The Matt Spero Collection

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Matt in KTTY
Control Room
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Matt in KTTY
Production Room
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Matt Spero Today		 Matt Spero first discovered Radio as a teenager when he peddled his bike down to the local radio station transmitter and studio — KSRO in Santa Rosa, California. The DJ showed him around and even let him play in the Production studio. He was hooked.

Shortly after that visit, Matt built his own little studio in a corner of his parents' garage and would do shows on tape. He even broadcast a few blocks with a very small AM transmitter.


Matt at AFRTS

It was about this time he started to record a few airchecks, picking up stations like KFRC and KYA in San Francisco and KEWB in Oakland. When he entered the Navy in 1965, he was stationed in San Diego and made friends with the Program Director at KCBQ, where they adopted KTTY on board the carrier USS Kitty Hawk as a sister radio station. He worked in Special Services at both the Radio & TV stations. As Tom Post, he had the morning shift from 9 to 12 on KTTY Radio, broadcasting to the crew of over 5000.

When Matt got out of the Navy, he worked at KDAC in Fort Brag, CA and eventually moved down to Los Angeles to refine his craft at the Don Martin School of Broadcasting. He then worked at KKDJ Los Angeles, where he was an engineer. As much as he loved working in Radio, he decided that he wanted to settle down in LA. So, he pursued his second ocupational choice and became a Motion Picture Projectionist.

These days, Matt does freelance work in video editing and audio production. All through the years he recorded various radio airchecks, and he is glad to be able to share some of them here.

The Repository thanks Matt Spero for sharing!
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Charlie Tuna, KKDJ Los Angeles Rewind 73 Pt.1 (1:07:29)

Unscoped
… the only reason I’m here is because you’re too lazy to get up and turn over the records yourself …
There’s a ton of Tuna-quips, editorials from legendary L.A. news guys, and the hits of 1973 in monthly order. It’s not a countdown – it is a slick and swift chronological Review of 1973 on KKDJ (FM), just before New Year’s Day, 1974. Part One of this three-part exhibit is mostly about hits from late 1972, since these songs dominated the format in early 1973. Charlie Tuna adds his unique personality to a presentation that includes Paul Oscar Anderson and J. Paul Huddleston with powerfully-voiced editorial summaries of the year. One song was restored.
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Charlie Tuna, KKDJ Los Angeles Rewind 73 Pt.1 (scoped) (0:13:09)

Scoped
… the only reason I’m here is because you’re too lazy to get up and turn over the records yourself …
There’s a ton of Tuna-quips, editorials from legendary L.A. news guys, and the hits of 1973 in monthly order. It’s not a countdown – it is a slick and swift chronological Review of 1973 on KKDJ (FM), just before New Year’s Day, 1974. Part One of this three-part exhibit is mostly about hits from late 1972, since these songs dominated the format in early 1973. Charlie Tuna adds his unique personality to a presentation that includes Paul Oscar Anderson and J. Paul Huddleston with powerfully-voiced editorial summaries of the year. One song was restored.

Gene Weed, KFWB Los Angeles, March 27, 1959 (0:47:34)

Unscoped
… Channel 98, with seven of the top-rated shows in all of occupied Los Angeles …
The spots have been edited, and it sounds like all the classic hits were very nicely restored to this crisp recording of The Weedy One, the late Gene Weed (d. 1999), filling in on the Elliot Field frolic for Friday, March 27, 1959. If you listen carefully, the clarity of this recording reveals cue burns and scratches on the jingles and spots! Evidently, most everything was on Electrical Transcriptions (acetates?). The KFWB engineers must have been plenty busy, juggling discs and cueing up a team of turntables. That’s right, no cart machines, certainly no computers! There’s a Sports Scoreboard and a weather forecast, but the announcer isn’t identified. However, Gene does promote John Babcock as “coming up” with a newscast at the end of the hour, so maybe he is the mystery announcer.
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Gene Weed, KFWB Los Angeles, March 27, 1959 (scoped) (0:23:19)

Scoped
… Channel 98, with seven of the top-rated shows in all of occupied Los Angeles …
The spots have been edited, and it sounds like all the classic hits were very nicely restored to this crisp recording of The Weedy One, the late Gene Weed (d. 1999), filling in on the Elliot Field frolic for Friday, March 27, 1959. If you listen carefully, the clarity of this recording reveals cue burns and scratches on the jingles and spots! Evidently, most everything was on Electrical Transcriptions (acetates?). The KFWB engineers must have been plenty busy, juggling discs and cueing up a team of turntables. That’s right, no cart machines, certainly no computers! There’s a Sports Scoreboard and a weather forecast, but the announcer isn’t identified. However, Gene does promote John Babcock as “coming up” with a newscast at the end of the hour, so maybe he is the mystery announcer.
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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