Pirate radio station WDAM, allegedly located in Bedlam, Indiana, went on the air in 1966. Using a transmitter built by Gary Burkhart, the station played the top 40 music fancied by the perpetrators, along with commercials advertising imaginary businesses and products.
DJ service was performed by Bruce Herrick, Gary Burkhart and Ken Day, generally using prerecorded shows on tape so the perpetrators were free to drive around town listening to their station on the car radio.
Starting as an all-music station, the perpetrators soon understood that their station didn't sound like a typical top 40 station awash in commercials, and the primary thing lacking from their broadcasts was commercial sponsorship. So, imaginary products and sponsors were invented, and commercials written and produced.
Copy was written by Bruce and performed by the members of the band The New Piltdown Men, along with many others as voice talent. Much of the musical production for commercials was done by Ken and Bruce, under the names Jack and Dave.
WDAM was short-lived, existing just for a summer. But it gave the guys a taste of radio, and Bruce, Gary and Ken would soon join the college radio station to continue their now-legal careers in broadcasting.
Much of the production library for WDAM is now available on SoundCloud: