The Barry Salberg Collection

Barry Shane on the KSTN Stockton Survey
Barry Shane on the KSTN BOSS 30

Barry Shane Shirtless in the KSTN Control Room
Barry Shane says the fan in the foreground was the only "air conditioning" at KSTN, or maybe his show was just too hot for Stockton?

Barry Salberg Today
And here is Barry Salberg, 2004.

Barry Salberg grew up in Portland, Oregon and the San Francisco Bay Area.

"I caught the top-40 era first-hand, from its beginnings in the '50's, through the glory years. My first radio heroes were Dick Novak on KPOJ, and Tiger Tom Murphy on KISN. I was perhaps uniquely privileged to have heard The Real Don Steele on a daily basis on both KISN (Portland) and KEWB (Oakland) when I was in high school, and then on KHJ when I was in college at UCLA.

I'm fortunate to have experienced so many of the greats in their prime, at so many of the legendary stations of the era. At UCLA, I shared the mic (on the student station) with classmates Billy PearlSteve Smokin' WeedKen Levine, etc.

Jerry Clifton hired me for my first job out of college at KDES in Palm Springs. I left for grad school that fall, but within a few months, was back in the biz, at KSTN in Stockton - ninety+ degrees in the summer, and no AC in the control room. Then onto KROY in Sacramento, where I split time simultaneously doing afternoons at KSTN (as Barry Shane) and weekends/fill at KROY (as Shane).

I left the full-time slot at KSTN, opting for part-time at KROY. Several months later, Gary Stevens (not that many years removed from WMCA) plucked my tape from a batch of hundreds, and hired me for 7-mid at KRIZ in Phoenix. It was a short-lived stint, I was a teen jock, and they went "heavy" soon after I got there.

I used the air-name of Barry Cannon in Phoenix, and kept it when I went back to KROY later a few months later. Just a few years after that, living in Portland and working (not in radio), I talked my way into 7-mid at KISN, some ten years after the Real Don Steele occupied that very same seat.

I've been back here in the Bay Area (for the most part) ever since. Got my MBA from the Univ. of Southern California, as a mid-career effort. I am now free-lance writing — magazine features,etc. and have byline credits in virtually all of the major golf publications (GOLFGolf Digest, etc. - even had one in Sports Illustrated.) I'm one of the contributing writers on the EA Sports 2004 Tiger Woods video game, and also do lots of other writing and various Marketing Communications and PR work."

The Repository thanks Barry Salberg for sharing!
Unscoped
… I’m teaching my dog to speak here in the studio, come on boy, speak boy …
[Description by Uncle Ricky]Originally published by REELRADIO on January 17, 2010, the music in this rare recording contributed by Barry Salberg was restored by Rob Frankel in 2015. Now you can enjoy this youthful off-the-wall Drake DJ, who passed away in 1993, and the music he played.

I think this aircheck might appeal to the thousands of old radio guys who claim that the Drake Format didn’t allow “personality”. Tom Maule went on to KHJ, so apparently, no offense was taken, and all of this was apparently “Boss” (granted, at KGB, at the time.) He just did it with acapellas and without reverb.

Tom Maule probably could have easily found work on “Swinging Radio England” and many east-coast PAMS-jingled and reverbed Top 40 stations. But, that’s not the way it happened.

… as we run down our Platter Poll, from 10 to 1 …
[Description by Uncle Ricky] This rare aircheck features Dave Diamond in early evening, just a few months after his early evening gig at KHJ. Dave is about to get a giant billboard of himself in Denver, and he sounds happy about it. There were lots of PAMS jingles on KBTR, and an infrequent time-tone. KBTR was tight, but what Dave was doing here was not “Boss” radio. This recording had many technical problems, not the least of which was extreme hiss. It may be difficult to understand at first, but intelligibility improves within the first couple of minutes.
Scoped
… sitting here completely nude, folks, except for my jam-up Levis – I’m incredible! …
[Description by Uncle Ricky for contributor Barry Salberg] Chuck Browning Direct from WMCA in New York, here’s The Chucker, Chuck Browning, on San Francisco’s KFRC. This is a capture of the 9PM hour from Sunday night, August 31, 1969. It’s a Solid Gold Weekend and this studio recording sparkles with exceptional fidelity and Browning’s sharp wit. Chuck Browning died March 3, 1988 in San Francisco. He was survived by his wife and four children.
Unscoped
… sitting here completely nude, folks, except for my jam-up Levis – I’m incredible! …
[Description by Uncle Ricky for contributor Barry Salberg] Chuck Browning Direct from WMCA in New York, here’s The Chucker, Chuck Browning, on San Francisco’s KFRC. This is a capture of the 9PM hour from Sunday night, August 31, 1969. It’s a Solid Gold Weekend and this studio recording sparkles with exceptional fidelity and Browning’s sharp wit. Chuck Browning died March 3, 1988 in San Francisco. He was survived by his wife and four children.
Scoped
… I’ve done it again, pumped up those ratings – the question is now, can K.O. hold ’em …
[Description by Uncle Ricky]K.O. Bayley, KCBQ 1970(Picture Courtesy Lee Simms)

Dave Diamond and the late K.O. Bayley are heard back-to-back just before and after 9PM on San Francisco’s KFRC.

It’s a Friday night, and the most likely date is August 23, 1968. A couple of the Big 6-10 Goldens are rare and wonderful, for sure.

A cool surprise is the “fight bell” SFX mixed into the Bill Drake top-of-hour ID for Bayley.

Unscoped
… I’ve done it again, pumped up those ratings – the question is now, can K.O. hold ’em …
[Description by Uncle Ricky]K.O. Bayley, KCBQ 1970(Picture Courtesy Lee Simms)

Dave Diamond and the late K.O. Bayley are heard back-to-back just before and after 9PM on San Francisco’s KFRC.

It’s a Friday night, and the most likely date is August 23, 1968. A couple of the Big 6-10 Goldens are rare and wonderful, for sure.

A cool surprise is the “fight bell” SFX mixed into the Bill Drake top-of-hour ID for Bayley.

Scoped
… I’m teaching my dog to speak here in the studio, come on boy, speak boy …
[Description by Uncle Ricky] Originally published by REELRADIO on January 17, 2010, the music in this rare recording contributed by Barry Salberg was restored by Rob Frankel in 2015. Now you can enjoy this youthful off-the-wall Drake DJ, who passed away in 1993, and the music he played. I think this aircheck might appeal to the thousands of old radio guys who claim that the Drake Format didn’t allow “personality”. Tom Maule went on to KHJ, so apparently, no offense was taken, and all of this was apparently “Boss” (granted, at KGB, at the time.) He just did it with acapellas and without reverb. Tom Maule probably could have easily found work on “Swinging Radio England” and many east-coast PAMS-jingled and reverbed Top 40 stations. But, that’s not the way it happened.
… out there with our love pumps thumpin’ …
[Description by Uncle Ricky from notes by contributor Barry Salberg] This excellent fast-moving composite includes some of the best popular music jocks on the air in L.A. in May of 1970. Originally recorded by Tom Greenleigh for contributor Barry Salberg, it includes segments from three legendary stations and seven outstanding personalities. (00:00 – 05:38) KGFJ: Don Tracy, Jim Wood (05:39 – 17:22) KRLA: Jay Stevens, Dick Sainte, Russ O’Hara (17:23 – 33:00) KHJ: Chuck Browning, The Real Don Steele Just prior to this aircheck, Jay Stevens had been at KFRC. The KHJ segment includes Thom Beck with a fabulous Irwindale Raceway spot, and the Steele show wraps with a Fractious Friday signoff. The intro for KSTN’s Barry Shane at the end of the exhibit was a gag for the contributor.
… . . . KCBQ, with radio’s greatest prize . . . …

Always acclaimed for his vocal work, Bobby Ocean’s production skills, and particularly his writing ability, have gotten comparatively short shrift in recent years. Here, in these 1971 KCBQ contest promos, he puts it all together — certainly among his finest work ever, and clearly some of the most artful station production of the top-40 era.

For those who appreciate superlative craftsmanship and creativity, these are a special treat, and a rare slice of some of the best of the short-lived Buzz Bennett reign at KCBQ.

… four o’clock in the mother city of the valley, babies …
[Description by Barry Salberg] Those who really know their stuff won’t fail to note the heavy Dick Sainte influence in Ted Jordan’s delivery here. As the AA farm team in the Drake hierarchy, KYNO was a radio anomaly. It had the finest equipment (the classic Collins board), and a wonderful control room — facilities well beyond the norm for a mid-market station. It was a palace compared to the rustic surroundings of KSTN in Stockton, where Ted Kraft (Jordan) toiled before being hired by then KYNO PD, Harry Miller (Eric Chase). Jordan is a fun specimen, highly stylized, not the usual straight Drake pipe-and-hype. Though a little rough around the “impressionistic” edges, this is a bittersweet sample from the minor leagues of the Drake glory years.

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