Scott Shannon
Encyclopedia
Michael Scott Shannon is a radio disc jockey
, current co-host of the "Scott and Todd in the Morning" show on WPLJ
, host of The True Oldies Channel
, and the official voice of The Sean Hannity Show
.
). From there he moved to WCLS
1580 AM in Columbus, Georgia
. After leaving the army, Shannon worked full-time in radio at WABB
, where he acquired the name "Super Shan". After a short time at WMPS in Memphis, Scott moved to Nashville
as the evening disc jockey at WMAK
1300 AM. Shannon later became program director of WMAK. Under his direction, the station became the market's top-rated station.
and while there in 1977, recorded an album with Jack (Stack-A-Track) Grochmal. Calling themselves "Wildfire", they had a #49 hit on the Billboard Hot 100
remaking a Jerry Keller song from 1959 called "Here Comes Summer". Scott returned to radio in Washington, D.C.
as program director of WPGC-FM
, taking that station to the #1 spot in the Arbitron
ratings. From there to WQXI in Atlanta. Then, in Tampa, Florida
, Scott, along with partner Cleveland Wheeler, developed the morning zoo
radio format while at WRBQ
, known as Q105. Again, he shined in the ratings, this time making his station one of the most listened to in the United States
. He was also primarily responsible for the renaissance of the musical career of vocalist Charlene, whose song "I've Never Been to Me
" he revived by his programming of the long-dormant track.
Scott also had hosted a "where are they now?" radio program in 1989, where the subject of the day was the one hit wonder, Benny Mardones, who had the 1980 hit "Into The Night"
. Scott began putting the record in rotation in 1989, and soon after, many other DJs around the nation re-added the song to their playlists. The song re-entered the top 20 singles chart, prompting a resurgence in Benny Mardones's career including a new re-recording of the song, touring schedule, and new record.
in New York City
in the mid to late 80's. Shannon, along with former disc jockey Ross Brittain of WABC's popular "Ross & Wilson Show", founded the "Z Morning Zoo." He was the driving force in helping Z100 become the top-rated FM station in New York City in just 74 days after signing on the air. Z100 capitalized on using a Top 40 radio format. During this period, Shannon also served as one of the original VJs on VH1
.
to start up Pirate Radio, KQLZ. Pirate Radio employed a similar Top 40 concept. As the 1990s started, Top 40 radio began to struggle and eventually Pirate Radio struggled as well, leading to Shannon's departure. He was known as "El Diablo" in Los Angeles because of a billboard image that made him look like the devil.
. WPLJ had also been struggling since its glory days of the mid 1980s, and Shannon became program director and morning drive co-host. At the outset, the station was aimed right at Z100 and used the slogan "Mojo Radio," downplaying the WPLJ call letters, but this approach was eventually changed. Shannon created a Top 40 format that was geared more toward the adult contemporary audience, brought in co-host Todd Pettengill
to form "The Big Show," and the WPLJ call letters were re-emphasized. The "new" WPLJ has not generally equalled the ratings of Z100, but it has found a niche in the New York radio market.
radio network.
In 2000, FMBQ, a radio trade magazine, named Shannon "Program Director of the Century."
In 2003, he was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame
in Washington, D.C., and in 2006 he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott has also been a successful radio consultant in the 1990s for WPLY Philadelphia and WKCI-FM New Haven.
In September of 2010, Scott was named Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year at the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Awards.
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, current co-host of the "Scott and Todd in the Morning" show on WPLJ
WPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
, host of The True Oldies Channel
The True Oldies Channel
The True Oldies Channel is a syndicated radio programming stream begun in the spring of 2004, hosted by American radio personality Scott Shannon...
, and the official voice of The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show is a talk radio show hosted by Sean Hannity on Citadel Media and Premiere Radio Networks. The program is broadcast live every weekday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m...
.
Early Radio Career
Born in St. Louis, Scott Shannon grew up an Army brat, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Scott started his radio career during his own Army stint at WFBS 1450 AM in Spring Lake, North Carolina (now WFBXWFBX
WFBX is a radio station broadcasting a Sports radio format. Licensed to Spring Lake, North Carolina, USA, it serves the Fayetteville area. The station is currently licensed to CRS Radio Holdings Inc..-History:...
). From there he moved to WCLS
WCLS
WCLS is a radio station licensed to Spencer, Indiana, USA, the station serves the Bloomington, Indiana area with a Classic Hits format. The station is currently owned by Mid-America Radio of Indiana.-History:...
1580 AM in Columbus, Georgia
Columbus, Georgia
Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Muscogee County, Georgia, United States, with which it is consolidated. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 189,885. It is the principal city of the Columbus, Georgia metropolitan area, which, in 2009, had an estimated population of 292,795...
. After leaving the army, Shannon worked full-time in radio at WABB
WABB (AM)
WABB is a radio station broadcasting a news and talk radio format serving the Mobile, Alabama, metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Dittman Broadcasting.-History:...
, where he acquired the name "Super Shan". After a short time at WMPS in Memphis, Scott moved to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
as the evening disc jockey at WMAK
WNQM
WNQM, or Nashville Quality Ministries, is a Christian radio station located in Nashville, Tennessee and owned by F.W. Robbert Broadcasting.-History:...
1300 AM. Shannon later became program director of WMAK. Under his direction, the station became the market's top-rated station.
Record Promotion Career
Shannon left Nashville to take a job as a record promoter with Casablanca RecordsCasablanca Records
Casablanca Records was an American record label started by Neil Bogart, who partnered with Cecil Holmes, Larry Harris, and Buck Reingold in 1973, and based in Los Angeles. The label was formed after all of them had left Buddah Records and secured financing by Warner Bros. Records to start the venture...
and while there in 1977, recorded an album with Jack (Stack-A-Track) Grochmal. Calling themselves "Wildfire", they had a #49 hit on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
remaking a Jerry Keller song from 1959 called "Here Comes Summer". Scott returned to radio in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
as program director of WPGC-FM
WPGC-FM
WPGC-FM is one of the most popular among Washington, D.C.'s urban format radio station's, and has been ranked as one of its top rated radio stations for over 20 years, according to the Arbitron ratings. It has a city of license of Morningside at the 95.5 MHz frequency on the FM dial...
, taking that station to the #1 spot in the Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
ratings. From there to WQXI in Atlanta. Then, in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Scott, along with partner Cleveland Wheeler, developed the morning zoo
Morning zoo
Morning zoo is a format of morning radio show common to English-language radio broadcasting. The name is derived from the "wackiness and zaniness" of the activities, bits, and overall personality of the show and its hosts...
radio format while at WRBQ
WRBQ
WRBQ-FM is a commercial classic hits music formatted radio station in Tampa, Florida.-History:Formerly WPKM and later WEZX, 104.7 switched to a rock ’n roll format as Q105 in December 1973, home to the Q-Morning Zoo, Cleveland Wheeler, Scott Shannon, Dave Saint, Jack Harris, Bill Garcia, Uncle...
, known as Q105. Again, he shined in the ratings, this time making his station one of the most listened to in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was also primarily responsible for the renaissance of the musical career of vocalist Charlene, whose song "I've Never Been to Me
I've Never Been to Me
"I've Never Been to Me" is a sleeper hit single performed by American singer Charlene Oliver née D'Angelo.-Chart history:Upon its initial release in 1977, the song reached number 97 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. In 1982, renewed interest in the song led to the single reaching Number 3 in...
" he revived by his programming of the long-dormant track.
Scott also had hosted a "where are they now?" radio program in 1989, where the subject of the day was the one hit wonder, Benny Mardones, who had the 1980 hit "Into The Night"
Into the Night (Benny Mardones song)
"Into the Night" is a 1980 song by American pop singer-songwriter Benny Mardones, from his album Never Run, Never Hide, and re-released in 1989....
. Scott began putting the record in rotation in 1989, and soon after, many other DJs around the nation re-added the song to their playlists. The song re-entered the top 20 singles chart, prompting a resurgence in Benny Mardones's career including a new re-recording of the song, touring schedule, and new record.
The Z Morning Zoo
Scott is perhaps most famous within the radio business for his work on Z100WHTZ
WHTZ — branded Z100 — is a commercial pop/contemporary hit radio radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey serving the New York metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in the mid to late 80's. Shannon, along with former disc jockey Ross Brittain of WABC's popular "Ross & Wilson Show", founded the "Z Morning Zoo." He was the driving force in helping Z100 become the top-rated FM station in New York City in just 74 days after signing on the air. Z100 capitalized on using a Top 40 radio format. During this period, Shannon also served as one of the original VJs on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
.
Pirate Radio KQLZ
In 1989, Shannon left Z100 in what was an emotional farewell to head to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to start up Pirate Radio, KQLZ. Pirate Radio employed a similar Top 40 concept. As the 1990s started, Top 40 radio began to struggle and eventually Pirate Radio struggled as well, leading to Shannon's departure. He was known as "El Diablo" in Los Angeles because of a billboard image that made him look like the devil.
Back to New York
In 1991 he returned to New York and resurfaced on Z100's biggest rival, WPLJWPLJ
WPLJ is a radio station in New York City owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media. WPLJ shares studio facilities with sister station WABC inside 2 Penn Plaza in midtown Manhattan, and its transmitter is atop the Empire State Building. The station currently plays a Hot Adult...
. WPLJ had also been struggling since its glory days of the mid 1980s, and Shannon became program director and morning drive co-host. At the outset, the station was aimed right at Z100 and used the slogan "Mojo Radio," downplaying the WPLJ call letters, but this approach was eventually changed. Shannon created a Top 40 format that was geared more toward the adult contemporary audience, brought in co-host Todd Pettengill
Todd Pettengill
Todd Clark Pettengill is a radio disc jockey for WPLJ 95.5 in the New York area. He is perhaps best known for his tenure in the World Wrestling Federation as an on-screen interviewer in the mid-to-late 1990s.-Radio career:...
to form "The Big Show," and the WPLJ call letters were re-emphasized. The "new" WPLJ has not generally equalled the ratings of Z100, but it has found a niche in the New York radio market.
True Oldies Channel
In addition to his New York morning show, Scott can be heard across the country on The True Oldies ChannelThe True Oldies Channel
The True Oldies Channel is a syndicated radio programming stream begun in the spring of 2004, hosted by American radio personality Scott Shannon...
radio network.
Industry Recognition
Scott is one of several disc jockeys honored in an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.In 2000, FMBQ, a radio trade magazine, named Shannon "Program Director of the Century."
In 2003, he was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame
National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame
The NAB Broadcasting Hall of Fame is a yearly honor from the National Association of Broadcasters. One inductee from radio and one from television are named at the yearly NAB conference.-Radio:*2011 * 2010 Ron Chapman* 2009 Vin Scully* 2008 Larry Lujack...
in Washington, D.C., and in 2006 he was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott has also been a successful radio consultant in the 1990s for WPLY Philadelphia and WKCI-FM New Haven.
In September of 2010, Scott was named Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year at the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Awards.