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!
[Description by Barry Salberg] The first time I heard the unusual voice of John Harding, I was driving into Phoenix, having just been hired to do 7-midnight at KRIZ. I thought to myself, the guy sounded like an eighty-year-old version of the Wolfman’s father, while my own pipes were more akin to that of an adolescent. I was astonished when we met, and discovered we were both the same age, in our early ’20s. Gary Stevens, just a few years removed from his own jock days at WMCA, was the station GM. No doubt, the faint echo that surrounds John’s vocal work here was Gary’s east coast hand. John was a nice guy, clearly had his personal demons, and aspired so much to work at one of the major Chicago stations. As noted elsewhere on the site, he went on from KRIZ to WCAO in Baltimore, and then to WIBG in Philadelphia. John took his own life just prior to assuming his first shift as summer relief at WCFL.

[Description by Barry Salberg]

FEATURES:

Chuck Browning KFRC, Bobby Ocean KGB,Harry Scarborough KMEN, Ted

Kraft (Jordan) KSTN, Jay Stevens KFRC, Gary Mack KHJ, Sebastian

Tripp KKUA, unknown KFIV, Greg Connors KOL, Mike Phillips KFRC, The

Real Don Steele KHJ, Steve Jay KGB, Pete McNeil KYNO, Bobby Dale

KFRC, Dave Jeffreys KYNO, Bob Elliott KGB, Steve O’Shea KFRC, Bill

Brown KGB, Howard Clark KFRC, Glen Adams KFRC, Ed Mitchell KFRC,

Robert W. Morgan KHJ, Humble Harv KHJ

This classic West Coast Boss Collage has been mentioned in various comment threads — thought it would surface on the site sooner. There’s a misconception that all of the airchecks were recorded on the same day. There are certainly a few things from the same time frame, but this composite really does stretch over a few years. From Seattle to Hawaii and down to San Diego, covering the mid-late sixties Drake era, it’s a unique representation of the market hierarchy and talent caliber.

You can really discern the difference between a Steve Jay at KGB and his work as Jay Stevens at KFRC. Great to see the similar evolution of Bobby Ocean at KGB,
Harry Scarborough at K/MEN,
and Pete McNeil at KYNO.

Some of the sets here have been heard on other REELRADIO exhibits, but what a wonderful mix and blend of some truly rare stuff, capped off by Humble Harv at KHJ.

… from the more music station, KSTN, Stockton! …
[Description by Barry Salberg] Upon leaving KYA in 1962, Bill Drake was hired to split time as program director of both KYNO in Fresno, and KSTN in Stockton, California. KSTN owner Knox LaRue (Dec. 18, 1922 – Dec. 22, 2004) was a business partner with Gene Chenault (KYNO) in various ventures. They co-hired Drake upon the recommendation of Jane Swain, LaRue’s GM at KSTN, who had worked with Drake in Atlanta. While the classic KMAK-KYNO battle of Fresno has been well documented, KSTN and LaRue are certainly owed their debt as well. A pioneer of the top-40 genre, LaRue built KSTN in 1949, and began playing the popular music of the day. As the rock era began, KSTN just stayed with it, providing a training ground for numerous talents. These rare artifacts from Drake’s Stockton days are clearly precursors to the Johnny Mann acapellas and Bill Drake-voiced jock intro’s and station ID’s of the RKO boss era. There’s little question that other elements of the Drake format were also initiated and honed during his stint at KSTN in the early ’60’s.
… Love will sleep us together …
[Description by Barry Salberg] It’s a shame Chuck Cannon never became a star at one of the major stations – clearly, an under-appreciated and un-sung master of the craft. His brilliant interaction with vocals and various musical elements was/is as good as any in the business. His diction is impeccable – you can actually understand every word. And what a devilish charm in his vocal notes – you can almost “hear” the wink in his eye as pulls off set after set. Chuck’s now back working on the S.E. Coast again, and sounding every bit as good as he did on this tape. Are you listening KRTH, WCBS-FM, KFRC?
… George Burns, the programming genius who beat Bill Drake in Cincinnati …
[Description by Barry Salberg] Everyone’s entitled to make a buck, and the TM spin-meisters were blowing hard even back then. All this pomposity and verbiage about simply yet another jingle package.
Scoped
… Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re listening to Chuck Browning, on New York’s Much More Music Station …
[Description by Barry Salberg]This Exhibit ‘SCOPED (8:54)
If all you want is the jings and the jock and the news and the spots, this version’s for you!

For aficionados of the late Chuck Browning (d. 1988), there’s nothing truly spectacular here content-wise, other than its overall rarity. Even the great Chucker couldn’t breathe life into the moribund WMCA at the end. He was soon on his way to the best work of his career, at KFRC in San Francisco, where he lit up afternoons.

It’s still more than worth it though, just to hear him say, “WMCA-love-the-Chucker-time,” or to catch him riffing with the Temptations, and announcing, “our album will be out very soon.”

Unscoped
… Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re listening to Chuck Browning, on New York’s Much More Music Station …
[Description by Barry Salberg] This Exhibit ‘SCOPED (8:54) If all you want is the jings and the jock and the news and the spots, this version’s for you! For aficionados of the late Chuck Browning (d. 1988), there’s nothing truly spectacular here content-wise, other than its overall rarity. Even the great Chucker couldn’t breathe life into the moribund WMCA at the end. He was soon on his way to the best work of his career, at KFRC in San Francisco, where he lit up afternoons. It’s still more than worth it though, just to hear him say, “WMCA-love-the-Chucker-time,” or to catch him riffing with the Temptations, and announcing, “our album will be out very soon.”

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