Bobby McGee Bill Lee WTIC-FM 1978 (0:45:08)

… The boss went to see “FM” and now we have to get all the girls out of the studio …

[Description by Uncle Ricky]

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The fidelity of this STEREO exhibit will be seriously degraded with connections of less than 32Kbps. STEREO requires twice the bandwidth of monaural for comparable fidelity.
They don’t say Hot Hits and the jingles don’t sing Hot Hits, but this is most assuredly Mike Joseph’s Hot Hits format on WTIC-FM, Hartford Connecticut, in the summer of 1978.

Rhymin’ Broadway Bill Lenke (aka Bill Lee) starts here and owns the last 13 minutes of this aircheck following an outstanding opening act from Bobby McGee. McGee exudes high-energy fun between those now-classic Hot Hits formatics, and under a few spots, too. (Listen carefully, it’s fun stuff. Media buffs will also enjoy the classic commercials, which comprise the bulk of this aircheck.)

The jocks are having a ball, the rotation is hot, and what a great VARIETY of hit music in those pre-diverse late ’70’s – the exclusive trademark of genuine Top 40!

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