Ron Britain, Barney Pip, WCFL Chicago January 28, 1967 (1:01:32)

… It’s Sonny & Cher without a care in their underwear …
[Description by Uncle Ricky]

It’s SHOWTIME! This recording of only slightly-edited Ken Draper-consulted WCFL in Chicago has all the hooks and gadgets, Mini-Spin, Preview and Capsule Countdown, plus show intros & outros AND jingles. This is all the “clutter” that Bill Drake had already eliminated in Los Angeles. But, at the time, It’s a Saturday night Bash and/or Blast, your choice, and it was the best of Chicago Top 40 SHOW-BIZ! Barney Pip is on stage for a few minutes at the end, just long enough for an Instant Encore that you’ve never heard, maybe.

But the first 50 minutes stars Ron Britain, whispering love messages just “under” the music. Britain loved to use SFX, after all, it was a SHOW, and imagine how good his board operator had to be to hit everything on cue! How many cart machines in the WCFL air studio circa 1967, I wonder?

There’s a Psych-O-Delic Happening (Why Is That, Ron?)… and more than one musical surprise. And as expected, several riots, shooting wars and crazed confusion are all part of The Big Radio Show.

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