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WHAS Airchecks

All audio is in downloadable MP3 format.

1920s

The real 1922 WHAS sign-on wasn't recorded, but it was recreated in 1942 by the man who did it,
WHAS General Manager Credo Harris, for WHAS' 20th Anniversary Show.

WHAS 1922 Sign-On
:10 - 63 KB

This is an actual 1927 recording of one of WHAS' big talent discoveries,
Ray Bahr and his Orchestra, being introduced by a WHAS staff announcer.

Ray Bahr and his Orchestra on WHAS (1927)
1:21 - 476 KB

Kentucky Governor A.B. Chandler for the reelection of Franklin Roosevelt in a
segment of a speech WHAS broadcast live from the Nelson County courthouse in Bardstown.

Happy Chandler Stumps for President Roosevelt (1936)
4:07 - 1452 KB

This January 27, 1937 aircheck is of Baltimore's WFBR rebroadcasting WSM/Nashville's coverage of the great Ohio River Flood. For part of the hour WSM's programming was originated by WHAS.  

WFBR Rebroadcasting WSM's and WHAS' Coverage of the 1937 Flood
15:18 - 5382 KB

CBS was so impressed with how WHAS worked with Nashville's WSM to serve the listeners of the Bluegrass State during the flood of 1937, it produced and aired this radio play that recreates the event.

CBS Radio Recreation of WHAS' Coverage of the 1937 Flood
23:03 - 8108 KB

The date of this WHAS Flood of 1937 retrospective is unknown, but our guess
is it was done in the 1950s or later as you can tell it was produced on tape.

 WHAS 1937 Flood Documentary
24:10 - 8501 KB

George Walsh intros the game as Louisville's baseball team prepares to take on the Columbus Redbirds.

Louisville Colonels Game Coverage (1938)
1:01 - 360 KB

WHAS got a new 50,000 watt Western Electric transmitter in 1938. In this aircheck the chief engineer gives an on-the-air tour of the big box, after introductions by Foster Brooks and John Tillman.

WHAS Transmitter Dedication (1938)
2:28 - 870 KB

In this 1939 WHAS broadcast the famous Lum & Abner grant honorary
Pine Ridge University degrees to Happy Chandler and other Kentucky dignitaries.

WHAS Lum & Abner Grant Honorary Degrees (1939)
14:05 - 4953 KB

Here are the final minutes of a 1972 "Metz Here" show that featured interviews with WAKY's Johnny Randolph, WHAS' Jerry David Melloy, WINN's Moon Mullins, WLOU's Jim Dandy and WSTM's Allen Brown.

Milton Metz (1972)
3:03 - 1077 KB

WHAS Radio News Covers the April 3, 1974 Tornado Disaster

Heard on these great-quality WHAS airchecks (most "right off the board") are newsmen Byron Crawford, Glen Bastin, Chuck Patyk, and Ron Boone via a taped report. You'll also hear National Weather Service meteorologists John Burke and Dave Reeves, DJ Jeff Douglas, talk show host Milton Metz, and Kentucky Governor Wendell Ford (talking with newsman Bob Johnson) among others.

Several months after the April 3, 1974 series of tornadoes, WHAS produced a very well-done recap special. We asked Byron Crawford, who narrated "Day of Disaster," for a little background:

"I believe the special was produced maybe in late 1974 -- the year of the tornado -- or early 1975. In any case, it was finished by April 3rd of 1975, the one-year anniversary date of the tornado.

"You will have to check with news director Glen Bastin, who now is Ambassador in Chief of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels in Louisville, and find out about all the particulars. If I am not mistaken, despite intermittent reminders that the program was a documentary on the anniversary of the tornado, we may still have had to postpone the complete broadcast because we got so many calls from alarmed citizens believing it was real. Maybe that's just my imagination. Glen ran an excellent radio news operation and deserves a lion's share of the credit for WHAS' coverage of the disaster.

"WHAS' coverage of the the disaster that day -- all unplanned and virtually winging it without scripts and with only hand-scribbled or hastily typed notes, or even whispers -- was radio in time of emergency at its finest.

"I moved to television the next year and was never back in radio full-time again (although I did some radio projects including the 50th Anniversary of World War II for public radio which turned out well, I thought). I have always hoped I'd have a chance again to work a little in radio. It is a magical medium."

We followed up with former WHAS News Director Glen Bastin:

"We did finish the piece in ’74...even 'tried' to air it just a few months after the April 3 outbreak. Just after we hit the air with the documentary, what had been a beautiful day turned cloudy and the phone calls started pouring in. We took the program off the air about 20 minutes into it. Newspapers around the country called it a 'War of the Worlds' situation. I think we were able to air the broadcast the next year.

"The only thing about Byron’s summary that I would disagree with is the credit I should receive for the broadcast. It was a great team effort involving everyone, including announcers, engineers, even the GM who wisely had someone roll a tape from the very beginning. As for the news staffers such as Byron...they just did what they were damn good at. Without doubt, that one afternoon placed WHAS Radio way ahead of the pack in the dissemination of information...a position it still holds. By the way, I listened to the documentary a couple of years ago. I still get goose bumps."

Byron Crawford Newscast (April 24, 1974)
9:41 - 3407 KB

WHAS 54th Anniversary Show: The Birth of a Cuddly Giant (July 18, 1976)
31:08 - 10,951 KB

"A Kentucky Legend: The Chandler Years" is a well-done audio biography on former Kentucky Governor
A.B. "Happy" Chandler produced  by Jeff Marks and the WHAS News Department in 1977.

This January 1977 aircheck of WHAS' "Metz Here" talk show features fill-in host Jerry David Melloy talking with WAKY PD Johnny Randolph, WLRS PD Lee Masters and WLOU PD Neal O'Rea about music on radio.

Jerry David Melloy (1977)
25:51 - 9089 KB

August 16, 1977: the day Elvis Presley died. Hear how Gary Burbank and Steve George covered the event that evening, complete with remembrance calls from WHAS listeners.
(This "right-off-the-board" aircheck includes several unscoped commercials.)

WHAS Elvis Death Coverage (August 16, 1977)
45:02 - 15,837 KB

WHAS Production Montage (1979-1991)
5:34 - 1957 KB

Joe brings back the memories on WHAS' "Saturday Night Revival."

Joe Donovan (June 2, 1979)
27:02 - 9509 KB

"Music To Listen To Records By" was a double album that featured recordings of Gary Burbank WHAS bits from 1979. Sides 1, 2 and 3 contained the Burbank bits, while the fourth side featured an audio recap of the 1979 WHAS Crusade for Children. (All proceeds from the sale of the album benefited the Crusade.)

Long since out-of-print, the first three sides of "Music To Listen To Records By" can be downloaded below

Wayne Perkey (September 10, 1982)
5:52 - 2065 KB

Leonard Yates (December 24, 1984)
76:39 - 53,904 KB

This aircheck also features Ralph Hacker.

In 1993 WHAS released a cassette compilation of Terry Meiners bits. The tapes were were sold at local Dairy Queens and Pic Pac Supermarkets to raise money for the WHAS Crusade for Children. Our thanks to Terry Meiners for allowing us to post a downloadable MP3 of this out-of-print production here.

The Best Of Terry Meiners...So Far!
45:14 - 31,811 KB

Here's the WHAS 20th Anniversary News Special
from April 3, 1994 with WHAS' Paul Miles and John Asher.

WHAS 20th Anniversary Tornado Special
19:38 - 6903 KB

Mark Travis (December 1993)
2:16 - 797 KB

WHAS Announcer Lunch (August 31, 1994)
45:11 - 15,885 KB

David Holland interviews former WHAS owner Barry Bingham, Jr. about the future of radio.

This aircheck also features Mark Travis.

The coverage is anchored by Paul Rogers and Tony Cruise.

This aircheck features Mark Travis, Jim Strader, Tony Cruise, Caleb Brown and a report from ABC News.

This aircheck features Jane Norris, Paul Rogers and Chris Chambliss.

WHAS 9-11 Breaking News
15:57 - 5610 KB

Terry Meiners Bit Bonanza
31:18 - 14,674 KB

All audio is in downloadable MP3 format.

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