Paul Mayer, Alice Cooper, WHBQ Memphis 1978 (0:09:06)

… Uncle Sky and Penny said the ‘copter wouldn’t come down here …
Sure, every top 40 radio station eventually got to be LIVE at a Halloween Haunted House. But, in 1978 in Memphis, WHBQ did everything in a BIG way. Our Haunted House (Scream in the Dark) included the scariest of them all: the real Alice Cooper. The original game plan was for me to be working the Halloween show at Scream in the Dark where we were about to have a special guest. Alice and Bernie Taupin were to come from up above, via helicopter, land and come into the van (My NightMayer) and join me on the show. But the crowd was much too big, it was too windy, and the chopper pilot was afraid to land. Plan “B” went into effect: the two were whisked off to the Q studio, where they shared in the on-air duties. There was nothing like Halloween with Cooper, Taupin and Paul the Night Mayer on WHBQ.

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