The 50,000-watt secret that made Detroit move and the government nervous.
Examination of the international social, political and musical impact of radio station CKLW during the 1960s and 70s. CKLW was the sonic mirror of Windsor's sister city, separated by a half mile of dirty Detroit River water – reflecting excitement, soul, creativity – and bloody murder.
Sound
That signature 'Big 8' jingle will live in your brain rent-free.
Production
Rare archival footage of a station that erased its own tapes.
Director
Michael McNamara
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
CKLW's signal crossed the Detroit-Windsor border so seamlessly that many listeners never realized 'the Big 8' was Canadian—making it a stealth weapon of cultural diplomacy during Vietnam War tensions.
The documentary's biggest 'get'—surviving audio engineers smuggling out reels the station ordered destroyed—was almost lost when director McNamara's car was broken into during filming. The tapes were in his hotel room.
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