Rosalie Trombley was a music director of AM Top 40 powerhouse CKLW aka "The Big 8". Her influence not only affected the direction of CKLW but also led to an annual award named after her, and she was the subject of the song 'Rosalie' by Bob Seger.
Contents |
CKLW was a Windsor, Ontario based Detroit market AM Top 40 radio station powerhouse. With its 50,000 watt signal at 800 kHz on the AM dial, CKLW covered the midwest states including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, as well as southwestern Ontario. It has been stated that on night pattern the station could be heard in at least 23 US states and four Canadian provinces. A ratings leader in the competitive Detroit market, CKLW was at one time a part of the RKO General chain of Top 40 radio stations that used the Bill Drake "Boss Radio" format. In its heyday in the early to late 1970s the station was the third or fourth most listened to station, cumulative audience, in North America, outranked only by WABC, New York; KHJ, Los Angeles; WLS, Chicago.
Her career with the station began as a part-time switchboard operator on Labour Day weekend of 1963, before she was offered a full-time position in the station's music library a few years later. As CKLW's popularity boomed and Rosalie became more and more influential, her job title was changed to the more prestigious-sounding title of "Music Director". Trombley served as Music Director from 1968 through 1984, at which time the station changed formats.
The term "crossover hit" owes much of its definition to Rosalie's uncanny ability to pick artists from urban & rock playlists and cross them over to CKLW and their CHR Top 40 format, which in that era of radio, was the most listened-to format as defined by cumulative audience listenership and reach.
Trombley is legendary in the history of AM Top 40 radio and was known for her amazing ability to predict and pick future hits.[1] Artists that have publicly acknowledged her pivotal role in their success through early belief and airplay include, but are not limited to: Alice Cooper, Elton John, Bob Seger, Earth, Wind & Fire, Tony Orlando and Dawn, The Guess Who, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Chicago, Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, Gordon Lightfoot, The Stylistics, Anne Murray, Parliament/Funkadelic, Aerosmith and many, many others. A 1973 Billboard article specifically notes her role in promoting the Skylark song "Wildflower", playing it for over three months as an album cut before its release as a single.[2]
Seger immortalized her in his 1972 song "Rosalie" from his Back in '72 album. "She's got the tower, She's got the power / Rosalie, Rosalie Trombley" are two lines from the lyrics of that song. The song has been covered by the band Thin Lizzy, on their 1975 album Fighting. Trombley reportedly refused to allow the station to air the song, threatening to quit if the station added it to its playlist; thus, CKLW never played it, although the song did receive airplay on other Detroit stations.
Trombley was unique in that she garnered much respect in a time where there were not many influential women in the radio business. Recording stars both established and aspiring regularly visited Rosalie to personally promote their latest single releases, and the walls of her office were lined with gold records. Trombley also made an effort to fashion a station that would appeal to black as well as white listeners by featuring soul and R&B product, especially the Motown sound for which Detroit was famous. The "Rosalie Trombley Award" honours women who have made their mark in broadcasting, and is presented during Canadian Music Week.
Trombley has been inducted into the Motor City (Detroit) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Canadian Music Week Broadcaster's Hall of Fame. Now retired and still residing in Windsor, Ontario, Trombley's legendary status remains undiminished.
Toronto based Markham Street Films released a documentary on CKLW in 2003 entitled Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of The Big 8. The documentary is a look at the history of the station and Trombley's contributions to the station's success are among the focuses of the documentary.
On June 14th, 2011, a scholarship in Rosalie's name was officially announced by St Clair College, for their Music Theatre Performance program. On June 16th, Rosalie received an honorary diploma from the Music Theatre Performance program.