Phil Dee on WHYN, Springfield, MA, 1961 (0:04:36)

… . . . the crowd will go in a big way for these bright and bouncy platters . . . …

[Description by Gene Knight]

My dad worked for a Radio/TV rep firm in NYC, and as a kid I was always hanging around the radio side of the office, looking for information on AM stations like coverage maps, ratings, one-sheets, etc. One of the stations the company represented was Top 40 WSPR in Springfield, Massachusetts. WSPR’s major competition at the time was WHYN.

This is a short tape I found in WSPR’s file — it is WHYN recorded by WSPR, and the note in the box reads

“This is a few minutes of WHYN programming starting shortly after 3PM on Tuesday April 18th – it is representative of their afternoon programming.”
I especially like the live spot toward the end of the tape, where Phil Dee sounds like he’s ready to totally lose it and laugh like crazy at the ludicrous copy about teenagers selling records that are “not available in stores.” It even sounds like he turns the mike off for a moment to compose himself!

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