ROCK HALL OF FAME WILL BE ROLLING INTO CLEVELAND

Cleveland has been named as the home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, beating out Philadelphia and Chicago through the tenacity of its rock-happy populace.

“We have been swayed by the incredible community enthusiasm that has come up in Cleveland,” record industry executive Ahmet Ertegun, chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in announcing the selection on Monday.

Ertegun appeared at a news conference with Ohio Gov. Richard Celeste, Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich, Rep. Mary Rose Oakar and other Ohio officials.

The museum is expected to cost about $20 million, with the money to come from federal, state and local contributions and private fund-raising.

Ertegun and other board members said Cleveland based its bid on the city’s rock ‘n’ roll history. Cleveland officials claim the term rock ‘n’ roll was coined by the late Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed, whom they also credit with promoting the first rock concert on March 21, 1952.

More than 600,000 people signed a petition last year in support of bringing the Hall of Fame to Cleveland. Residents swamped telephone lines in January when USA Today conducted a reader opinion poll on where the museum should be located.