Hal Raymond, KBOX Dallas TX 1962 (0:06:56)

… tonight, he’s gonna lace up his head and sell it for a football …
[Description by contributor Gary McBrayer] This was dubbed directly from a reel-to-reel tape supplied by Hal Raymond. For over twenty years, Hal was the Morning Mayor at WSBA-AM in York, Pennsylvania. But this recording was the only example he had from his days as PD and afternoon drive jock at KBOX (K-BOX) in Dallas. Hal replaced Chuck Dunaway who had gone across town to KLIF. This aircheck also contains the only evidence I’ve been able to find of Ken Dowe’s time at KBOX — a brief promo of his Noon to Three show. Hal and I e-emailed each other for several years on the state of radio. He never hinted what he was dealing with. From Uncle Ricky: In September 2003, Hal Raymond was diagnosed with ALS – Lou Gehrig’s Disease. A progressive neuromuscular disease, ALS first put Hal in a wheelchair, then it took his voice, then it made it impossible for him to do anything for himself at all. ALS doesn’t affect the brain, so every day, Hal knew what he couldn’t do anymore. Eventually he lost the ability to even blink or nod. On August 8, 2005, Hal Nettleship, 73 (Hal Raymond) lost his life to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, for which there is no known cause or cure.

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