The Real Don Steele, KHJ Los Angeles, June 30, 1969 (0:31:55)

… I missed ya, didya miss me? …

Recorded one month after Boss Radio Boss Ron Jacobs announced his resignation, this unscoped half-hour of The Real Don Steele on KHJ has quite a few surprises. Only two of the nine reportable musical performances broke top 10 nationally, though several did quite a bit better on KHJ’s Boss 30. (REELRADIO pays music licensing and performance fees.)

Steele and his buddy Robert W. Morgan had walked out of KHJ several weeks prior to this aircheck, demanding a salary increase to $50,000 (each). This Monday, June 30, 1969 was Steele’s first day back on the air after the walkout failed to dent the KHJ ratings. You’ll also note some major adjustments to the KHJ formatics, like the live self-introduction at the top of the hour. And what in the world is that short little stinger after the half hour ID jingle?

You’ll enjoy the supposedly enlightened political correctness of 1969, when an “equal opportunity employer” like PSA could advertise for ‘single women, 5’1″ to 5’9″, 105 to 135 pounds’! There’s also a classic Disneyland jingle and several other goodies. Once again, thanks to the generosity of Shaune Steele, we are privileged to share a fantastic escape to Boss Angeles, and another unforgettable performance by The Real Don Steele.

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