By: Anton Massopust III

Scott Shannon is a radio DJ personality who was from Atlanta and came to New York to work with Z100 Radio Station. In this new documentary, we find out how he took a little radio station that just started and changed the face of radio forever. He took it from “worst to first.”

Through a set of different interviews, some famous people (John Bon Jovi is one of them) and other people who worked in the radio industry throughout the decades, we learn how he did it.

When Scott Shannon came to New York, he went the studio in Secaucus, New Jersey. They said they broadcasted live from the Empire State Building, even though all the local radio stations broadcasted from the Empire State Building at the time, but it made them seem like they were out of the ordinary and called the radio show: “The Z Morning Zoo.”

Shannon wanted to do something completely different from what radio was at the time by playing music that people wanted to hear (especially younger people) and also, he loved music so he wanted people to experience music that the way he liked it and to get people interested in music.

When he first started, the ratings were so terrible when they came off the teletype machine Z100 was dead last. He read on the air the entire list of the ratings and said, “We’re terrible. We need your help and I want to take this radio station in New York from “Worst to First.”

The people rallied around them (long before social media) and liked what they were doing, so they got people to listen to the station and anytime the Z100 Van driving around would give away free stuff, so people tuned into Z100 to get the prizes and get people interested and listening.

Scott Shannon helped a famous singer who wasn’t famous at the time (early 1980’s) to get her song played on the radio. She would come by the studio every Tuesday and ask for Scott Shannon. Finally, he saw her and said, “If you don’t come back next Tuesday, I will play your song on Tuesday at night. If it gets requests, I’ll play it in the daytime.”

The singer replied, “If it reaches number one, I’ll do something special for the Z Morning Zoo.”

That singer was Madonna, and the song was: “Lucky Star.” When the song reached number one and she had the world premiere of the movie, “Whose that Girl?” she premiered it in Times Square live on the Z Morning Zoo.

What’s interesting about this documentary is that it’s very short and it is very interesting. There is enough information for music fans who grew up during the eighties and remember these days. Scott Shannon left Z100 after many years and went to their rival WPLJ for a while. Presently, he is on CBS FM 101.1 New York in the mornings.

You can find this documentary on demand called: “Worst to First,” and it’s a lot of fun to watch, especially if you love eighties nostalgia.

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Anton Knows – Check out Anton’s podcast “Anton Knows” on Buzzsprout and IHeart Radio.