Russ Wheeler, WEAM Washington, D.C. October 1966 (0:07:37)

… WEAM, the Lively One! …

Description by contributor Brother Dave HedrickThe jock is Russ Wheeler on WEAM, Washington D.C. (Arlington, VA.) from Halloween, 1966. On line reverb, a time tone and PAMS Series 29 “Go-Go” jingles reflect the standard of the day.

WEAM (5kw fulltime at 1390) was DC’s first “big signal” Top 40. It was one of the Harold Thoms’ station group, which included WAYS/Charlotte (before he sold it to Stan and Sis Kaplan), WISE/Asheville, WCOG/Greensboro, and WKLM/Wilmington.

Strikes me after listening to this ‘check that I don’t remember any of the rest of the Thoms group in the ’60’s sounding as good as WEAM does 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!

Carl Davis
Trustee
North Carolina Broadcast History Museum