Rosko Resigns WOR-FM, 1967 (0:05:26)

… . . . When are we going to learn that controlling something does not take it out of the minds of people . . . …

Rosko (Bill Mercer) worked at KGFJ and KBLA in Los Angeles before moving to New York and WOR-FM in 1966. He quit on the air when he heard programmer Bill Drake had been hired. When management heard him quit on the air, the engineer on duty was called and told not to let him back on the air, so that was it for Rosko at WOR-FM.

Two years later, he turned up at WNEW-FM, and by 1971, joined KMET in Los Angeles. Mercer also worked at WKTU in New York in 1981, and most recently was working as the voice of CBS Sports in New York.

Murray the K and Johnny Michaels also left WOR-FM, for the same reasons. Scott Muni was the only one left. Bill Drake was afraid he would have to wait until the end of Scott’s contract, so he cut a personalized ID for Scott Muni, which was never used, because Scott didn’t want to work the format either. Something was worked out between Scott & management. Scott moved on to WNEW-FM in New York, where he worked for 31 years. He moved to WAXQ-FM in 1999 for a daily one-hour show, and passed away on September 28, 2004.

William Roscoe Mercer died of cancer on August 1, 2000. This Obituary is from The New York Times.

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