Paul Leigh and Composite, XEROK 1974 (0:06:18)

… . . . I wonder what would happen if you really did that with an operator . . . …

What can I say about such a phenomenal radio station? This is where I first worked with the legendary John Long (or, as some of my Mexican friends in a certain classy night spot in Juarez call him: Señor Juan Elargo.) John and I seemed to hit it off from day one. X-ROK 80 was a great-sounding radio station in 1974, and all the credit goes to John.

[From Uncle Ricky] In addition to Paul Leigh (Mayer), this composite includes John Long, Jay Walker, Charlie Fox, and Chris O’Conner. The exhibit, received on CD by REELRADIO, included the tape squeal which appears on the Long and Walker airchecks. I was unable to remove it withiout deleting the original content of this exhibit, so it remains here.

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