Edition #1384 Week of February 8, 2026 |
Talent: JOEY REYNOLDS
Station: WKBW Buffalo, N.Y
Date: February 21, 1984
Time: 35:33
Joey Reynolds never had trouble getting attention.
One time, Reynolds locked himself into the studio to play of a loop of the Four Seasons hit "Big Girls Don't Cry." Eventually police and firefighters came by to break it up but the stunt brought him nationwide attention. "Big Girls Don't Cry" soon became his theme song (it can be heard at the beginning of this aircheck). Another attention-getter was an interview with Frank Gorshin, during which he accused the entertainer of charging too much for charity appearances. Reynolds was fired, and he responded by nailing his shoes to the station manager's door.
But his biggest fame might have come from something he didn't do. At the height of Beatlemania, he refused to play any Beatle records on WKBW or make any mention of them (imagine a jock getting away with that now?) In something that was considerably less publicized, he and fellow 'KB jock Dan Neaverth decided against a Buffalo concert by Beatles, which would have been held the day after their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. They cited the $3,500 fee, the poor February weather and worries that it might not sell out.
The list of stations Reynolds appeared on would fill a phone book (more than 30 by our count). Some of the biggies included WKBW, WNDR, WPOP, WABC, WNBC, WOR, WHTZ, WIBG, WFIL, KGB, KMPC, KRTH, and WGAR. He did his last show in 2017, ending a career of more than six decades. We're confused as to why he's not in the Radio Hall of Fame.
On this aircheck, Reynolds - his usual acerbic wit on display - fills in for Dan Neaverth on chilly and snowing morning in Buffalo.
Enjoy Joey Reynolds on WKBW here. 
(The Bill Dulmage Collection)
More 1984 airchecks here!
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