Jeff Kinzbach has been a broadcaster for over forty years. From there, he landed his first on-air job doing the news on a tiny AM station in Saginaw, Michigan, while visiting his sister over the summer. First of all, a few words: We had a wonderful staff during the classic days of WMMS.. Jeff Kinzbach's professionalism and Flash Ferenc's nuttiness and news chops was perfect for the morning, Matt the Cat had a sincerity and likability that great for mid day, Kid Leo was second to none as an interviewer and music trend spotter -- just look at what he is doing with Underground Garage which is fantastic! Kinzbach worked mornings on Akron’s 97.5 WONE since 2013 but is best known for hosting “The Buzzard Morning Zoo” with Ed “Flash” Ferenc on 100.7 WMMS from 1976-1994. “The Buzzard Morning Zoo” ended in 1994 after WMMS was sold the previous year. Gorman received a tip that San Francisco was being considered. Just don’t say anything.’ So, I pushed all the buttons and I thoroughly enjoyed it.". “As the show evolved, he became the traffic cop in the studio. He joined WONE in early 2013. Among the more significant moves taken by WMMS was the formatting of the morning zoo concept created by Z100's Scott Shannon onto the show Jeff & Flash (Jeff Kinzbach and Ed Ferenc) were already hosting. Kinzbach became a household name for his role on the “Jeff and Flash” show, which aired on Cleveland ’s 100.7 WMMS. In 1996, I became the station's Program Director/Head of Operations. While majoring in Communications at Cleveland State University, he started working at WMMS Radio is 1973. Join Facebook to connect with Jeff Kinzbach and others you may know. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). “Jeff was one of the best production directors in the country of any radio station,” says John Gorman, the program director at WMMS during its Buzzard glory days. He went on to work for stations in Detroit before returning home in 1973 when WMMS hired him as a production director to produce commercials, bumpers and stingers. By utilizing innovative comedy, interviewing some of the biggest “It’s a funny feeling,” Kinzbach says one week into his retirement. “One night, somebody didn’t show up for work and they pointed at me and said, ‘You know how everything works, just run the radio station if you want for the next four hours. We were basically a bunch of 20-year-olds that really wanted to build a radio station that we wanted to listen to. (Photo courtesy: John Gorman)Image supplied by John Gorman, “We were the soundtrack to northeast Ohio,” Kinzbach says. The following year, the station won the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Award for Large Market Station of the year. So, I went in and did his show.”. Gorman and his boss immediately thought of Jeff and paired him with Flash. “But having Jeff and Flash lead the campaign, it galvanized the community to the point where the rest of the country took notice and realized it had to be in Cleveland. We hit it at the right time for music and for our age group. Jeff Kinzbach , 51, lives on a 150-acre ranch an hour's drive east of Dallas with wife Patti and 8-year-old daughter McKenzie. His production skills and timing to contain the craziness of the show was a work of art. He spent over 20 years at WMMS in Cleveland as the morning L to R: Matt the Cat, Betty Korvan, Joel Frensdorf (WMMS sales), John Gorman, Debbie Ullman, Jeff Kinzbach, Denny Sanders, Kid Leo, and Bob Zurich (RCA Records). “There’s a lot on my bucket list, from Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon and all the points in between. Lakewood, Ohio. “One thing I can say about Jeff is he is extremely disciplined,” Ferenc says. I could do as I please,” Kinzbach says. Please support high-quality local journalism. Bruce Springsteen visits WMMS on April 6, 1976. “I’m sure Jeff would agree, that was our greatest accomplishment,” Ferenc adds. He joined WONE in early 2013. We often worked together on weekends and quickly became friends.”, Cleveland morning drive hosts Ed "Flash" Ferenc and Jeff Kinzbach are photographed at the WMMS studios in 1978. After several years off the air, he reemerged at WONE in 2013. “The planets totally aligned. The legendary disc jockey called it a career on September 30 after spending parts of six decades on the local airwaves. They just left me alone. Longtime Cleveland personality Jeff Kinzbach took to social media on Saturday night to announce he will be retiring from mornings at Rubber City Radio Group Rock 97.5 WONE-FM … “Jeff was a … For twenty of those years he was the morning personality at WMMS in Cleveland, Ohio that earned record high ratings. Jeff Kinzbach Exits Mornings On WONE/Akron, OH | AllAccess.com Love stories?! We just wouldn’t let it die from the headlines.”. "If you remember, Cleveland had a history since World War II of coming up with all of these great ideas and none of them ever came to fruition. “Jeff was always called to fill in because he lived 15 minutes away,” Ferenc says. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. That’s how long Jeff Kinzbach says it took him to get used to not having to wake up at 4 a.m. after hosting morning radio for 30 years. Jeff Kinzbach was a broadcaster and spent nearly thirty years in the radio business. All rights reserved (About Us). About Jeff. “They wanted us to be newsmen, so that didn’t really work out,” Kinzbach says. Front row: Kid Leo, Bruce Springsteen, Shelly Stile, Dan Garfinkel. The new cast of characters included Len “Boom” Goldberg, Kenny Clean, Ruby Cheeks, and others. Three years later he teamed up with Jeff Kinzbach and started “The Jeff and Flash Show” which eventually ruled the airwaves in Cleveland for over 15 years. “It was obvious of his talent that he wouldn’t last long-buried in that studio.”. (James A. Hatch / The Plain Dealer)The Plain Dealer. I'm very fortunate.". You had to use a razor blade to splice magnetic tape together. Relive and learn new and interesting facts on Jeff and his career spanning 5 decades. 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