Greaseman, Jay Thomas, WAPE Jacksonville FL 1980 (0:42:34)

… I was a disc jockey, I’ve been to jail already, I know you’re not twenty …
[Description by Uncle Ricky] The best date we have for this rare aircheck is 1980. We know that Jay Thomas appeared at the Alhambra Dinner Theater that year, and Jay is appearing with The Greaseman this morning to give away tickets to the show. A few years earlier, Jay was the morning guy and PD at WAPE. Also featured: Hoyle Dempsey, traffic reporter Robbie Rose and Carol Hesse with news.   MORE GOLDEN GIFTS Reel Top 40 Radio Repository ©2014 REELRADIO INC.

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