Years ago, one of my
favorite internet sites to visit was ReelRadio.Com, a site dedicated to preserving
the history of (primarily) top-40 radio. It was so much fun, in fact, that my
wife, Jean, bought me a new, faster dial-up modem (remember those?) in order to
hear the new RealAudio 3 files back in the 1990s.
Over the years as my
computers and the internet got faster, ReelRadio got bigger and better. To the
point where, today, there are over 3000 selections from which to choose. Classic
top-40 radio from KHJ, KRLA, Ten-Q, KFI and more, along with stations from
around the country and Canada such as CKLW, WLS, WCFL and KCBQ.
And a few surprises ...
such as some radio satire (search for “nine” and “99”) or the famous 1972
“recycled” documentary as heard on San Diego’s KGB as it transitioned to album
rock from top-40. The oldest recording on the site is also a treat: 15 minutes
with Bing Crosby as heard on KHJ in 1931.
There’s the groundbreaking
-- and ratings record-setting -- History of Rock and Roll as heard on KHJ in
1969, narrated by Robert W. Morgan. And Rush Limbaugh playing the hits in the
1970s under the name Jeff Christie. All typically presented in glorious
low-fidelity mono as originally heard on your AM tuner.
Not all are AM, either. You
can hear recordings of KKDJ before it became KIIS-FM. Or KIIS-FM, for that
matter, in its days spent dominating all stations in America ... along with
others such as KIQQ with Boss Radio transplants Morgan and The Real Don
Steele.
It truly is an online
museum of historical recordings known to us radio geeks as “airchecks” ... a
clearinghouse of recordings, as their purpose statement explains, “both archival
and educational.” And it gives both those who produced the airchecks -- the DJs
-- as well as listeners a chance to talk about what they hear ... to “offer
comments on our exhibits and to participate in a dialogue about Top 40 Radio,
the people, the music, popular culture and history preserved in these
airchecks.”
After some time spent in
what curator Richard “Uncle Ricky” Irwin called “jukebox mode” in which access
to some exhibits was limited as the nonprofit ReelRadio Board of Directors
worked out some issues, I was pleasantly surprised to find that as of late
March, ReelRadio is back in full operation with a slightly cleaner interface and
even more exhibits.
To attempt to cover the
costs associated with running the site such as the time spent encoding the files
as well as maintaining the servers and paying bandwidth and music licensing
fees, ReelRadio requires a small yearly membership fee of $20 to start, $15 to
renew. I personally think it is a great deal for all the entertainment value I
receive; even my wife thinks they are fun, though she does think I am a bit
weird for spending so much time listening.
She is right of
course.
Regardless, I’m just
excited that ReelRadio is back. Check it out for yourself and let me know what
you think.
Droning On
KFI (640 AM) -- already one
of the better news sources among Los Angeles radio stations -- plans to improve
coverage of certain news events by equipping reporters with news drones.
According to assistant programmer Neil Saavedra, “Reporters will complete both
classroom and field training with an instructor and the KFI News Drones will now
be a part of their general news gathering technology.” The drones will be part
of general news gathering but interestingly will not be used on-air; instead
they will be used for the station’s website and on social media.
"There is no doubt in my
mind that this is the future of news gathering," said KFI programmer Robin
Bertolucci in a press release. "The news drones will be a great addition to our
content capturing technology. Our listeners demand dynamic content on our
website and social media. Not to mention, they’re just really, really cool."
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