Mike Rivers, CKLW Windsor-Detroit, October 17 1967 (1:03:20)

… Where a yank on the crank of a one arm bandit may be worth a CKLW cash jockpot …
[Description by Uncle Ricky] It’s obvious that this unscoped recording of the 4PM hour and Mike Rivers on October 17, 1967 was made at some distance from the powerful CKLW transmitter. I removed a lot of static and crackling, but there wasn’t much that could be done about the high background noise level. REELRADIO pays music licensing fees (regardless of fidelity) to present unedited music online. If you enjoy full-length airchecks like this one, your tax-deductible contribution to our operating fund will help keep this and other “unscoped” exhibits available. So, depending on your system, this exhibit may be OK, or difficult to listen to for an extended period. I’m including it here because it *is* classic Big Eight, with all the memorable Drake-isms (Number One Then, Number One Now,) and the Johnny Mann acapellas. And what a playlist! Nearly half of what you’ll hear never cracked Billboard’s Top Twenty, and there’s a definite Motown/R&B influence with artists like Arthur Conley, Leon Haywood, J.J. Barnes and James & Bobby Purify (and more!) Mike Rivers (Ralph W. Wright, Jr.) passed away September 13, 2004. He was also known as Ed Richards at WIBG.

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