David Jacobs, Pick Of The Pops, BBC Light, May 9 1959 (1:00:26)

… so perhaps they recorded that thing on a scenic railway – those people must have been hungry, or something …
[Description by contributor Eric Lawton] This lovely man is our David Jacobs, and here’s an extremely rare clip of one of the very first Pick Of The Pops shows. This was three years before the great Alan “Fluff” Freeman took over in 1962. This was the only radio show that played chart hits in 1959, apart from the clicking, hissing Radio Luxembourg — for one hour on Sunday afternoons. My, how we envied you guys in America! A typical upper-class British voice on the radio, David went on to present TV’s classic 60’s Pop show Jukebox Jury. In good shape for its age, this show features many US and British tracks that are now widely regarded as “classics”. Magic radio! 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!

Board of NCBHP
North Carolina Broadcast History Project