The FS Detention Club is a radio program produced by
Bell, Book and Camera Productions and airs on
Vinyl Voyage Radio. Each week, the Club plays a collection of music from Frank Sinatra and friends, usually centering around a theme. This show based on the "Frank Sinatra Detention Club," created by host Bruce Janu when he first started teaching. The program is non-profit and is produced and aired on a station that does not run commercials or takes money from any individuals in exchange for playing songs or playing advertisements. This is a passion. A hobby.
Why is it called the Frank Sinatra Detention Club?
No, this is not a punishment. The creator of the
FS Detention Club, Bruce Janu, has been a life-long fan of the singer. As a teacher, he created the "Frank Sinatra Detention Club" back in 1991 for when he had to give a kid a detention. This was not punishment, per se, but a means to make the time more enjoyable for him and hopefully, in the process, introduce young people to the greatest American singer who has ever lived.
In addition to playing Frank Sinatra music for his students, Janu also gives out Frank Sinatra Extra Credit Tokens for good behavior and even puts extra credit Frank Sinatra questions on every test.
This show was created as an extension of what Bruce has been doing in the classroom for nearly 30 years!
I think I've heard about this before. But I am not sure where.
You may have. There was a slow news day back in September of 1992 and, as a result, a small story that was written by the
Chicago Sun-Times about Bruce Janu and his unique use of Frank Sinatra appeared on the front page! Then, the next day, it made it to the front page of
USA Today. Janu began getting calls and requests for interviews from all across the world. His story has appeared in
Time Magazine,
Life Magazine, and various newspapers and magazines not just in the United States, but also France, Spain, the UK, Japan and many more. Jay Leno made a joke about him on the
Tonight Show (it bombed!) and
Good Morning America did a story as well.
Janu still listens to Sinatra regularly. He still plays Sinatra for his students and thought it would be fun to bring this to the internet air waves. The purpose of the Frank Sinatra Detention Club is to celebrate Sinatra and his unparalleled career singing the American songbook.
Where can I hear The Frank Sinatra Detention Club?
The FS Detention Club airs on
Vinyl Voyage Radio. Click
here for the full schedule. The show is also open to syndication, so you may be able to hear it on other stations as well. Keep checking back as we add more affiliates to the program line-up.
Tell me more about the host.
Bruce Janu began his teaching career back in 1991, teaching history, political science, sociology and occasionally English classes. He also founded a successful media production company called
Bell, Book and Camera Productions. After years of producing wedding videos, Janu wrote and directed four documentaries, including the award-winning
Facing Sudan in 2007 and
Crayons and Paper in 2008. Currently, his new documentary
This Sacred Place: The Story of Old Lynn Concerts is on the festival circuit.
In 2011, Janu began an internet radio station called
Vinyl Voyage Radio. The majority of the music played on the station comes from his extensive vinyl collection. In addition to hosting the
FS Detention Club, he also hosts
The Song of the Week and
The K-Tel Time Machine, playing a different K-Tel album every week.
