Welcome to RadioTapes Inc.
We've updated this website’s design to make it more user-friendly and optimized for better viewing on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. Transferring over 4,000 audio and print files from the old site was a significant effort, and there may still be some dead links or areas needing adjustment and corrections. Please consider the site "under construction" for the next few weeks as we continue to fine-tune it.
For over 20 years, RadioTapes has been dedicated to preserving and showcasing historical airchecks from Minneapolis/St. Paul (MN) area radio stations, with recordings dating back to 1924. Operated by radio historian Tom Gavaras, the site features content contributed by a network of more than 100 collaborators. With over 2,500 audio recordings, RadioTapes covers a wide variety of formats and significant events, including major news broadcasts.
RadioTapes is committed to providing free access to all users. While the site primarily serves radio enthusiasts, anyone interested in broadcast history will find value here. You can listen to or download the recordings, and while some files are large, they can be accessed easily with a high-speed connection. The site aims to be an educational resource for anyone interested in the history of Twin Cities radio and American broadcast history as a whole.
As always, we welcome your comments and feedback. RadioTapes remains free of charge, with no intrusive pop-up ads. If you enjoy the website, please consider making a donation—no matter the amount—to help cover our annual operating costs.
Thank you for visiting RadioTapes.com!
FEATURED STATIONS: KDWB, KLBB, KQRS, KSTP, WCCO, WDGY, WLOL, WWTC, WYOO (U100) and more!
AIRCHECKS +: More stations and airchecks to enjoy.
SPECIAL POSTINGS: Major news events as heard locally including tornado and severe weather, JFK and RFK assassinations, 35W bridge collapse, Apollo flights, Watergate and more.
VIDEOS: 200 videos of Twin Cities radio station.
MUSIC SURVEYS: 1,200+ surveys from 1957 to 1988.
This site respects copyright rules limiting the inclusion of full songs, focusing instead on personalities, news, commercials, and more. Public reposting of airchecks and materials from this website is not permitted without the permission of RadioTapes, Inc. and the originating source. While navigating this site, if you happen to come across a bad link, please contact us.
REMEMBERING PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States, has passed away. The following are airchecks that President Carter appeared in on WCCO-AM (830).
Boone & Erickson skit: "The Carter Family" - 1976 - 2 MB
Carter appears at Farmfest - September 15, 1976 - 10 MB
Carter wins Presidential Election - November 3, 1976 - 1 MB
Carter Inauguration coverage - January 20, 1977 - 22 MB
Carter appears on the Boone & Erickson Show - April 26, 1985 - 21 MB
Carter appears with Gil (Roger Erickson) & Fin (Dave Lee) - January 12, 1994 - 1 MB
Carter appears on the Ruth Koscielak Show - January 12, 1994 - 2 MB
11/29/2024
MINNESOTA NORTH STAR GAME BROADCAST FROM 1972 WITH AL SHAVER AND STEVE CANNON
WCCO-AM (830) - Minnesota North Stars vs Montreal Canadians - February 24, 1972 with Al Shaver and Steve Cannon. Part 1–36 MB - Part 2 - 40 MB
The aircheck features the entire game broadcast includes Fan in the Stands with Steve Cannon and Al Shaver, Sid Hartman with North Stars coach Jack Gordon, news headlines with Joe McFarlin (President Nixon was in China at this time), and post-game. Includes commercials for Lancer, Schick, Ski-Doo, Bob's Produce Ranch, Bridgman's, Midwest Federal, Minnesota Blue Cross/Blue Shield/MII, Western Airlines, White Bear Dodge, Grain Belt Beer, Dodge, and Cloverleaf Milk.
This game was digitized off of a very slow moving "logger" reel-to-reel tape kept by 'CCO. As a result, the audio is not studio quality, but more like what it would have sounded like listening with a 1960s small pocket AM transistor radio.
11/26/2024
KDWB-AM AIRCHECK FROM 1966 WITH JAMES FRANCIS PATRICK O'NEILL
KDWB-AM (630) James Francis Patrick O'Neill from September 28, 1966 - 17 MB (provided by Curt Lundgren)
This aircheck features good audio quality and impressive production work. Includes newscast with Donald K. Martin, Spotcheck on Sports with Don Riley. Jingles, and commercials for Grain Belt Beer, Red Wing Pottery, Buerkle Buick, The Gables, CC Tap, Pepsi Old Style Beer, Sussel, Royal Tire Sales, Dale Carnegie, Coca Cola sung by Petula Clark, St. Paul Auditorium with Sammy Davis Jr, and Count Basie Orchestra, Hamm's Beer, Crown Auto, Chevrolet, Fantastic Voyage (movie), STP, and First National Bank of St. Paul.
11/25/2024
MINNESOTA VIKINGS PLAY-BY-PLAY FROM 1969 WITH RAY CHRISTENSEN
WCCO-AM (830) Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams in a Western Conference Championship game at Metropolitan Stadium on December 27. 1969 with Ray Christensen and Paul Giel. The aircheck includes the entire second half starting when the Rams were leading 17 to 7 with the Vikings responding to win 23 to 20. - 29 MB
11/13/2024
TIM RUSSELL ON WCCO-FM - 50 YEARS AGO IN 1974
WCCO-FM (102.9) Tim Russell on March 2, 1974 - 46 MB
Aircheck includes the station's sign-on, some of Tim's voice impersonations including Richard Nixon, John Wayne, and Howard Cosell. Plus UPI newscasts and local news with Rick Olson - this was the day before maximum speed limit was reduced nationally to 55 mph due to an oil embargo. Watergate was also in the news.
Commercials included the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Morries Imports, Ridgedale Mazda, and Northwestern Bell.
11/12/2024
DAN DONOVAN KOOL 108 COMMERCIAL FROM 1998
KQQL-FM (107.9) KOOL 108 commercial that aired on KMSP-TV in 1998 featuring Dan Donovan.
(click on the photo to view the video)
11/11/2024
MINNESOTA GOPHER FOOTBALL AND BASKETBALL HIGHLIGHTS WITH RAY CHRISTENSEN 1970 to 2001 INCLUDING HIS FINAL GAME BROADCASTS
WCCO-AM (830) - More than 100 Gopher Football and Basketball game play-by-play highlights spanning from 1970 to 2001 with Ray Christensen including his final game broadcasts and more!
GOPHER FOOTBALL
1970: Indiana (23-0 win)
1977: Ohio State (7-38 loss), UCLA (27-13 win)
1978: Indiana (32-31 win)
1979: Opponents not identified
1980: Illinois (21-18 win), Iowa (24-6 win), Indiana (31-7 win)
1981: Purdue (16-13 win), Northwestern (35-23 win)
1982: Northwestern (21-23 loss), Indiana (21-40 win), Iowa (16-21 loss)
1983: Nebraska (13-84 loss), Purdue (20-32 loss)
1984: Indiana (33-24 win), Wisconsin (17-14 win), Northwestern (28-31 loss)
1985: Purdue (45-15 win), Northwestern (21-10 win)
1986: Wisconsin (27-20 win), Michigan (20-17 win), Iowa (27-30 loss)
1987: Northwestern (45-33 win), Indiana (17-18 loss), Illinois (17-27 loss), Michigan (20-30 loss)
1988: Indiana (13-33 loss), Ohio State (6-13 loss)
1989: Indiana (18-28 loss), Ohio State (37-41 loss), Wisconsin (24-22 win)
1990: Iowa State (20-16 win), Nebraska (0-56 loss), Purdue (19-7 win), Northwestern (35-25 win), Ray Christensen recognized at half-time at the Iowa game for his 400th Gopher Football game broadcast.
1991: Michigan State (12-20 loss), Michigan (6-52 loss), Indiana (8-34 loss), Ohio State (6-35 loss), Wisconsin (16-19 loss)
1992: Michigan (13-63 loss), Indiana (17-24 loss), Ohio State (0-17 loss), Iowa (28-13 win)
1993: Wisconsin (28-21 win), Illinois (20-23 loss)
1994: Illinois (17-21 loss), Michigan (22-38 loss), Iowa (42-49 loss)
1995: Ohio State (21-49 loss), Wisconsin (27-34 loss), Illinois (14-48 loss)
1996: Ball State (26-23 win), Syracuse (35-33 win)
1997: Indiana (24-12 win)
1998: Michigan State (19-18 win), Wisconsin (7-26 loss), Iowa (49-7 win)
1999: Ohio State (17-20 loss), Purdue (28-33 loss), Penn State (24-23 win)
2000: Ohio State (29-17 win - the only time during Ray's broadcast career that the Gophers won in Columbus).
Plus, the Gophers and the North Carolina State at the MicronPC.com Bowl at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL (30-38 loss). This was Ray's final football game broadcast, with tributes by Dave Lee and Dave Mona.
GOPHER BASKETBALL
1972: End of the Minnesota-Ohio State game on January 25 which concluded with a brawl. Athletic Director Paul Giel officially ended the game.
1978: Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue, Northwestern
1979: George Tech, Indiana, Northwestern
1980: Wisconsin, Purdue
1981: Opponents not identified
1983: Indiana State, Illinois, Purdue
1984: Ohio State, Northwestern
1985: Illinois, Purdue, Wisconsin
1986: Michigan
1987: Wisconsin
1988: Northwestern, Michigan State, Wisconsin
1989: Michigan, Iowa, Purdue, and Memories of Reaching the NCAA Sweet 16
1990: NCAA Games: University of Texas El Paso, Northern Iowa, Syracuse, Georgia
1991: Ohio State and Ray Christensen recognized on December 11, 1991 for his 1,000 Gopher Basketball game broadcast.
1992: Ohio State, Illinois, Northwestern
1993: NIT Games: Florida, Oklahoma, Southern California, Providence, Georgetown
1994: Penn State, Indiana
1995: Wisconsin, Northwestern, Purdue
1996: Ohio State, Purdue, Penn State
1997: NCAA: Southwest Texas, Temple, Clemson, UCLA
1998: Big 10 Tournament: Michigan State (14+ minute recording). NIT: Colorado State, Alabama Birmingham, Fresno State, Penn State
1999: Iowa, Michigan, Indiana
2000: Wisconsin, Indiana (great rally by Gophers)
2001: Indiana Presentation to Ray, Tribute EW Ziebarth, NIT: Villanova, Tulsa. The recording ends with Ray's final broadcast after 50 years of play-by-play announcing.
11/10/2024
WCCO RADIO COVERAGE ON THE SINKING OF THE EDMUND FITZGERALD
WCCO-AM (830) - WCCO Radio and CBS Radio news coverage on the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 11, 1975 - 3 MB
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29 men.
11/8/2024
MINNEAPOLIS LAKERS PLAY-BY-PLAY FROM 1960 WITH RAY CHRISTENSEN
WLOL-AM (1330) Minneapolis Lakers vs. St. Louis Hawks playoff game at Kiel Auditorium in St. Louis with Ray Christensen from March 22, 1960. Aircheck includes the last six minutes of regulation plus most of the overtime. After this season, the Lakers moved to Los Angeles. 14 MB
8/26/2024
WCCO-AM (830) - AUGUST 26, 1966 - 5:00 AM-11:00 PM (58 YEARS AGO!)
RadioTapes is winding back the aircheck time machine to 58 years ago. Here is a rare opportunity to enjoy approximately 17 hours of continuous programming as heard on WCCO-AM on August 26, 1966, from 5:00 am to 11:00 pm. You will hear Roger Erickson and Maynard Speece in the morning, Howard Viken filling in on the national Arthur Godfrey Show, Boone and Erickson, MN Vikings vs. the Washington Redskins with Ray Christensen and Paul Giel, MN Twins vs. the Chicago White Sox with Herb Carneal, Ray Scott, Halsey Hall and Sid Hartman. Plus many commercials (including lots of cigarette ads), Jergen Nash Show, an address by President Johnson and much more!
These recordings were digitized off of a very slow moving "logger" reel-to-reel tape kept by 'CCO. As a result, the audio is not studio quality but more like what it would have sounded like listening with a 1960s small pocket AM transistor radio. We hope you enjoy this wonderful audio journey back in time. File sizes range between 23 MB to 30 MB. Music has been scoped.
Here is a LINK to the page with all the hourly airchecks and detailed descriptions.
8/26/2024
THE START OF U100 ON AUGUST 26, 1974
Fifty years ago on August 26, 1974, U100 (WYOO AM/FM) began at the Minnesota State Fair. Even though the format only lasted two years, it is still fondly talked about today. Listen to the first minutes, last minutes, and many more hours of airchecks at the following LINK.
7/18/2024
REMEMBERING BOB NEWHART
Bob Newhart, legendary comedian and sitcom star, passed away on July 18, 2024 at age 94.
WCCO Radio's Howard Viken was the first to give significant airtime to a comedy album by a young Bob Newhart. Thanks to Howard and WCCO Radio listeners, the album took off in this market, which attracted the attention of programmers in other markets. Soon the album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, was a big success. Newhart always gave credit to Howard for helping him get his first big break.
WCCO-AM - Bob Newhart appears on the Howard Viken Show on February 18, 1983 - 16 MB
7/15/2024
REMEMBERING RICHARD SIMMONS WITH APPEARANCES ON KDWB AND KQRS
Richard Simmons, who built a mini-empire in his trademark tank tops and short shorts by urging the overweight to exercise and eat better, passed away on July 13, 2024. Below are airchecks of Richard's appearances on KDWB and KQRS.
KDWB-FM Richard Simmons appearance on the Dave Ryan Morning Show - Dave Ryan's Birthday - 10-24-1996 - 8 MB
KQRS-FM Richard Simmons appearance on the KQ Morning Show - approx 1996 - 3 MB (courtesy of Tom Oszman, TC Media Now)
KQRS-FM Richard Simmons appearance on the KQ Morning Show - approx 1999 - 3 MB (courtesy of Tom Oszman, TC Media Now)
KQRS-FM Richard Simmons appearance on the KQ Morning Show - 2003 - 8 MB (courtesy of Tom Oszman, TC Media Now)
5/21/2024
WLOL-FM COMPLETE SCOPED HOT HITS COUNTDOWN FROM 1982 WITH JAY PHILPOTT
WLOL-FM (99.5) Complete scoped Hot Hits Countdown from October 17, 1982 with Jay Philpott. - 25 MB (provided by the family of Raymond and Muriel Harrington)
Playlist provided by Jay Philpott.
Click to Enlarge.
5/18/2024
VIDEO OF MEDIA AT THE 1985 MINNESOTA STATE FAIR
Video of media at the 1985 Minnesota State Fair including WCCO-AM (Howard Viken and Chuck Lilligren), WDGY-AM (John Pratt), KDWB-FM (Lisa Carr), WLOL-FM (Bob Lange) and more. Plus local television stations.
5/15/2024
KRSI REQUEST RADIO AIRICHECK FROM 1971 WITH TAC HAMMER
KRSI-AM/FM (950 / 104.1) - Aircheck of Request Radio with Tac Hammer from August 29, 1971 - 16 MB
The aircheck include newscasts (ABC Radio and local), music requests, and commercials for the Burnsville Bowl, Groom & Clean Hair Spray, Team Electronics, Living Water, Guthrie Theater, McDonald's, Greenleaf Townhomes by Orrin Thompson, Charlie's Restaurant, and General Motors. Note the customized KRSI singing intro by Three Dog Night for their song Liar at 9:52 into this aircheck.
Lance "Tac" Hammer started his radio career in Duluth, MN at WEBC and WAKX. This was followed by radio positions in the Twin Cities at KDWB-AM, KRSI-AM/FM, KQRS-FM, and WLOL-FM. Afterwards, Tac created Hammer Communications, a radio consulting company. Tac passed away in 1993 at age 52 due to complications from cancer.
5/10/2024
WDGY-AM AIRCHECK FROM 65 YEARS AGO!
WDGY-AM (1130) - Aircheck of Dave Reau from January 25, 1959 - 6 MB
The aircheck includes a newscast, jingles, top songs, and commercials for the Pioneer Press, Greater Minneapolis Safety Council, and Hills Brothers Self Service Shoe Store. The aircheck includes the song Donna by Ritchie Valens. This aircheck was only eight day before Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper died in an airplane crash.
5/3/2024
"WHAT GOES ON AT A RADIO STATION?" BOOK FROM 1984 FEATURING WCCO RADIO
PDF of a book printed in 1984 featuring WCCO Radio called "What Goes On at a Radio Station?" including photos of some station personalities and others behind the scenes. This book is presented with the permission of the author, Susan Gilmore. - 18 MB
4/26/2024
WCCO-FM - 50 YEARS AGO - APRIL 26, 1974 - SCOPED BROADCAST DAY
WCCO-FM (102.9) Almost complete scoped broadcast day from sign-on to sign-off on April 26, 1974.
- Sign-on / Tim Russell and Paul Stagg - 53 MB
- Paul Stagg - 28 MB
- Dave Teller - 39 MB
- Tom Ambrose - 46 MB
- Ken Mills / Sign-off - 42 MB
19.5 hours scoped to seven hours and 20 minutes. Broadcast includes music (note the transition from more popular songs during the day to deeper album cuts in the evening), limited commercials including Grain Belt Beer, Checkered Flag Imports, Morrie's Imports, Minnesota Tourism, etc., and top and bottom of the hour newscasts with Rick Olson, Bill Henderson, Mark Johnson, Dan Carlson, and Bill Bischel.
Some of the news items included Secretary of State Henry Henry Kissinger's trip to the Middle East, Watergate tapes, military takeover of Portugal, shelling of an auditorium near Saigon, Israel begins its 27th year of independence with sporadic fighting along the Golan Heights, Mitchell-Stans conspiracy trial, General Motors sales of cars down due to the gas/energy crisis, and much more. Plus, promotion of Tim Russell's upcoming coverage of an arm wrestling competition (claiming to be a radio first) and Dave Teller interviews Chuck Dayton with Sierra Club Northstar Chapter.
4/25/2024
REMEMBERING AL SHAVER, THE PLAY-BY-PLAY VOICE OF THE MINNESOTA NORTH STARS
Al Shaver, the play-by-play radio announcer for the entirety of the Minnesota North Stars, died on April 22, 2024. He was 96 years old.
Al Shaver reflects on the first 25 years of the Minnesota North Stars with interviews and highlights (1992) - 15 MB
WCCO-AM - North Stars playoffs audio clip with Al Shaver and Larry Jagoe. This audio is from playoff game (No. 4) of the 1967-68 season between Minnesota and St Louis. It took place on April 27, 1968. Unfortunately, the North Stars lost the game in OT and lost the series 4-3 in OT in game 7. That was the first season for the North Stars. - 1 MB
4/21/2024
WLOL-AM 1946 DANCE JAMBOREE BROADCAST WITH LEIGH KAMMAN FROM THE ST. PAUL AUDITORIUM
WLOL-AM (1330) - Dance Jamboree with Leigh Kamman broadcast in September 1946 from the St. Paul Auditorium that also aired on the Mutual Radio Network. - 14 MB
4/1/2024
TWIN CITIES RADIO AIRCHECKS PROFILE FROM 1977
Enjoy an audio profile of Twin Cities radio stations from 1977 - CLICK HERE - 25 MB (produced by the Aircheck Factory)
KSTP-AM - John Hines and Charlie Bush / Rob Sherwood (rock)
KSTP-FM - Mesa Kincaid (soft rock)
KDWB-AM/FM - Dave Thomson / Smokin' Joe (rock)
WDGY-AM (Y11) - Jeff Berger (album cuts/soft rock)
KFMX-FM - (automated rock)
WWTC-AM - (newsradio)
KQRS-AM/FM - Jim Larkin (progressive music)
KUXL-AM - (talk, religious, jazz and soul)
WAYL-AM/FM - (beautiful music)
WLOL-FM - (beautiful music)
KEEY-AM - (beautiful music)
KEEY-FM - (beautiful music)
WCTS-FM - (religious)
KNOF-FM - (religious)
KANO-AM/KTWN-FM - (MOR)
KUOM-AM - (public radio)
KSJN-FM - (classical)
WCAL-FM - (classical/talk)
KTCR-AM - (country)
KTCR-FM - (country)
WLOL-AM - Michael O'Shea (country)
KRSI-AM - (country)
WMIN-AM - (polka)
WCCO-AM - Charlie Boone and Roger Erickson (talk, news, sports)
WCCO-FM - Tom Ambrose (soft rock)
2/18/2024
KDWB-AM "TRUE" DON BLEU DOING SUPERVISED ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION AND BREATHALYZER TESTS
KDWB-AM (630) - "True" Don Bleu doing a New Year's Eve show with supervised alcohol consumption and breathalyzer tests on December 31, 1974. - 4 MB (provided by Jay Philpott)
2/18/2024
COMPOSITE OF KDWB-AM, KSTP-AM, WYOO-AM/FM (U100) AND WDGY-AM FROM 1972-1974
A composite of a wide-ranging group of random breaks from October 1972 into 1974 featuring KDWB-AM, KSTP-AM, WYOO AM/FM (U100) and WDGY-AM with a strange sequence that sounds like the final breaks on the station from Catman (Tom Barnard). - 6 MB (provided by Jay Philpott)
THE SEARCH FOR THE LOST RADIO PLAY-BY-PLAY TAPE OF MINNESOTA TWIN CESAR TOVAR'S GRAND SUNDAY IN 1968
Star Tribune article written by sports columnist Patrick Reusse about the search for the lost radio play-by-play tape of Minnesota Twin Cesar Tovar's Grand Sunday when he played all nine positions on September 22, 1968. Tom Gavaras, who is featured in the article, is the operator of RadioTapes.
LINK to the Star Tribune article published on August 16, 2022
JPEG of the article (in the event you are unable to access the Star Tribune website)
Edited aircheck - Herb Carneal and Halsey Hall, with play-by-play of Tovar playing all nine position on September 22, 1968 (mp3)
We are always looking for historic airchecks of Twin Cities radio stations. If you enjoy this website, a financial donation would also be appreciated, but is not required. Donations will be used to help cover website related expenses including making more than 2,500 audio files available, maintaining equipment used to digitize airchecks (with more than 1,000 tapes waiting to be digitized), and more. In addition, discussions are taking place to eventually provide copies of RadioTapes' extensive archives to local and national broadcast museums and the Library of Congress. All donations will be exclusively used for RadioTapes. Though RadioTapes Inc. is a Minnesota registered non-profit, it is not currently a 501(c)3 charity and donations are not tax-deductible.
The Following Airchecks Are Featured on the Special Postings Page. Check Them Out!
- WCCO-AM Severe Weather Coverage (1939 to 1991)
- Hubert H. Humphrey Recordings/Airchecks (1946-1978)
- WCCO Radio Civil Defense Announcements (1961)
- Coverage of the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy (1963)
- Coverage of the Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King (1968)
- Coverage of the Assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy (1968)
- Coverage of the Apollo 1 Tragedy (1967)
- Coverage of the Flights of Apollo 11, 12 & 13 (1969-1970)
- Coverage of the Assassination Attempt on George Wallace (1972)
- Coverage of Watergate and the Fall of President Nixon (1973-1974)
- Coverage of the Vietnam War (1964-(1975)
- Coverage of the Death of John Lennon (1980)
- Coverage of the Shooting of President Ronald Reagan (1981)
- Coverage of the Falklands War (1982)
- Coverage of the Challenger Shuttle Disaster (1986)
- Coverage of the Start of Operation Desert Storm (1991)
- Coverage of 9/11 Attacks (2001) and Death of Osama bin Laden (2011)
- Coverage of 35W Bridge Collapse (2007)
- Coverage of the Death of Michael Jackson (2009)
- Coverage of the Tucson Shootings (2011)
- Coverage of the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami (2011)
- Coverage of the Shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School (2012)
- Boston Marathon Bombings (2013)
- Coverage of the Death of Prince (2016)
- Election Coverage (2016)
- Minnehaha Academy Explosion (2017)
- Coverage of Disappearance and Location of Jayme Closs (2019)
- Election Coverage (2020)
- Storming of the US Capitol (2021)
File sizes listed next to the airchecks are approximate and have been rounded.