Most here are probably aware of great online aircheck sites like Dale Patterson’s wonderful Rock Radio Scrapbook, the free-again ReelRadio.com or SOWNY contributor Fitz’s Let The Universe Answer.
 
And while many here may be aware of the Internet Archive, I’m not sure if everyone knows how many incredible airchecks are lurking on that site as well. I was on there Sunday night, listening to the second of three hours from KLIF Dallas from Nov. 22, 1963, the day President Kennedy was shot.
 
We all know the story by now, of course, but listening to it unfold on a local radio station in real time was truly a fascinating experience, especially when you know what’s coming – and those on-air at the time didn’t. I find it astounding that, despite reports of gunshots being fired at the motorcade, they went back to music and regular spots for almost an hour, before going to wall-to-wall coverage.
 
There are other gems there as well, all of varying quality. There’s a check from WAGO, the radio station at Ball State University from the 60s. The on-air announcer was some guy named David Letterman.
 
There are also tons of vintage Wolfman Jack broadcasts from XERB, but it’s not restricted to any one decade. Some are as recent as 2016. Others go back decades. At last count, there are more than 1,000 of them lurking there, all online and all free.
 
If you have the time to waste on this holiday Monday, and you love radio history, it’s a great place to hang out. You can find the section here.