Tommy Saunders, Johnny Hayes, KYA San Francisco May 1964 (scoped) (0:22:54)

Scoped
… Every day is pay day at K-Y-A! …
[Description by Uncle Ricky] This Exhibit ‘SCOPED (22:53) If all you want is the jings and the jock and the news and the spots, this version’s for you! Please remember that in addition to music licensing fees for the mostly UNSCOPED version, there are bandwidth and hardware costs for this ‘SCOPED version, and anything streamed from REELRADIO. We welcome your support. Three veteran Top 40 broadcasters are heard in this unscoped 51 minutes of the legendary KYA, San Francisco, from May 22 and 23, 1964. Buffalo, N.Y. native Tommy Saunders was on the air at powerhouse WKBW before his twentieth birthday. He moved to San Francisco to work at KYA in the early 1960’s. Johnny Hayes was born in Macon, Georgia, worked for Bill Drake at WAKE in Atlanta, and also moved to San Francisco to work all-nights at KYA in the early 1960’s. Hayes went on to KGB/San Diego, and KRLA and KRTH(FM)/Los Angeles. In this aircheck, Hayes is hosting The All Night House Party. Norman Davis (known as Lucky Logan when he first joined KYA in the late 1950’s) is featured with two KYA Pulsebeat news reports. Also, you’ll hear a Commandos promo for morning man Emperor Gene Nelson, featuring several KRLA voices. A nearly identical promo for Emperor Hudson was heard down south. And Pierre Salinger’s political advertisement for a U.S. Senate seat sounds like a soft drink spot (and he was a Senator!) Salinger, yes Salinger, is there, there, there!

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