Ray Otis, KXOK St. Louis MO November 9, 1967 (0:29:32)

… Our little thought for today – a man’s true wealth is the good he does in this world …
[Description by Uncle Ricky]Repository contributor Tim Benko passed away
in 1998. Tim was a generous and frequent contributor to REELRADIO. This exhibit was
received in 1997.

This exhibit is UNSCOPED, meaning that all the music is included. We are required to pay a fee for each listener for all musical performances on this recording. Plus, we must also pay the cost of Internet bandwidth to deliver it to you. We are a user-supported organization, and if you enjoy this exhibit, please say thanks with your support.

Tim sent this one in an Aircheck Factory cassette box, and it features the resonant, rumbling tones of Ray Otis. Ray’s big BIG pipes are featured on legendary Storz station KXOK in St. Louis. It’s November 9, 1967, the second anniversary of the great Northeastern blackout.

Otis is definitely pleasant on the ears, as is newsguy Bob Shea. But there are
lots of clicks and pops on the original recording and the old KXOK tape machines (you can even hear the cue tones!) and there’s a fairly high noise level, too. If you listen more closely, you will hear the practiced performance of tried and true Top 40 radio, complete with some great jingles and classic spots! All this and the wild and wacky musical variety of Vicki Carr and Davy Jones on the same stage.

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