 00:08:04,127 --> 00:08:06,830 ...I don't know anything about New York. 171 00:08:06,863 --> 00:08:08,064 - Serving middle Tennessee 172 00:08:08,098 --> 00:08:11,835 with 5,000 watts of fun power. 173 00:08:11,868 --> 00:08:13,536 This is 7:30 in the... [ speaks indistinctly ] 174 00:08:13,570 --> 00:08:14,738 Capital city! 175 00:08:14,771 --> 00:08:17,974 - I originally met Scott in 1972, 176 00:08:18,008 --> 00:08:20,476 when he was Super Shan at WMAK in Nashville. 177 00:08:20,510 --> 00:08:23,714 - * Super Shan, WMAK 178 00:08:23,747 --> 00:08:25,749 - I didn't know if it was him or Elvis 179 00:08:25,782 --> 00:08:28,184 because he tried to look exactly like Elvis Presley. 180 00:08:28,218 --> 00:08:33,423 He had big hair, that big chin, and he was bigger than life. 181 00:08:33,456 --> 00:08:37,694 Privately, Scott is very demure and very quiet. 182 00:08:37,728 --> 00:08:40,831 And as soon as that microphone goes on, he's on. 183 00:08:40,864 --> 00:08:44,735 - Scott's passion is being on the air. 184 00:08:44,768 --> 00:08:48,004 He will do anything to be on the air. 185 00:08:48,038 --> 00:08:49,572 Scott was hired to be program director 186 00:08:49,606 --> 00:08:51,775 of WPGC in Washington, D.C., 187 00:08:51,808 --> 00:08:54,077 the Marriotts own the radio station. 188 00:08:54,110 --> 00:08:56,747 No disrespect to the Marriotts, but there were Mormons. 189 00:08:56,780 --> 00:08:58,682 They are Mormons. They're still Mormons. 190 00:08:58,715 --> 00:09:00,450 The Marriotts didn't like him on the air. 191 00:09:00,483 --> 00:09:02,919 You know, they basically said to him, 192 00:09:02,953 --> 00:09:04,120 we don't want you on the air. 193 00:09:04,154 --> 00:09:06,757 Scott was driven out of the WPGC 194 00:09:06,790 --> 00:09:09,826 because he wants to be on the air 195 00:09:09,860 --> 00:09:12,462 more than he wants to program a radio station. 196 00:09:12,495 --> 00:09:16,166 - WPGC FM and AM morningside. It's 12:01. 197 00:09:16,199 --> 00:09:18,735 Good afternoon! 198 00:09:18,769 --> 00:09:20,971 - The day he left to interview in Tampa, 199 00:09:21,004 --> 00:09:22,739 he drove his car 200 00:09:22,773 --> 00:09:24,574 to the Baltimore-Washington airport 201 00:09:24,607 --> 00:09:26,542 and he gets on a plane and he goes, has the interview. 202 00:09:26,576 --> 00:09:29,112 A few days later, he calls me and he said, 203 00:09:29,145 --> 00:09:30,814 "Hey." I go, "What's up?" 204 00:09:30,847 --> 00:09:34,250 "I think I left my car at the airport." 205 00:09:34,284 --> 00:09:36,853 I go, "Okay, like in short-term parking?" 206 00:09:36,887 --> 00:09:39,756 "No, I think I left it like up against the curb 207 00:09:39,790 --> 00:09:43,159 in front of the airport and if I did, the keys are in it." 208 00:09:43,193 --> 00:09:45,028 And he was hired for the morning show, 209 00:09:45,061 --> 00:09:48,699 which was his dream, and that's when he started the Zoo concept. 210 00:09:48,732 --> 00:09:51,802 - * Good morning from the Q Morning Zoo * 211 00:09:51,835 --> 00:09:54,805 * Rise and shine with folks like you * 212 00:09:54,838 --> 00:09:58,641 - So I teamed up with another guy by the name of Cleveland Wheeler 213 00:09:58,675 --> 00:10:02,278 and I told him I had this plan to do this show 214 00:10:02,312 --> 00:10:04,080 called The Morning Zoo, 215 00:10:04,114 --> 00:10:08,752 and it had deejay shenanigans, craziness, parody songs, 216 00:10:08,785 --> 00:10:12,856 crazy phone calls, just kind of a free-for-all morning show 217 00:10:12,889 --> 00:10:15,058 that sounded like nothing was planned. 218 00:10:15,091 --> 00:10:16,793 Two and a half years later, 219 00:10:16,827 --> 00:10:20,563 we had the highest morning show ratings in the country. 220 00:10:20,596 --> 00:10:22,565 - Shannon has taken Q 105 and made it 221 00:10:22,598 --> 00:10:24,768 the number one station in Tampa. 222 00:10:24,801 --> 00:10:28,071 He's won an award for being the top deejay in the country. 223 00:10:28,104 --> 00:10:30,573 - Scott and I were working in Tampa, Florida. 224 00:10:30,606 --> 00:10:32,909 He calls me into his office one day and he goes, 225 00:10:32,943 --> 00:10:34,244 Nobody can know this. 226 00:10:34,277 --> 00:10:35,946 And he proceeds to tell me 227 00:10:35,979 --> 00:10:37,180 that he's developing a brand-new station 228 00:10:37,213 --> 00:10:41,985 called Z100 in New York City and would I like to join him. 229 00:10:42,018 --> 00:10:44,855 - I go in and I tell my manager, I'm going to have to go. 230 00:10:44,888 --> 00:10:47,123 I got to go to New York. I signed a contract. 231 00:10:47,157 --> 00:10:50,093 What? What are you doing? You're number one. 232 00:10:50,126 --> 00:10:53,997 You're making good money and you just met a girl. 233 00:10:54,030 --> 00:10:55,832 I said, I'm a try to see if she'll go with me. 234 00:10:55,866 --> 00:10:57,200 - We weren't living together. 235 00:10:57,233 --> 00:10:59,335 We were dating maybe a year. 236 00:10:59,369 --> 00:11:01,938 I traveled to New York for business, which was great, 237 00:11:01,972 --> 00:11:03,339 and I love to come to New York and go shop. 238 00:11:03,373 --> 00:11:05,708 And I loved everything that New York City had to offer, 239 00:11:05,742 --> 00:11:08,945 but was not an aspiration to move there and live there. 240 00:11:08,979 --> 00:11:10,747 I was a southern girl, grew up in Louisville 241 00:11:10,781 --> 00:11:12,182 and then was living in Florida. 242 00:11:12,215 --> 00:11:14,951 - She did agree to go with me on my first trip 243 00:11:14,985 --> 00:11:16,887 to New York City, 244 00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:20,023 and that is another story. 245 00:11:20,056 --> 00:11:23,726 - We flew into Newark and Scott's so excited. 246 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:25,962 There's tons of traffic and he's looking. 247 00:11:25,996 --> 00:11:27,764 It's nighttime and he looks up and he goes, 248 00:11:27,798 --> 00:11:29,165 "Oh, my gosh, look at that. 249 00:11:29,199 --> 00:11:30,600 I'm going to be talking, 250 00:11:30,633 --> 00:11:32,735 that city, that's New York City." 251 00:11:32,769 --> 00:11:35,872 And I said, "Honey, no, that's Newark." 252 00:11:35,906 --> 00:11:39,943 * I hate myself for loving you * 253 00:11:39,976 --> 00:11:42,913 I definitely remember hearing the Blackheart stuff 254 00:11:42,946 --> 00:11:44,848 and what it felt like 255 00:11:44,881 --> 00:11:48,718 to hear your song coming out of the radio. 256 00:11:48,751 --> 00:11:51,955 It's always -- I get a big kick out of it. 257 00:11:51,988 --> 00:11:55,091 It's like, hear one of our records come on, I crank it. 258 00:11:55,125 --> 00:11:58,728 ** 259 00:11:58,761 --> 00:12:01,064 Because that was the dream, you know, 260 00:12:01,097 --> 00:12:04,234 when you're kid is being able to be in a band, 261 00:12:04,267 --> 00:12:06,970 make music that other people want to hear 262 00:12:07,003 --> 00:12:08,404 and actually get it played on the radio. 263 00:12:08,438 --> 00:12:13,376 * I hate myself for loving you 264 00:12:13,409 --> 00:12:16,012 - Serving the universe 265 00:12:16,046 --> 00:12:20,216 from the top of the Empire State Building. 266 00:12:20,250 --> 00:12:23,419 - When we made that transition on WPLJ 267 00:12:23,453 --> 00:12:28,258 from a pure rock station to a Top 40 station. 268 00:12:28,291 --> 00:12:31,127 - It's time to make a change, the people are changing. 269 00:12:31,161 --> 00:12:32,728 Let's do it. 270 00:12:32,762 --> 00:12:35,231 We were about to enter Top 40's 271 00:12:35,265 --> 00:12:40,436 second golden age in 1983 272 00:12:40,470 --> 00:12:45,008 and ready for our climb right to the top. 273 00:12:45,041 --> 00:12:50,146 And then out of nowhere came Scott Shannon. 274 00:12:50,180 --> 00:12:51,381 ** 275 00:12:51,414 --> 00:12:56,786 - Live from the penthouse studios of WWHTZ, the flame thrower, 276 00:12:56,819 --> 00:12:58,754 it's a nearly famous, highly outrageous, 277 00:12:58,788 --> 00:13:00,891 but never, ever contagious, 278 00:13:00,924 --> 00:13:03,960 Z Morning Zoo! - Yeah. 279 00:13:03,994 --> 00:13:10,967 ** 280 00:13:11,001 --> 00:13:13,736 - Along about the time I was 13 or 14, 281 00:13:13,769 --> 00:13:16,139 my dad was transferred to this place called 282 00:13:16,172 --> 00:13:19,375 Fort Benjamin Harrison just outside of Indianapolis. 283 00:13:19,409 --> 00:13:23,279 And I ran into two new friends down the block. Two brothers. 284 00:13:23,313 --> 00:13:27,217 And they had a big sister who loved music, 285 00:13:27,250 --> 00:13:28,885 and she had this little record box, 286 00:13:28,919 --> 00:13:31,955 had a handle on it and had 45s in there. 287 00:13:31,988 --> 00:13:33,323 And one day we just got into it and I said, 288 00:13:33,356 --> 00:13:35,791 "Holy crap, what is this?" 289 00:13:35,825 --> 00:13:37,827 And it was rock and roll music. 290 00:13:37,860 --> 00:13:41,164 It was love at first sight. 291 00:13:41,197 --> 00:13:42,498 Or listen. 292 00:13:42,532 --> 00:13:45,969 [ Record scratches ] 293 00:13:46,002 --> 00:13:49,839 So every week, I would pedal my little Schwinn bicycle 294 00:13:49,872 --> 00:13:52,808 down the road to this electronic store, 295 00:13:52,842 --> 00:13:54,310 and he had a little record section 296 00:13:54,344 --> 00:13:57,813 and I would go through there and pick out one or two songs 297 00:13:57,847 --> 00:14:00,083 every week that a guy could afford. 298 00:14:00,116 --> 00:14:02,818 I notice he got in some new radios and I said, 299 00:14:02,852 --> 00:14:04,087 "What's that right there?" 300 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:05,321 He said, "That's a transistor radio" 301 00:14:05,355 --> 00:14:06,957 So I had in my hands. 302 00:14:06,990 --> 00:14:08,324 Oh, my God, I got to have it. 303 00:14:08,358 --> 00:14:10,093 "I'll put it on layaway for you." 304 00:14:10,126 --> 00:14:11,527 I said, "Really?" 305 00:14:11,561 --> 00:14:13,363 "Yeah. You give me a couple of bucks every week. 306 00:14:13,396 --> 00:14:15,265 When you get enough money, you can have it." 307 00:14:15,298 --> 00:14:18,268 Finally got that radio and I took it everywhere. 308 00:14:18,301 --> 00:14:21,071 I still have that radio. 309 00:14:21,104 --> 00:14:25,508 Then one day, one of my friends tells me about WIFE radio, 310 00:14:25,541 --> 00:14:28,444 the station we all listen to Top 40 for teenagers. 311 00:14:28,478 --> 00:14:30,813 - * Indianapolis 312 00:14:30,846 --> 00:14:32,382 * WIFE 313 00:14:32,415 --> 00:14:34,217 - They have a big window 314 00:14:34,250 --> 00:14:36,052 right on the street, on Meridian, 315 00:14:36,086 --> 00:14:38,254 when you're going into the city 316 00:14:38,288 --> 00:14:40,790 and you can stand out there and watch the deejay work. 317 00:14:40,823 --> 00:14:43,259 I'd stand there and look through that window 318 00:14:43,293 --> 00:14:45,795 and see the disc jockey with the headphones and microphone, 319 00:14:45,828 --> 00:14:47,330 the records, the turntable. 320 00:14:47,363 --> 00:14:52,202 I said, "Holy crap, that's what I want to do." 321 00:14:52,235 --> 00:14:55,405 - Wait a second. Did Scott Shannon create Z100? 322 00:14:55,438 --> 00:14:57,073 - That's what I'm doing the movie about. Boom! 323 00:14:57,107 --> 00:14:58,874 And you're in it. - Holy shit. 324 00:14:58,908 --> 00:14:59,875 - So this is gonna be massive, dude. 325 00:14:59,909 --> 00:15:02,012 - I didn't even know that! 326 00:15:02,045 --> 00:15:06,582 - The station was basically designed and planned 327 00:15:06,616 --> 00:15:11,254 to be the successor to 77 WABC, 328 00:15:11,287 --> 00:15:15,258 which was the huge New York radio station, 329 00:15:15,291 --> 00:15:18,995 and it covered half the country from the '60s. 330 00:15:19,029 --> 00:15:23,466 I even had a jingle cut that brought back memories of WABC. 331 00:15:23,499 --> 00:15:28,171 Theirs was... * 77 WABC 332 00:15:28,204 --> 00:15:30,873 Whee! Had this little chime time at the end. 333 00:15:30,906 --> 00:15:31,874 And I had one made that went... 334 00:15:31,907 --> 00:15:33,976 * Z100 335 00:15:34,010 --> 00:15:36,479 * WHDZ 336 00:15:36,512 --> 00:15:38,214 Whee! 337 00:15:38,248 --> 00:15:39,549 I didn't sing it that good, did I? 338 00:15:39,582 --> 00:15:44,154 - * Z100 WHTZ 339 00:15:44,187 --> 00:15:47,457 ** 340 00:15:47,490 --> 00:15:51,994 - There was nobody doing Top 40 radio back in the day. 341 00:15:52,028 --> 00:15:55,098 WABC, which had been doing it for years and years and years, 342 00:15:55,131 --> 00:15:56,966 which is where I came from, 343 00:15:56,999 --> 00:16:00,603 was now all talk and played no music. 344 00:16:00,636 --> 00:16:03,239 - There were several attempts with a few stations 345 00:16:03,273 --> 00:16:08,178 WXLO 99X, WWDJ in New Jersey. 346 00:16:08,211 --> 00:16:11,114 They did not have the brainpower behind them. 347 00:16:11,147 --> 00:16:14,150 They were just playing records, so they failed. 348 00:16:14,184 --> 00:16:17,053 - There were openings for small -- well, at the time, 349 00:16:17,087 --> 00:16:19,455 they're small niches, Hispanic stations, for instance, 350 00:16:19,489 --> 00:16:21,057 niches that were not unimportant 351 00:16:21,091 --> 00:16:23,059 and would continue to grow as time went on. 352 00:16:23,093 --> 00:16:27,230 The odds of any mainstream format coming in to -- 353 00:16:27,263 --> 00:16:31,000 to become a major player in the market were minuscule. 354 00:16:31,033 --> 00:16:34,237 - There was a segment of New York radio that had gotten lazy. 355 00:16:34,270 --> 00:16:35,471 They just gotten kind of, 356 00:16:35,505 --> 00:16:38,007 you know, we're number one, so it's okay. 357 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:39,342 There's enough money to go around for everyone, 358 00:16:39,375 --> 00:16:40,610 there's enough audience to go around. 359 00:16:40,643 --> 00:16:42,645 - I didn't like New York radio at the time. 360 00:16:42,678 --> 00:16:44,947 There were no real sort of 361 00:16:44,980 --> 00:16:47,583 adult contemporary stations at the time. 362 00:16:47,617 --> 00:16:50,220 Obviously, the couple of the greatest R&B stations 363 00:16:50,253 --> 00:16:52,054 in America were here, 364 00:16:52,088 --> 00:16:56,426 but Larry Berger and PLJ were the the coup de grâce, 365 00:16:56,459 --> 00:16:58,228 if you will, but it was soulless, 366 00:16:58,261 --> 00:17:01,231 it was uninspiring, and it was ready for a takeover. 367 00:17:01,264 --> 00:17:05,468 - So I walk into the fifth floor of the Meadowlands Hilton 368 00:17:05,501 --> 00:17:07,937 and it was a beehive of activity. 369 00:17:07,970 --> 00:17:10,473 But what stopped me in the middle of the room 370 00:17:10,506 --> 00:17:12,142 there was this giant window 371 00:17:12,175 --> 00:17:14,009 facing the Empire State Building, 372 00:17:14,043 --> 00:17:17,347 and there was this mountain of a man kind of walking back 373 00:17:17,380 --> 00:17:22,252 and forth matted hair, beard, khaki shorts, biting his nails, 374 00:17:22,285 --> 00:17:24,954 talking to no one in particular, writing notes, 375 00:17:24,987 --> 00:17:26,322 scribbling things furiously. 376 00:17:26,356 --> 00:17:29,592 And this was Scott Shannon 377 00:17:29,625 --> 00:17:33,296 planning out Z100 and the Z Morning Zoo. 378 00:17:33,329 --> 00:17:37,167 - He got not only the soul of New York, 379 00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:40,236 he got the beat of New York, but he also got New Jersey, 380 00:17:40,270 --> 00:17:42,238 got Long Island, got Connecticut, 381 00:17:42,272 --> 00:17:44,640 got all the surrounding areas, not just Manhattan. 382 00:17:44,674 --> 00:17:46,409 - So I come up with this plan 383 00:17:46,442 --> 00:17:49,011 because I really don't know the five boroughs. 384 00:17:49,044 --> 00:17:52,114 Well, that's good because there's about 10 million people 385 00:17:52,148 --> 00:17:55,185 in Long Island, another eight or nine in New Jersey, 386 00:17:55,218 --> 00:17:58,288 and two to four million in Westchester and Connecticut 387 00:17:58,321 --> 00:18:00,022 that picked up our signal. 388 00:18:00,055 --> 00:18:02,158 I said, "That's what I'm going to do." 389 00:18:02,192 --> 00:18:04,093 - He wanted to come up with music that he felt 390 00:18:04,126 --> 00:18:07,597 could come and thread rock and rhythm and pop, 391 00:18:07,630 --> 00:18:10,733 and the music was unlike any other mix at any 392 00:18:10,766 --> 00:18:12,502 Top 40 had ever done. 393 00:18:12,535 --> 00:18:16,038 It's at that point that I knew this was going to be something 394 00:18:16,071 --> 00:18:18,341 that New York radio had never seen before. 395 00:18:18,374 --> 00:18:21,143 - I'll tell you what, babe... [ speaks indistinctly ] 396 00:18:21,177 --> 00:18:22,245 ...hippest game in the city, baby doll. 397 00:18:22,278 --> 00:18:23,313 I'm looking for the 100th caller. 398 00:18:23,346 --> 00:18:24,714 I flew to New York City, 399 00:18:24,747 --> 00:18:27,750 brought me over to this hotel Meadowlands Hilton. 400 00:18:27,783 --> 00:18:30,085 It was a real dark room, and I couldn't figure out 401 00:18:30,119 --> 00:18:31,521 why am I sitting in a room that looked like 402 00:18:31,554 --> 00:18:33,088 it was just dark? 403 00:18:33,122 --> 00:18:35,658 So he walks over and he turns the chair 404 00:18:35,691 --> 00:18:39,562 against this big bay window and he goes, whoosh. 405 00:18:39,595 --> 00:18:41,631 And he opens up this big bay window. 406 00:18:41,664 --> 00:18:43,566 And it was the skyline of New York City 407 00:18:43,599 --> 00:18:46,536 and goes, "I'm going to give you a microphone to talk to that." 408 00:18:46,569 --> 00:18:49,239 Obviously, I knew Scott Shannon liked the song 409 00:18:49,272 --> 00:18:50,473 "Hate Myself For Loving You." 410 00:18:50,506 --> 00:18:52,242 I also knew there was a possibility 411 00:18:52,275 --> 00:18:55,278 he would play the record, and we get this idea 412 00:18:55,311 --> 00:18:57,613 to send a plane 413 00:18:57,647 --> 00:19:02,418 with a tail over Secaucus. 414 00:19:02,452 --> 00:19:06,656 And the plane says "Dear Scott play Joan Jett." 415 00:19:06,689 --> 00:19:11,160 First day, the guy flies over the wrong part of Secaucus, 416 00:19:11,193 --> 00:19:13,596 and Scott doesn't see the plane. 417 00:19:13,629 --> 00:19:15,398 I'm having a heart attack. 418 00:19:15,431 --> 00:19:18,100 - This is the room where it all started. 419 00:19:18,133 --> 00:19:21,437 It was -- I don't know, it was a magic place to me. 420 00:19:21,471 --> 00:19:26,141 I remember when we first were getting ready to go on the air. 421 00:19:26,175 --> 00:19:27,577 I remember one day I'm standing here 422 00:19:27,610 --> 00:19:30,212 and I'm just looking out the window 423 00:19:30,246 --> 00:19:33,215 and all of a sudden, something hit me in the feet. 424 00:19:33,249 --> 00:19:35,751 And it was our chief engineer, Frank Foti. 425 00:19:35,785 --> 00:19:37,687 Rolled that little dolly out and he's, 426 00:19:37,720 --> 00:19:39,622 "Huh, what are you doing?" 427 00:19:39,655 --> 00:19:42,592 I said, "I'm just kind of soaking up the atmosphere, man. 428 00:19:42,625 --> 00:19:44,827 I'm just -- I'm just feeling it." 429 00:19:44,860 --> 00:19:49,299 I said, "Frank, I truly believe that radio history 430 00:19:49,332 --> 00:19:52,167 is going to be made in this room." 431 00:19:52,201 --> 00:19:54,136 He's still on his back and he said, 432 00:19:54,169 --> 00:19:55,538 "Man, you just gave me goosebumps." 433 00:19:55,571 --> 00:19:56,739 He said, "Let me get up there 434 00:19:56,772 --> 00:19:58,574 and look out the history window." 435 00:19:58,608 --> 00:20:00,743 Before we ever even signed on the air, 436 00:20:00,776 --> 00:20:03,613 they were working on building a studio, 437 00:20:03,646 --> 00:20:08,117 and I was promised by Mr. Maltz, Mr. Malrite, 438 00:20:08,150 --> 00:20:12,555 that it would be a Rolls-Royce radio station. 439 00:20:12,588 --> 00:20:14,790 So I went over to take a look at it one day 440 00:20:14,824 --> 00:20:18,428 and I found out we weren't getting a Rolls-Royce. 441 00:20:18,461 --> 00:20:20,129 We were getting a Volkswagen. 442 00:20:20,162 --> 00:20:22,798 They had this fella in there and he said, 443 00:20:22,832 --> 00:20:24,700 "You must be the new punk, Scott Shannon." 444 00:20:24,734 --> 00:20:26,769 And I go, "Yeah, yeah, who are you?" 445 00:20:26,802 --> 00:20:29,405 He said, "Well, I'm your boss. 446 00:20:29,439 --> 00:20:32,642 I'm the chief engineer." I went, oh, boy. 447 00:20:32,675 --> 00:20:34,176 And I got a hold of Jim, and I said, 448 00:20:34,209 --> 00:20:36,245 "Jim, we've got a problem here, 449 00:20:36,278 --> 00:20:38,348 "and unless I get another engineer in here, 450 00:20:38,381 --> 00:20:40,182 I'm going to have to go back to Tampa." 451 00:20:40,215 --> 00:20:42,918 I need somebody maybe a little hipper, 452 00:20:42,952 --> 00:20:46,722 a little younger, someone who understands my language. 453 00:20:46,756 --> 00:20:47,857 When he got through with the litany 454 00:20:47,890 --> 00:20:49,592 of different engineers 455 00:20:49,625 --> 00:20:52,294 that they had describing each one, I said, 456 00:20:52,328 --> 00:20:53,796 "Is that all you got?" 457 00:20:53,829 --> 00:20:57,400 And he says, "No, there is one more fellow, 458 00:20:57,433 --> 00:21:00,736 "I don't know, though he's -- he's very hard to deal with. 459 00:21:00,770 --> 00:21:02,872 "He sits in his office and cranks The Who up 460 00:21:02,905 --> 00:21:05,675 at full volume all day long." 461 00:21:05,708 --> 00:21:06,576 Well, is there another problem? 462 00:21:06,609 --> 00:21:09,512 He said, "Well, he's a little crazy." 463 00:21:09,545 --> 00:21:11,547 I said, "A little crazy?" 464 00:21:11,581 --> 00:21:13,883 He said, "No, he's a whole lot crazy." 465 00:21:13,916 --> 00:21:16,719 ** 466 00:21:16,752 --> 00:21:19,722 - I'd been told by some corporate folks, 467 00:21:19,755 --> 00:21:22,958 they said, you were lucky to have worked around 468 00:21:22,992 --> 00:21:26,562 some pretty intense people in Cleveland at WMMS, 469 00:21:26,596 --> 00:21:28,398 which was the station I grew up on. 470 00:21:28,431 --> 00:21:31,233 They said, Scott's like the people at MMS, 471 00:21:31,266 --> 00:21:32,768 but on steroids. 472 00:21:32,802 --> 00:21:35,905 - Next day, in comes Frank Foti. 473 00:21:35,938 --> 00:21:38,273 Oh, my God, what a mess. 474 00:21:38,307 --> 00:21:41,310 - And I hear this voice. So I go, "Is that Frank-o?" 475 00:21:41,343 --> 00:21:43,312 Yeah, he goes, "Hi, my name's Scott Shannon." 476 00:21:43,345 --> 00:21:47,216 - I told him, I want a radio station that pounds, 477 00:21:47,249 --> 00:21:48,384 that jumps out of the radio. 478 00:21:48,418 --> 00:21:49,519 [ Explosion ] 479 00:21:49,552 --> 00:21:51,487 I want a flame thrower. 480 00:21:51,521 --> 00:21:54,457 - * The flame thrower, Z100 481 00:21:54,490 --> 00:21:56,291 - He said, "I'm your guy." 482 00:21:56,325 --> 00:21:59,228 - The best way I could sum it up 483 00:21:59,261 --> 00:22:02,565 is if I may borrow a phrase from Roger Daltrey of The Who. 484 00:22:02,598 --> 00:22:04,767 You know, he's always talked about The Who's music 485 00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:06,736 as somebody's punching you in the nose 486 00:22:06,769 --> 00:22:07,870 and saying, I love you. 487 00:22:07,903 --> 00:22:10,706 - It's like songs sound different on this radio station. 488 00:22:10,740 --> 00:22:12,575 I don't understand how, but they sound different. 489 00:22:12,608 --> 00:22:13,809 There's like a magic there. 490 00:22:13,843 --> 00:22:15,845 From a technical standpoint, 491 00:22:15,878 --> 00:22:19,649 the sound of the station was booming and loud, 492 00:22:19,682 --> 00:22:22,384 and from an engineering standpoint, it was compressed. 493 00:22:22,418 --> 00:22:24,954 It just sounded really, really cool. 494 00:22:24,987 --> 00:22:30,392 - * It was only in my dreams 495 00:22:30,426 --> 00:22:33,596 Well, my music started getting played, I was just like, 496 00:22:33,629 --> 00:22:35,965 "Oh, my God, if I'm hearing this in my car right now, 497 00:22:35,998 --> 00:22:37,633 like millions of people are hearing in their car, too, 498 00:22:37,667 --> 00:22:39,902 to or in their bedrooms or the... 499 00:22:39,935 --> 00:22:42,938 And it was really like this communal experience. 500 00:22:42,972 --> 00:22:46,576 And I guess that's why it was so magical to me. 501 00:22:46,609 --> 00:22:49,712 It just felt like a connectedness. 502 00:22:49,745 --> 00:22:55,417 And I really put everything behind that dream 503 00:22:55,451 --> 00:22:58,554 of being played on the radio. 504 00:22:58,588 --> 00:23:03,425 * It was only in my dream 505 00:23:03,459 --> 00:23:05,294 - I would stand right here 506 00:23:05,327 --> 00:23:06,962 and then Ross Britain would be over here 507 00:23:06,996 --> 00:23:10,032 and have the bells and the drums and all that stuff. 508 00:23:10,065 --> 00:23:12,835 Claire Stevens would be back in the newsroom over there 509 00:23:12,868 --> 00:23:15,037 and then she would move over here. 510 00:23:15,070 --> 00:23:18,974 Jonathan B. Bell would be there until the stars came in, 511 00:23:19,008 --> 00:23:21,477 and he had to move over next to Claire. 512 00:23:21,511 --> 00:23:22,778 One of those Professor Jonathan B. Bell reports. 513 00:23:22,812 --> 00:23:24,480 What's going on, professor? 514 00:23:24,514 --> 00:23:25,748 - Well, we got lots of things 515 00:23:25,781 --> 00:23:26,982 happening around town today, Scott. 516 00:23:27,016 --> 00:23:28,818 I had heard about Scott Shannon before I actually met him, 517 00:23:28,851 --> 00:23:30,820 and he had been described to me 518 00:23:30,853 --> 00:23:33,322 as a nut case from Tampa, Florida, 519 00:23:33,355 --> 00:23:36,358 who walked around wearing shorts all the time 520 00:23:36,391 --> 00:23:39,829 and was somehow going to revolutionize New York radio. 521 00:23:39,862 --> 00:23:42,632 And I thought, you got to be kidding. 522 00:23:42,665 --> 00:23:46,569 - Scott came in not knowing anything about New York City, 523 00:23:46,602 --> 00:23:48,571 and I think that gave him the edge. 524 00:23:48,604 --> 00:23:51,674 He wasn't frightened by the city and intimidated. 525 00:23:51,707 --> 00:23:54,510 You could tell he wasn't from these parts. 526 00:23:54,544 --> 00:23:55,911 And I think that's what made him stand out. 527 00:23:55,945 --> 00:23:58,548 He surrounded himself with a lot of caring, 528 00:23:58,581 --> 00:24:01,016 trusting people who not only communicated well 529 00:24:01,050 --> 00:24:03,385 with the audience, but they elevated him. 530 00:24:03,418 --> 00:24:07,857 - 6:27 in the morning it's time for Claire Stevens. 531 00:24:07,890 --> 00:24:10,425 - Good morning, it's 35 degrees at this hour. 532 00:24:10,459 --> 00:24:11,493 - Well, I must tell you, 533 00:24:11,527 --> 00:24:13,696 Scott Shannon meant nothing to me. 534 00:24:13,729 --> 00:24:17,767 I was so new in radio and I was so naive 535 00:24:17,800 --> 00:24:20,670 and I was working at this little tiny station 536 00:24:20,703 --> 00:24:21,804 that was kind of isolated. 537 00:24:21,837 --> 00:24:25,074 I got a call and they said, 538 00:24:25,107 --> 00:24:28,744 "We were not able to get you in Scott's office, 539 00:24:28,778 --> 00:24:32,615 "but my wife got you on our home radio 540 00:24:32,648 --> 00:24:34,049 "and played it over the speakerphone 541 00:24:34,083 --> 00:24:36,418 "to Scott Shannon. 542 00:24:36,451 --> 00:24:38,721 How soon can you get out here?" 543 00:24:38,754 --> 00:24:40,790 I sat in Scott's office and he's saying, 544 00:24:40,823 --> 00:24:44,159 Well, you'll say this and you'll do that and bah, bah, bah. 545 00:24:44,193 --> 00:24:46,862 And I'm going, "Time out." 546 00:24:46,896 --> 00:24:49,431 I said, "Don't you want to interview anybody else?" 547 00:24:49,464 --> 00:24:51,466 And he said, no. 548 00:24:51,500 --> 00:24:53,969 "When I hear what I want, I know it." 549 00:24:54,003 --> 00:24:56,706 - Yes, Ross Britton and Scott is going to be a rotten day. 550 00:24:56,739 --> 00:24:59,975 Thank you very much. - I was a talk jock at WABC. 551 00:25:00,009 --> 00:25:02,011 I started there when they were still music, 552 00:25:02,044 --> 00:25:06,448 and then I was fired pretty much the week 553 00:25:06,481 --> 00:25:07,983 that Z100 went on the air. 554 00:25:08,017 --> 00:25:11,486 So I went over to Scott a couple of weeks later and I said, 555 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:14,790 "Hey, you know, good to see you. I'm looking for a job. 556 00:25:14,824 --> 00:25:16,726 I know you have an afternoon opening." 557 00:25:16,759 --> 00:25:18,694 And he said, "Nah, you're a morning jock. 558 00:25:18,728 --> 00:25:20,630 No, I want you to work with me." 559 00:25:20,663 --> 00:25:23,498 - So I get to the Meadowlands Hilton and I'm dressed up 560 00:25:23,532 --> 00:25:26,602 like the former Madison Avenue person that I was. 561 00:25:26,636 --> 00:25:28,470 And there he is with the big voice, 562 00:25:28,503 --> 00:25:29,939 and he's Scott Shannon. 563 00:25:29,972 --> 00:25:33,442 - And I said to myself, "This is a nut house. 564 00:25:33,475 --> 00:25:35,611 "And the guy that's running the place is wearing 565 00:25:35,645 --> 00:25:37,512 a Hawaiian shirt and shorts." 566 00:25:37,546 --> 00:25:39,815 - Oh, my God, what have I got myself into? 567 00:25:39,849 --> 00:25:43,518 - He was able to create deliberately 568 00:25:43,552 --> 00:25:46,455 and hilariously dysfunctional family. 569 00:25:46,488 --> 00:25:48,658 At the same time, it was an endearing family. 570 00:25:48,691 --> 00:25:50,025 - Eddie Grant was a lead singer of a group -- 571 00:25:50,059 --> 00:25:53,763 - The Supremes. - Not the Supremes, you nitwit. 572 00:25:53,796 --> 00:25:54,764 Let me take you to the production office 573 00:25:54,797 --> 00:25:55,765 right here. 574 00:25:55,798 --> 00:25:58,467 This used to be the home of the late J.R. Nelson. 575 00:25:58,500 --> 00:26:01,036 J.R. would be here. He was a big guy. 576 00:26:01,070 --> 00:26:03,605 He didn't take any crap from anybody, especially me. 577 00:26:03,639 --> 00:26:05,841 And he had a little like a table here. 578 00:26:05,875 --> 00:26:06,709 And then I would come back from lunch, 579 00:26:06,742 --> 00:26:08,678 I have a bunch of notes on the napkin 580 00:26:08,711 --> 00:26:10,780 that I came up with 581 00:26:10,813 --> 00:26:13,783 while we were having lunch and maybe a cocktail or two. 582 00:26:13,816 --> 00:26:15,885 And -- and I would say, turn the mic on, J.R. 583 00:26:15,918 --> 00:26:21,056 Z100 wants you to help us go from worst to first. 584 00:26:21,090 --> 00:26:22,758 We need your help. 585 00:26:22,792 --> 00:26:24,259 And then he would put it to music 586 00:26:24,293 --> 00:26:26,028 and sound effects and all that. 587 00:26:26,061 --> 00:26:29,064 And then within 30 minutes, it would be on the air. 588 00:26:29,098 --> 00:26:31,801 - Any broadcast or duplication of this material 589 00:26:31,834 --> 00:26:33,535 without the expressed written consent 590 00:26:33,568 --> 00:26:37,773 of J.R. Nelson Productions will cost you a fortune. 591 00:26:37,807 --> 00:26:40,676 - With J.R. Nelson in sports the lion's mug, the Steelers, 592 00:26:40,710 --> 00:26:41,944 the Cowboys beat the Cardinals. 593 00:26:41,977 --> 00:26:44,079 The Giants are going to a one back offense 594 00:26:44,113 --> 00:26:46,882 for the Raiders' game on Sunday, and Marvis Frazier doesn't have 595 00:26:46,916 --> 00:26:48,550 much of a chance to beat Larry Holmes tonight. 596 00:26:48,583 --> 00:26:49,785 So say the experts. 597 00:26:49,819 --> 00:26:51,620 Z100 weather looks like this. 598 00:26:51,653 --> 00:26:53,255 - Now in addition to the Morning Zoo, 599 00:26:53,288 --> 00:26:55,590 which was crazy enough... 600 00:26:55,624 --> 00:26:57,860 - The deejays here at the Z Morning Zoo are up 601 00:26:57,893 --> 00:26:59,895 and getting ready to entertain you. 602 00:26:59,929 --> 00:27:00,830 - * Heigh-ho! 603 00:27:00,863 --> 00:27:03,799 - We also had deejays named Jack the Wack. 604 00:27:03,833 --> 00:27:06,836 - Oh, Jack the Wack here getting ready to go commercial for... 605 00:27:06,869 --> 00:27:08,070 - Hollywood Hamilton. 606 00:27:08,103 --> 00:27:09,138 - At Radio Z100 with Hollywood Hamilton. 607 00:27:09,171 --> 00:27:13,843 - Dr. Christopher Reid, Janet from another planet, 608 00:27:13,876 --> 00:27:16,746 and one of the most incredible deejays I've ever heard, 609 00:27:16,779 --> 00:27:17,980 Shadow Steel. 610 00:27:18,013 --> 00:27:20,916 - [ Speaks indistinctly ] ...just about 5:00. 611 00:27:20,950 --> 00:27:23,652 It's been a long, hot, nasty week. 612 00:27:23,685 --> 00:27:25,154 I think it's time we kick this sucker 613 00:27:25,187 --> 00:27:26,822 in the head and get out of here. 614 00:27:26,856 --> 00:27:29,725 - But there was one other character who was very popular. 615 00:27:29,759 --> 00:27:32,661 His name was Mr. Leonard. 616 00:27:32,694 --> 00:27:35,831 - Mr. Leonard is sicker than a dog this morning. 617 00:27:35,865 --> 00:27:38,600 - I apologize for trying to call up and guess 618 00:27:38,633 --> 00:27:42,772 that I know I'm unintelligible, but I'm a desperate, Scott. 619 00:27:42,805 --> 00:27:45,140 - He drove a lime green pinto. 620 00:27:45,174 --> 00:27:48,343 He had a matching lime green leisure suit, 621 00:27:48,377 --> 00:27:50,612 complete with cherry red shoes. 622 00:27:50,645 --> 00:27:52,581 - What in the hell is Mr. Leonard doing? Leonard! 623 00:27:52,614 --> 00:27:54,649 - Back there, weaseling around. 624 00:27:54,683 --> 00:27:55,918 - The guy comes to work. 625 00:27:55,951 --> 00:27:57,619 He's been in the control room one time since he's been here. 626 00:27:57,652 --> 00:27:59,755 - And he was like the common man, 627 00:27:59,789 --> 00:28:00,790 well, he was below the common man. 628 00:28:00,823 --> 00:28:04,794 - Well, what about 8-3-7-5 on the telephone line? 629 00:28:04,827 --> 00:28:08,864 - No, that's Tommy Tutone. - That was Tommy Tutone. 630 00:28:08,898 --> 00:28:09,865 - Well, who the hell is this Tommy? 631 00:28:09,899 --> 00:28:11,934 [ Laughter ] 632 00:28:11,967 --> 00:28:15,204 - The problem was he had trouble waking up in the morning 633 00:28:15,237 --> 00:28:18,307 and many times didn't even show up for work. 634 00:28:18,340 --> 00:28:21,043 - Where in the world are you? Everybody's here. 635 00:28:21,076 --> 00:28:26,248 - * Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday! * 636 00:28:26,281 --> 00:28:29,051 - Hey, stop, stop all that. Where are you? 637 00:28:29,084 --> 00:28:31,020 - What do you mean where am I? 638 00:28:31,053 --> 00:28:33,355 I thought this was a holiday. It's our birthday. 639 00:28:33,388 --> 00:28:35,690 - Scott was known to use the hotline. 640 00:28:35,724 --> 00:28:38,027 He called me one day and he said, "Magic Matt, 641 00:28:38,060 --> 00:28:39,862 "there was some dead air between commercial number three 642 00:28:39,895 --> 00:28:42,297 and commercial number four." 643 00:28:42,331 --> 00:28:43,999 And I said, "Not on this show. There wasn't." 644 00:28:44,033 --> 00:28:45,300 I said, "You must have been listening to 645 00:28:45,334 --> 00:28:48,037 our competition, WPLJ." 646 00:28:48,070 --> 00:28:49,038 - He said, "Well, let me look at my digital. 647 00:28:49,071 --> 00:28:53,308 No, says 100.3." 648 00:28:53,342 --> 00:28:54,810 He said, "No, that's my --" 649 00:28:54,844 --> 00:28:57,346 I said, "Absolutely not on this station." 650 00:28:57,379 --> 00:29:01,283 I said, "I would never, ever commit a felony, 651 00:29:01,316 --> 00:29:03,118 "such as dead air on Z100, 652 00:29:03,152 --> 00:29:05,320 the biggest station in the world." 653 00:29:05,354 --> 00:29:08,991 And he said, "Yeah, looked again. It says 1-0 -- 654 00:29:09,024 --> 00:29:12,727 That's Z100. Don't you [bleep] up my radio station." 655 00:29:12,761 --> 00:29:14,196 Click. 656 00:29:21,136 --> 00:29:24,039 [ Radio stations changing ] 657 00:29:31,746 --> 00:29:34,783 - It's eight minutes after 6:00 a.m., 658 00:29:34,816 --> 00:29:36,218 August the 2nd, 1983. 659 00:29:36,251 --> 00:29:38,921 [ Ring tone ] 660 00:29:38,954 --> 00:29:41,891 Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, radio station 661 00:29:41,924 --> 00:29:46,061 WHTZ signs on the air. 662 00:29:46,095 --> 00:29:48,763 WHTZ is owned and operated 663 00:29:48,797 --> 00:29:51,833 by Malrite Communications Cleveland 664 00:29:51,867 --> 00:29:54,303 and operates on an assigned frequency 665 00:29:54,336 --> 00:29:56,972 of 100.3 megahertz, 666 00:29:57,006 --> 00:30:00,809 with studios and offices in Secaucus, New Jersey. 667 00:30:00,842 --> 00:30:02,711 Signing on the air, 668 00:30:02,744 --> 00:30:05,314 this is WHTZ, the Newark, 669 00:30:05,347 --> 00:30:08,951 the new Z100. 670 00:30:08,984 --> 00:30:12,354 ** 671 00:30:12,387 --> 00:30:17,759 New York, it's time to wake up. 672 00:30:17,792 --> 00:30:20,229 - The kids are telling everybody about this great new station 673 00:30:20,262 --> 00:30:22,064 that was broadcasting from the top 674 00:30:22,097 --> 00:30:23,732 of the Empire State Building. 675 00:30:23,765 --> 00:30:25,367 - Serving the universe 676 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:28,203 from the top of the Empire State Building, 677 00:30:28,237 --> 00:30:31,206 WHTZ. 678 00:30:31,240 --> 00:30:33,142 - Live from the top of the Empire State Building, 679 00:30:33,175 --> 00:30:35,810 the flame-throwing hot rocking Z100. 680 00:30:35,844 --> 00:30:37,746 - Everybody broadcasts from the top 681 00:30:37,779 --> 00:30:39,381 of the Empire State Building. 682 00:30:39,414 --> 00:30:42,884 There's a master antenna on top of the Empire State Building 683 00:30:42,918 --> 00:30:46,021 that all the stations share the rental on. 684 00:30:46,055 --> 00:30:47,189 We're all there. 685 00:30:47,222 --> 00:30:51,293 There was nothing unique about what he was really doing, 686 00:30:51,326 --> 00:30:56,231 but everything unique about the way he was describing 687 00:30:56,265 --> 00:30:57,466 what he was doing. 688 00:30:57,499 --> 00:30:59,001 - Serving the universe from the top 689 00:30:59,034 --> 00:31:00,936 of the Empire State Building. - Well, it's true. 690 00:31:00,970 --> 00:31:02,771 - Every radio station comes from the top 691 00:31:02,804 --> 00:31:04,873 of the Empire State Building. 692 00:31:04,906 --> 00:31:06,908 - They give you the impression that they were broadcasting 693 00:31:06,942 --> 00:31:09,378 from high on top of the Empire State Building. 694 00:31:09,411 --> 00:31:11,280 But in truth, it was across the way. 695 00:31:11,313 --> 00:31:15,050 But that is the plight of New Jersey, right, everybody? 696 00:31:15,084 --> 00:31:16,518 We do all the heavy lifting 697 00:31:16,551 --> 00:31:18,120 and get none of the credit for it. 698 00:31:18,153 --> 00:31:22,557 They made of that nothing defy its geographic reality 699 00:31:22,591 --> 00:31:25,160 and instead, transfer the whole ethos 700 00:31:25,194 --> 00:31:27,029 to Manhattan, to the heart of Manhattan, 701 00:31:27,062 --> 00:31:28,930 and then not only to Manhattan, 702 00:31:28,964 --> 00:31:31,200 but to the -- to the gorilla building, 703 00:31:31,233 --> 00:31:33,268 to the -- to the top of the top. 704 00:31:33,302 --> 00:31:35,370 - We claimed the Empire State Building 705 00:31:35,404 --> 00:31:38,507 and everything that emanated from the Empire State Building 706 00:31:38,540 --> 00:31:41,843 over 27 counties in the New York metro area. 707 00:31:41,876 --> 00:31:43,945 Our goal was to be larger than life. 708 00:31:43,979 --> 00:31:47,116 - Serving the universe from the top of 709 00:31:47,149 --> 00:31:48,583 the Empire State Building. 710 00:31:48,617 --> 00:31:52,221 This is the new Z100. 711 00:31:52,254 --> 00:31:54,323 And then there was a little pause 712 00:31:54,356 --> 00:31:56,525 and then it was Scott's way of telling other radio stations 713 00:31:56,558 --> 00:31:58,960 we were in town. 714 00:31:58,994 --> 00:32:01,396 - Get out of our way. 715 00:32:01,430 --> 00:32:04,533 - I couldn't believe it. This guy is crazy. 716 00:32:04,566 --> 00:32:07,069 He's going after other radio stations in town. 717 00:32:07,102 --> 00:32:09,271 He's literally calling them out 718 00:32:09,304 --> 00:32:12,207 and telling them to get out of the way. 719 00:32:12,241 --> 00:32:13,208 And here we come. 720 00:32:13,242 --> 00:32:15,410 - Z100 was the rebirth 721 00:32:15,444 --> 00:32:18,213 of that Top 40 mentality. 722 00:32:18,247 --> 00:32:20,949 It existed on some of the AM stations, 723 00:32:20,982 --> 00:32:23,385 but to have an FM radio station playing all the hits, 724 00:32:23,418 --> 00:32:25,020 that was a novel concept at the time. 725 00:32:25,054 --> 00:32:27,422 And PLJ and Z100 both basically did it 726 00:32:27,456 --> 00:32:30,359 at the same time and created the ultimate radio war, 727 00:32:30,392 --> 00:32:33,228 which for those of us who are students of it, 728 00:32:33,262 --> 00:32:35,297 we were all about that. 729 00:32:35,330 --> 00:32:36,998 - What station did we rescue you from? 730 00:32:37,032 --> 00:32:39,901 - CBSFM. - Oh, my God. 731 00:32:39,934 --> 00:32:43,338 - New York radio stations had indirectly referenced 732 00:32:43,372 --> 00:32:45,040 other radio stations in the past. 733 00:32:45,074 --> 00:32:48,877 In the '60s, famously WMCA and WABC, the good guys. 734 00:32:48,910 --> 00:32:51,880 - * Ringing with the good guys 735 00:32:51,913 --> 00:32:54,416 * WMCA 736 00:32:54,449 --> 00:32:56,385 - They had a great rivalry going on, 737 00:32:56,418 --> 00:32:58,220 but they never directly referenced each other. 738 00:32:58,253 --> 00:33:00,655 When Scott started calling out other radio stations on the air, 739 00:33:00,689 --> 00:33:02,624 particularly WPLJ, 740 00:33:02,657 --> 00:33:03,925 he got phone calls from people saying, 741 00:33:03,958 --> 00:33:05,427 "You can't do that, that's illegal. 742 00:33:05,460 --> 00:33:07,896 Won't the FCC fine you for doing that?" 743 00:33:07,929 --> 00:33:10,031 Said, of course they won't. It's not illegal. 744 00:33:10,065 --> 00:33:12,534 - We always like to take personalities from the market, 745 00:33:12,567 --> 00:33:15,637 not just radio, but, you know, everybody and make fun of them. 746 00:33:15,670 --> 00:33:17,139 - Could you do us a favor? - Sure. 747 00:33:17,172 --> 00:33:19,441 - Could you tell Roger Grimsby something for us? 748 00:33:19,474 --> 00:33:20,475 - All right. As long as it doesn't get me fired. 749 00:33:20,509 --> 00:33:22,911 - [ Blows raspberry ] 750 00:33:22,944 --> 00:33:24,646 - When one of the ratings came out 751 00:33:24,679 --> 00:33:27,616 and Imus had fallen in the ratings, 752 00:33:27,649 --> 00:33:31,186 Scott offered to start a fundraising campaign 753 00:33:31,220 --> 00:33:33,622 to bail Imus out of his -- of his problems. 754 00:33:33,655 --> 00:33:36,625 - My friend Don Imus. - Yeah. 755 00:33:36,658 --> 00:33:38,493 - Hey, watch this. Aah! 756 00:33:38,527 --> 00:33:42,631 - Basically Scott is the ultimate radio attack dog. 757 00:33:42,664 --> 00:33:47,469 He does his best work when he had a target and WPLJ 758 00:33:47,502 --> 00:33:49,638 saw what was happening at Z100. 759 00:33:49,671 --> 00:33:51,173 They changed the Top 40. 760 00:33:51,206 --> 00:33:52,674 But it was a wimpier, 761 00:33:52,707 --> 00:33:55,177 more corporate version of Top 40. 762 00:33:55,210 --> 00:33:59,181 And so Scott called them what they were -- wimpy radio. 763 00:33:59,214 --> 00:34:00,482 - What we suddenly faced 764 00:34:00,515 --> 00:34:05,187 was like nothing I had ever experienced before. 765 00:34:05,220 --> 00:34:07,156 - We have a radio station here. 766 00:34:07,189 --> 00:34:08,623 They used to be album rock and roll station. 767 00:34:08,657 --> 00:34:10,091 - Mm-hmm. 768 00:34:10,125 --> 00:34:12,694 - And they changed their format recently 769 00:34:12,727 --> 00:34:15,597 and their program director, Larry Booger has a song out. 770 00:34:15,630 --> 00:34:17,532 It's called, "We're Going Wimpy." 771 00:34:17,566 --> 00:34:18,533 It's their new call letters WIMPY. 772 00:34:18,567 --> 00:34:20,969 We'll get that on right now. 773 00:34:21,002 --> 00:34:23,738 Here's Larry and the Wimps and we're going wimpy on Z100. 774 00:34:23,772 --> 00:34:27,676 - We did a skit about the program director of WPLJ, 775 00:34:27,709 --> 00:34:31,546 and Scott said, "Make it Larry Booger." 776 00:34:31,580 --> 00:34:34,383 And then it just went wild. 777 00:34:34,416 --> 00:34:37,552 - They start their tape recorder just like Larry Booger at 5:59 778 00:34:37,586 --> 00:34:40,155 so they don't miss a single second of the Z100 Morning Zoo. 779 00:34:40,189 --> 00:34:43,158 - The name became so stuck to poor Larry Berger 780 00:34:43,192 --> 00:34:45,160 that all around New York, 781 00:34:45,194 --> 00:34:47,262 people were calling him Larry Booger. 782 00:34:47,296 --> 00:34:51,166 - The audience loved it. The clients? Not so much. 783 00:34:51,200 --> 00:34:54,002 - This television station has refused to accept 784 00:34:54,035 --> 00:34:56,171 your commercial advertising for Z100. 785 00:34:56,205 --> 00:34:58,440 - And it's breaking my heart. - Is it really? 786 00:34:58,473 --> 00:35:03,312 Now there is a federal law that limits how much level 787 00:35:03,345 --> 00:35:05,414 you can put into the transmitter. 788 00:35:05,447 --> 00:35:08,283 And I know for a fact because I measured it myself 789 00:35:08,317 --> 00:35:12,387 that our competition, WPLJ, that they would break that law. 790 00:35:12,421 --> 00:35:13,488 It's called over modulation. 791 00:35:13,522 --> 00:35:15,424 It would be like, you know, 792 00:35:15,457 --> 00:35:17,559 speed limit's 55 miles an hour 793 00:35:17,592 --> 00:35:20,762 and they want to drive 75. 794 00:35:20,795 --> 00:35:25,234 Okay, you guys want to drive 75? We'll drive 75. 795 00:35:25,267 --> 00:35:28,403 Well, Larry Berger was so competitive himself, 796 00:35:28,437 --> 00:35:32,507 he had the technical measuring device on his desk 797 00:35:32,541 --> 00:35:35,210 that would -- where he could look at Z100 and PLJ. 798 00:35:35,244 --> 00:35:38,813 Well, one time he would -- he was looking at his monitor, 799 00:35:38,847 --> 00:35:42,116 thinking we were breaking the law and he called me. 800 00:35:42,150 --> 00:35:45,787 I had my assistant, Steve Pepe, go and flip some switches 801 00:35:45,820 --> 00:35:48,590 so that his monitor would look all crazy. 802 00:35:48,623 --> 00:35:50,392 He was like, "Frank, I got to call you back. 803 00:35:50,425 --> 00:35:52,294 Something's not right here." 804 00:35:52,327 --> 00:35:53,695 "Yeah, Larry, you're a dumb ass." And I hung up on him. 805 00:35:53,728 --> 00:35:55,597 So there was a writer for "The Daily News" 806 00:35:55,630 --> 00:35:58,567 in those days named George Maksian 807 00:35:58,600 --> 00:36:01,803 and for whatever reason, he just wasn't a believer in Z100. 808 00:36:01,836 --> 00:36:04,839 - George was a great guy, but he was old school 809 00:36:04,873 --> 00:36:06,140 in his radio taste. 810 00:36:06,174 --> 00:36:07,542 He loved John Gamblings. 811 00:36:07,576 --> 00:36:10,679 So when when Scott started, he wrote a column about it 812 00:36:10,712 --> 00:36:13,648 in which he pronounced the new Z100 to be vulgar. 813 00:36:13,682 --> 00:36:16,585 - Coming home one day and opening up "The Daily News" 814 00:36:16,618 --> 00:36:19,388 and seeing this article by George Maksian 815 00:36:19,421 --> 00:36:23,458 saying I hope he has a roundtrip ticket back to Tampa 816 00:36:23,492 --> 00:36:25,260 because this guy's the worst. 817 00:36:25,294 --> 00:36:28,497 - My first comment says this product hillbilly from Florida. 818 00:36:28,530 --> 00:36:30,231 Remember that? - Yeah. 819 00:36:30,265 --> 00:36:33,502 - And he would write all of these negative articles on Z100, 820 00:36:33,535 --> 00:36:34,836 and it would drive Scott crazy. 821 00:36:34,869 --> 00:36:38,106 - Take his ways back to Florida. 822 00:36:38,139 --> 00:36:39,007 - Yes, there's hope he's got a one-way ticket -- 823 00:36:39,040 --> 00:36:40,875 - Roundtrip ticket. - A roundtrip ticket. 824 00:36:40,909 --> 00:36:44,313 - Go home. - Boy, I was broken down. 825 00:36:44,346 --> 00:36:47,316 If you ask most experts or self-proclaimed experts, 826 00:36:47,349 --> 00:36:50,552 it was destined to fail this hillbilly from Tampa 827 00:36:50,585 --> 00:36:53,322 going to launch a concept that had worked in Tampa, 828 00:36:53,355 --> 00:36:54,856 but hadn't worked anywhere else. 829 00:36:54,889 --> 00:36:56,491 - And finally, I just got mad and said, I'll tell you, 830 00:36:56,525 --> 00:36:58,660 I'll just show that idiot. 831 00:36:58,693 --> 00:37:02,397 And he's still that. An idiot. 832 00:37:02,431 --> 00:37:04,766 - So Scott made up these stickers that said, 833 00:37:04,799 --> 00:37:06,635 "I break for George Maksian!" 834 00:37:06,668 --> 00:37:08,637 So I hear it. Kenny Lane, get in here. 835 00:37:08,670 --> 00:37:10,605 Go to the office. Sit down, close the door. 836 00:37:10,639 --> 00:37:12,774 "I need you to do something with these. Go figure it out. 837 00:37:12,807 --> 00:37:13,775 Earn while you learn. Figure it out." 838 00:37:13,808 --> 00:37:15,377 - In a way it was -- 839 00:37:15,410 --> 00:37:17,479 It was kind of cool to have so many people 840 00:37:17,512 --> 00:37:19,581 talking about you, even if it was bad. 841 00:37:19,614 --> 00:37:21,316 - So I figure maybe I can go 842 00:37:21,350 --> 00:37:22,250 put the stickers all over "The Daily News" 843 00:37:22,283 --> 00:37:23,418 delivery trucks. 844 00:37:23,452 --> 00:37:24,786 - The newspapers hated it. 845 00:37:24,819 --> 00:37:26,621 - I see a guy who's sitting 846 00:37:26,655 --> 00:37:28,323 by one of the trucks having a cigarette and I said, 847 00:37:28,357 --> 00:37:29,391 "Excuse me, I've got some stickers here 848 00:37:29,424 --> 00:37:30,925 for George Maksian." 849 00:37:30,959 --> 00:37:32,727 - That guy's terrible. 850 00:37:32,761 --> 00:37:33,828 - Do you think I can put them on some of the trucks? 851 00:37:33,862 --> 00:37:36,197 - Other program directors hated us. 852 00:37:36,230 --> 00:37:38,600 - I must've hit 20, 25 trucks. 853 00:37:38,633 --> 00:37:39,934 - He's a horrible disc jockey. 854 00:37:39,968 --> 00:37:42,571 - Now I see the door wide open 855 00:37:42,604 --> 00:37:44,639 and I go in and it's a security guy sitting there 856 00:37:44,673 --> 00:37:46,541 and I said, "I've got a package for George Maksian. 857 00:37:46,575 --> 00:37:47,709 Can I drop it off?" 858 00:37:47,742 --> 00:37:49,944 - The ad agencies hated us. - I go up to the third floor. 859 00:37:49,978 --> 00:37:52,581 I find a couple of people who are up there working, 860 00:37:52,614 --> 00:37:54,215 and I said, "Hey, I've got a package here 861 00:37:54,248 --> 00:37:55,684 for George Maksian." 862 00:37:55,717 --> 00:37:57,586 - He doesn't sound like New York. 863 00:37:57,619 --> 00:37:59,287 - Would you mind pointing out his desk? 864 00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:02,190 - Other deejays hated us. - First, I was thinking, 865 00:38:02,223 --> 00:38:04,693 I'm going to put one sticker down, and then I thought, 866 00:38:04,726 --> 00:38:06,761 Why do one? I've got a box of stickers here. 867 00:38:06,795 --> 00:38:08,196 I don't want to come back with them. 868 00:38:08,229 --> 00:38:09,631 - Everybody made fun. 869 00:38:09,664 --> 00:38:11,766 - And I start putting them all over. 870 00:38:11,800 --> 00:38:14,335 And I know when he comes to work in the morning, 871 00:38:14,369 --> 00:38:16,771 he's going to see I break for George Maksian stickers 872 00:38:16,805 --> 00:38:17,606 all over the office. 873 00:38:17,639 --> 00:38:18,707 - You know how bumper stickers are. 874 00:38:18,740 --> 00:38:21,242 You don't get them off as easy as you get them on. 875 00:38:21,275 --> 00:38:22,777 - * Tell it to my heart 876 00:38:22,811 --> 00:38:25,246 * Tell me I'm the only one 877 00:38:25,279 --> 00:38:29,418 * Is this really love or just a game? * 878 00:38:29,451 --> 00:38:31,219 I'll never forget when Z100 hit, 879 00:38:31,252 --> 00:38:33,788 because there was this moment that I said, who is this? 880 00:38:33,822 --> 00:38:35,690 And it was Whitney Houston. Who is this? 881 00:38:35,724 --> 00:38:36,825 And it was Aretha Franklin. 882 00:38:36,858 --> 00:38:40,462 They started playing pop music like I remember WABC, 883 00:38:40,495 --> 00:38:41,496 but it was more than that. 884 00:38:41,530 --> 00:38:44,566 It was polished. It was pure. 885 00:38:44,599 --> 00:38:49,237 * Tell it to my heart, tell me I'm the only one * 886 00:38:49,270 --> 00:38:51,305 - I wanted it to be about the music, 887 00:38:51,339 --> 00:38:53,975 the music was the most important part of it. 888 00:38:54,008 --> 00:38:58,513 And we were the conduit from the people to the music. 889 00:38:58,547 --> 00:39:01,349 I wanted to have the people who made the music on the radio 890 00:39:01,382 --> 00:39:03,284 talking about the music, 891 00:39:03,317 --> 00:39:06,755 and I wanted our disc jockeys to know what they were playing. 892 00:39:06,788 --> 00:39:09,791 Very few record promotion guys would bring us records. 893 00:39:09,824 --> 00:39:12,761 We had to go buy our own records at Tower Records. 894 00:39:12,794 --> 00:39:15,697 We couldn't get any celebrity guest on The Morning Show. 895 00:39:15,730 --> 00:39:17,532 They didn't want to come to Secaucus. 896 00:39:17,566 --> 00:39:19,868 They didn't know where Secaucus was, 897 00:39:19,901 --> 00:39:23,438 and we had an intern by the name of William Brownstein. 898 00:39:23,472 --> 00:39:25,373 William heard me complaining 899 00:39:25,406 --> 00:39:28,376 about not having any famous people on the show. 900 00:39:28,409 --> 00:39:31,513 He said, I can get you a guest, a famous guest. 901 00:39:31,546 --> 00:39:32,781 I said, "William, 902 00:39:32,814 --> 00:39:36,284 who do you know that could possibly be famous?" 903 00:39:36,317 --> 00:39:38,453 He said, "Well, because every year 904 00:39:38,487 --> 00:39:41,623 "I volunteer for the Jerry Lewis Telethon. 905 00:39:41,656 --> 00:39:45,026 And here in New York, Tony hosts that and he likes me." 906 00:39:45,059 --> 00:39:49,831 - * Whoa, tie a yellow ribbon 'round the ole oak tree * 907 00:39:49,864 --> 00:39:53,502 - So Tony Orlando comes by. 908 00:39:53,535 --> 00:39:56,070 He's our very first guest on Z100. 909 00:39:56,104 --> 00:39:59,974 - I walk in and there's this energetic, 910 00:40:00,008 --> 00:40:03,377 unbelievable young man 911 00:40:03,411 --> 00:40:06,815 introducing me to someone who I already knew. 912 00:40:06,848 --> 00:40:10,585 I knew Scott from being on the road when I had Candida out, 913 00:40:10,619 --> 00:40:13,888 he was the first person to ever play a Dawn record. 914 00:40:13,922 --> 00:40:15,023 Oh, my God, Scott. Well, come on. 915 00:40:15,056 --> 00:40:16,157 Let's do the interview. 916 00:40:16,190 --> 00:40:19,628 - Whether it was an artist or an author or an athlete, 917 00:40:19,661 --> 00:40:21,563 they would stop at MTV. 918 00:40:21,596 --> 00:40:23,732 They would stop at the "Today Show." 919 00:40:23,765 --> 00:40:25,333 They would stop at "Good Morning America." 920 00:40:25,366 --> 00:40:27,936 He and I sat down and we decided that Z100 921 00:40:27,969 --> 00:40:32,907 has to become a destination for all things music. 922 00:40:32,941 --> 00:40:36,511 - Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome, Mr. James Brown. 923 00:40:36,545 --> 00:40:38,479 Good morning, Mr. Brown. - Ow! 924 00:40:38,513 --> 00:40:43,084 - Z100 really was a major factor in what was 925 00:40:43,117 --> 00:40:44,586 a really a renaissance 926 00:40:44,619 --> 00:40:47,421 in a sense of a musical culture in the city. 927 00:40:47,455 --> 00:40:49,057 '83, '84, '85 in the mid-'80s, then. 928 00:40:49,090 --> 00:40:50,925 It was a catalyst. 929 00:40:50,959 --> 00:40:53,494 You had this great music going on, 930 00:40:53,528 --> 00:40:57,732 but Z100 brought it together in a way and a form 931 00:40:57,766 --> 00:41:01,603 in a -- in a package that others had not. 932 00:41:01,636 --> 00:41:04,939 - I have met a number of radio guys in my career 933 00:41:04,973 --> 00:41:10,011 who -- their attitude was I don't care. 934 00:41:10,044 --> 00:41:12,714 Is it a hit? Is it not a hit? 935 00:41:12,747 --> 00:41:15,850 Is my listener going to care? Because I don't care. 936 00:41:15,884 --> 00:41:17,485 You know, and that would break your heart 937 00:41:17,518 --> 00:41:18,753 because you worked so hard to write a song, 938 00:41:18,787 --> 00:41:20,154 record a song, promote a song, 939 00:41:20,188 --> 00:41:23,157 and you go out there and the attitude was like, 940 00:41:23,191 --> 00:41:25,526 what does it matter to me? It's all widgets. 941 00:41:25,560 --> 00:41:27,528 So you needed guys that loves music. 942 00:41:27,562 --> 00:41:29,631 You know, he loves the music, 943 00:41:29,664 --> 00:41:32,033 and it doesn't have to be rock and roll. 944 00:41:32,066 --> 00:41:34,769 But he also -- he gets the rock and roll thing. 945 00:41:34,803 --> 00:41:38,406 He played new music, he played hit music, 946 00:41:38,439 --> 00:41:40,975 and he would fall in love with songs 947 00:41:41,009 --> 00:41:43,612 and play them no matter what the chart position was 948 00:41:43,645 --> 00:41:46,748 at any given time, which was unique. 949 00:41:46,781 --> 00:41:52,954 When you're really using the phrase to be a great 950 00:41:52,987 --> 00:41:57,759 radio person, love of music allows you to be different 951 00:41:57,792 --> 00:42:00,762 to not be totally predictable. 952 00:42:00,795 --> 00:42:03,765 And for that contagious spirit to come through. 953 00:42:03,798 --> 00:42:08,903 - One of the most amazing things for me is to remember the people 954 00:42:08,937 --> 00:42:10,805 that walk through our hallways 955 00:42:10,839 --> 00:42:13,441 and these people got up really early in the morning 956 00:42:13,474 --> 00:42:15,043 and they came to Secaucus. 957 00:42:15,076 --> 00:42:17,445 And I was promoting "Johnny Dangerously" 958 00:42:17,478 --> 00:42:18,880 or "Wise Guys" one of the films, 959 00:42:18,913 --> 00:42:20,815 "Would you go on The Morning Zoo? 960 00:42:20,849 --> 00:42:21,950 Would you go on with Scott Shannon?" 961 00:42:21,983 --> 00:42:23,985 I said, "Are you kidding me?" This guy wrote the book. 962 00:42:24,018 --> 00:42:28,156 - Oh, my God, I got through finally, my first time. 963 00:42:28,189 --> 00:42:29,791 - Oh, how do you like that? 964 00:42:29,824 --> 00:42:32,026 Oh, it's your first time, I'm so excited. 965 00:42:32,060 --> 00:42:35,496 - Stations like Z100 made me feel like 966 00:42:35,529 --> 00:42:39,901 I had the freedom to do really experimental projects, 967 00:42:39,934 --> 00:42:44,806 and if we somehow nailed it, that it would wind up on Z100. 968 00:42:44,839 --> 00:42:47,608 We didn't -- we didn't -- we didn't try to say, 969 00:42:47,642 --> 00:42:49,210 "Oh, let's make a Z100 record, 970 00:42:49,243 --> 00:42:51,245 "let's make a record from our hearts 971 00:42:51,279 --> 00:42:53,214 "that we think is really cool. 972 00:42:53,247 --> 00:42:57,018 "And if they think it's cool, home free." 973 00:42:57,051 --> 00:42:59,654 - When Z100, when those deejays, and they got behind it 974 00:42:59,688 --> 00:43:01,956 and when people were pulling for you and pushing and -- 975 00:43:01,990 --> 00:43:03,958 and the radio was on fire for you, 976 00:43:03,992 --> 00:43:05,193 you just never got higher. 977 00:43:05,226 --> 00:43:08,029 Everybody was in it together. It was a beautiful feeling. 978 00:43:08,062 --> 00:43:09,798 It took Top 40, Top 20 music, 979 00:43:09,831 --> 00:43:13,134 and and turned it into a lifestyle. 980 00:43:13,167 --> 00:43:15,870 You know, it became a brand. It was really interesting. 981 00:43:15,904 --> 00:43:19,573 It was a marvelous time to be on radio and to break. 982 00:43:19,607 --> 00:43:21,275 - You know, you're looking for signs. 983 00:43:21,309 --> 00:43:23,878 Do I have a hit record? 984 00:43:23,912 --> 00:43:27,682 Do I have a record that is not 985 00:43:27,716 --> 00:43:30,218 just going to be a local or regional hit, 986 00:43:30,251 --> 00:43:35,123 but do I have a record that's a national hit 987 00:43:35,156 --> 00:43:38,126 that likely couldn't go -- 988 00:43:38,159 --> 00:43:41,629 let's say to the Top 10 of the charts. 989 00:43:41,662 --> 00:43:44,565 So that in memory, 990 00:43:44,598 --> 00:43:47,201 it's hard to think of a more important ad 991 00:43:47,235 --> 00:43:50,171 than Z100, which says to you, 992 00:43:50,204 --> 00:43:53,107 okay, you have a hit record. 993 00:43:53,141 --> 00:43:55,810 When it came to my career, 994 00:43:55,844 --> 00:43:58,646 you know, when I started to pay attention, 995 00:43:58,679 --> 00:44:02,717 in essence, when I was born in 1983, 996 00:44:02,751 --> 00:44:03,952 that's when I would pay attention to -- 997 00:44:03,985 --> 00:44:08,957 to what a radio station meant from a business standpoint, 998 00:44:08,990 --> 00:44:11,726 not just, you know, a kid with his ear to the speaker. 999 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:15,864 And so the reach of Z100 was felt from coast to coast. 1000 00:44:15,897 --> 00:44:17,832 - It was a tough ad to get. 1001 00:44:17,866 --> 00:44:21,035 But if you got it and it went on the radio and it worked, 1002 00:44:21,069 --> 00:44:24,105 it was exciting and it was more exciting 1003 00:44:24,138 --> 00:44:27,776 because it wasn't cookie cutter, all of the same sound. 1004 00:44:27,809 --> 00:44:31,245 It wasn't all rock or pop/rock or dance. 1005 00:44:31,279 --> 00:44:34,015 It was the best of the best. 1006 00:44:34,048 --> 00:44:36,084 - If you were an artist and you know 1007 00:44:36,117 --> 00:44:39,253 that you wound up on the Z100 playlist 1008 00:44:39,287 --> 00:44:41,222 because that's what we all wanted to do. 1009 00:44:41,255 --> 00:44:46,060 We want to crossover because crossover means that the person 1010 00:44:46,094 --> 00:44:50,799 that you don't expect to love your music, loves your music, 1011 00:44:50,832 --> 00:44:52,366 and I don't care what people say. 1012 00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:56,337 If they tell you something other than this, they are lying. 1013 00:44:56,370 --> 00:45:00,341 They are lying. They are lying. 1014 00:45:00,374 --> 00:45:04,879 One of my fondest memories of going up to visit 1015 00:45:04,913 --> 00:45:08,116 with The Morning Crew was a Christmas special, 1016 00:45:08,149 --> 00:45:10,718 and I was in a sweater and a scarf. 1017 00:45:10,751 --> 00:45:13,321 And Michael Damien, who's still a friend to this day, 1018 00:45:13,354 --> 00:45:18,927 was up there and he was wearing a hat, a black round bowler hat. 1019 00:45:18,960 --> 00:45:23,297 And I said, "Oh, I love hats. Can I try that on?" 1020 00:45:23,331 --> 00:45:26,267 And took the hat off his head, put it on, walked out with it. 1021 00:45:26,300 --> 00:45:29,804 That was the black hat 1022 00:45:29,838 --> 00:45:32,974 that you've seen throughout my entire career. 1023 00:45:33,007 --> 00:45:36,277 It was given to me by Michael Damien on The Z100 1024 00:45:36,310 --> 00:45:38,947 Morning Show with Scott and the crew. 1025 00:45:38,980 --> 00:45:40,114 - We signed on the air in New York, 1026 00:45:40,148 --> 00:45:43,317 a brand-new radio station, a little mini radio station 1027 00:45:43,351 --> 00:45:45,820 that wanted to go from worst to first. 1028 00:45:45,854 --> 00:45:48,289 - So the next morning I get up, I go to work. 1029 00:45:48,322 --> 00:45:49,858 - He just went nuts. 1030 00:45:49,891 --> 00:45:53,862 - I don't say a word to the members of the Zoo. 1031 00:45:53,895 --> 00:45:57,866 Long about 8:00 I pull out that Associated Press 1032 00:45:57,899 --> 00:46:00,334 list of radio stations just rolled up. 1033 00:46:00,368 --> 00:46:03,171 I unroll it like this all the way down to the ground 1034 00:46:03,204 --> 00:46:04,906 and I'm gonna read them on the air. 1035 00:46:04,939 --> 00:46:07,175 - He was reaming out the entire team. 1036 00:46:07,208 --> 00:46:08,910 You know, this is not working. 1037 00:46:08,943 --> 00:46:11,179 You know, we got to raise our game. 1038 00:46:11,212 --> 00:46:13,014 We might as well just pack up our things and leave 1039 00:46:13,047 --> 00:46:14,782 and let the station go to dead air. 1040 00:46:14,815 --> 00:46:16,918 - I started reading from number one 1041 00:46:16,951 --> 00:46:18,419 and I get down to 20. 1042 00:46:18,452 --> 00:46:22,123 I said, "No Z100 and guess what? We're number 51." 1043 00:46:22,156 --> 00:46:26,928 I came here from Tampa, Florida, to build a great radio station. 1044 00:46:26,961 --> 00:46:28,429 And guess what? We suck! 1045 00:46:28,462 --> 00:46:29,397 - In the background, 1046 00:46:29,430 --> 00:46:31,966 you hear the little "Saturday Night Live" 1047 00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:35,036 Debbie Downer sound effects. 1048 00:46:35,069 --> 00:46:38,907 - I almost fell out of my chair. No one ever says that. 1049 00:46:38,940 --> 00:46:40,909 No one ever says you're doing poorly in radio. 1050 00:46:40,942 --> 00:46:44,712 - We are going to build a great radio station 1051 00:46:44,745 --> 00:46:46,780 and I'm talking to you, the listeners. 1052 00:46:46,814 --> 00:46:49,383 You have to get on board and help us. 1053 00:46:49,417 --> 00:46:53,021 - He recruited the audience to build our audience. 1054 00:46:53,054 --> 00:46:55,189 - You know, that's a genius. 1055 00:46:55,223 --> 00:46:58,960 - Scott said, send in your name and the name 1056 00:46:58,993 --> 00:47:03,097 of 25 of your friends that you have turned on to Z100. 1057 00:47:03,131 --> 00:47:06,734 - Let people know that this station is on. 1058 00:47:06,767 --> 00:47:08,236 Take out an old sheet, get a magic marker, 1059 00:47:08,269 --> 00:47:10,939 write Z100 on it 1060 00:47:10,972 --> 00:47:13,807 and a hanging out your window in Brooklyn, the Bronx, 1061 00:47:13,841 --> 00:47:15,376 Staten Island, Long Island, wherever you are. 1062 00:47:15,409 --> 00:47:17,778 We need your help. 1063 00:47:17,811 --> 00:47:21,015 - People would hang signs out their windows 1064 00:47:21,049 --> 00:47:23,985 and people were wearing their Z shirts. 1065 00:47:24,018 --> 00:47:26,020 If they had jackets, they had pins on them, 1066 00:47:26,054 --> 00:47:27,788 you know, for the station. 1067 00:47:27,821 --> 00:47:30,124 - They became our advertising agency. 1068 00:47:30,158 --> 00:47:33,261 - Take a piece of paper, make a homemade bumper sticker. 1069 00:47:33,294 --> 00:47:37,431 Put it in the rear window. "I listen to Z100." 1070 00:47:37,465 --> 00:47:41,135 I want our listeners to be a part of our trip. 1071 00:47:41,169 --> 00:47:43,371 We're going to play more music. We're going to play better. 1072 00:47:43,404 --> 00:47:45,006 We're going to give away the most money. 1073 00:47:45,039 --> 00:47:46,774 - You could win $20,000. 1074 00:47:46,807 --> 00:47:47,875 $25,000. 1075 00:47:47,908 --> 00:47:50,011 $30,000. 1076 00:47:50,044 --> 00:47:52,947 We will build a great radio station. 1077 00:47:52,981 --> 00:47:56,951 I promise you, I guarantee you it's going to happen. 1078 00:47:56,985 --> 00:47:59,053 - Then you hear the little "Rocky" music coming up. 1079 00:47:59,087 --> 00:48:00,821 - We're going from worst to first. 1080 00:48:00,854 --> 00:48:03,324 Nothing's going to stop us. 1081 00:48:03,357 --> 00:48:05,193 - So he got the audience on our side, made us the underdog. 1082 00:48:05,226 --> 00:48:07,061 - And long by that time, 1083 00:48:07,095 --> 00:48:09,897 I noticed Claire had already evacuated the room. 1084 00:48:09,930 --> 00:48:10,999 She was scared. 1085 00:48:11,032 --> 00:48:13,267 She thought I was having a heart attack or something. 1086 00:48:13,301 --> 00:48:16,904 John Bell says, "Your muscles in your neck are all stuck out. 1087 00:48:16,937 --> 00:48:19,473 You're okay? You need me to call a doctor?" 1088 00:48:19,507 --> 00:48:20,908 I said, "We're going to be fine. 1089 00:48:20,941 --> 00:48:23,444 We just have to go from worst to first." 1090 00:48:23,477 --> 00:48:26,914 - We're going from worst to first. 1091 00:48:26,947 --> 00:48:29,183 - And then he told all of us, 1092 00:48:29,217 --> 00:48:31,185 take a case of Z100 t-shirts, 1093 00:48:31,219 --> 00:48:34,222 put it in the trunk of your car, and every time you see somebody 1094 00:48:34,255 --> 00:48:35,456 walking by with one of those worst to first signs, 1095 00:48:35,489 --> 00:48:37,425 give him a t-shirt. 1096 00:48:37,458 --> 00:48:39,160 I drove through the streets of New York 1097 00:48:39,193 --> 00:48:43,064 and saw people hanging sheets out of office buildings. 1098 00:48:43,097 --> 00:48:44,565 "Z100 worst to first." 1099 00:48:44,598 --> 00:48:50,271 - We built that up step by step by running contests. 1100 00:48:50,304 --> 00:48:51,605 - [ Speaks indistinctly ] 1101 00:48:51,639 --> 00:48:54,108 $1,000 all day long, you're the second one today. 1102 00:48:54,142 --> 00:48:58,846 - And being at everything that went on in New York City, 1103 00:48:58,879 --> 00:49:00,314 you saw the Z100 can. 1104 00:49:00,348 --> 00:49:02,516 - We're at 51st at Avenue of the Americas. 1105 00:49:02,550 --> 00:49:04,152 It has tons and tons of t-shirts, 1106 00:49:04,185 --> 00:49:06,120 hats, buttons, and more. 1107 00:49:06,154 --> 00:49:11,525 - The fact that it was -- that it grew at this lightning pace 1108 00:49:11,559 --> 00:49:14,895 was a remarkable tribute to, you know, 1109 00:49:14,928 --> 00:49:17,331 viral growth at the time when there was no viral. 1110 00:49:17,365 --> 00:49:22,403 - This could have been the first viral campaign 1111 00:49:22,436 --> 00:49:25,473 10 years before the Internet even was invented. 1112 00:49:25,506 --> 00:49:28,142 - It showed a sense of determination, 1113 00:49:28,176 --> 00:49:29,643 a sense of ambition, 1114 00:49:29,677 --> 00:49:31,612 and people always root for the little guy. 1115 00:49:31,645 --> 00:49:33,281 It's just human nature. 1116 00:49:33,314 --> 00:49:36,484 It's the "Rocky" movie. That's exactly what Z100 was. 1117 00:49:36,517 --> 00:49:38,018 - Here is this new station 1118 00:49:38,052 --> 00:49:39,653 and we were doing something nobody else was doing. 1119 00:49:39,687 --> 00:49:43,591 This hodgepodge of people and personalities 1120 00:49:43,624 --> 00:49:46,560 that nobody had ever heard of who were suddenly challenging 1121 00:49:46,594 --> 00:49:49,263 the monsters of New York radio. 1122 00:49:49,297 --> 00:49:51,965 - And it wasn't just us. 1123 00:49:51,999 --> 00:49:56,237 It was the power of the people who love that radio station. 1124 00:49:56,270 --> 00:50:00,141 A great radio station has emotion, it has a soul. 1125 00:50:00,174 --> 00:50:05,012 And that day that radio station got that effing soul. 1126 00:50:05,045 --> 00:50:06,414 - It was a rant. 1127 00:50:06,447 --> 00:50:09,550 It was, and I'm sure, a calculated rant, of course. 1128 00:50:09,583 --> 00:50:12,186 - And next time, the book came out... 1129 00:50:12,220 --> 00:50:15,256 - What I have here are the advanced ratings, 1130 00:50:15,289 --> 00:50:17,925 and this envelope hot off the presses 1131 00:50:17,958 --> 00:50:19,293 has been hermetically sealed 1132 00:50:19,327 --> 00:50:21,229 in a mayonnaise jar 1133 00:50:21,262 --> 00:50:24,265 on Funk & Wagnalls' front porch. 1134 00:50:24,298 --> 00:50:26,467 Okay, here's the scoop. 1135 00:50:28,702 --> 00:50:31,305 [ Laughs ] They did it. They went from worst to first. 1136 00:50:31,339 --> 00:50:32,440 - Scott Shannon's next up. 1137 00:50:32,473 --> 00:50:34,208 - That's right, he's going to tell us how his station 1138 00:50:34,242 --> 00:50:36,577 went from worst to first. 1139 00:50:36,610 --> 00:50:38,146 - Scott Shannon's Morning Zoo took the station 1140 00:50:38,179 --> 00:50:41,582 from worst to first in 74 days. 1141 00:50:41,615 --> 00:50:43,151 - And in that short time 1142 00:50:43,184 --> 00:50:46,187 lived up to its slogan from worst to first. 1143 00:50:46,220 --> 00:50:48,456 - And took the station from worst to first. 1144 00:50:48,489 --> 00:50:52,393 - After the 74 days, we had caught the market flatfooted. 1145 00:50:52,426 --> 00:50:54,595 We had run over everybody. 1146 00:50:54,628 --> 00:50:56,397 These were wonderful radio companies. 1147 00:50:56,430 --> 00:50:57,731 This was Infinity. 1148 00:50:57,765 --> 00:51:00,601 This was Doubleday, this was CBS, ABC, NBC, 1149 00:51:00,634 --> 00:51:02,970 Westinghouse. 1150 00:51:03,003 --> 00:51:05,439 - I had a test. I call it the Ray's pizza test. 1151 00:51:05,473 --> 00:51:06,974 There was an Old Ray's pizza, 1152 00:51:07,007 --> 00:51:10,178 which is now closed on 6th Avenue and 11th Street. 1153 00:51:10,211 --> 00:51:14,014 They always had WKTU on. 1154 00:51:14,047 --> 00:51:16,350 All of a sudden, sure enough, 1155 00:51:16,384 --> 00:51:19,553 I went into Ray's pizza and I heard Z100, 1156 00:51:19,587 --> 00:51:21,655 and I knew that was an indicator. 1157 00:51:21,689 --> 00:51:23,591 They found us that we were -- 1158 00:51:23,624 --> 00:51:24,558 we were passing the Ray's pizza test. 1159 00:51:24,592 --> 00:51:25,559 We were on our way. 1160 00:51:25,593 --> 00:51:30,364 - They started at the very bottom of the barrel 1161 00:51:30,398 --> 00:51:33,033 and it was like lightning. 1162 00:51:33,066 --> 00:51:35,503 Z100 became the biggest thing in New York radio 1163 00:51:35,536 --> 00:51:37,271 and therefore, around the world. 1164 00:51:37,305 --> 00:51:40,040 - That is Scott's marketing genius. 1165 00:51:40,073 --> 00:51:44,712 - I obviously was popular in Tampa and was on TV 1166 00:51:44,745 --> 00:51:46,780 and in the newspaper and all that, 1167 00:51:46,814 --> 00:51:51,352 but nothing could have prepared me for what hit me 1168 00:51:51,385 --> 00:51:53,754 when we got to first place in New York. 1169 00:51:53,787 --> 00:51:56,657 - They're the hottest duo on your radio dial. 1170 00:51:56,690 --> 00:51:59,493 - Joining us now with the wizards of the hit radio. 1171 00:51:59,527 --> 00:52:03,331 - A relative newcomer is the king of morning drive. 1172 00:52:03,364 --> 00:52:04,465 - Helping bring this music our way 1173 00:52:04,498 --> 00:52:07,067 is Z Morning Zoo deejay Scott Shannon. 1174 00:52:07,100 --> 00:52:10,438 - The wizard of Z100 program director 1175 00:52:10,471 --> 00:52:11,739 and disc jockey, Scott Shannon. 1176 00:52:11,772 --> 00:52:13,641 - It was all a blur to me. 1177 00:52:13,674 --> 00:52:15,743 I mean, one minute I'm flying into Chicago 1178 00:52:15,776 --> 00:52:19,247 to be on Oprah, and the next minute I got 1179 00:52:19,280 --> 00:52:20,681 "Good Morning America" 1180 00:52:20,714 --> 00:52:24,084 in the studio with us, cameras everywhere. 1181 00:52:24,117 --> 00:52:26,086 - The Zoo is a Molotov cocktail 1182 00:52:26,119 --> 00:52:28,622 of call-ins, characters, contests. 1183 00:52:28,656 --> 00:52:29,557 A lot of clowning. 1184 00:52:29,590 --> 00:52:31,825 And, of course, the Top 40 chart busters. 1185 00:52:31,859 --> 00:52:34,295 It is the number one radio show in the nation, 1186 00:52:34,328 --> 00:52:37,197 and we join zoo crew deejay Scott Shannon and Ross Britton 1187 00:52:37,231 --> 00:52:39,700 in the Z100 control room 1188 00:52:39,733 --> 00:52:41,101 and live on the air. 1189 00:52:41,134 --> 00:52:42,670 Hi, guys. 1190 00:52:42,703 --> 00:52:43,637 - 10 minutes after 8:00 in the morning. 1191 00:52:43,671 --> 00:52:45,739 Good morning, how are you? - I'm just fine. 1192 00:52:45,773 --> 00:52:47,575 How are you guys? 1193 00:52:47,608 --> 00:52:49,377 - I did Regis's show probably 10 times 1194 00:52:49,410 --> 00:52:52,446 I was on with Geraldo Rivera. 1195 00:52:52,480 --> 00:52:54,782 I was absolutely blindsided by all that. 1196 00:52:54,815 --> 00:52:57,418 I mean, it was on the cover of "New York Magazine." 1197 00:52:57,451 --> 00:53:00,588 The guy sat me down and did like five pages on me. 1198 00:53:00,621 --> 00:53:04,157 There's not five pages in me. That's not why I got into radio. 1199 00:53:04,191 --> 00:53:07,795 I got into radio because I love turning the microphone on. 1200 00:53:07,828 --> 00:53:11,465 I love putting the headphones on and talking to people. 1201 00:53:11,499 --> 00:53:14,802 Wait a minute. Good morning, Z100. Guess what? 1202 00:53:14,835 --> 00:53:17,104 You got $1,000. 1203 00:53:17,137 --> 00:53:20,441 [ Cheering ] 1204 00:53:20,474 --> 00:53:22,876 - I can't believe it. 1205 00:53:22,910 --> 00:53:25,379 - It's our birthday, but you got the present. 1206 00:53:25,413 --> 00:53:28,816 I love that part of it. That kid is still there in me. 1207 00:53:28,849 --> 00:53:31,352 I still feel that way when I get up in the morning. 1208 00:53:31,385 --> 00:53:33,253 I can't wait to get to work. 1209 00:53:33,287 --> 00:53:36,690 - I love Scott. He's always been really wonderful to me 1210 00:53:36,724 --> 00:53:40,227 and very friendly to me and, you know, 1211 00:53:40,260 --> 00:53:43,531 but always wanted me to do that shtick stuff. 1212 00:53:43,564 --> 00:53:47,868 But, you know, Scott, I like my rock and roll serious. 1213 00:53:47,901 --> 00:53:50,438 - There's a reason people are switching to Z100 because... 1214 00:53:50,471 --> 00:53:54,808 we're serious. - We're serious. 1215 00:53:54,842 --> 00:53:56,844 - My mother will never, ever speak to me this is... 1216 00:53:56,877 --> 00:53:58,346 - Hello. 1217 00:53:58,379 --> 00:54:02,215 [ Explosion ] 1218 00:54:02,249 --> 00:54:03,617 - One of the brilliant things 1219 00:54:03,651 --> 00:54:05,453 about Scott Shannon and the Morning Zoo 1220 00:54:05,486 --> 00:54:08,589 was his ability to ferret out a pop culture. 1221 00:54:08,622 --> 00:54:10,157 What was the hippest thing happening? 1222 00:54:10,190 --> 00:54:11,459 He saw where the trends were. 1223 00:54:11,492 --> 00:54:13,927 - One day our music director came in and said, 1224 00:54:13,961 --> 00:54:17,798 "There's a lady out front who won't go away. 1225 00:54:17,831 --> 00:54:19,767 "She comes every Tuesday, 1226 00:54:19,800 --> 00:54:22,336 and she insists that we have to play her record." 1227 00:54:22,370 --> 00:54:25,272 - * Borderline 1228 00:54:25,305 --> 00:54:29,843 * Feels like I'm going to lost my mind * 1229 00:54:29,877 --> 00:54:32,746 - Madonna used to call us on a regular basis. 1230 00:54:32,780 --> 00:54:34,382 She was not Madonna then. 1231 00:54:34,415 --> 00:54:36,750 She was just a woman 1232 00:54:36,784 --> 00:54:39,186 who was trying to get her record played. 1233 00:54:39,219 --> 00:54:42,590 So I quizzed him, I said, "Is anybody else playing it?" 1234 00:54:42,623 --> 00:54:45,726 "No, no. But she says it's big in the clubs." 1235 00:54:45,759 --> 00:54:48,929 I said, "Well, this isn't a club, it's a radio station." 1236 00:54:48,962 --> 00:54:52,199 He said, "She's very insistent she wants to see you now." 1237 00:54:52,232 --> 00:54:57,204 She would say to Scott, "That if you play my music now, 1238 00:54:57,237 --> 00:55:01,642 I will do something special for Z100 when I'm a star." 1239 00:55:01,675 --> 00:55:04,912 - So I said to her, I said, "If we play your record at night 1240 00:55:04,945 --> 00:55:07,948 "a couple of times, will you stay home next week? 1241 00:55:07,981 --> 00:55:09,617 You don't have to come back, right?" 1242 00:55:09,650 --> 00:55:10,851 She said, "Right." 1243 00:55:10,884 --> 00:55:13,521 And she said, "I promise I'll make it up to you." 1244 00:55:13,554 --> 00:55:16,957 Now that particular song was called "Holiday." 1245 00:55:16,990 --> 00:55:20,327 We put it on at night, it got a couple of phone calls, 1246 00:55:20,360 --> 00:55:22,295 I think it was her calling. 1247 00:55:22,329 --> 00:55:24,832 And -- and so we moved it to daytime 1248 00:55:24,865 --> 00:55:26,967 and it became a pretty big hit for us. 1249 00:55:27,000 --> 00:55:29,369 - Madonna decided to be a movie star 1250 00:55:29,403 --> 00:55:30,337 with a soundtrack, obviously. 1251 00:55:30,370 --> 00:55:31,805 The name of the movie, 1252 00:55:31,839 --> 00:55:34,374 and the name of the single was "Who's That Girl?" 1253 00:55:34,408 --> 00:55:37,645 We make a deal with Madonna that the world premiere of the movie 1254 00:55:37,678 --> 00:55:41,649 in Times Square will air on Z100 live. 1255 00:55:41,682 --> 00:55:43,884 - On the way to the Madonna appearance at Times Square 1256 00:55:43,917 --> 00:55:47,588 with a rabid audience of about 15, 20,000 people. 1257 00:55:47,621 --> 00:55:48,922 I'm sitting there with Scott Shannon 1258 00:55:48,956 --> 00:55:50,458 and just him and I in the limo. 1259 00:55:50,491 --> 00:55:52,493 He insists on wearing a Z100 t-shirt. 1260 00:55:52,526 --> 00:55:54,662 I was all dressed up. 1261 00:55:54,695 --> 00:55:57,297 I had the blazer. I thought I was looking pretty good. 1262 00:55:57,330 --> 00:56:01,935 We fought all the way there. I ended up wearing his shirt. 1263 00:56:01,969 --> 00:56:06,406 - We had like 10, 12,000 people gathered together 1264 00:56:06,440 --> 00:56:08,942 in Times Square. They built a big stage up there. 1265 00:56:08,976 --> 00:56:12,613 They had like 50 or 60 photographers 1266 00:56:12,646 --> 00:56:15,916 and videographers down in the bullpen in front. 1267 00:56:15,949 --> 00:56:19,620 People hanging out of windows all up and down the street. 1268 00:56:19,653 --> 00:56:21,989 Madonna fans as far as you could see. 1269 00:56:22,022 --> 00:56:23,657 She arrived in a limousine, 1270 00:56:23,691 --> 00:56:27,060 jumped up on stage in a beautiful gown 1271 00:56:27,094 --> 00:56:27,961 and welcomed everybody. 1272 00:56:27,995 --> 00:56:29,997 Told the whole story 1273 00:56:30,030 --> 00:56:33,400 of how she arrived in New York for the very first time. 1274 00:57:07,835 --> 00:57:10,738 It was one of the best days in the history of the station. 1275 00:57:13,607 --> 00:57:15,643 - You started broadcasting from the top 1276 00:57:15,676 --> 00:57:17,745 of the Empire State Building, 1277 00:57:17,778 --> 00:57:20,914 and now Z100 heard all around the world. 1278 00:57:20,948 --> 00:57:22,650 That's something. 1279 00:57:22,683 --> 00:57:25,986 - It's just what I do. I mean, that's my job. 1280 00:57:26,019 --> 00:57:29,823 My job is to build radio stations and to do radio, 1281 00:57:29,857 --> 00:57:32,459 and ever since I was a kid, that's what I wanted to do. 1282 00:57:32,492 --> 00:57:38,398 And, you know, it just comes with the territory. 1283 00:57:38,431 --> 00:57:42,570 - The Z100 New York Morning Zoo 1284 00:57:42,603 --> 00:57:45,773 with Scott and Ross 1285 00:57:45,806 --> 00:57:48,742 the last time around. 1286 00:57:48,776 --> 00:57:58,485 ** 1287 00:57:58,518 --> 00:58:05,058 ** 1288 00:58:05,092 --> 00:58:07,661 - It's the 2019 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball, 1289 00:58:07,695 --> 00:58:10,798 the biggest holiday music event of the year. 1290 00:58:10,831 --> 00:58:13,901 - * Alarm clocks ring in my head * 1291 00:58:13,934 --> 00:58:16,169 * My body's still screaming, it's dead * 1292 00:58:16,203 --> 00:58:19,139 The legacy of Z100 from inception 1293 00:58:19,172 --> 00:58:20,941 was David and Goliath. 1294 00:58:20,974 --> 00:58:23,644 - Scott set a tone. 1295 00:58:23,677 --> 00:58:27,514 He set an image that transcended hipness, 1296 00:58:27,547 --> 00:58:28,616 and he was just by himself. 1297 00:58:28,649 --> 00:58:31,952 - Scott Shannon is probably the best program director 1298 00:58:31,985 --> 00:58:34,888 in the United States of America, as well as being 1299 00:58:34,922 --> 00:58:37,658 one of the finest air personalities in the world. 1300 00:58:37,691 --> 00:58:43,163 - New York is a place where radio personalities are bigger 1301 00:58:43,196 --> 00:58:44,965 than the music they're playing. 1302 00:58:44,998 --> 00:58:50,003 For me, you know, he'll always be one of those guys. Giant. 1303 00:58:50,037 --> 00:58:54,107 - Scott had these incredible personal relationships. 1304 00:58:54,141 --> 00:58:55,909 He made it a point. 1305 00:58:55,943 --> 00:58:58,679 Don't just play the song. Get to know the person. 1306 00:58:58,712 --> 00:59:00,848 You know? What's making that person tick? 1307 00:59:00,881 --> 00:59:04,718 It really sets the tone for the radio world. 1308 00:59:04,752 --> 00:59:06,754 - He created something that could keep going, 1309 00:59:06,787 --> 00:59:10,090 that Elvis could come and continue that legacy 1310 00:59:10,123 --> 00:59:11,959 and create something a little different 1311 00:59:11,992 --> 00:59:13,694 and continue that. 1312 00:59:13,727 --> 00:59:16,196 We've all seen those whether it's shows, 1313 00:59:16,229 --> 00:59:18,766 whether it's radio or television or whatever, 1314 00:59:18,799 --> 00:59:20,968 that has a quick rise and a quick fall. 1315 00:59:21,001 --> 00:59:23,203 Didn't happen with Z100. 1316 00:59:23,236 --> 00:59:25,538 You're talking about almost 40 years. 1317 00:59:25,572 --> 00:59:28,742 - Scott was -- was a renegade, 1318 00:59:28,776 --> 00:59:31,578 an outlier who just had it right here in his gut. 1319 00:59:31,611 --> 00:59:33,613 - How do we hold hands and win together? 1320 00:59:33,647 --> 00:59:35,783 And that was what Scott solicited from everybody. 1321 00:59:35,816 --> 00:59:38,051 - We may not have agreed on everything, 1322 00:59:38,085 --> 00:59:41,621 but at the end of the day, the amazing thing that happened 1323 00:59:41,655 --> 00:59:44,091 was that the right thing came out of the center. 1324 00:59:44,124 --> 00:59:47,594 - Z100 was more than just a radio station. 1325 00:59:47,627 --> 00:59:50,964 There was something about what was being broadcast 1326 00:59:50,998 --> 00:59:54,802 over that radio frequency that united millions of people. 1327 00:59:54,835 --> 00:59:57,805 - When I walked down the hall and look in the window 1328 00:59:57,838 --> 01:00:01,008 at the radio station that used to be my dreaded enemy 1329 01:00:01,041 --> 01:00:05,612 and is now among my best friends and I see that group of people, 1330 01:00:05,645 --> 01:00:08,048 I understand that Scott Shannon's influence 1331 01:00:08,081 --> 01:00:09,850 is still very much there. 1332 01:00:09,883 --> 01:00:12,219 Understanding your audience, who's listening? 1333 01:00:12,252 --> 01:00:14,221 What do they want to hear? What do they not want to hear? 1334 01:00:14,254 --> 01:00:16,089 And that was always the importance with Scott 1335 01:00:16,123 --> 01:00:17,691 and his reign at Z100, 1336 01:00:17,725 --> 01:00:18,926 and it's definitely the importance with us. 1337 01:00:18,959 --> 01:00:21,194 We've got to keep an eye on where we're going. 1338 01:00:21,228 --> 01:00:22,662 We have to listen. We have to learn. 1339 01:00:22,696 --> 01:00:25,766 Z100 is New York City. 1340 01:00:25,799 --> 01:00:29,069 It just always has been, and it always will be. 1341 01:00:29,102 --> 01:00:31,604 - Surveying the universe 1342 01:00:31,638 --> 01:00:36,143 From the top of the Empire State Building. 1343 01:00:36,176 --> 01:00:40,848 Z100 -- the flame thrower. 1344 01:00:40,881 --> 01:00:48,789 ** 1345 01:00:48,822 --> 01:00:51,859 - * The alarm clock's ring in my head * 1346 01:00:51,892 --> 01:00:55,128 * My body's still screaming it's dead * 1347 01:00:55,162 --> 01:00:58,265 * When you can't get to sleep it's so rough * 1348 01:00:58,298 --> 01:01:01,935 * Getting up in the morning's so tough * 1349 01:01:01,969 --> 01:01:05,338 * Zoo 1350 01:01:05,372 --> 01:01:08,575 * Aah, aah 1351 01:01:08,608 --> 01:01:11,078 * When I cut myself when I shave * 1352 01:01:11,111 --> 01:01:14,714 * And my hair won't even behave * 1353 01:01:14,748 --> 01:01:17,785 * There's only one thing left for me to do * 1354 01:01:17,818 --> 01:01:20,020 * Crank it up to the Z Morning Zoo * 1355 01:01:20,053 --> 01:01:24,124 * Good morning on the Z Morning Zoo * 1356 01:01:24,157 --> 01:01:27,294 * Rise and shine with folks like you * 1357 01:01:27,327 --> 01:01:30,798 * Get up with the Morning Z Zoo * 1358 01:01:30,831 --> 01:01:33,801 * Well, I'm ready to give up the ghost * 1359 01:01:33,834 --> 01:01:37,137 * 'Cause I'm burning my coffee and toast * 1360 01:01:37,170 --> 01:01:40,307 * But I'm doing the best I can do * 1361 01:01:40,340 --> 01:01:42,876 * Getting up with the Z Morning Zoo * 1362 01:01:42,910 --> 01:01:46,880 * Good morning on the Z Morning Zoo * 1363 01:01:46,914 --> 01:01:52,019 * The Z Morning Zoo 1364 01:01:52,052 --> 01:01:55,222 * Aah, aah 1365 01:01:55,255 --> 01:01:59,692 * Good morning from the Z Morning Zoo * 1366 01:01:59,726 --> 01:02:02,395 * Rise and shine with folks like you * 1367 01:02:02,429 --> 01:02:06,166 * Good morning from the Z Morning Zoo * 1368 01:02:06,199 --> 01:02:10,303 * Get up with the Morning Z Zoo * 1369 01:02:10,337 --> 01:02:12,639 * Get up with the morning, get up with the morning * 1370 01:02:12,672 --> 01:02:15,708 * Get up with the Morning Z Zoo * 1371 01:02:15,742 --> 01:02:22,382 - * Something in your eyes is making such a fool of me * 1372 01:02:22,415 --> 01:02:25,819 * When you hold me in your arms and love me * 1373 01:02:25,853 --> 01:02:30,790 * Till I just can't see 1374 01:02:30,824 --> 01:02:35,262 * But then you let me down when I look around * 1375 01:02:35,295 --> 01:02:38,932 * Baby, it just can't be found 1376 01:02:38,966 --> 01:02:43,003 * Stop driving me away I just wanna stay * 1377 01:02:43,036 --> 01:02:47,740 * It's something I just got to say * 1378 01:02:47,774 --> 01:02:52,345 * Just try to understand 1379 01:02:52,379 --> 01:02:56,416 * I'll give it all I can 1380 01:02:56,449 --> 01:03:00,854 * 'Cause you got the best of me * 1381 01:03:00,888 --> 01:03:03,156 * Yeah 1382 01:03:03,190 --> 01:03:06,226 * Borderline 1383 01:03:06,259 --> 01:03:10,463 * Feels like I'm going to lose my mind * 1384 01:03:10,497 --> 01:03:14,334 * You just keep on pushing my love * 1385 01:03:14,367 --> 01:03:16,803 * Over the borderline 1386 01:03:16,836 --> 01:03:18,405 Good job, dad.