Forensic Work Rebuilds Radio Special
The real story here is the extensive behind-the-scenes maneuvering that had to happen in order to salvage this irreplaceable audio archive, which was initially discovered on a 1987 Summer of Love 20th Anniversary cassette tape unearthed during Westwood One’s recent move to a new facility in Washington. Longtime Westwood One producer George Achaves, who produced the original 1987 special, tracked down the master reels — and here is where the real science began… Westwood One News VP Kevin Delany loaded the tape onto a salvaged reel-to-reel machine but it failed to play. He noticed the audio was recorded on Ampex 406 stock, which was a high quality tape in the ’80s but was also known for “sticky shed syndrome,” which clogs tape heads and guides and renders the tape unplayable without treatment.
Stations interested in the Summer of Love; Fall of Innocence 50th Anniversary special can contact Jim Jones at jimjones@westwoodone.com or 202-895-2339.