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George Michael, WABC New York, November 1978 (0:04:23)

The R.J. Heim Collection
… some day I’m gonna be rich and own one of those big cars, man …
[Description by contributor R.J. Heim]

George Michael was in rare form on this Friday night in New York City — with a winter storm on the way. George was always “up”, but this night, he was on fire. This was one of one the last times WABC was the “most listened-to station in the nation” before Disco 92 (WKTU-FM) toppled the mighty Musicradio!

I dx’ed this show from my room at Sigma Pi Fraternity while attending Temple University in Philadelphia. WABC was running the popular “I Love New York” promotion. Listen closely to what happens when George tries to award a man’s wristwatch to Josette of Brooklyn.

George Michael died from complications of chronic lymphocytic leukemia on December 24, 2009. He was 70.

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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. 

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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”.

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Board of NCBHP
North Carolina Broadcast History Project