Eddie Cochran - "Sittin' In The Balcony"
KB Exclusive!
Record companies would "feed" specific (break out) radio stations in the major markets with pre-released recordings. These recordings, when played on the air as an "exclusive," generated much talk among the listeners. "Did you hear that new Beatle song on KB last night?" It was a win-win situation for the radio stations and the record companies. For the radio stations it was grabbing new listeners and retaining the current ones....RATINGS! Not to talk about the "bragging rights" of having a new record aired before any other local radio station could obtain it. For the record companies it was free and extensive advertising. With the power of WKBW Radio's 50,000 watts it was one of several big market stations firmly in the crosshairs of record company executives. Up and down the eastern seaboard and Canada it could be heard, "This is a KB Exclusive!"
In the fifties, some record companies would want the "break out" stations to get a copy of their new 'hit' before it went through the pressing process, so they would have it dubbed to an acetate like the ones shown below. WKBW Radio would have a 2 or 3 week jump on the competition that way. Roulette and Capitol sent those to WKBW Radio by way of the record promoter, in person.
Photos are of the labels from two 10 inch, 78 rpm vinyl over metal acetates from WKBW Radio - December 1959
Eddie Cochran - "Sittin' In The Balcony"
Gene Vincent - "Git It"
There really was no album cover, however this photo represents WKBW Radio's "exclusive" airing of a "bootleg" tape recording of the album "Get Back" by the Beatles. Several other stations also played this tape during August of 1969. Was it really a "bootleg" or another way to generate fan interest in a new Beatle recording?
