Cochran and Celli 1960 Chevrolet Commercial

This is an example of a "live read", in which the announcer reads the advertising copy live on the air. In this case, the announcer was Les Malloy, who was a legendary Bay Area performer and station owner. He was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class in 2006.

The commercial is for another Bay Area legend: Cochran and Celli Chevrolet in Oakland. The company began in 1906 as City Front Wagon Works and its showroom at 12th and Harrison Streets was a longtime Oakland landmark.

The exact date of this broadcast is unknown but the mention of the arrival of the 1960 Chevrolet models would appear to place it in mid-to-late 1959. Of note: while this was likely sold as a 30-second comercial, Malloy's read lasts for 37 seconds.

This broadcast was found on a reel of audiotape held by the Bay Area Radio Museum and Hall of Fame and digitized by volunteer Andrew Welburn.