The cars were one thing. In their relation to
today’s cruises, the most important thing.
But in defining the era that car cruises celebrate,
the accompaniment of the music that poured from those vehicles is
nearly as critical.
It’s only fitting, then, that Oldies 104.3 WOMC is
again the official radio station of the third annual Cruisin’
Downriver, and will be broadcasting all day Saturday from various
locations along the cruise route.
WOMC will broadcast from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from
five different locations. "Classic cruise" reporters also will check
in periodically with reports from the route itself.
To begin the day, WOMC’s evening personality Bob
Vandergrift will work the station’s "broadcast tower" at Riverview
Commons from 10 a.m. to noon. WOMC’s cruise tower is a scaffold
set-up that lifts the on-air personalities off the ground to provide
a better view of the Cruise and crowd.
From noon to 2 p.m., Shannyn Caldwell will
broadcast from Blimpie’s submarine sandwich store in Wyandotte.
From 2 to 4 p.m., WOMC assistant news director Ron
Tavernit will air from Southgate Lincoln Mercury in Southgate.
"Ridin’ Home With Ryan" hosts Tom Ryan and "Matinee
Mindy" will take over from 4 to 6 p.m., setting up at Wright and
Filippis.
And midday personalit
All will continue to play the oldies that listeners
of WOMC have become accustomed to, and in between will describe the
scene that has become one of Downriver’s most-attended annual
events.
It’s a natural fit, according to WOMC Program
Director Bill Stedman, that the station playing the oldies should
work so closely with the cruisers who have been lifelong listeners
of that same music.
"Having grown up in this area, these were our
social circuits as kids," Stedman said, speaking of car cruises in
general. "This is what you did before there was the mall magnets
that we see today.
"There’s such a high-level of interest in this type
of entertainment, and it is entertainment."
WOMC over the years has become the radio home to
metro-Detroit’s many car cruises. Because of that, Stedman has had
the opportunity to compare and contrast them. In the Downriver
cruise, there’s one difference that stands out in his eyes.
"The thing you find Downriver is that there appear
to be more great classic cars, per capita, than any other place in
the area," he said. "You see cars down here that you just don’t see
anywhere else."
For more information on WOMC’s cruise coverage,
visit the station’s Web site at
