WKNR-FM (defunct)

WKNR-FM was a radio station in Detroit, operating at the 100.3 FM frequency licensed to suburban Dearborn. It is famous for helping to spread the "Paul Is Dead" rumor in the late 1960s.

WKNR-FM was originally WKMH-FM and signed on in the early 1950s as an FM simulcast of WKMH-AM (1310). On Halloween 1963, WKMH became WKNR, and legendary Top 40 radio station "Keener 13" was born, beginning a four-year reign at the top of Detroit's radio ratings until it was toppled by Windsor, Ontario's CKLW in 1967. WKMH-FM similarly became WKNR-FM, and chiefly simulcast Keener AM until 1969, when, inspired by the success of groundbreaking progressive rock station WABX-FM (99.5), the station adopted its own progressive rock sound. "Uncle" Russ Gibb was the WKNR-FM personality who helped to spread the rumor that Paul McCartney was dead. According to Gibb, a college student in Ann Arbor called him on the air one Sunday afternoon and explained the theory to him. The rumor took off from there and generated lots of publicity for Gibb and WKNR-FM. It was air personality Chris Randall who phoned WABC New York personality Roby Younge who put the rumor on the air in New York and was responsible for it spreading nationwide.

WKNR-FM dropped its progressive rock format in 1971 to become "Stereo Island," a cross between Beautiful Music and Middle-of-the-Road that could be described as an early form of what would be called Adult Contemporary. "Stereo Island" was successful and spawned imitators such as WFMK in Lansing, but in 1972, both WKNR-AM and WKNR-FM were sold and became WNIC-AM/FM, simulcasting a straightforward Beautiful Music format. FM 100.3 has kept the WNIC calls ever since, and has been an enormously successful station since evolving its format into Adult Contemporary during the late 1970s.