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What You
Are Hearing
Is Real.
Every recording on Aircheck Radio is an actual off-air capture from a real American radio broadcast — not a studio production, not a remaster, not a recreation.
They were called airchecks — recordings made straight from a radio receiver onto tape while the broadcast was live on the air. The actual signal, exactly as it went out over the city: the DJ, the music, the news breaks, and the commercial for the car dealership that closed forty years ago and exists nowhere else in the historical record.
That commercial. That DJ. That station. We have them. We are broadcasting them right now.
The stations themselves rarely kept recordings of their own programming. The networks didn't archive it. What survived was saved by private collectors — enthusiasts who spent decades trading reel-to-reel tapes, knowing they were holding something irreplaceable.
Our library holds more than 3,500 of these recordings — spanning the 1960s through the 1990s, with a deep collection from the golden era of Top 40 and AM radio. Real stations. Real cities. Real moments in American broadcasting history.
Tune in. Hear what's playing. No schedule. No algorithm. No skip button. Just the broadcast — the way radio was always meant to be heard. And it is always free.
The 1960s through the 1990s. Morning drive, afternoon shows, late night radio. Top 40, country, news, talk — every format that defined an era of American local broadcasting. Original commercials preserved intact. Nothing cleaned up. Nothing removed. The static is part of the record.
We broadcast 24 hours a day, every day, in random rotation. No schedule. No on-demand selection. No algorithm. You tune in and hear whatever is playing — a 1968 Los Angeles morning show, a 1979 Chicago evening drive, a 1986 country station from the Deep South. Free. No account. No paywall. Ever.
Aircheck Radio is operated entirely by retired and semi-retired broadcasting professionals — people who built careers inside the stations you are hearing on the stream. No paid staff. No advertising revenue. We do this because we believe this sound belongs to everyone, not just the people old enough to remember it.
American local radio of the 1960s through 1990s was a genuinely local, live, human medium that knew its community. That world was largely dismantled. The transmitters kept running but nobody was home. These recordings are what remains — and we are putting them back on the air.
Aircheck Radio — Preston, Washington — Est. 2023
Have an
Aircheck?
Share It.
If you have an unscoped aircheck — a real off-air recording with music, DJ patter, commercials, and all original content intact — we want it.
Our collection grows through the generosity of collectors, former broadcasters, and radio enthusiasts who have been holding onto these recordings for decades. Every donated aircheck goes into the live rotation and becomes part of the permanent archive, freely accessible to listeners around the world.
We accept unscoped aircheck contributions via MP3 upload on our website. That means the full broadcast, unedited, with music, commercials, and all original content. Please include as much information as you know: the station, approximate date, DJ name, and market. Even incomplete information helps.
We accept unscoped aircheck contributions via MP3 upload directly on our website. Register for a free account and submit in minutes.
MP3 only · 100MB maximum · Unscoped only · Full broadcast unedited
Got reel-to-reel, cassette, cart, DAT, or digital files over 100MB? We accept physical media and large files by mail.
30405 SE 84th St, Unit 374
Preston, WA 98050
Shipping via FedEx, UPS, or USPS accepted
All submitted recordings are reviewed
before being added to the archive
You Keep
This On
The Air.
Thank you to everyone who has supported Aircheck Radio. Every contribution goes directly to keeping the stream running, the archive growing, and this history accessible to everyone — at no cost, with no advertising, forever.
We carry no advertising. We have no paid staff. The entire operation runs on listener generosity and on Microsoft and Google nonprofit grants that help cover some of our technology costs.
If you have been listening and want to support us — we would be deeply grateful. Any amount matters for an organization our size. Your donation is fully tax-deductible under IRC Section 170.
| Legal Name | Aircheck Radio |
| IRS Status | 501(c)(3) Public Charity |
| EIN | 99-2245030 |
| Deductibility | Yes — IRC Sec. 170 |
| Classification | 509(a)(2) Public Charity |
| Location | Preston, Washington |
| Paid Staff | Zero — 100% Volunteer |
Verify our nonprofit status at the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search: apps.irs.gov — search Aircheck Radio or EIN 99-2245030.
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