[Description by Martin Ashley] It was magical. It was thrilling. It was the most exhausting twelve hours I have spent in radio. “It” was the KROY DJ Reunion on April Fools Day 1996. General Manager Tom Schurr and Program Director Jeff McMurray of The Eagle (KSEG 96.9FM, Sacramento, California) said “How would you like to do something on the air April 1st?” What they meant was have the “Wonder Rabbit”, alumni of KROY–the former Sacramento AM powerhouse, do a couple of hours of the old format for the Eagle’s classic rock core listeners. What they got was a nearly identical recreation of KROY– live! The broadcast included six former Jocks, 1971 ABC Contemporary News reports, actual sports reports lifted off old airchecks, the station and weather jingles, and, of course, the music. Every Sugar, Sugar and Donny Osmond and 1910 Fruitgum Company. It took over six months to locate the former Jocks. Some were working at competing stations now and needed their management’s approval. I needed to cart the jingles and that hallmark KROY “time tone”; then re-create the format clock, liners, flip cards, PSAs, and other nuances. This was no chit-chat “I-remember-when-you-were-on-the-air” DJ reunion. I wanted the listeners to believe 1971 was still here! And it worked. Former KROY listeners began clogging the request lines, e-mailing, and showing up at the Eagle studio. They couldn’t believe their ears. At first many thought it was a recording, just a few songs and it would be gone. But once Johnny Hyde (d. August 1, 2017) left, in came B. Winchell Clay. Then Terry Nelson, Dave Williams, Gene Lane, and after ten hours, The Wonder Rabbit. One listener claims she almost drove off the road fumbling with the radio. She said she pulled over and just sat listening for a while until she realized these people were live! (“They just said the time–and it’s right!”) Others said they took the day off from work, went home, and listened. Seven o’clock that evening came too soon for most. As the prerecorded “static” faded in, and the last song faded out, history was recreated for the last time in Sacramento. The Jocks all got plaques, airchecks, and wonderful memories for their participation. The listeners got a few more memories that, hopefully, will last another twenty-five years. It was magic, period. The Martin Ashley Collection has been part of REELRADIO since April 30, 2010 Reel Top 40 Radio Repository ©1996-2017 REELRADIO, Inc.