Bill Ballance, KFWB, 1961 (0:23:57)

… Smoke several cartons of Winston right now… …

Although Bill Ballance’s reign on Southern California’s airwaves has spanned five decades, he is best remembered for his days with KFWB (Los Angeles, 980 kHz, 5 kw fulltime).

When I first started listening to Top 40 radio, one of the first voices I heard was that of Bill Ballance. This was an era when rocket launches made lead stories, when American troops in Vietnam were still euphemistically called “military advisors,” and when Top 40 stations aired patriotic messages.

Listen in particular to the chilling introduction of the President of the United States on this Espanol-laced, ebullient, billowing, bombastic, boisterous Bill Ballance program from December 1961.

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