The Real Don Steele, KTNQ LA March 11, 1977 (0:53:37)

… Heart Me Off, Kenny …
This may be the best recorded RDS Fractious Friday signoff ever! Short on time? LISTEN TO THIS — three minutes to remember.
Fidelity is mostly nice, for those who don’t mind the accelerated reality. There is a full newscast from Boyd R. Britton and more, and even a couple of songs that sound better running too fast. You gotta remember, in 1977, radio stations had a lock on “free” music distribution, so, if you wanted to hear the song at the correct speed, you had to buy it from the record store advertised on your favorite radio station.
This is an accurate reproduction of the aircheck. KTNQ routinely ignored the record manufacturer’s recommended playback speed.

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