Radio Recall Detroit Lee Alan WXYZ 1965 (0:19:13)

… and we’ll call it the cream of the crop, until twelve o’clock …

[Description by Uncle Ricky]

Thanks to Jim Hampton for proving that there really was viable ABC sponsored Top 40 radio in Detroit, even as WKNR was overtaking the market. From Jim’s Radio Recall, we learned quite a bit more about Lee Alan. We had one aircheck from Bob Green of Mr. Alan, but apparently, Lee Alan had a long history with WXYZ and held forth nightly in the Motor City, in addition to recording a record about his horn with major Motown artists. I guess if you don’t ask, you might never know.

The opening to this Lee Alan Show and the generous distribution of PAMS jingles demonstrates that, in fact, the guys on the air at WXYZ were encouraged to think of the time they spent on the air as SHOWTIME. Radio was a show, you see, there were these guys called “disc jockeys” and…

Nevermind. You’ll figure it out. Thanks, Jim!

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