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WWDJ, Steve Clark and Last Days, 1974 (0:40:15)

… 97 DJ will change, to become the new voice of inspiration for the metropolitan area …
This remarkable record of the last few days of WWDJ (as a Top 40 station) was created especially for REELRADIO by Russ DiBello. While the fidelity of the source material was far from excellent, Russ provided an exceptionally clean exhibit and we are fortunate to enjoy his audio expertise. Some of this REEL “off the air” recording demonstrates the WWDJ signal problems, particularly at night. But every second is worth your time – right up until the final sign off. When the carrier leaves the air, we hear one second of Larry King (from where? – or does it matter?) Chief among the highlights of this composite is Steve Clark, who concluded his WWDJ employment with this show. Clark and sidekick Maharishi talk with studio visitors, and Clark includes his radio recommendations for stations in the New York market. Gary Russell, Sean Casey, Bob Savage, and some of the most unusual music segues you have never imagined are all here, too. These guys were losing their jobs. The great 97DJ experiment was over. Were they bitter?

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