‘Radio that Rocked the Valley’ exhibit now open
April 14
“Radio That Rocked the Valley,” Chandler Museum’s new exhibition, aims to take visitors on a journey through the history of Phoenix radio. The exhibit showcases the region’s major radio stations and includes talents like Pat McMahon (“The Wallace and Ladmo Show”) and Al McCoy (announcer for the Phoenix Suns).
The exhibition is presented in collaboration with the House of Broadcasting, Inc., a local nonprofit, and will be on display until Sept. 27.
Sarah Biggerstaff, the Museum Storytelling Coordinator, and Jim West, a former country music radio host, joined “Arizona Horizon” to tell us more about the exhibition.
“It was really House of Broadcasting, a local non-profit that Jim is a part of,” Biggerstaff said, “…to do an exhibition featuring their amazing artifacts of radio broadcasting history, and so it was really a collaborative effort.”
Some of the artifacts include an old audio board, radios from the 1940s-1960s, and lights from the TV towers on South Mountain.
“…the music and the programming depend on the taste of the audience that you’re appealing to,” West discussed, “…we got a lot of great stations we’ve had here over the years.”
Biggerstaff emphasized how their team works diligently to find the best sight lines, the best photographs to use, and to find ways to display the work fully.
“We were trying to spotlight…on the most popular stations in town,” West explained, “…but some of the top five or six or seven that ruled their ratings.”
According to Biggerstaff, they were able to highlight the stations that are famous for the DJs, as they provided merchandise to be displayed. Some of the radio DJs include Bill Haywood, Tim, Mark, and Beth McDonald.
“Country radio was king in Phoenix for many years, and still is,” West said, “…the Western lifestyle precluded the fact that country music was going to be popular here.”
