Jack Armstrong, WKYC Cleveland, 1967 (0:28:46)

… Delicious yellow coat …
Big Jack Armstrong at a remote broadcast, 1967 Even though he is frequently remembered as the fast-talking night jock on WKBW in Buffalo, N.Y., Jack Armstrong (aka: John Larsh) made his first high-power appearance on 50KW WKYC (formerly KYW) in Cleveland, Ohio. Jack left WIXY in Cleveland and was offered the prime nightime DJ shift at WKYC when Jerry G. joined Ken Draper at WCFL in Chicago. Jack broke his contract at WIXY and could not call himself “Jack Armstrong” at WKYC, so initially, he was just Big Jack. Later, he called himself Jackson W. Armstrong. This aircheck is most likely from January of 1967, and Armstrong would have just been hired. It features Jack and his sidekick The Gorilla, and a few PAMS jingles. As of July, 2001, Jack Armstrong was morning drive host at WMQX-93.1 in Greensboro, N.C., where he was for several years. He passed away March 22, 2008 at his home in North Carolina.

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