Long John Wade, WFIL Philadelphia, 1970 (0:44:57)

… . . . Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re listening to a Million Dollar Weekend, on Music Power W F I L, Philadelphia . . . …

There’s never been any question in my mind that WFIL in the Cradle of Liberty, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, was one of the finest Top 40 stations ever. Despite the very narrow bandwidth of this exhibit (there’s nothing below 300Hz and nothing above 6Khz), the production elements of this station still manage to excite!

Tympani drums, authoritative stagings and PAMS jingles showcase the considerable talents of Long John Wade (d. May 15, 2006) as heard in August of 1970. Contributor Peter Glazer says this aircheck was made the year he graduated from high school, when he worked in Philadelphia for the summer. “I thought his show was one of the tightest I had heard. He talked very fast”.

Paul Henderson is heard with a fabulous WFIL newscast. And I’ve always loved the news closer heard here, with the big intro for the jock timed perfectly over the intro of a hit record. Damn, this was such GREAT Top 40 radio…

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