Todd Storz
Encyclopedia
Robert Todd Storz is credited with being the father of the Top 40 radio format
, which Gordon McLendon
then went on to perfect with great commercial success during the 1950s and 1960s.
. Growing up in the family mansion
in Omaha, Todd grew to love Ham Radio while living there.
In 1949 Todd, along with his father Robert, purchased radio station KOWH
in Omaha, Nebraska
; Todd became the station's general manager. At the time, typical AM radio programming consisted largely of blocks of pre-scheduled, sponsored programs of a wide variety, including radio dramas and variety shows. Local popular music hits, if they made it on the air at all, had to be worked in between these segments.
Storz noted the great response certain songs received from the record-buying public and compared it to the way certain selections on jukeboxes were played over and over, which he, program director Bill Stewart, national program director and on-air personality Jim "Grahame Crackers" Richards as well as KOWH staff observed. According to Dick Fatherly's research, Storz also commissioned a study from the University of Omaha before switching KOWH to a music focused/"Top 40" format.
in New Orleans, Louisiana
, gradually converted his stations to an all-hits format, and pioneered the practice of surveying record stores to determine which singles were popular each week. It was at WTIX where he counter-programmed market rival WDSU's Top 20 at 1280 program with the Top 40 at 1450 on WTIX. In 1954, Storz purchased WHB
, a high-powered station in Kansas City, Missouri
, which could be heard throughout the Midwest
and the Great Plains
.
With the help of Stewart, Richards and a newly expanded staff, Storz converted the stations to an all-hits format and dubbed the result "Top 40". Within a few years, Top 40 stations appeared all over the country to great success, spurred by the burgeoning popularity of Rock and Roll
music. At his peak, Storz owned WTIX, WHB, KXOK in St. Louis, WDGY
in Minneapolis, WQAM in Miami, and KOMA
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
. During the ongoing Payola
scandals of the 1950s, D.J.s at Storz stations were pronounced "clean" as they did not debut records, but stuck to the "Top-40" pre-existing hits format developed by Storz.
At the height of his career, Storz died of a stroke in 1964 at the age of 39. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Omaha, Nebraska. The family has since remembered the legacy behind the Father of Top 40 with issuing the "Storz Awards" every ten years since 1968.
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
, which Gordon McLendon
Gordon McLendon
Gordon Barton McLendon was a radio pioneer and pirate radio broadcaster. He has been coined the Maverick of Radio. McLendon is widely credited for perfecting, with great commercial success, the Top 40 radio format during the 1950s and 1960s which was first invented by Todd Storz and for developing...
then went on to perfect with great commercial success during the 1950s and 1960s.
Biography
Todd Storz was the grandson of Omaha brewing legend Gottlieb StorzGottlieb Storz
Gottlieb Storz was a pioneer entrepreneur in Omaha, Nebraska. Born in Benningen, Wurttemberg, Germany, Storz was the founder of the Storz Brewery. He was an important member of Omaha's German immigrant community, and an important businessman in Omaha history...
. Growing up in the family mansion
Gottlieb Storz House
The Gottlieb Storz House is located at 3708 Farnam Street in the Blackstone neighborhood of Midtown Omaha, Nebraska. Built in 1905 by Omaha beer magnate Gottlieb Storz, the mansion was designated an Omaha Landmark on December 21, 1982, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on...
in Omaha, Todd grew to love Ham Radio while living there.
In 1949 Todd, along with his father Robert, purchased radio station KOWH
KCRO
KCRO 660 AM is an Omaha, Nebraska area Salem Communications - owned Christian radio station that can be heard during the day as far south as Missouri and Kansas and North into parts of Minnesota and South Dakota. KCRO airs national programs hosted by such people as Hank Hanegraaff, Jay Sekulow,...
in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
; Todd became the station's general manager. At the time, typical AM radio programming consisted largely of blocks of pre-scheduled, sponsored programs of a wide variety, including radio dramas and variety shows. Local popular music hits, if they made it on the air at all, had to be worked in between these segments.
Storz noted the great response certain songs received from the record-buying public and compared it to the way certain selections on jukeboxes were played over and over, which he, program director Bill Stewart, national program director and on-air personality Jim "Grahame Crackers" Richards as well as KOWH staff observed. According to Dick Fatherly's research, Storz also commissioned a study from the University of Omaha before switching KOWH to a music focused/"Top 40" format.
The Storz Broadcast Empire
Storz expanded his stable of radio stations in 1953, purchasing WTIXWIST (AM)
WIST is a combo news/sports talk station based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The locally owned & operated station is an affiliate of Fox Sports Radio and broadcasts at 690 kHz with a power level of 10,000 watts daytime and 5,000 watts nighttime.The facilities of the station, previously called...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, gradually converted his stations to an all-hits format, and pioneered the practice of surveying record stores to determine which singles were popular each week. It was at WTIX where he counter-programmed market rival WDSU's Top 20 at 1280 program with the Top 40 at 1450 on WTIX. In 1954, Storz purchased WHB
WHB
WHB is a commercial sports radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, and is known as the first full-time Top 40 station in the country...
, a high-powered station in Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, which could be heard throughout the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
and the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
.
With the help of Stewart, Richards and a newly expanded staff, Storz converted the stations to an all-hits format and dubbed the result "Top 40". Within a few years, Top 40 stations appeared all over the country to great success, spurred by the burgeoning popularity of Rock and Roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music. At his peak, Storz owned WTIX, WHB, KXOK in St. Louis, WDGY
WDGY
WREY is a Spanish-language radio station with studios located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is licensed to Saint Paul, Minnesota, although it was licensed to Hudson, Wisconsin from 1997 to 2005. It is a full market coverage radio station of Minneapolis/St.Paul...
in Minneapolis, WQAM in Miami, and KOMA
KOKC (AM)
KOKC is a talk radio station located in Oklahoma City among a cluster of stations in the market owned by Pennsylvania-based Renda Broadcasting. KOKC is an affiliate of the CBS Radio Network.-The early years:...
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
. During the ongoing Payola
Payola
Payola, in the American music industry, is the illegal practice of payment or other inducement by record companies for the broadcast of recordings on music radio, in which the song is presented as being part of the normal day's broadcast. Under U.S...
scandals of the 1950s, D.J.s at Storz stations were pronounced "clean" as they did not debut records, but stuck to the "Top-40" pre-existing hits format developed by Storz.
At the height of his career, Storz died of a stroke in 1964 at the age of 39. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Omaha, Nebraska. The family has since remembered the legacy behind the Father of Top 40 with issuing the "Storz Awards" every ten years since 1968.
See also
- Gordon McLendonGordon McLendonGordon Barton McLendon was a radio pioneer and pirate radio broadcaster. He has been coined the Maverick of Radio. McLendon is widely credited for perfecting, with great commercial success, the Top 40 radio format during the 1950s and 1960s which was first invented by Todd Storz and for developing...