John Gorman (radio)
Encyclopedia
John Gorman is a radio personality and author from Cleveland, Ohio
. He has a long history in media, but most notable is his 13 years at WMMS (FM)
in Cleveland. In the 1970s, his innovative marketing of WMMS turned a nearly defunct station into one of the most popular in the United States. The station became legendary in promoting local and upcoming talent to the national spotlight. It was his ability to recognize, develop, and motivate talent that made WMMS the legend it became. He also had an uncanny ability, as did the rest of the WMMS staff, to stay in touch with the listening public and his programming reflected this. He knew good music when he heard it, trusted his staff when they made music add recommendations and found a way to make almost any flavor of music fit the wide open WMMS format calling it all Rock and Roll. His efforts earned him various industry awards and acknowledgments.
In 2007, Gorman published his first book, The Buzzard: Inside The Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio.
in 1995. In 2006, he received the Perseverance award from the Cleveland Entertainment Coalition.
In 2000, his outstanding achievements earned him a respected place in the Broadcaster's Hall of Fame following such prominent inductees as Herb Score
, Alan Freed
and Grandpa Jones
. Gorman was also inducted into the Cleveland Association of Broadcaster' Hall of Fame in April 2008.
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. He has a long history in media, but most notable is his 13 years at WMMS (FM)
WMMS
WMMS — branded 100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, widely recognized as one of the most influential rock stations in America throughout much of the history of FM broadcasting...
in Cleveland. In the 1970s, his innovative marketing of WMMS turned a nearly defunct station into one of the most popular in the United States. The station became legendary in promoting local and upcoming talent to the national spotlight. It was his ability to recognize, develop, and motivate talent that made WMMS the legend it became. He also had an uncanny ability, as did the rest of the WMMS staff, to stay in touch with the listening public and his programming reflected this. He knew good music when he heard it, trusted his staff when they made music add recommendations and found a way to make almost any flavor of music fit the wide open WMMS format calling it all Rock and Roll. His efforts earned him various industry awards and acknowledgments.
In 2007, Gorman published his first book, The Buzzard: Inside The Glory Days of WMMS and Cleveland Rock Radio.
Early years
John Gorman was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. At 12 years of age he began operating a private radio station out of his family's attic. His father eventually pulled the plug on his broadcasts but that didn't discourage Gorman. As a teenager he worked in the commercial radio industry as a programming assistant, music director, and talk show producer where he remained until his move to Cleveland in 1973.Awards and achievements
Gorman was awarded "The Radio Consultant of The Year" (1985) at the Annual Pop Music Convention. He was also named "Operations Director of The Year" by Billboard (magazine)Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
in 1995. In 2006, he received the Perseverance award from the Cleveland Entertainment Coalition.
In 2000, his outstanding achievements earned him a respected place in the Broadcaster's Hall of Fame following such prominent inductees as Herb Score
Herb Score
Herbert Jude Score was a Major League Baseball pitcher and announcer.-Athletic career:Score came up as a rookie in with the Cleveland Indians...
, Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...
and Grandpa Jones
Grandpa Jones
Louis Marshall Jones , known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and "old time" country and gospel music singer...
. Gorman was also inducted into the Cleveland Association of Broadcaster' Hall of Fame in April 2008.
External links
- The Buzzard Blog http://buzzardbook.wordpress.com/
- John Gorman's Media Blog http://gormanmediablog.blogspot.com/
- A sample chapter from Gorman's book The Buzzard