Airchecks

Airchecks capture the essence of a radio station's sound. They are recordings of radio programs, highlighting the disc jockey and his presentation, the radio station's promotions and audience builders, and just enough of the music to give you an idea of what was on the station's playlist at the time.

We hope to build the aircheck library here over time, with help from you, the radio listener. If you have any tapes you'd like to contribute, do it!

All of the airchecks in the archive here have been "telescoped." That means the music and many of the commercials have been cut short, with just enough of it so you can hear what the DJ was doing over it, under it, or behind it. Copyright law is a complex subject, and we certainly don't want a hassle with it. Minimizing the music in the airchecks is one way we hope to encourage the lawyers to ignore us. And we hope they will. Our intent here is essentially just to preserve and display a bit of radio as it was, while possibly increasing everyone's interest in radio as it is, no matter what station they pick as their favorite. We think it's a fair use of the material. Nevertheless, we'll immediately honor requests from copyright holders to remove their material from this site. That said, here's our aircheck inventory so far. More are on the way. To listen, just click the Play button on the tape deck:

Airchecks Menu

• Airchecks 1
• Airchecks 2

Jeff Douglas on WPTR, KIRL, WIXO, and WNOE-AM, 1971-1975

A half-hour of early JD, filling in on afternoon show on WPTR in Albany, NY in late 1971, then mornings at KIRL in suburban St. Louis. Although he'd gotten into radio at his college radio station, WRPI in Troy, NY, as "J. Douglas," WPTR already had J. W. Wagner doing mornings, so J. became Jeff at WPTR and KIRL. At WIXO and WNOE-AM in New Orleans, it was back to "J. Douglas," middays at WIXO in 1974, and all-nights at WNOE-AM in 1975. Can you remember when the Led Zeppelin IV album was brand new?

Jeff Douglas on WPTR, Albany, 1972

Jeff Douglas doing his usual all-night show at WPTR, the 50,000-watt AM station in Albany, NY on a "heavy winter weekend" in early 1972.

Jeff Douglas, WPTR, Albany, 1971, After Sky Dive

JD went skydiving for the first time in October, 1971 with a college buddy. Both had attended the same high school, where they made a pact to go skydiving after college. The time had come. After making his live trumpet debut at midnight that night, JD described the rush of that first sky dive. Thanks to WTRY's John Gabriel for rolling tape and contributing it to the Radio Museum.

Jon Wolfert's WPTR Jingles Sampler

Jon Wolfert is President of JAM Creative Productions Inc. and their predecessor, PAMS, both of which are Dallas, Texas-based jingle companies supplying jingles and production music to radio and TV stations worldwide. They supplied 50,000-watt WPTR in Albany, NY, where JD cut his commercioal AM radio baby teeth. This is a sampling of some of them. Jon is also responsible for Rewound Radio, so be sure to check that out. Thanks to WPTR's Rick Ryder (Gary Liebisch) for steedring me to this one.

J. Douglas on WIXO, New Orleans, 1973

The late Michael Green, who did middays at WTIX-AM in the early 70's before becoming Program Director at WIXO in 1973, closes his show on a July Saturday morning to make way for J. Douglas. Check the hourly wages offered by the Louisiana State Employment Service, and the $3,900 Chrysler Newport in the Fred Drake Chrysler-Plymouth ad!

Tom Owens on WIXO, New Orleans, 1973

Tom Owens aircheck and production demo recorded during his afternoon drive shift on 12/6/73. Would you rather go out on a date or a prune?

Tom Owens on WIXO, New Orleans, 1974

Tom Owens on WIXO, New Orleans, in May of 1974. People taking their clothes off, blacks and whites getting it on--what's the world coming to?

Tom Owens on WRNO, New Orleans, 1974

After leaving WIXO, Tom Owens moved to WRNO, where consultant Lee Abrams developed his Superstars album rock format at 'RNO, one of the first stations in the country to do it. This is an aircheck and production demo. Check out the $3.99 sale price on the Bachman Turner Overdrive and New York Dolls albums!

Tom Owens on WNOE-FM, New Orleans, 1975

It's 1975. Aerosmith's Walk This Way is brand new. The Jazz are a New Orleans basketball team. And Linda Lovelace is running for President. Tom Owens is working at WNOE-FM with ex-Abrams compatriot Sonny Fox, whom you'll hear here promoting the Sunday night specials. Bobby Reno from WTIX is Program Director at WNOE-FM, which is anything but country back then. And the enemy is WRNO. Plenty of interesting commercials at the end of this aircheck & production demo.

Weerd Wayne, Dolph, & J. Douglas on WRNO, New Orleans, 1989

Labor Day Weekend, 1989, JD got stuck in an hour-long traffic jam on the I-10 Twin Span over Lake Pontchartrain on the way to his 7 PM - 12 M show. Weerd Wayne and Dolph cover for him 'til he gets there. 'TIX-FM morning man Michael in the Morning was Program Director at 'RNO back then; he's heard on the promo for the Isle of Dreams Treasure Hunt.

J. Douglas on WRNO, New Orleans, 1984

Following Terry Knight’s screaming commercial for Thirsty’s, JD does his own live screaming PSA, then has more fun at the next break when he accidentally start’s TK’s commercial again.

Johnny Tyler on WRNO, New Orleans, 1984

Johnny Tyler fills in for Bobby Reno in January of 1984. Not to take anything away from Johnny, but the best part of this aircheck is WABC's Dan Ingram on a commercial urging listeners to get AIDS! Remember, the disease hadn't been discovered yet.

J. Douglas & Sambo with Stephen Stills on WRNO, New Orleans, 1978

Stephen Stills grew up in Covington, Louisiana north of New Orleans. In September, 1978, he "came home" to see the Muhammed Ali-Leon Spinks fight in the Superdome. He brought a 2-track tape of his new Thoroughfare Gap album and dropped in on JD on a Saturday night. Sambo did middays at WRNO and lived in the Imperial House motel on North Causeway in Metairie, which also housed the WRNO studios. He dropped by as well, and actually does most of the interview. Hear what Steve Stills thinks about the recording process, the music business, the Ali-Spinks fight, the New Orleans police, Gary Busey in The Buddy Holley Story, and the ancient tape deck at WRNO that can be heard doing its best to nearly destroy his tape! Thanks to Art Parr of Mandeville for this contribution. These days, you'll find Sambo disguised as Bo Roberts doing mornings at KZPS in Dallas, along with Jim White, another ex-WRNO jock. Interview photo.

J. Douglas on WRNO, New Orleans, 1991

This is JD doing a Saturday morning at WRNO for a change, not too long before he hung up his headphones there when the station switched to the short-lived, syndicated Z-Rock format. This was a simulcast on the shortwave WRNO Worldwide at 15.420 MHz, as well as the FM. You'll spot snippets of Kenny Vest and Michael in the Morning on some of the commercials here.

Rick Collins on WNOE-AM, New Orleans, 1975

Here's Rick Collins on WNOE-AM ("The New N-O-E"), playing Count the Music for $50 bills and getting a winning listener. You'll hear Program Diector E. Alvin Davis on the Count the Music promos. It's a Saturday afternoon shift, recorded and contributed by Bimbo, the DJ with a JD, who did research at WNOE all those years ago. Thanks, Bim!

Crazy Bob (McLain) on WNOE-AM, New Orleans, 1976

Here's your Breakfast Flake, Crazy Bob on WNOE-AM ("The New N-O-E"), trying to give away free money ($4,893). You'll hear long-time WNOE News Director Dave Kushler's full newscast and interaction with Bob. Check the price on the new 1976 Ford Pinto in the Bohn Ford ad at the end. You'll also hear ads for the Victoria Station restaurant in the French Quarter (it ain't dere no mo'), as well as the now-defunct A&P Grocery. There are two shows here. You'll hear Alan Beebe introducing Bob for the second one midway through. The first show was near Mardi Gras in 1976. Not sure of the date for the second. Recorded and contributed by Bimbo. Thanks again, Bim!

Chuck Kirr, WTIX, New Orleans, 1979

Chuck Kirr on WTIX around 4 PM in December, 1979 when WTIX sounded pretty much like WNOE-AM at the time. You'll hear Terry Young on a commercial, and a promo for Bobby Reno doing Noon to 6 PM the next day. , You can hear “The Chucker” now as “Doc” Thayer, owner of WZPH, 96.7, The Zephyr in Florida. A well-traveled (and well-educated) disc jockey whose been to stations in Illinois, Milwaukee, Trenton, Fayetteville, Buffalo, Miami, Chattanooga, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Miami, “Doc” has settled with his doctorate and radio station in the Tampa area. Thanks to Christopher Roach for this contribution.

"Fast" Eddie Coyle on WEZB (B-97), New Orleans, 1986

“Fast” Eddie Coyle filled in for "Cajun" Ken Cooper on this morning in January, 1986. Thanks to Christopher Roach for this contribution.

Athena & Jeff on WKZN, New Orleans, 2003

Athena & Jeff on the now-defunct WKZN, 105.3 The Zone. This telescopes the 6 - 9 AM portion of their 5 AM - 9 AM show on 11/17/03 into an aircheck a little over two hours long, so there wasn't much music to remove. Plenty of talk and fun, though. They ask listeners for wedding proposal stories, and interview Cosmo magazine's Louisiana bachelor lawyer and hunk Josh Holmes, who in turn interviews a couple of lady listeners Dating Game-style. The winner gets a French Quarter date with him. Gene & Julie from Lite 94.9 in Atlanta call in to pay off on a Saints-Falcons game bet.

Joe Costello on WRNO Worldwide, New Orleans, 2003

The late Joe Costello, founder and ex-owner of WRNO-FM and WRNO Worldwide, the USA's first commercial shortwave station, on a produced station identification for WRNO Worldwide. The station was on the air throughout the Eighties and early Nineties. Thanks to Fred Lehmann for this contribution, taped off the air in South Dakota.

Bill Stedman, WRNO, New Orleans, 1975

Bill Stedman was the Program Director installed at WRNO by Lee Abrams and Sonny Fox when they brought their Superstars format to New Orleans. He also handled the midday jock chores. This aircheck was from a reel-to-reel tape that had apparently rolled on a tape deck in the Radio Shack store in Arabi, Louisiana (it ain't dere no more, thanks to Hurricane Katrina) The tape was discovered behind a stereo display fixture in the store a few years later. This sample makes it clear that the format was "all about the music." Trigger Black (Gary Guthrie) shows up for his afternoon gig at the end of this clip. Trigger had done a brief stint at WNOE in 1973, then at the megawatt AM XEROK in Juarez, Mexico (as B. J. McAllister), before landing back in New Orleans at 'RNO. Also heard in this clip: longtime WNOE newsman Dave Kushler peddling Marshall Brothers Lincoln-Mercurys; Pre-Superstars WRNO PD Doug Christian on an ad for The Courier, a favorite long-haired New Orleans weekly newspaper; Greg Allman's 7-minute Dreams twice in one jock shift (must have been in the hot rotation); an ad for the feature-length cartoon, The 9 Lives of Fritz the Cat as a midnight movie at The Saenger Theater; "Hosie" Pollet, an 'RNO engineer, peddling Maxell tape for Alterman Audio, and plenty of mention of 'RNO's music "in quad," the short-lived 4- channel quadrophonic sound which appeared on vinyl discs in several different formats, mostly the matrix SQ format from Columbia and other labels. WRNO also used two separate mikes for the jock at the time, so you can hear the jock turning his head.

Jeff Douglas, KIRL, St Louis, 1972

Here's JD in his earlier Jeff Douglas persona at KIRL, an AM Top 40 in suburban St. Louis. It starts with ABC news interviewing Elvis Presley after his sold-out show at Madison Square Garden. So this tape was probably of a Saturday morning show on June 10, 1972. It's the tail end of the weekly countdown.

Bob Walker, WTIX, New Orleans, 1968

WTIX could pump out a pretty good AM signal. At the age of 14, John Weeks recorded this aircheck of Bob Walker on WTIX up in Natchez, Mississippi, over 100 miles away. This one is under a minute long. Thanks, John!

Dr. Grady Brock, WNOE-AM, New Orleans, 1974

The self-proclaimed "Ugliest Human Being in Rock 'n' Roll," here's "Doctor" Grady Brock on WNOE in 1974. Not long after the gasoline shortages of 1973, Grady proved there was no energy shortage at WNOE! Thanks again to John Weeks for this one. Visit http://www.johnweeksvoiceovers.com/ and check out the Airchecks tab for more airchecks, especially in the Mississippi area.

Michael in the Morning, WRNO, New Orleans, 1989

Weerd Wayne introduces Michael in the Morning, who interviews Peter Tork of The Monkees on WRNO's The Sixties at Six. This 10-minute phone interview is 90 minutes before The Monkees' third and final concert in New Orleans at The Saenger Theater, on Friday, August 18, 1989. Thanks to Aaron Handy III for rolling tape on this one and contributing it!

Bob Walker & Sgt. T-Ben Boudreaux on Oldies 106.7, KQLD, New Orleans

Oldies King Bob Walker & crazed traffic reporter Sgt. T-Ben Boudreaux cut up on Oldies 106.7, KQLD in New Orleans in 1991. Find out what's playing at the Adult Movie! Thanks to Aaron Handy III of TV Shrine fame for this compendium of craziness.

Todd Bauer on WRNO, New Orleans

Todd Bauer filled in for Doug Christian on WRNO one night in the 70's and it was captured on this tape. We're not sure of the date. Some classic commercials appear here: 7-Up, the Uncola, the almost-all-music 60-second Budweiser spot, and Evelyn Wood Speed Reading, with WRNO engineer "Hosie" Pollet reading the tag for it.

Weerd Wayne on WRNO, New Orleans, 1989

Here's more of Weerd Wayne on WRNO. This time, it's 10/24/89--the day evangelist Jim Baker was sentenced to 50 years (or was it 45?), and also the birthday of the Rolling Stones' Bill Wyman. There's a wet T-shirt contest at Kenny Vincent's Southside, too!

Weerd Wayne on WNOE, New Orleans, 1977 & 1978

Before he was Weerd, he was just Wayne. And here he is as a self-described "snot-nosed 21-year-old" at WNOE-AM in New Orleans during Christmas of 1977, and Mardi Gras of 1978 (not necessarily in that order).

Robert W. Morgan, KHJ, Los Angeles, 1970

Robert W. Morgan on his second last day at KHJ, Los Angeles before his move to WIND, Chicago. It was October 1, 1970. You'll hear all-night jock Johnny Williams play his last record for the night, then Robert starts his morning show with an impersonation of Wolfman Jack, with whom he claimed to have been up all night recording radio shows. About 11 minutes in to this half-hour aircheck, Robert starts worrying about Charlie Tuna, who would be replacing him on the morning show the next week. Charlie hadn't showed up yet to "break in" and learn how to do the show. So after another record or two, Robert looks up Charlie's number in the "unlisted Wet Pages" and calls him at home. Charlie agrees to listen to Robert's show at home to get Robert's pointers. There's also a little snippet of a "Fractious Friday" with The Real Don Steele at the very end. Thanks to Gary Liebisch (a.k.a. "Rick Ryder" at WPTR in Albany) for providing the aircheck!

Bobby Reno, WTIX-FM, New Orleans, 2014

Bobby Reno was usually somewhere on the New Orleans radio dial from the weekend Hurricane Betsy arrived in 1965 until late 2016 when he passed away at the age of 72. He spent time as a jock at WTIX-AM and WRNO, and as Program Director at WNOE-FM and WCKW-FM in New Orleans. He also jocked in Memphis and at KSLQ in St. Louis. In this aircheck, Bobby's playin' dem oldies on WTIX-FM on Ash Wednesday, the day after Mardi Gras in 2014, sounding pretty much like he sounded decades earlier playing them when they were brand new on WTIX-AM, the Mighty 690.

The Krewe of 'TIX, WTIX, New Orleans, 1979

This 5 minutes will take you back to 1979 and WTIX. The Krew of 'TIX included Robert Mitchell, Ya Pal Al, Bob Walker, Terry Young, Marty with the Party, and Greg Fox with sports. Buzz Bennett guarantees that WTIX will give away $25,000. Thanks to Ya Pal Al for ressurecting this one!

Ya Pal Al, WTIX, New Orleans, 2017

Here's Ya Pal Al, one of the originals from The Mighty 690, as he sounds these days on WTIX-FM at 94.3 MHz. Thanks, Pal!

Jeff Scott, WFLI, Chattanooga, 1975

WIXO all-night guy Jeff Bennett was JD's roommate in early 1973. By 1975, JD was at WNOE-AM and Jeff Bennett had moved on to WFLI in Chattanooga, changing his airname to "Jeff Scott." Coincidentally, WFLI's Program Director was one-time WRNO jock E. Alvin Davis, who took on the PD title at WNOE-AM in 1976 and re-hired JD after he'd been fired by the preceeding PD, Jason O'Brien. Radio broadcasting could sometimes be a very small world! Here's a 10-minute sample of Jeff as he sounded then, playing "the mid-South's best music."

Airchecks Menu

• Airchecks 1
• Airchecks 2