Radio Revolution The Rise and Fall of the Big 8

Anybody growing up in the 1960s thru early 1980s will appreciate the era of giant top 40 radio stations. CKLW was one of the best and longest lasting. You could tell that people who worked there loved it as more than a job. It was an adventure! The program demonstrates that remarkably. The filmmakers captured the essence of this 50,000 watt AM rocker that always sounded like a million. Included are many stories about how they dominated both music and news including their legendary pioneer woman music director, Rosalie Trombley - who's now immortalized in a museum and bronze statue in Windsor overlooking the Detroit skyline. She shaped the music for a generation of young and not-so young that cut across racial divides. Then there was their shock & awe 20/20 News reporting that was every bit riveting as their music. And also like their music, #1 throughout parts of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, then at night well beyond that to make them, at one point, North America's Number One music station! The program producers also explained the death knell of CK. It wasn't simply older inferior-sounding AM, it was the Canadian government. CKLW had a 100,000 watt high-powered FM sister station that was going to pick up the beat where the AM left off...killed by the short-sighted officials of the Canadian Radio & Television Commission. It was a wonderful life for the 17 years CK existed. For listeners, artists, advertisers, and station personnel alike. The program covers it all admirably! The station lives on in the hearts of all who remember it. This documentary has preserved all that and more for those who were a part of it and for those who are entertained and inspired by greatness that was CKLW: The Big 8 in the Motor City. Read more

Pat Holiday, Walt Baby Love, Teddy Truckin’ Bear Richards, Johnny Williams. You won’t get four more diverse jocks than these guys. But somehow CKLW, the big 50,000 watt giant with the help of music director Rosie Tromblay, was able to pull it all together in one seamless chorus from the late 60s through the early 1980s and basically owned Detroit radio during that period. A great watch whether you are in the business, aspiring to be in the business, or just want to take a step back in time to when AM radio was king. Read more

Anyone who is familiar with or interested in Motown music and the motor cities (Detroit and Windsor) will astonished to hear of the enormous impact one station had on making international rock and roll stars Read more

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CKLW was a 50,000 watt powerhouse AM radio station out of Windsor Ontario, Canada. This documentary chronicles the Rise and reason for the Fall of one of the Greatest AM Radio Stations in the Midwest in the 1960's and 70's. The stories behind the scenes, the Disc Jockey's that vaulted CKLW to the Top of the Ratings and the sad story of Government intervention, that was its ultimate demise. A MUST SEE DOCUMENTARY. Read more

I first saw this documentary some years back when my old Program Director used it as part of an in-house seminar. It took me back to the kind of radio I grew up on and the kind of radio that inspired me to pursue Broadcasting as a profession. Seeing this documentary kick-started my creative drive again and I had looked into purchasing it for a few years without any luck, until one day it popped up on Amazon. The story of "The Big 8" is colorful and really is a piece of radio history. If you grew up loving the kind of radio where JOCKS made a difference and helped develop the music trends, rather than follow them via some suit in New York dictating a crappy play list, this is a great piece of film to watch! Rock, roll and remember when radio really was king! Read more

I was a little kid growing up south of Detroit in Lincoln Park, but I still remember "CKLW - The Motor City!" I very much enoyed this documentary, and so did my wife and everyone at work (who had never heard of CKLW till now). You can easily find this new for less than $40, though. Read more

If ever there was a "must see" DVD on the Greatest AM radio station, this is it. Those of us blessed to live in the Motor City or anywhere in the midwest during the 60's through the mid 80's knew & loved this 50,000 watt power house. It will forever be ingrained in our very existance. Many thanks to the producers of this incredible DVD for bringing it all back to us. "Ladies & Gentlemen, you're listening to the greatest hits of all time on........... C-K-L-W,.................the Motor City" Read more