Tommy Saunders, KYA San Francisco, May 22, 1964 (1:05:11)

… and have your hand on your cough button at all times …
[Description by Uncle Ricky] A Stan Freberg PSA for the United Presbyterian Church, and Tommy Saunders’ cough switch bit (very funny, starts 17:04 in) is included in this delightful and charming hour of Top 40 legend KYA in San Francisco, from 10-11PM on May 22, 1964. Lots of Boss going on — a full year before Boss Radio appeared on KHJ in L.A. (This show continues on a previously posted exhibit from contributor Nick Whitmer.) 1964 was a great year! Of course, I was there and 13 at the time, so I’m prejudiced. But the music is so good in this hour, I even LIKE The Beatles songs. There is no better way to enjoy this epic exhibit other than to kick back and GO FOR NINETEEN SIXTY FOUR. Polished PulseBeat newscasts from Norman Davis connect you to the moment, at the moment, just as it was then. Despite some technical weirdness here and there (mostly in the first 10 minutes), this IS an aural delight which is best enjoyed unscoped.

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