Where are they...

I hired a 16-year-old kid named Jim Price to work weekend overnights in 1969 at WKGN. Renamed him Sebastian James. My successor renamed him Jimmy James. Later, he went to W-149 to do nights. I think he used his real name. After graduating from UT, Jim was a deputy for the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. He spent most of his law enforcement career with the Morristown PD. Last contact we had was 1985. If anyone has a clue what became of Jim, I’d sure appreciate the information. I could be contacted through a message on Facebook (under Paul Randall Dickerson). 

Still hangin’

Possum Riley

Where are they now?

It's the spring of 1980 and WKGN 1340 featured Jeff Winters in the morning...also behind the mic were Chuck Edwards, Chris Adams, Keith Brunson, Joey Birchfield, and Richard Swan. 

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.

Hold That Line

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).

Page 3...

Here are a couple of bits and bacon pieces via our 101 Page 3...Erik Ainge VFL great and The Sports Animal broadcaster reposted my X/Twitter post. I keep a very low profile but have a few famous followers, including former Governor Bill Haslam! (follow me @talkgeorge, I will follow back).

 

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)

It's 1969 in Ktown...and the radio wars are alive and kickin', or is it rockin'!

This newspaper ad was placed by WKGN 1340. 

As you can see, several stations could claim fame and victory depending on the daypart. 

Were you behind a mic in '69?

Nico Iamaleava exiting takes the monkey off of Lane Kiffin's back as the Biggest Orange ars to leave...

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!!!

Did you know...

Back in 1970 Don Bowman had an "outdoor" show on WROL 1490. It was on the air twice daily, at 745a and 525p! Don's interviews mixed hunting and fishing tips with outdoor ideas!

The Life and Times of The Big 99

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.

In 1925 the effort was on to change the call letters to KNOX. That plan morphed in to becoming WNOX...The Voice of the Smokies!

In 1927 power erupted via WNOX strengthening to 2500 watts, second in TN only to WSM Nashville...it was noted that with the boost, the station could be heard in Cuba! 

1930 saw the studios being moved to the Andrew Johnson Hotel, the seventeenth floor to be exact.

Scripps-Howard became the owner in 1935, and the station really took off with shows like the Midday Merry Go Round and the Saturday Night Barn Dance.

Many careers were launched at WNOX including Chet Atkins, Archie Campbell and Flatt & Scruggs.

Through the decades many voices boomed through the dial position...Lowell Blanchard, Ron Ashburn, Johnny Pirkle, Dave Young, and Phil Williams, just to name a few.

In 2010 I finally got to have my voice vibrate thru WNOX...at that time it was as NewsTalk 100.3 and featured the Ed and Bob Show in the morning. I visited them and like every other guest on their morning show, I brought hot donuts, ha. 

These days the call letters are housed at Classic Rock 93.1.

6-10 Ray Gee and Kobe

10-3 MJ

3-7 Ricky Aaron

7-12 Phil Thompson

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!

Many remember Cas Walker for his grocery store commercials..."Cas Walker's Melons Are Thumpin' Good". 

Cas was also a politician and broadcaster! Here are the Ktown radio shows on February 3, 1958...

The 101 Audio Vault features Ron Ashburn on WNOX 990...

 

Margie Ison...RIP

 The weather forecast in Heaven is 101% sunshine!

The House of Sneed...101 contributor Alan Douglas Sneed~

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