Danny Wright
Encyclopedia
Danny Wright is a Seattle, Washington
-based radio personality
,
The majority of his career and success was in the Cleveland, Ohio
market, most notably at WGCL
, where he was a Top-40 disc jockey
known as "Dancin' Danny Wright." He departed WGCL when the station was sold by GCC Communications to Detroit, Michigan
's Metropolis Broadcasting. New management was brought in and the station itself became WNCX, with a rock
/CHR
hybrid format. While all of WGCL's personalities were let go, Wright's contract kept him from being bought out, so he was relegated to the overnight shift for his remaining month, with then-owner Harvey Deutsch referring to him as the "World's Highest Paid Board-Op."
During this period, Wright quietly had studied for a real estate license, and attained it after he left WNCX. He was soon hired by WRQC, but abruptly announced his "retirement" several months later to pursue a career in real estate. His "retirement" was short-lived, however, as he took the afternoon-drive slot on news/talk station WWWE
from 1988
to 1989
.
In the early 90's, Wright moved to Akron
-based Top 40 outlet WKDD
for the evening timeslot. He later moved to WQMX
, which was at that time another Akron Top 40 station ("Mix 94.9"). When WQMX
changed format to country music
in the mid-90s, Wright successfully modified his on-air approach for the format. He soon moved to Cleveland country powerhouse WGAR-FM
, where he enjoyed the highest ratings of his career. Wright stayed at WGAR until being downsized in owner Clear Channel
's mass budget layoff in November 2001.
From that time until December 2008, Wright hosted the syndicated overnight music program All Night with Danny Wright through Jones Radio Networks
; the show was generally paired with fellow Jones program The Lia Show
. Wright left the company when it was bought out by Dial Global
.
On October 7, 2009 Envision Radio Networks officially announced a new syndicated weekend show called "The Live Ride with Danny Wright". The show is a two hour weekly “concert” to country radio featuring live performances from today’s brightest stars.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
-based radio personality
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
,
The majority of his career and success was in the Cleveland, Ohio
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...
market, most notably at WGCL
WNCX
WNCX — branded 98.5 WNCX — is commercial radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, broadcasting a classic rock format. The station's studios are currently located in Cleveland's historic Halle Building, in the Playhouse Square District...
, where he was a Top-40 disc jockey
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...
known as "Dancin' Danny Wright." He departed WGCL when the station was sold by GCC Communications to Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
's Metropolis Broadcasting. New management was brought in and the station itself became WNCX, with a rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
/CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
hybrid format. While all of WGCL's personalities were let go, Wright's contract kept him from being bought out, so he was relegated to the overnight shift for his remaining month, with then-owner Harvey Deutsch referring to him as the "World's Highest Paid Board-Op."
During this period, Wright quietly had studied for a real estate license, and attained it after he left WNCX. He was soon hired by WRQC, but abruptly announced his "retirement" several months later to pursue a career in real estate. His "retirement" was short-lived, however, as he took the afternoon-drive slot on news/talk station WWWE
WTAM
WTAM — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts primarily a news/talk format...
from 1988
1998 in radio
The year 1998 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 2 — A gunman shoots Antario Teodoro Filho, Brazilian politician and radio presenter, during a broadcast.*January 21 - Big 105 debuts playing its AC format...
to 1989
1989 in radio
The year 1989 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*KMEZ breaks away from its FM sister station to adopt a business-oriented news/talk format as KDBN.*ABC Radio has acquired Satellite Music Network...
.
In the early 90's, Wright moved to Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
-based Top 40 outlet WKDD
WKDD
WKDD — branded The New 98.1 'KDD — is a commercial hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to Munroe Falls, Ohio serving the Akron and Canton metro areas. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications...
for the evening timeslot. He later moved to WQMX
WQMX
WQMX — branded FM 94.9 WQMX — is a commercial country radio station serving to the Akron, Ohio metro area. It is licensed to nearby Medina, Ohio and is owned by the Rubber City Radio Group, Inc. which also owns Akron's WAKR and WONE-FM....
, which was at that time another Akron Top 40 station ("Mix 94.9"). When WQMX
WQMX
WQMX — branded FM 94.9 WQMX — is a commercial country radio station serving to the Akron, Ohio metro area. It is licensed to nearby Medina, Ohio and is owned by the Rubber City Radio Group, Inc. which also owns Akron's WAKR and WONE-FM....
changed format to country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
in the mid-90s, Wright successfully modified his on-air approach for the format. He soon moved to Cleveland country powerhouse WGAR-FM
WGAR-FM
WGAR-FM — branded 99.5 WGAR — is a commercial radio station in Cleveland, Ohio with a country music format. Studios are located at 6200 Oak Tree Boulevard off of Rockside Road in Independence, Ohio along with other local Clear Channel stations, and its transmitter is located in Parma.- WGAR:The...
, where he enjoyed the highest ratings of his career. Wright stayed at WGAR until being downsized in owner Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
's mass budget layoff in November 2001.
From that time until December 2008, Wright hosted the syndicated overnight music program All Night with Danny Wright through Jones Radio Networks
Jones Radio Networks
Jones Radio Networks & Jones Media Group were branches of Jones International before being sold to Triton Media Group. JRN and JMN provide local radio stations with satellite-delivered formats. They also offer other services to local radio such as news and talk programs, syndicated radio shows,...
; the show was generally paired with fellow Jones program The Lia Show
The Lia Show
The Lia Show, formerly known as Neon Nights, is a nationally syndicated country music and entertainment radio program hosted by Lia Knight . The program airs nightly from 7 pm to midnight locally across the United States...
. Wright left the company when it was bought out by Dial Global
Dial Global
Dial Global is a radio syndication company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triton Media Group and is a sister company to Townsquare Media, both of which are owned by Oaktree Capital Management....
.
On October 7, 2009 Envision Radio Networks officially announced a new syndicated weekend show called "The Live Ride with Danny Wright". The show is a two hour weekly “concert” to country radio featuring live performances from today’s brightest stars.