’68 Presidential Campaign News – KSTP Radio Aircheck (3/21/1968) – ‘60s Commercials, Music & More

This KSTP-AM (Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN) radio aircheck from the Don DuChene program on March 21, 1968 is loaded with Presidential campaign news (19:33) (Johnson, Kennedy, McCarthy, Rockefeller, Nixon). A lot was yet to happen after this day (Pres. Johnson withdrawing, RFK's assassination) in the fight for the Democratic Party's and Republican Party's nominations for President in the '68 election, and the Twin Cities' KSTP was covering it all. As well as NBC Radio News stories (19:33) on the ongoing Vietnam War, the civil unrest sweeping the U.S., and battles between Israel and the PLO in the Middle East (23:11). DJ Don DuChene guides us through the proceedings during his late afternoon shift (4:00pm to 8:00pm) on a Thursday, almost an hour of unedited 1960s radio content. There’s a theme of anticipation of Spring after the long winter (in fact, a station contest awards the winning listeners with lawn care products! (9:46)) Plus, this clip includes a host of great 1960s commercials, Weather Ball weather (4:50), local interest stories (including bowling scores (11:32) and high school basketball (43:40), and even a high school play (Li'l Abner 36:38), Bill Cosby comedy bits (16:47 and 45:01)), and jazzy Middle of the Road music (12:04). Much of the turmoil of 1968 was still to come…

Commercials include:
- Salem cigarettes (1:04) (It’s been a long time since any of us have seen or heard a cigarette commercial, as the U.S. Congress passed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act in 1970, which banned the advertising of cigarettes on television and radio starting on January 2, 1971.)
- Christian Brothers Napa Rose wine (3:50)
- Northwestern National Bank (6:39)
- Dodge cars (8:40)
- U-Haul rental trucks & trailers (10:38 and 42:45)
- Long distance phone service on weekends (16:02)
- Volkswagen cars (18:30)
- Pream creamer (22:09)
- Sucaryl sweetener (22:40)
- Di-Gel antacid (24:29)
- Ford station wagons (20:52)
- Firestone tires (35:00)
- Chateau La Salle wine (Christian Brothers) (37:09)
- Ford Mustang (41:35)
- Dayton's stores (44:09)
- Jenny Lee macaroni (44:32)
- The Associates lending company (spokesman, Joe Garagiola) (46:08)
- Western Airlines service to San Francisco (47:08)
- GM cars (48:07)

Don DuChene was a radio disc jockey in the Midwest U.S. from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. In the early-to-mid 1960s, Don had a popular show on KDWB (AM 630) in Minneapolis/ St. Paul, MN. In the Fall of 1965, his show moved to KSTP-AM 1500 where he worked through the end of the decade. Don wrapped up his Twin Cities radio career at KQRS in the early 1970s. The 1960s and early 1970s were a quickly evolving time for rock n roll and pop culture. These tapes are a peek into that time and the heyday of old-school American radio.