Bobby Rivers, WPOP Hartford CT. January 1971 (0:44:49)

… I’m all out of Tommy Roe records …
[Description by Uncle Ricky] This recording was made between 1:20 and 2:05 AM, and not too long after New Year’s Day, 1971, based on Bobby Rivers’ frequent references to the Top 100 hits of 1970, and a temperature of 13 degrees. At this time in the morning, legendary Top-40 WPOP blurred the line between familiar hits and AOR. There are a few album selections here that are surprising, and we welcome identification of the last song here for music reporting purposes. The tape ran out before Bobby said what it was (assuming that he did.) This exhibit is a welcome diversion from the expected Top 40 playlist, and what we know about Bobby Rivers follows in COMMENTS. The few jingles are far between and of poor quality. The station was heavily processed and the recording was noisy, so the fidelity is a bit disappointing, but the content is intriguing.

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