UncleToon

 
Copyright 1997 Bobby Ocean, Inc. All rights reserved

©1997 Bobby Ocean®, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Bobby Ocean asked if I had any funny ideas for a cartoon. (Whadda guy!) I told him I had a not-so-funny editorial idea. (Thank you, Bobby!)
This ‘toon sez it for me: Just Say NO to monopoly ownership! It’s a sad state of affairs
when one “executive” controls the decisions for most of the radio stations in a market.

30 years ago, the radio business was so full of opportunity and promise! Today, the opportunities are quickly disappearing and the promises have all been broken. A handful of corporate slaves now determines the fate of a once vibrant and creative craft. Even veteran broadcasters who would have preferred to own a few good radio stations are pressured into buying more than they can care for. It’s a defensive move to prevent assimilation – resistance is futile.

What’s happening in the radio business is WRONG. Don’t believe for a
second that things will get better without changes to the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The legalized monopolies enabled by this legislation are sucking the lifeblood from airwaves that were
supposed to belong to everyone – or at least, more than a few obese bankers.


Opinions expressed by Richard W. Irwin are not necessarily the opinions of Bobby Ocean®, Inc.


The Reel Top 40 Radio Repository urges you to write your federal representatives and tell them to stop the destruction of radio!

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