Peter Werbe - History

History

WRIF (locally known as "The Riff") originally had a weekly talk show: Spare Change hosted by Harvey Ovshinsky, founder of the Fifth Estate periodical. Werbe took over the talk show in 1970 when Ovshinsky left to become News Director of seminal FM rocker WABX in Detroit, Werbe remained as a weekly host until 1972 when the station owners, ABC Radio, decided that each of their owned and operated FM stations should have a daily overnight public affairs program to cover their license requirements with the Federal Communications Commission. When Peter held an on-air listener contest to rename the show, it was re-christened: Nightcall

Hosted by him from July 1972 until 1976, doing variously a three- and four-hour show in the middle of the night, the show was terminated when ABC decided such programming was no longer necessary for their purposes. After a brief stint at WABX, Werbe remained on unemployment compensation until 1978 when he hired on as a week-end rock DJ at Detroit's WWWW (locally known as W-4). Peter also hosted a one hour, weekend jazz program. When the station changed its rock format to country in 1980 to sabotage an AFTRA broadcasters' union organizing effort, Werbe quit and worked in construction until 1982 when program director Fred Jacobs re-hired him at WRIF as a weekend DJ. When Nigtcall's then-host Michael Collins left, Werbe re-assumed the reins he has held forth since. Juline Jordan, Peter's co-host since 2006 had previously been Nightcall's producer for several years. Prior to Collins, Sheila Rushlow had been the host.