Blog | Contribute | Audio Info | Feedback Archives | Links | Email Rick

LISTENER SUPPORT 5/08:  PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL OUR NEWER AIRCHECKS WILL OPEN IN WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER.  If you are a new listener, know that you can scroll  f-a-r  d-o-w-n this page to find hundreds of airchecks that are available and have posted over the years.  You can also  email me to find out how you can contribute audio, or provide comments or questions about this archive.  THANKS FOR LISTENING!

Gary LaPierre WBZ Boston "The Day of the Beatles" (19:17) September 12, 1964 was the day The Beatles came to Boston, and this special, starring young newsman Gary LaPierre is a radio classic.  There excerpts of LaPierre's questions in the press conference.  It also features Bob Kennedy, and produced by Ed Lowe and written and narrated by LaPierre.  My greatest thanks to Bob Swenson for this piece of radio history!

WBZ Boston Covers the JFK Assassination 1963.  (10:07) Here's some quick clips of WBZ's coverage of the day after the assassination.  Bob Lape is featured as a reporter, the other announcer is not identified.  Amongst the announcements were: plans for JFK's burial,  government office closings, and information on evidence of Lee Harvey Oswald. Contributed by Charles Pyne... thanks Charlie!

Long John Nebel with Jean Dixon, WNBC New York 1963.  (5:34) Nebel was a long standing overnight of New York radio from the 1950's through the 1970's.  He was first at WOR, then WNBC, WMCA and the Mutual Network. Nebel was fascinated by all things paranormal.  Dixon was best known for allegedly predicting the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. In the May 13 1956, issue of Parade Magazine she wrote that the 1960 presidential election would be "dominated by labor and won by a Democrat" who would then go on to "[B]e assassinated or die in office though not necessarily in his first term."  This clip is of Dixon talking about her prediction.  For you trivia buffs, Nebels' replacement on Mutual was Larry King.  Contributed by Charles Pyne.

KHJ Los Angeles Composite 1970.  It’s remarkable to think that 40 years have passed since Bill Drake and Ron Jacobs put switched KHJ to a Top 40 outlet.  The exact date was April 27, 1965.  This history of KHJ is well documented… in Ron Jacobs book, and in aircheck form on reelradio.com.  This extensive, but poorly scoped aircheck, originally from September 1970, was given to me in early 1971. I’m pleased to be able to help celebrate the 40^th Anniversary of “Boss Radio” with this two part composite.
KHJ Composite Part One (10:56)
     Unfortunately, only the first 36 seconds of the composite is the great Charlie Tuna.
     The Legendary Real Don Steele starts at :39.  The energy, is of course incredible. 
     9:05 – The ultra cool Humble Harv, on from 6-9pm. (There’s more of him on Part Two)
     9:25 – Shadow Stevens on his regular shift, 9pm-12m.
KHJ Composite Part Two (16:36)
     Shadow Stevens, here doing afternoon drive, in an aircheck put up on this site in 2000.
     8:25 – Back to Humble Harv; amazingly, he used drop-ins!
     12:44 – Johnny Williams, all night midnight-6am
     14:41 – Sadly, only one break of the great Robert W. Morgan.
     14:57 – Broadcasting School owner Bill Wade, 9am-12n.
In raw form, my original dub also includes some airchecks of KRLA, KGBS and KDAY.  I believe it came from a guy named Rich Hogan, who worked at WTRY and WFLY in the Albany NY market in the early 1970’s.  Myself and then high schooler John Gabriel listened to this tape over and over again in those days.  As a young radio nut, I was captivated by the "Drake" sound... and it's never left me.  

Jay Douglas and Rob Friedman WRPI Troy NY 1971. (29:14) Technically entitled the “Jeff and Bob present the Rock n’ Jay “How Ya Doin’” Early Morning Wake Up Show” the show that was normally on Friday mornings for barely two semesters on Renselear Polytechnic institute’s FM station. This aircheck was of their last show together… ever. It includes, confusingly, a clip from the “Crusin’ 1961” album that featured WMEX’s Arnie Ginsburg.  It was originally recorded at very slow tape speed (1+7/8), but is in stereo… with Rob on the right, and Jay on the left.  Douglas worked at WPTR and Friedman on WFLY in the Albany market at the time. Many thanks to Douglas Fogg (Jay Douglas), for this is about as obscure an aircheck as you can get… but I’ll bet the audience of  RPI alumni will eat this one up.  It’s for you gang!  

Jim Garrett WACK Newark, NY 1977. (3:26) First of all, Newark, NY is just north of Canandaigua, and east of Rochester. Jim wrote me that: “I was in radio 30 years ago in a couple of small markets around Rochester… I send it along only for its vague historical interest in terms of how this little daytime directional sounded lo those many years ago.  The station had been moved to what amounted to a suburban ranch house a couple of years before this, from its long time location on the main drag in Newark.  It had decent facilities for a station its size and I think the management was trying to do something with it.  The GM, whose name escapes me, had once worked in Chicago.  The Sales/Station manager was brought in from  an equally famous "C" city, Coudersport, PA. :-) I was hired as the Program Director out of the equally well-known WWBK in Brockport!  But it was a fun place for the year I lasted there.  I'll never forget walking in the first day and asking one of the jocks how they managed the music rotation.  He pointed at a tilting pile of 45's and said, "We take off the top and put the played ones on the bottom."  It was hysterical.  Everyone was doing whatever they felt like.  Needless to say, they weren't happy when I cut back severely on their chatter and added a strict clock.” Thanks to Ron Dylewski for aircheck… we love these small market wonders!