Those of you who have been following our innovation series know that we’ve been bouncing around between today’s hot new innovations in radio broadcasting to the amazing inventions and experiments from the past that turned out to be highly successful.
Some of our innovations and the people behind them are familiar to you, but hopefully, there’s been a surprise or two along the way. I’m thinking that this week’s “Radio’s Most Innovative” honoree, WNIC’s Pillow Talk evening show starring Alan Almond, is one that many people don’t know about. And because it’s Valentine’s Day weekend, it is only appropriate to shine the innovation light on one of the most romantic, intimate radio shows of all time.
But Pillow Talk wasn’t just about love songs and candlelight. It is a great object lesson in risk-taking, boldness, trust, serendipity, teamwork, and what has always made radio a special medium: theater of the mind.
Because the origins of Pillow Talk date back to the late ‘70s, I gathered a group of the key WNIC cast members from that era to piece together the story.
The players are WNIC’s former GM (and owner) Ed Christian, who you know as the head of Saga Communications, Lorraine Golden and Mary Bennett, both of whom served as sales managers at this legendary Detroit station, former WNIC PD and morning star Jim Harper, and of course, Alan Almond himself – the team that helped make “Detroit’s Nicest Rock” a Motor City institution.
So between their collective memories, here’s the story of how a show in the so-called “fourth daypart” dominated Detroit radio for years, long before there was Delilah and John Tesh.
To get a feel for just how unique Alan’s Pillow Talk style was for an AC station – or any station for that matter – take a listen to the sampler on his website, www.alanalmond.com. Some of the music you’ll hear Alan play or refer to may sound dated by 2015 radio standards, but in real time, Pillow Talk featured current music. During the show’s long run, Alan kept it fresh, often breaking new music that fit the Pillow Talk vibe, as well as featuring album tracks that no one else way playing.
So what was Pillow Talk? It was a five-hour show at night that became a signature part of WNIC, and helped make the station unique. Alan himself came up with the idea for the show, talked then-programmer Paul Christy into giving it a shot. But besides the unique music that Almond chose and his amazing voice and ability to connect with his mostly-female audience, there was a very “special sauce” to the show – Alan became “The Mystery Man.” He was never seen or marketed. He became an enigma, a fantasy, and a legend as the market wondered who he was, what he looked like, and what he was about.
So using the collective memory of our group, here’s a look back at Pillow Talk, one of the most amazing shows in Detroit radio – and perhaps industry-wide.
The beginnings
Working off his instincts, Alan notes that “I didn’t ask for permission,” and started slowing the music down very late in the show. When he finally went to Paul Christy to get his blessing…
Alan Almond: He looked at me, and said, “What are you doing?” And I said, “I’m just making some creative decisions about what I think may improve the sound of the show. And he just shook his head no. I said, “Honestly, I think I’m onto something here.” And I’m thinking to myself, “He looks like he’s going to fire me.” And I said, “I’ll tell you what, let me run with this, and if it doesn’t work, you won’t have any problems with me. I’ll resign.” So he looked back up at me, and he said, “Okay.” One minute on a hunch, and that was it.
You just keep going up the line until you find somebody to say “yes”…and I think that’s the key. It’s not whether you can; it’s about finding somebody to say “yes.”
Ed Christian: Alan started it with an hour late night. One hour didn’t cut it as it was like a snack…not enough to give you a fill especially at that hour…so we backed it up. Actually, the show was seasonal sensitive. We never really started the slowdown until the sun set. When the sun was up, he was upbeat, had a good laugh, and fit the format. When the sun was setting, he became every woman’s “fantasy.”
The name
Alan Almond: We didn’t have a name for it, and at some point, we had a little on-air contest for a night or two. And some couple from New Jersey called up and suggested “Pillow Talk.” And I say, hey – it just rang true and we went ahead and used it.
The music
Ed Christian: He did a very credible job with mixing the music…this was way before the age of computer music scheduling. We left the show alone, but (Jim) Harper and I were always tinkering with the station, looking for ways to enhance it.
Jim Harper: All of the music was selected by Alan. Each song, including LP cuts, was chosen based on whether they fit the sound (he) was going for. There was no music clock, and none of the music was categorized. Alan would pull an hour’s worth of music at a time, and alter it based on requests and his feel for how the night was sounding.”
Mary Bennett: He had a knack for playing unexpected jewels of lesser-known tracks by artists we knew and loved…and then there was (Kool & the Gang’s) “Summer Madness” (the show’s theme song).
Alan Almond: My methodology was talking to the audience directly…I did my own research essentially. I asked people, we’d put a new song on, and I’d say, “What do you think of this?”
But you’ve got to remember this show is about love. So it was about not what we think but how we feel. And I was real in touch with what people felt. And if you can touch people, they’re with you for life. And I think that was the secret: touching people’s emotions.”
Jim Harper: Pillow Talk broke music, too. “Silver Spring” was a rare Fleetwood Mac cut from the ‘70s and almost an exclusive Pillow Talk song. It was probably the last music show where talent had control over the music and management wisely had a “hands off” policy.”
The mystique
Ed Christian: We were using a staff photographer at that time but we could never get a good shoot for Alan…and then the idea occurred that the mystique was greater than the reality. He never appeared in public. Everything was in shadow. He was the man in the cape with the mask at Venetian balls…he was whomever you imagined him to be. He was the man inside the music…and he had “that voice” and knew how to use it.
Jim Harper: No one ever saw Alan. He was not required to be at any event or circulate photos of himself. This helped create such a mystery that for years, women would go by the station at night and beg to come in and meet him. When denied access, they would leave love notes with his producer or flowers on what they assumed to be his car.
Mary Bennett: At the agency level, the majority of media supervisors and buyers were female. It was rare discussion (of the station) that did not result in the following question: “So what does Alan Almond look like?” We knew it, and fostered the mystique. We never gave a straight answer, and (WNIC) TV commercials had Alan in shadows with his “Sanders Hot Fudge” voice talking about the music and his listeners… We (also) gave clients and listeners satin Pillow Talk pillowcases.
Lorraine Golden: (Pillow Talk) was an easy sell and kind of fun to perpetuate the myth of this romantic, sexy white Barry White-type. It seems to me that a lot of the buyers were curious themselves, but everyone understood why we needed to wrap this guy up in mystery.
Alan Almond: It may be one of the biggest factors in the success of the show. They were doing some promotional pictures…and they took these pictures, and here is one of me, and I look like a clown. I went into the station, and walked into Ed’s office, and I was angry. So I said I’m going to have to have final approval on any pictures or promotional stuff. I never heard a thing about it, and nobody every discussed it with me. All of a sudden the press got a hold of it, and wouldn’t you know that I backed into one of the greatest promotional vehicles in the history of the business, certainly in this town. Everybody wanted to know why I wouldn’t do pictures.
It was astounding. And it was word of mouth and it spread. And it turned into a frenzy. And then Ed started promoting it. We did TV commercials where I was shadowed, sitting on a bar stool.
This was dumb luck. We stumbled into this image. And suddenly, it took off.
“Bookends”
Mary Bennett: While a lot of Detroit stations in that era had big morning personalities that created the station’s image and a halo effect in other dayparts, WNIC was crafted with “bookend” personalities – Jim Harper in the morning and Pillow Talk with Alan Almond at night.
Ed Christian: My premise on the show was always that if you had a hit at night you would have a bigger hit the next morning…which we had with Harper and ensemble. People then hit the sleep button on their radio and woke up to the same station in the morning…or if you were in your car….you didn’t shut off the radio…you shut off the car…and the same station would be there the next morning.
Alan Almond: My job was to bring in that audience at night. And then we had a full staff, the morning show was doing great, (we had strong) middays, afternoons, and evenings. Now we’ve really got something because now somebody can turn on the radio in the morning, be entertained on the way to work, listen to it at work, drive home with a really talented guy and then go home, put on some food and have a little dinner, take a bath and then turn on Alan and relax and go to bed. And it worked. And we promoted it that way. We promoted Jim’s show; Jim promoted me; we cross-promoted to a tremendous extreme. And when we promoted – we had the advertising as well.
Why it worked
Jim Harper: The key, of course, was being FIRST and having great talent to create that beautiful combination of foreground talent and specific music for the mood of the show. Simply put, it was a sexy-voiced, romantic male, talking to women as if he was their most understanding, attentive boyfriend or lover. It was the most intimate one-on-one connection on the air.
Alan Almond: I talked to that one person… I was talking directly to that one woman driving home from work, the one girl lying in bed at night… I was talking to one person and I kept it there.
I could say it was my charming personality and my distinctive voice, and my ability to pick hits and stuff like that. But the reality is, it was the fans. They told me what they wanted to hear. And I think that was the key, because I listened to the audience. I listened to the people that called. I worked the phones like a crazy person. Every time that phone rang, I picked it up and talked to them. I didn’t just, blow them off. I was always nice to everybody. And I always had that “25 Theory.” If I’m nice to one person, they’re going to tell 25 of their friends what a nice guy I am and that he played a song for us. And I still get mail, I still run into people from time to time “You played a song for me one night, and oh, my God, my mother went nuts.” You reap what you sow. So the fans are number one.
About Ed
Alan Almond: The real key to the success of Pillow Talk at the very genesis…was Ed Christian, period. Ed allowed me the final say in all decisions. Everybody made suggestions, everybody had ideas, but I always had the final say in everything. He allowed me the opportunity to succeed. Ed was a friend, he was my boss, he was my big brother, he was a mentor. A trusted associate. And anybody that knows him knows that he was the smartest damn broadcaster anybody had ever seen.
Ed would come in in the evening and sit in the studio and talk to me for long, long periods of time, not just about radio, but about everything. Ed picked everyone’s brain. And for some reason you’d want to tell him everything you knew about what you were doing, because anybody that’s successful at anything wants to explain what they do and how they do it. And by the time he was done, he knew everything about that show.
Jim Harper: Ed Christian is your man on this story. Although the concept and execution was Alan Almond’s, Ed is the one man who molded and marketed the show and most importantly, helped create an atmosphere which allowed Alan to become a huge celebrity in a way that was very personal. And it defied science.
Mary Bennett: I started at WNIC when I was 20 years-old and the station was still “Beautiful Music” – 101 Strings Orchestra Express. Ed Christian would soon assemble a station and stable of on-air talent that was a like a dream come true. As a salesperson first, then later sales manager – WNIC was a slice of heaven to market and sell.
Night time radio
Alan Almond: You get out of a time slot what you put into it, and if you’re not going to put anything into it and you’re not going to touch the audience, they’re not going to tune you in.
Jim Harper: (Pillow Talk revenue) was 500% bigger than what radio is getting now (from nights). And as a “bookend” to the morning show, it was impossible to compete against in sales.
Ed Christian: Each year, there are fewer and fewer people who remember and understand the greatness of radio…Our assets go home every night. We have no bricks and mortar to speak of. We modulate air for a living…and in many cases believe that a base level of programming is “good enough”…not what we can do to make it better or even best. One size does not fit all and we wonder why our industry is stale bread.
Thanks to the entire team from WNIC’s heyday for “reuniting” to tell the Pillow Talk story, and especially Alan Almond who blazed a trail in Detroit nighttime radio – a true innovator.
INNOVATION QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Simply put, whenever a person gets a new idea, a kind of romance begins.”
Mitchell Ditkoff, author & creator of the blog, “The Heart of Innovation”
More of Radio’s Most Innovative
- Radio’s Most Innovative: Joel Denver/All Access
- Radio’s Most Innovative: Paul Lamere
- Radio’s Most Innovative: Radioplayer
- Radio’s Most Innovative: Emmis’ “Where Hip-Hop Lives” App
- Radio’s Most Innovative: Mike Dougherty & Jelli
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That voice ….style and the music ……and at midnight when he said ” I’m going home and going to bed …..but I didn’t say sleep” Sweet dreams Angel ” ( Then he would play “Summer Madness” from Kool & the Gang) still have cassetts of his show.
For my radio career If I couldn’t be the next Arthur P. I wanted to be the next Alan Almond. People tried to copy the show in many formats but there was only One Pillow talk.
I was among them, Scott. When we started the “RIFF Rock Café” during the overnight hours in ’82, I had Alan in mind. I figured that at any hour of the day or night, there was an opportunity to have an intimate connection with an audience “Pillow Talk” proved that. Thanks for commenting.
Scott, I would love to connect with you to get copies of your tapes!
The difference between Ed Christian and others is that Ed has always understood the power of radio. He liveds it. He puts his knowledge and love for it into action. All the radio stations, digital media and other new media tech gadgets we have are merely the 2015 versions of a megaphone. The originate nothing. Dead silent until they have something to deliver. Alan Almond is everything mentioned and more. Ed recognized it and cleared the way. Ed’s genius has resulted in one of the most respected radio companies in America. He has never been confined to the “box”. Thinking out of the “box”, Ed produced three 5 hour New Years’s Eve parties with me on WNIC. He made no creative demands or even suggestions. So on one of them Alan Almond dropped in and………there we were. Unplanned on the air together for the blink of an eye im time. Many still remember it. Why ? Because Ed knew what he was doing with….a megaphone. Listen here. http://www.leealancreative.com/alan
Lee, thanks for your unique perspective as a personality who captivated your own audiences during the glory days of Top 40 radio in Detroit. With your own megaphone (“The Horn”), you communicated with an entire generation of kids who were excited by the music, but also by the way you and your guys presented it. Yeah, I was one of those kids. Thanks for the perspective on radio and the comments about Ed.
This doesn’t happen often but I agree with Lee. Ed was one of a kind. Ed started running WNIC about the same time I became manager at WABX. Innovative doesn’t even begin to describe him. I worked at Y&R advertising prior to my radio career and I remember Ed as a sales manager. Mind like a steel trap, just don’t ask me what happened this morning. Great stuff. That was a legendary staff. I know they are all doing well. Great post Fred
Al, those formative years of FM radio in Detroit were amazing times. And while rock radio like ABX, WRIF, and W4 soaked up a lot of attention, WNIC was one amazing radio station during that time. And as you point out, Ed was a “RADIO” through and through. Thanks for the look back and for taking the time.
Brilliant concept and execution … fantastic theater of the mind from a truly talented host and team. It was impossible to date a woman in Detroit who didn’t know/listen to Alan Almond. Sadly, Ed’s final comment is spot on. Thanks for the read Fred.
Thom, hearing from a lot of Detroiters and ex-pats with similar stories about what “Pillow Talk” meant to them. To radio professionals, it’s even a more meaningful accomplishments. Thanks for adding your thoughts.
It was an honor and a privilege to work with Alan and Jim and the legendary WNIC gang…as a producer of “PillowTalk” and APD/MD at WNIC, I’d love to hear Alan on the air again in 2015. Certainly a niche and a challenge in today’s radio landscape, but I’d bet we’d have a winner if given the chance! And there is always the web!
Bob, thanks for bringing even more perspective to the phenomenon that was “Pillow Talk.” After interviewing Alan for the post, I can tell you that just in casual conversation with him, that voice reaches out and grabs you – and soothes you – even over the phone. I believe he would tell you that there’s lots of gas in the tank and he’d love to be back on the air again. Appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Thanks so much for sharing the history and the story of Pillow Talk! I manage a fan-based Pillow Talk page on Facebook that has hundreds of followers who enjoy sharing recollections of Alan’s groundbreaking show – the music that made it great, the man that made it Legend.
Yes, I ran across the page when I did research for this post. Thanks for connecting with the many people who have read this week’s Radio’s Most Innovative.
Friends and fans are welcome to join us here: https://www.facebook.com/PillowTalkDetroit
Share your recollections, and your recordings!
After reading all of these comments a bit of reflection…Listening to Satellite Radio these days and some of the talent that I only “heard about” I feel strongly that Detroit Radio has had and still has some of the most incredible talent to ever open a mic. Too many to mention that helped me shape the way I have carved my way thru the landscape for 38 years. Now to take all of these “concepts” and do as Ed Christian did and CREATE something special. I would pull the blender out and put a dash of ABX…a dash of W4…a dash of NIC…RIFF and LLZ and PROGRAM a radio station…not load the IPOD Shuffle. Large TSL #’s should always be the focus. Alan I bet had some of the best TSL #’s in Detroit Radio History.
We were all influenced by those great radio stations from the first decade of FM radio, Todd. I continue to bake those lessons into our current activities, too. Thanks for the great comment.
Wow – what a wonderful throwback. I repped WNIC nationally during the era described here. Sadly, I had little chance to sell Pillow Talk because nights were almost exclusively packaging areas and the show had awesome ratings and huge local appeal, so no one would price it to bring in other dayparts. To her credit, Lorraine (who I remember, had a really good grasp of how national worked and was awesome all around) got how Pillow Talk often wasn’t going to translate well for national sales and found other dayparts to sell/ways to package the station and never pressured her reps or buyers to fight a losing battle. There were no doubt, plenty of local advertisers who supported the show and understood its product selling power. Plus, the station had a killer morning show with great numbers so it didn’t need any special justification to get considered.
Imagine some of what made Pillow Talk so successful happening now.
1) A GM who hung out in the studio with the evening talent.
2) Live evening talent to hang with in the first place
3)GM/PD having the authority to let talent program their show, much less allowing them to do it.
Alan Almond obviously understood the power of one on one connections with his audience way before its time.
Am I the only one that wonders what could happen now if good talent (outside of mornings) was given some latitude and management had some juice and understood/supported it like Ed and Paul did back then?
You’ve hit on the key points, Bob. My hope is that these innovative looks back are more than just nostalgic moments, but more illustrations of how some of the best radio ideas of the past were born out of uniquely serving an audience, allowing creativity to blossom, and building great local staffs. You are not the only one, based the many comments we’ve received from those who worked in radio back in the day, as well as several on Twitter who are clearly newer to radio. Thanks for connecting those dots.
Pillow Talk was my go to music when I parked with my girlfriend. Next year will be our 30th wedding anniversary. Thanks Alan!
Scott, I’ve been amazed by how many people have responded to this post about Alan’s innovative show. Thanks for the comment.
Alan Almond passed away today, at his home. Perhaps the Mystery Man will be publicly unveiled. Or maybe the mystery will live on in his physical absence. Heavy heart. Thank you, Alan, for the memories.
Fred, thank you for the wonderful article. I was in my early 20’s the first time I heard Allen Almond and like most women fell in love with him. What a wonderful man and talent! I loved Pillow Talk and WNIC. I started each morning with Jim Haper and Steve Gannon or Haprer and St. James and ended with Allen Almond. Perfect!
Carol, your note speaks for a lot of women who let Alan guide them through a lot of nights. And of course, made sure they woke up with WNIC the next morning. Thanks for the comment.
This is for Alan you don’t know what u meant to me I wrote many times but got no response one day I was down and out and crying because I was going Thur alot I wanted so bad to see my kids dad again just one last time you came on did the star light star bright I did it with u a made my wish and I swear out of nowhere 10 mins later my kids dads sisters calls out of no where this scared me ,she said I have someone who wants to talk to u and there he was I fell to the floor cause I had not talked to him in yrs. After that I never ever could sleep without hearing your voice this story is so true this changed my life forever I Dont know what I will do without hearing your voice again I loved hearing u me and my daughter till the end I’m in tears even have to write this love always Mrs J. Bass
Mrs. Bass, thanks so much for taking the time to write in about Alan. I will pack up some of the comments and thoughts like yours and share them with Alan’s family.
In memory of Alan, I laughed with you, sang with you and on difficult nights I cried listening. . .you gave me strength, hope and the will to look forward to another day with a happy heart, knowing always,that I could listen again the following night to hear your voice. You will NEVER be forgotten. Thank you for all the years and years of devotion you gave to not just myself, but to every fan you still have out there. I have such sadness and a heavy heart knowing you are gone. I feel blessed I was a loyal listener, so much, that I followed you after WNIC. You were so UNIQUE and such a warm hearted man, thank you so much for all the gentleness and wisdom you shared with everyone. You will be truly missed!
It is touching for someone like me who’s been in radio for many, many years to see the outpouring of emotion from fans over Alan’s passing. It’s a reminder to radio professionals about the impact personalities can have on people and their lives. Thanks so much, Carol.