Don Laughnane, WHB Kansas City, MO. May 2,1960 (1:03:19)

Unscoped
… . . . Radio One in the heart of America, WHB channel 71, where music lives! . . . …

Here’s another sample of Don Laughnane, then also WHB’s operations manager, in 1960. Recorded three days after the morning-drive aircheck provided by the late Richard Ward Fatherley, Laughnane here is heard in the noon hour, which I think was his regular time slot in 1960. All the records are hits, and in keeping with Storz programming philosophy, there are plenty of other things to listen for in this hour.

In addition to the news at :55, there are banner lines at :25 and stock market and sports updates, plus a Scrambletunes contest. The sultry production voice that asks Laughnane for the latest temperatures probably was inspired by Miss Monitor (Tedi Thurman), who delivered the forecasts on NBC’s weekend program in a similar style. For jingle freaks, the Channel 71 cut and Elvis soundalike are from CRC; the others are PAMS (Series 2, 8 and 9).

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