Wink Martindale, KFWB Los Angeles June 1965 (0:17:24)

… …they want to find these people to be police officers at a starting salary of six hundred and eight dollars a month… …

As rival KRLA was enjoying a surge of popularity through its association with the Beatles, and as newcomers KHJ and KBLA began pumping up the volume, KFWB tried to stay the course with its traditional format upon which it had relied successfully for years.

Morning drive man Wink Martindale led off the lineup of the KFWB “Good Guys” who also included Hal Pickens (9 a.m.-noon, one set from Hal is heard at the end of this aircheck), Don MacKinnon (noon-3 p.m., killed in June 1965 in an automobile crash), Gene Weed (3-6 p.m.), B. Mitchel Reed (6-9 p.m., d. 1983), Reb Foster (9-midnight) and Larry McCormick (midnight-6 a.m.).

Additionally featured in this half hour (8:30 – 9:00 am, 6/2/65) is long-time L.A. news reporter Beach Rogers; also, a very stylish spot for Winston cigarettes.

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