“Good Morning, Peoria – September 9, 1959” is episode six of season two of Quantum Leap.
At the end of the previous episode, “Blind Faith – February 6, 1964”, Sam leaped into a DJ. The record playing ends and he does nothing until told to read a commercial, then put another record on. Sam is told to leave the studio, and a man, Brian, says he’d never thought he’d hear ‘Howling’ Chick Howell play Pat Boone. The woman, Rachel, talks to him about how her father set up the station and the number of jobs Chick has been through. And the record is ending.
Brian thinks Chick has really got it bad for Rachel. Sam, meanwhile, is just irritated by her. Brian tells Chick to sign off. He does so, badly.
Sam is leaving when he sees Rachel speaking to a man, Fred. He doesn’t like rock and roll and doesn’t want it playing. It’s a bad influence. Sam can’t see why music would be thought to be that. Al tells him a lot of people did in the 50s. Fred is pulling his advertising with the station and so will a lot of others. He’s also proposing a ban on rock and roll being played on air.
Al tells Sam he’s here to save Rachel. The station folds in about a year and her life goes downhill. To make the station succeed, they need to play rock and roll. And Chick’s car has been written on.
Sam arrives at work on time and Rachel asks what he’s starting with. The Beatles. She assumes he means Buddy Holly and the Crickets. Al is giving advice on what to play, which looks odd to Rachel and Brian. And Al coaches Sam on what to say. Has he seen the movie? Rachel and Brian are watching and seem impressed by Sam’s performance. Sam thinks he made an idiot of himself. Al says it was liked.
Sam is starting to get into things when someone throws a brick through the window and smashes the console. Sam is fixing it as Rachel is reminiscing. Then Chubby Checker turns up at the station with a demo; Al says they have to play the demo. Rachel is worried they will pass a law banning playing rock and roll on air.
And they do. So, Sam says they will continue doing it anyway. Which results in the station being barricaded and Fred and his allies doing what he can to take them off air.