This Site Primarily Contains a Collection of Airchecks of Numerous Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul) Radio Stations, Some Recorded Off The Air by Rick Burnett and Many Others Recorded or Provided by Other Contributors to This Site (see footnote at bottom). The Contribution of Recordings and Materials are Greatly Appreciated and Have Made this Site a Favorite of Those Interested in Radio From this Era. This Site Also Includes Rare Twin Cities Pirate (Unlicensed) Radio Airchecks. Explore the many recordings on this site by using the menu at the left side of the screen. Should you have material to contribute, Please Email Rick1031@hotmail.com
Rick Burnett
Rick Burnett, CPM CCIM RPA CSM
Former Radio Announcer (see old photo and aircheck below)
Rick currently works as a senior asset manager and executive vice president for one of the nation's largest Tenant In Common (TIC) real estate investment sponsors and international real estate services provider. His portfolio of commercial real estate assets includes major high-rise & mid-rise office buildings in Chicago, Milwaukee & Minneapolis. Rick also is active in professional real estate organizations and has served as the Los Angeles Chapter President for the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM) in 1998 and on a national level as IREM's Regional Vice President, over seeing the California and Hawaii Chapters, in 2001 and 2002 . Rick has had articles published in The Journal of Property Management and Southwest Real Estate News.
Growing up in St. Paul, his first love was radio broadcasting. With neighborhood friends, he operated a pirate FM radio station during his high school years. Attending electronic engineering and radio broadcasting courses at Brown Institute (now BrownCollege ( www.BrownCollege.Edu ) in Minneapolis. After completing his course work at Brown Institute, he was hired at a Minneapolis radio station, KTCR-FM, in 1972 as a part-time DJ playing country music. KTCR Program Director and long time Twin Cities broadcaster, Jerry Cunning, hired Rick for his 1st Twin Cities commercial announcing job. After a brief stay in Lynchburg, Virginia as the morning man at WWOD-AM, he returned to KTCR-FM in 1973 when the DJ's at both KTCR-FM and KTCR-AM turned-off the transmitters at 3 PM one afternoon after attempting to vote in the AFTRA union. He went by the air name of Rick Mason and worked the 6 PM to Midnight shift. After leaving his full-time position at KTCR-FM in 1975, he was re-hired for part-time week day evenings, including a 6 hour Sunday night shift. Rick also worked at WLCX in La Crosse Wisconsin after leaving KTCR-FM
Sampler of Site Airchecks –
Played During Rick Burnett’s Guest Visit on WCCO’s Al Malmberg Show on
September 21st, 2007
On
September 21st very early Friday morning, Rick Burnett was a guest
on Al Malmber’s over night show on 50,000 watt WCCO Radio 830 in Minneapolis.Samplings of some of the airchecks accessible
on this site were played.The files to
your right contain both of the Burnett segments.
This is an old recording from the 70's of Rick Mason (Burnett) as a DJ at a country station in Minneapolis, KTCR-FM at 97.1 MHZ. This was a time in broadcasting that pre-historic CD's (known at that time as 45's and albums) were played by the DJ's. The Station was sold in the 80's and now operates as KTCZ-FM, "The Cities 97." The aircheck is an example of the "Time and Temp" format. No talent, no personality, and definitely no Howard Stern here. This guy was lucky to be on the air at all. KTCR-FM was known for its revolving door for DJ's. "Sign on today, sign off today." I experienced the revolving door twice. When I was hired the second time, they must have forgotten who I was. The third time I left on my own. The studio presented a challenge for DJ's needing a restroom break. You needed to pick your records carefully, since the room was on another floor in a large building with a walk equal to about an eighth of a city block. Unfortunately, most country songs at the time were about 2:30 long.
There is another aircheck of me posted at RadioTapes web site (on the page, scroll down to the KTCR-FM area). This Rick Mason aircheck was recorded May 9th, 1975 and you will hear me say farewell at the end. I left the station, eventually to return again
In addition to the collection of Twin Cities commercial and pirate radio airchecks on the pages of this web site, the RadioTapes web site has a great selection of Twin Cities Radio airchecks. A worthwhile site to visit for those interested in Twin Cities radio.
Rick Burnett as Rick Mason in 1973 on the air at KTCR-FM. Studio was located at 3800 Minnehaha Ave. in Minneapolis, inside the Northwestern Electronics Institute. It originally operated as KWFM-FM and was purchase by Al Tedesco and operated as the only Stereo 24 hour Country station in the Twin Cities for a number of years. Look behind my head through the window to see the 50,000 watt transmitter. You will also see 3 turntables (pre-historic CD players) behind me. This was the first radio station I worked at that had 3 turntables set up. Not sure what I would have done at some of the other stations I worked at if I had a problem with a needle (Some I worked at did not have extras)
The airchecks on this site were recorded off the air and are on this site to provide historical examples of Twin Cities radio. These recordings are not intended to by used by others for commercial purposes.
Some of the airchecks are off reel to reel tapes that were recorded off the air by Rick Burnett while living in the Twin Cities. Many other airchecks were recorded of the air by other people and contributors. In May 2006 the Burnett recordings started to be converted to MP3 and shared here. There are also many more airchecks that were recorded and submitted by friends and acquaintances, or acquired from other collectors and contributors. Sources are cited, if known. The contributed recordings from friends and contributors of both airchecks and other material are greatly appreciated. Without their help, the site would have many less pages. The recordings of Burnett and other contributors who recorded them off the air may show up on other sites and have may been "borrowed" and listed for sale on auction sites. This site does not charge any fees to listen to the posted recordings. The purpose of this site is to preserve some of the Twin Cities radio history.
Windows Media Player works well to play these MP3 files, and depending on your internet settings, will start streaming the file, or will automatically open the file after it is downloaded. Some files are large. Should you have any aircheck of Twin Cities radio stations, let me know and I may be able to include them at this site. Contact me at rick1031@hotmail.com
