Ken Keen (Al Evans, Jr.) WAKE Atlanta, July 1960 (0:14:17)

… Young man, be a man! …
Our thanks to Sam Hale for sharing this recording from Steve Farrington.Ken Keen (also known as Al Evans, Jr.) does double duty as overnight jock and newsman, complete with time tone, REVERB on demand, and FILTER on demand. That’s a lot of buttons! It’s Wonderful WAKE in Atlanta, and it’s during the 1960 Republican Convention, held July 28-30.

There’s a spot for Playtex Disposable Drypers, and even a very official “assigned frequency and power” announcement. Yep, 250 watts on 1340! Though this recording is very tightly ‘scoped, (sometimes choppy – pay attention!) the fidelity is remarkable considering that on the debut date of September 7, 2008, it was made 48 years ago!

The jock tries to set up a date for a 15-year-old (and it’s a regular station promotion!), and Miss WAKE is – well, those southern girls, with the way they talk…. The jingles? Oh, the answer is on the site, we’ve heard ’em before.

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!

Carl Davis
Trustee
North Carolina Broadcast History Museum