Fast forward 45 years and Jeff is still on the radio at- WHIN Sumner County's #1 Hit Music Station. (think the greater Nashville area).
Jeff Works the evening shift Monday thru Thursday and middays on the weekend. Oh, his radio name is Jeff Shannon.
Hey George...the sports score show was probably "Hold That Line" with Chuck Ketron , was on WETE 620. (Bob Poland)
The show was High School Hold That Line. I believe it was hosted by Chuck Ketron and Ken Johnson. (Jay Wormsley)
The Saturday call in sports show on AM 620 was "Hold That Line". They had several people answering the phones and giving out scores. One of the running gags on the show was several people would call in each week wanting the score in the Slippery Rock game. (Glenn McNish).
Can anyone answer KC's question...
Hey George, do you remember a Friday night or Saturday call in show for high school sports scores? I remember it was on 620 and some callers disappointed at the score, got past the 7 second delay (KC)
Tennessee Volunteers football always was and always will be...
General Neyland
Peyton Manning
Doug Atkins
Reggie White
George Cafego
Johnny Majors
Condredge Holloway
Gene McEver
Doug Dickey
Al Wilson
Jason Witten
Phillip Fulmer
Leonard Little
Tim Priest
Heath Shuler
Willie Gault
Bobby Scott
Fuad Reveiz
Tim Irwin
Eric Berry
Todd Helton
Erik Ainge
John Henderson
Josh Dobbs
Tee Martin
...and don't forget Bobby Denton as PA announcer with George Mooney and John Ward as the Voice of the Vols- "Vols For Life"
Go Vols!!!
The station went on the air in 1921 as WNAV. It was Tennessee's first radio station and one of the first ten in the USA.
Bob Kesling and Bert Bertelkamp call their last home radio basketball game today at Thompson Boling Arena. The Batman and Robin of Big Orange broadcasting have shared the airwaves since 1999.
I graduated from Bearden High School with Bert and throughout college I worked with Bob at WIVK. Legendary DJ Your Dave Young fondly referred to Kesling as "Buckeye Bob" always celebrating Bob's Ohio roots.
PS... MONEY!
Great rundown of WKGN in 1976. Can you believe it was almost 50 years ago?
Bro’ Mick Rizzo and I have been friends since 15Q, and he has come through Indianapolis a couple of times. Here we are in 2022!
Your post about Chip’s Heavy Chevy mishap reminded me of a similar experience I had in 1977 with the WKGN “De-can Van,” which we were giving away by doing registrations when listeners turned in cans for recycling. The garage at the back of the property we were renting in Fountain City was set on fire by arsonists, and it also burned my ski boat, which was parked between the garage and the van. I remember calling Rumore to tell him, and he was not happy. The van was okay, but did smell like smoke. Like the Heavy Chevy, we gave it away shortly after the incident. RIP, Vic.
Alan
George,
Your post about Allen Stout has led me down a research rabbit hole. I’m probably going to write up a detailed summary of his career, but I have determined that he should get more recognition as a “Voice of the Vols.” Here are some highlights of what I have found so far.
He was a graduate of Central High School and began his radio career on WNOX while still a student. In 1936, he helped to originate high school football broadcasts in Knoxville on the radio. Stout was then on WROL and Horace (Mike) Hunnicutt called games that first year on WNOX. He first began calling UT football and basketball games in 1937 and also for a few years in the 1940s. Broadcast rights to UT football typically switched hands between local stations prior to the founding of the Vol Network. Stout had several years' experience as the “Voice of the Vols” before officially becoming the Vol Network announcer in 1951. He also did football games for the University of Virginia for two years and possibly Ohio State prior to 1951. The News-Sentinel reported that he twice turned down a MLB play by play job with the Philadelphia Phillies to stay in Knoxville He eventually left Knoxville in 1952 to go to WLW in Cincinnati.
Stout gained national notoriety in 1946 for his live news coverage of the “Battle of Athens” where the corrupt Athens, TN political machine was violently overthrown by a group of WWII veterans. Stout stayed in the air for hours as a gun fight raged between the veterans and corrupt local law enforcement. This broadcast could be one of the most significant moments of early Knoxville radio history. Stout is also credited for naming Roy Acuff’s band “The Crazy Tennesseans” during a broadcast on WROL.
Stout died in 1969 in Cincinnati at the age of 52. A deeper look at his career shows that he was a pioneer of sports broadcasting in Knoxville. He did broadcast UT football games for several seasons prior to 1951 and should be celebrated with the other Voices of the Vols.
Russell Mayes
WKCS Radio
