Make The Switch

It's August '76 at 15Q...

Charlie Fox is morning drive followed by Ron Baptist, Bob Kaghan, Shotgun Kelley, Kid Curry and The Brothers.

In mid August Chuck Baron joins the team and the station kicks off his tenure via the "Chuck Baron Super Zap Weekend". Bob Kaghan exits as WRJZ is right around the corner and he's tapped to be PD.

6 Charlie Fox

9 Ron Baptist

12 Shotgun Kelley

4 Chuck Baron

8 Kid Curry

11 The Brothers

2 Dave Elrod

Later that month Chuck Baron takes over morning drive with Charlie Fox moving to afternoons.

Moving in to September...Bill Johnson replaces Alan Sneed as one of The Brothers (teaming with Gary Adkins).

WIVK nighttime DJ Suitcase Simpson gets the Q itch and joins the team (10a-1p time slot)...Eddie Beacon is now reading the news in AM drive!

The station has a ton of big names behind the mic during it's less than one year ride, including future WIVK legend Bob Thomas. Here's Bob via The 101 Audio Vault!

100.3 The Bull

Former WIVK personality Chris Huff has been elevated from APD/MD at Houston's KILT-FM "The Bull" to the Program Director position! Cheers to Chris!

My Kind of Country

Many remember it as "The New 62 WRJZ" but in '82 the station was tagged "My Kind of Country" and was led by GM Mark Heiden and PD Dr Don West (Steve Bridgewater). 

Enter summer and new ownership of Sherwood and Hennes- they brought in Doc Fidler to be GM and Jessica James was promoted after Dr Don took a new gig in Nashville.

The night time DJ during the country period was Bob Ziegler, via The 101 Audio Vault...

It's the fall of '82 and The World's Fair is wrapping up in Ktown! 

Your Dave, Jimmy Vineyard, and Joe Grant are all working together...at WNOX 990.

Jeff Jarnigan is morning drive at WOKI-FM 100.

Over at Channel 26 (WTVK) Adele is the weather person!

KiX 95 is new and features Phil Hunt (PD) as AM disc jockey.

...and over at Rock 104 (WIMZ) Beach and Williams rule their air waves~ (101 Audio Vault)-

W-149

Eddie Beacon supplied this nugget of WROL 1490 aka W-149 the brainchild of 101 Wall of Fame legend Johnny Pirkle. The AOR free style format aired from 1971 until 1976!

Mooney Broadcasting

U-102

In the early 80's U-102 entered the Ktown radio market via WSEV 102.1 in Sevierville. Bill Burkett was PD...bringing Mike Clark on as part of the news team was bigly! Photo is Mike working his trade!

15Q

Gary Adkins found some great (and never before seen) 15Q photos...Alan Sneed, Dave Elrod, Bob Kaghan, Michael Ambruzinni, Leslie Shelor, Bob Gross, Bob "Shotgun" Kelley, Mick Rizzo, Steve West, and more!

WROL

There was an article posted on our Knoxville Radio History 101 Facebook page about WROL from the late 40's.

Don't you love the control room photos! This is Allen Stout, listed as a WROL announcer. Also on staff were Ron Ashburn and Harry Moreland.

At that time WROL was 5000 watts at 620 KC and 76000 watts on WROL-FM 97.3. The tag line was "NBC for East Tennessee".

Photographs & Memories

It doesn't get much better than the vintage control room on air photos...from 1978 this is Phil Jarnagin on WSBM!

Please send your photographs and memories to- ktownradio@gmail.com

Happy Valentine's Day

Page 3...

Congrats~ Bobby Denton has been named a member of the "Country Radio Hall Of Fame"

Big Money Hi-Lo

Eddie Beacon was squeezed in between morning DJ Dr. Don West and afternoons via Jessica James  on 62 WRJZ. His show was action packed...callers talked with a Chicago psychic, he had a dating game, and he gave away cash!

The 101 Audio Vault swings back to 1982~

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Mrs. James A. Dick, matriarch of Dick Broadcasting, passed away this week. May her memory be eternal!

...in his own words~

Chris Hampton was asked "if you had to do it all over again, what station would you pick?"

"That's a toughie! WKGN in Knoxville where I broke out of my hometown comfort zone and began to be one of those guys I used to look at and want to be. I really took charge and within a year and a half I got the promotion to Program Director at WBSR. Those were wonderful days as I took what I learned from really good PDs as well as what I had learned from some not so good PDs as well and melded that knowledge with what kind of PD I wanted to be. You weren't there in the 80's for the WOWW107 days. All three of those stations were milestones for me filled with great people and great times, but I would go with WOWW. It was a tremendous experience with great people and the best GM I ever worked with. I also, finally, found out that I could indeed be a morning man. It was part of the job as PD there, so I had no choice. Its like I said, it's a hard choice and there are other stations that are dear to me as well, starting with WMOC where I started in 1964. WDXB where I learned so much other than just being a jock. You had to do production, news, public appearances, anything and everything involved in programming. I was lucky to work for some great stations but WKGN, WBSR, and WOWW are my top three and WOWW gets the nod as the best period in my career. It was top shelf all the way!"

Chris's Career...

WMOC

WGOW

WDXB

WKGN

WBSR

WMAK

WJLQ

WCOA

WTKX

WOWW