Bill Holley, Chris Edwards, Tom Campbell KYA San Francisco, 1968-09-10 (1:04:58)

… A telegram? …
[Description by Uncle Ricky for contributor Eric Lawton] Contributor Eric Lawton writes (from Britain) that KYA airchecks are his favorite American Top 40 recordings, and it’s no wonder, listening to this very UN-format hour from September 10, 1968. The circumstances of this broadcast are not fully explained, but here’s our best guess: A person identified as “Mrs. Anderson”, ALLEGEDLY, in some way, angered or challenged KYA personality Tom Campbell regarding the trustworthiness of Bay Area Teenagers, which required Mr. Campbell to require a vote on the alleged issue, with “hundreds” of teenagers and supporters showing up to cast their votes as the deadline approaches. Bill Holley and Chris Edwards are required to fill-in during most of this aircheck, since Campbell is busy counting and has vowed not to return to the air until all of the votes have been counted. He does, however, return to announce that he won’t return until it’s all over. From the short playlist of nine reportable music performances, it’s obvious that stoned teenagers (perhaps working with the monkeys on marijuana reported in the newscast by Larry Brownell) have taken over the station. Down the dial, KFRC probably played a long hit music sweep or two through most of this, including the rare Bill Cosby Radio Program, (with The Brown Hornet & Leroy) sponsored by Coca-Cola. It was all about trusting one another, and buying Thom McAnn shoes. Chris Edwards passed away on January 31, 2014. DO NOT DUPLICATE: Our licensing does not grant you the right to make a copy. Because this exhibit includes copyrighted music performances, you are not licensed to trade or sell copies of this recording.

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