Resources & Information

About The Museum

The Bay Area Radio Museum is an online collection of audio recordings, documents and photographic images pertaining to the history and development of radio broadcasting in the San Francisco Bay Area. The materials found within the collection were contributed from a variety of sources, including local radio stations and private collectors, and are intended for the non-commercial use of the public.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I would like to purchase a copy of a {specific audio recording} from the museum on CD. What is the price? A: Due to copyright restrictions, the museum cannot offer copies of programs in its collection for sale. Please keep in mind that the music and station jingles heard in some audio exhibits are copyrighted works, as are sports broadcasts and commercials. If you are interested in collecting airchecks as a hobby, we recommend searching Google or Yahoo! for "radio airchecks."

Q: I am looking for a radio broadcast featuring {a specific personality or station}. Do you have anything in your collection? A: To locate broadcasts, photographs or other materials relating to a specific radio personality (including disc jockeys, newscasters, actors and sports announcers), please visit our People page. To locate broadcasts and materials related to a specific radio station, please visit our Stations page. Jingles and theme music (used to identify the station's call letters, disc jockeys or format) can be found in our Jingles collection. Sports broadcasts featuring Bay Area professional and collegiate teams are included on our Sports page.

Q: Whatever happened to {a specific radio personality}? How can I get in touch with him or her? A: While we often include information on the current whereabouts of specific personalities within our exhibits, we must respect the privacy of the individual and, as such, we cannot release contact information without permission. However, if we know that a personality is still working in radio, we may direct you to the station that he or she is currently employed by.

Q: I worked in Bay Area radio for many years and have recordings and other items I would like to share. How can I provide them to the museum? A: Many of the materials in our collection came to us as the direct result of gifts from personalities and management personnel at Bay Area stations, and we are grateful for your contributions. If you have airchecks, photographs or items you would like to share with the public — including your personal memories of working in local radio — please for more information.

Q: Who pays for the maintenance and fees of the museum? A: The museum must pay music licensing services (BMI, ASCAP and SESAC) for the rights to music included in our exhibits. In addition, every time someone listens to one of the museum's audio presentations, we must pay our hosting company for bandwidth charges, which take up the bulk of our day-to-day operating costs. We rely entirely upon private and corporate contributions to meet our expenses, and we are grateful for donations of any amount. You may click on the button (below) to make a direct contribution online, or you may for information on sending your contribution by regular mail.

Q: I can't contribute funds to the museum. Is there any other way to help out? A: We greatly appreciate the assistance of volunteers who contribute their time and energy in helping to write the presentations included in this website, as well as those who have helped to edit and remaster the archival audio recordings in our exhibits. If you have writing and research skills, audio engineering expertise (as well as the software and other equipment required to edit and otherwise clean up or improve the sound of the recordings) or other abilities that you would like to share with us, please with information about the expertise you can contribute.

Copyrighted Materials

Most programs exhibited on this website, including recorded broadcasts, news programs, station jingles and theme music, and sports programming, as well as photographs, station documents and other materials, are copyrighted. Release rights may or may not exist. The collections in the museum are protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials, other than that noted above. If a researcher uses this material or a copy of it in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement. The Bay Area Radio Museum and its directors, employees and volunteer staff have no control over the ultimate use of loaned or copied archive materials and assume no responsibility or liability thereof.

PLEASE NOTE: This non-profit historical site is not affiliated in any way with the radio stations, personalities or other persons and companies or other entities presented herein. Use of copyrighted material is consistent with the "fair use" provisions contained in §107 of the Copyright Act of 1976 due to the following characteristics: Use of copyrighted material is of a nonprofit, educational nature, intended for the sole purposes of research and comment and does not significantly negatively affect "the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work(s)." Use of registered trademark material is not subject to civil action or injunction as outlined in §1114 and §1125 of the Trademark Act of 1946 (the Lanham Act) due to the following characteristics of this work, and the registered marks published herein: Use of reproductions of registered marks is not for the purpose of commerce, nor is the use connected with the sale, offering for sale, or advertising of any goods or services. Use of reproductions is not likely to cause confusion, mistake, or deception as to the affiliation, connection, or association of this work with owners of published registered marks, nor as to the origin, sponsorship, or approval of this work by owners of published registered marks. Wherever possible, the copyright or registered mark owner's name has been noted near the copyrighted work or registered mark; however, all material used in this site, including, but not limited to, newspaper articles, syndicated themes, promos, commercials, photographs, playlists, press releases, ratings, airchecks, newscasts, traffic reports, sports reports, advertising materials, jingles, theme music, sweepers, bumper stickers and station logos, should be considered protected copyrighted material or registered mark with all rights reserved to the owner, named or unnamed.