Dr. Demento, Program 78-38, Hour 1, September 1978 (0:50:20)

… three people more than enough for a quartet anyhow …

[Description by Uncle Ricky, contributed by Eric Rhoads]

With the retirement of American Top 40’s Casey Kasem in July 2009, and the induction of Dr. Demento into the Chicago Radio Hall Of Fame on November 7, 2009, Dr. Demento is now the longest-running syndicated DJ heard on Top 40 radio!

This hour, essentially a random selection from almost 40 years of Dr. Demento programs, came from an original 7″ reel distributed for broadcast in September, 1978. It demonstrates Demento’s genuine love for the “demented” music he plays, his original and wacky air presentation, and the support of his audience, long before the convenience of the Internet. To make a request, you had to pay the long distance charges!

In addition to some very funny records (which we are prohibited from listing by the terms of our music license), Demento features selections from comedy albums by Steve Martin and Flip Wilson.

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