Mitch Michael, WOKY Milwaukee, June 9, 1964 (0:30:34)

… got a hat on, you better take it off. If you’ve got a skirt on, I don’t know whatcha gonna do …
WOKY, 1963: (L-R) Bob White, Nat “King” Cole, Steve O’Shea, Bill Henry and Mitch Michael (Terrell Metheny). The “MB” on the blazers was for McFadden-Bartell Publishing, the station owner.REELRADIO pays music licensing fees to bring you airchecks that include music, whenever possible. We are a user-supported organization and depend upon your support.

This mostly unscoped (but edited) recording features Terrell Metheny as Mitch Michael on WOKY in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Included are segments of the 3 and 4 PM hours from an uncommonly warm summer Tuesday (June 9, 1964.)

In addition to a few musical selections off the beaten path (and quite obviously targeted to WOKY’s “upper demographics”), you’ll hear several jingles, a spot for the second James Bond film starring Sean Connery, and an airborne traffic report from pilot Art Zander. In Milwaukee, Bartell’s WOKY was the first station to broadcast traffic reports from the air.

Welcome to the new ReelRadio!

This site is now operated by the North Carolina Broadcast History Museum. 

We want to thank the board of ReelRadio, Inc. for their stewardship since the passing of the founder Richard Irwin in 2018.  It has not been easy and they have maintained the exhibits for future generations to enjoy.

I met Richard Irwin, aka Uncle Ricky, when we were freshmen at East Carolina University.  We both had worked at local stations in our hometowns.  No one was more passionate about radio, especially Top 40 radio, than my friend Richard. 

Our goals with this site are to preserve the exhibits and make them available free of charge for people to enjoy.  Over time, we hope to add some airchecks to the site.  This will not happen immediately.  Time and resources will determine the future of new exhibits. 

Many thanks to the web folks at the Beasley Media Group for countless hours of work.  Again thanks to the board members of ReelRadio, Inc. for their faith in us. 

Richard Irwin’s hope was that his site would live on long after his passing. He said, “I hope REELRADIO will survive as my contribution to the ‘radio business’. The business is allowed to forget me, but the business should never forget the great era of radio that we celebrate here”.

We remember Richard and we thank him. If you enjoy this new site, we would appreciate a contribution. We hope you enjoy the new ReelRadio!

Board of NCBHP
North Carolina Broadcast History Project