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Dave Mitchell, KONO San Antonio TX 1973 (0:04:38)

… talking to some strange, wired weirdoes …
[Description by Dave Mitchell] This was my first major market job and I worked the all-night show full-time while working my way through Bible College, studying to be a Pentecostal preacher (no joke!) In those days, KONO (The Big 86), did a perennial flip-flop with KTSA for the #1 rating in San Antonio. They had Drake jingles, and we had WLS jingles and The Alamobile — a remote studio in a mobile home, with full-length windows just ripe for a drive-by shooting. The equipment was poor in the Alamobile, and none of us jocks liked it. At 6’7″, I couldn’t stand up straight in it. I’ll never forget the note tacked on the board in the KONO control room by Charlie Scott (now Steve Sellers) after a nightmare weekend remote: “WCFL doesn’t have an Alamobile, and their numbers are BIG.” Listen closely for the voice of KCBQ’s Matt Guinn on the voicer drops.

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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