101's sweet dog "Bocelli" passed away on Friday...truly man's best friend. PS~ His breed is Bouvier des Flandres!

On Sunday we said happy birthday to Dan Bell, 2day he's featured in the "101 Audio Vault" as 101 travels back to the late 70's and Dan hosting WIVK's Sunday Survey. Dan's guest was singer/songwriter/coach Worley Max (McKinney). PS~ Worley soon will release a CD of his songs!

Page 3...

Birthday wishes this past weekend to Allen Free, like many of us he cut his tooth at WBLC 1360 in Lenoir City!

Welcome back to the WOKI mic the legend Dave Foulk!!!

Happy Birthday to Dan Bell...

Dan joined WIVK in the 70's as a member of the news department and parlayed his wit and wisdom into hosting a very popular countdown show each week known as "The Sunday Survey". Dan was fast on his feet, interviewing the stars and detailing music trends!

Dan is still around and you can find him on Facebook!!!

Twitter and Facebook are blowing up about a local story...the Krystal on Cumberland Avenue has suddenly closed after serving generations of future broadcasters delicious, if not small and square, burgers! For more we proxy our vote to Dave Foulk at www.davefoulk.com.

It's time for another "101 Reload"~ 

 "I was just reading about my old station WROL or W149 as it was called. You list Loose Bruce as the all night DJ. Actually, it was me! Bruce, aka Bruce Goldberg-I named him Loose Bruce, was part time weekends. Jerry Britt was also. I was there from '73-'76. The line up was Gary Adkins at 6:30 a.m., Bob Hamilton 10-2, Bill Johnson 2-6, Leslie Shelor aka Peggy 6-midnight. Dick Strerchi was the GM. The Hawk, Bill Hawkins and Rick Remine were there when I first started but left about a year after I got there. At one point Tony Yokem and The Freaking Beacon were there but not for long. I recall Clay Gish being there before me, but Clay was gone by the time I started in 12/73. Alan Sneed came along about a year before I left. The great Dave Elrod was also there for a year or so when I was there. So was Mike Beach. We were no longer in Fountain City but on White Ave next to the methadone clinic. The station belonged to a shoe salesman who sold it to a guy named Blow. Dick Gross came in and changed it to disco and ran the rock guys off...Adkins is now a lawyer, Sneed is a radio consultant in Indianapolis. Beach remodels houses in Pennsylvania. Bill Johnson is still around. Don't know about the rest of them. Peace-" (Frank Costa)

Happy Blessed Memorial Day!

The 101 InBox says hello to Mike Bridges~

"Was looking at your blog and saw the question about Z93's lineup. I worked there during this period. Mornings was Brother Clay. Sometimes Becky Peaden and myself filled in while he was out or on vacation. Mid-days where handled by Randy Rhodes. Afternoon was JJ Randle. Nights were a rotation of myself and Terry Styles. Over nights was Troy Ameen The Hit Machine. I used the name "Magic Mike" while there. Near the end they went on the bird in the evenings carrying Open House Party 7 nights a week. This was a trial run for John Garibedian and I think we were the only station to carry OHP every night. He weekly show was more laid back and much different from the weekend version. There were a few personnel changes during this time too and I don't remember everyone who worked there. I was the last jock before they changed over to Star. Larry Trotter offered me a job at Star but I turned it down to return to WOKI. Makes me wonder what would've happened if I didn't go back upstairs and took the job with Star but at that time I was a student at UT and very loyal to Bill Hayes and Johnny Pirkle."

Page 3...

Happy Birthday to Martin Baker!

101 posted about WATO yesterday, so let's enjoy a "101 Reload"~

It's been a fun ride looking back at WATO 1290 Oak Ridge...

"Enjoyed Lindsey Brooks' comments and the pic of WATO with the turntables underneath the board. I've worked for a lot of radio stations (my goodness I've worked for a lot of radio stations!), and the only place I've used a similar arrangement was at WKY in Oklahoma City in my early 20s. Trust me it was a long time ago. WKY's control board was massive compared to WATO's -stations with only 3 call letters always have massive equipment. It was a great setup to run a fast board and I never understood why everyone didn't have a similar board-turntable arrangement." - Bill Miller (I Am Still Suitcase Simpson)

"Thanks for the WATO memories. That was my first official gig -- hired to empty out trash cans (which were always filling up with AP wire machine paper. Remember those rolls of paper?) Then it was on to board op for Atlanta Braves baseball on the FM (WUUU) and eventually reading newscasts in the morning before I went to school. (Great gig for a high school student!) This was in the mid-late 70s and among the stand-out people there for me was a guy named Roy McClendon who did mornings. I was shocked when he suddenly passed away in 1977 (or 78?) James Freeman was there, too -- and was the one who hired me to come over to WBIR-FM when he landed the PD gig there. I pretty much owe my career to James. Others I remember there were Hugh Newsom, Mike Earl, Mike Moore (not the filmmaker!) Randy Miller, Jeff Caylor, Larry Solomon -- and who can forget the engineer Dave Brown! (Anyone know whatever happened to Leslie Self? She was at WATO after working at W-149.) And does anyone have any more old PICS? I’ll try to dig up some! Thanks!" (Carson Cooper Radio Margaritaville SiriusXM and NPR (WUSF-FM) in Tampa)

Back in the fall of '79 WEZK was number one in Ktown with a 18.4 share followed by WIVK-FM with a 16.6...WIVK AM/FM still mainly simulcasted and the AM share was a 10.6!

Jeff Winters had exited WIVK earlier in the year to be morning DJ and Music Director at WATO 1290 Oak Ridge.

The 101 Audio Vault features Jeff...

Are CP and Walker getting back together?

It's a Monday 101 Reload (previously posted) from our friend and media guru Walker Johnson~

"I kinda figure my life (age wise) as to which station I was with at what age. I was 22 in 1970 and started the radio ride at WGAP. In '73 I was just about 25 and working at WKGN. I turned 27 in 1975 and replaced Mike Beach at WETE. I think he came over to 'KGN but I would not make book on it. I hit the ripe old age of 28 in 1976 and Basic Media Limited bought out Hall Broadcasting and turned WETE into WRJZ. The plan was to fire all of us but CP talked them into putting the two of us in the morning. I remember he had at 10 in the morning on WETE and I had an 8 in the afternoon. First book for WRJZ we pulled an 18, knocking off all the morning shows except Claude at WIVK. Next book we nailed the Cat to the wall. Are you bored yet? WRJZ was being sold and the new owner was being told to go country by our...GM! It was 1980 and I had just turned 32 when my contract was up and I and ran over to WIVK, CP came when his was up. James A. Dick built his AM station around us and changed the calls to WHIG. I know, 'bout as stupid a set of letters ever used. Anyway we went on the air with the same format as the old WRJZ. Johnny Pirkle was sick of us beating his station so he had a few friends call up Bobby Denton to complain. Before the first month was gone we were playing country music and our fans from WRJZ were all sick! They would call to say they tried to turn the station OFF when the music came on and then get back to us when we talked! At the ripe old age of 37 (1985) my father and I bought a radio station. OK, HE bought 50% and I bought 1%. We took WEAG in Alcoa, (a very old big band station) rock, bought a restored 1969 Caddy hearse and had more fun that you can imagine! The late Jim Donavon was my morning man, Becky Lynn (of the old WIMZ and now a radio star in Arizona) did middays, the late GREAT Ernie Baker was News Director and none other than Ted Ousley (Gunner on WIVK today) did afternoons. Dad and I sold the station WMDR (My wife told me the calls said "Walker Makes Denise Rich" but after a year she kind of dropped that thought) in 1989 and I went full time with U 102 as I turned 41. More stations followed after that and some TV work but after U 102 the "BIG" money was done and with the exception of a few places that died either while I was there or just after I left, that was IT for radio! Turning 61 is outstanding IF you still have the mind of an 8 year old, yep I qualify big time there."

The country wars are alive and kickin' in Ktown with the frog now being challenged by Merle-FM and add Q93 into the mix with the legendary Mike Hammond now at the helm! 

Here are two Merle-FM photos, station owner Ron Meredith with Mayor Tim Burchett and afternoon DJ Jack Ryan with singer Con Hunley! 

Do you remember the good old days of Con singing at The Corner Lounge?

Page 3...

101 found a groovy radio blog called "Nick's Radio Corner" (click)

In the late 70's Jamey Kerr joined the WIVK air force as a weekend DJ...and he stayed with Dick Broadcasting for decades, eventually making the move to the still DBC owned stations in Greensboro NC.

Today the 101 Audio Vault features Jamey~

Congrats to Mike Hammond...he's the new Program Director at Journal's Q93!

Q93 (WCYQ) plays country music and Mike of course, worked at WIVK for almost 40 years!

Knoxville Radio History 101 is a daily event and 101 wants to hear from you! In the news this week, Jack Ryan! No, not from the Tom Clancy novels, but ala WIVK, oops...Merle-FM! 101 asked our ace Ktown 101 insider Phil Jarnigan about the upcoming buzz...

"The Jack’s Back party will be a traveling one this Thursday. It starts out at Elliotts Boots at Campbell Station 4-6pm. There will be live entertainment, prizes, and free Jack’s Back t-shirts. The party then moves to The Cotton Eyed Joe at 7pm. I’m pleasantly surprised at the performer turnout for the show, and they’re impressive singers. And Con Hunley has turned down some VERY nice offers to sing this year. We’re incredibly pleased that he will be singing Thursday."