This exhibit of Leadership Radio offers very good fidelity and was recorded from WWTV-FM by contributor Thomas Baird on January 18, 1969. It begins with DJ Jay Richards urging us to “watch out” and “hold on to our hats” for Joe Link. Joe is here to put cheer in your ear, along with a couple of unusual singles and rare jingles. Listen carefully for the very conservative reverb on the microphone. While we know nothing about these young deejays, there’s much to learn about the owner of Fetzer Broadcasting.
John Earl Fetzer (1901 – 1991) owned The Detroit Tigers pro baseball team from 1956 through the early 1980’s. His early work in radio led to the development of directional radio antennas. He was appointed as the National Radio Censor during World War II, a position and department which he was happy to eliminate at the end of the war.
Fetzer purchased his first radio station in 1930 (WKZO in Kalamazoo) and his first TV station in 1950. After selling his baseball team and broadcast properties in the 1980s, he established The Fetzer Institute. The Institute had an approximate endowment of $400,000,000 in 2006. The Institute’s mission is to “foster awareness of the power of love and forgiveness in the emerging global community.” Like his Cadillac radio stations, his Institute has “Pleasure Power” that keeps on giving.