WKGN Morning DJ's...1972 thru 1976-

Bobby Rivers
Alan Dennis
Bob Baron
Smokey Burns
Wayne Bernard
Dave Young
Al Adams
Frank Erwin
Steve West
Alan Douglas

Let's look at 'KGN 1976, it was the beginning of the end as a Top 40 station that had featured great jocks, great music, and great air battles with WNOX for years...

WKGN began 1976 as a Top 40 station...
6- Al Adams
10- Frank Erwin
3- Mike Beach
7- Scott Sams
12-David Todd
WE- Chris Lee, Phil Michaels
News- Joe Anderson, Lauren P. Murphy

By July the line up had become...
6- Frank Erwin
10- Al Adams
3- Pat O'Brien
7- Barry Tucker
12-Chris Lee

In August Frank Erwin exited after many years, Steve West took over mornings from 15Q(WKVQ).

And finally September rolled in, as did an AOR format and jock changes-
6a- Alan Douglas
12p- Dave Elrod
6p- Robin Beck (Barry Tucker)
12a- Keith Lambert (Chris Lee)

Beck and Lambert of course are Mike Beck and Kerry Lambert...Album Rock 'KGN went on to have a good run for a couple of years.

...in December, Johnny Majors was named Vols Head Coach!

Ghosts, goblins, and a new radio station were in the air around Halloween 1980. In October WUUU 94.3 Oak Ridge, and sister to WATO 1290, was in the final stages of becoming WETQ (Q94) and going country!

The Program Director was Mike Stewart. Here's the first line-up...

6- Jeff Winters
10-Mike Stewart
1- Jan Jennings
3- Rick Hudson
7- Dan Collett
12-David Brownell

Photo above is Jeff Winters, keep these classics headed our way!

Elsewhere at that time...

*Mooney Broadcasting was completing the purchase of WSEV AM/FM Sevierville.
*John E. Douglas was PD at WNOX, Phil Williams was morning drive!
*1240 AM was called WHEL, jocks were Win Maxwell and Bob Ogles.
*WRJZ...CP&Walker, Adele, Fred Story, Jeff Jarnigan, and Steve Howard.
*CNN featured Don Farmer, Chris Curle, and Mary Alice Williams.
*On Tuesday 11/4, Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter to become U.S. President.

In January 1977 WBIR 1240 and 103.5 announced format changes. The AM was exiting all news for a middle of the road music format and the FM was adding live DJ's to its country music format.

WBIR 1240 had featured the all news format for 2 years, but NBC announced they were ending their all news programming. 1240 planned to feature a news block in the morning with Dave Foulk and Judy Jenkins and then provide 5 minutes of CBS news every hour on the hour.

On the FM side Karl Shannon was brought in from Louisville to be the morning DJ, long time WBIR DJ Ken Johnson did middays, Tony Eubanks, formerly of WIVK worked 2-6p, Kathy Hill was on 6-8p, followed by The Mulls and then Don Lindsey and Mike Johnson.

From Dave Foulk...

I have experienced many format changes and dramatic talent exits in my career, but none as memorable as when WBIR Radio flipped from the NIS all-news format back to music. I was on my honeymoon, and my wife and I were driving through New York City on the way to Cape Cod. I tuned in the NIS station and heard what I thought were some odd remarks from the anchors there...including the outcue: "this is your news and unemployment station". I put it to some inside joke. But when we called home in a few days to get someone to turn the furnace back on in the apartment, I found out about the NBC announcement, and knew the days of Knoxville's first all-news station were numbered.

The Frog use to run promotional ads in the newspaper, this one is from the 80's...(click article to enlarge)...

101 wants to hear from you...got a great story, how about a funny photo!!!

Line up...5a-Curtis Parham, 9a-Jim Humphries, 2p-Walker Johnson, 6p-Joe Crotty, 11p-Ernie Baker. (Click photo to enlarge)!

101 got an email from Dave Foulk after posting the photo of Bobby Denton and Dave Young...

"Dave Young (if he hasn't sold it) owns one of the coolest classic cars in the area. Let's see who knows the answer.

Fleetwood Gruver and I rocked all night for some charity. My butt was numb for a week.

I wonder if Bobby Denton put anybody's eye out with those sharp points on his shirt collar. I should talk... About the time Dave Young started morning drive at WIVK, I started working part-time at WBIR television in addition to WBIR Radio. I made a few appearances on television in my lime colored, triple knit leisure suit.

In the mid-seventies in Knoxville, television was just starting to transition into video tape news gathering, and live remotes on television were still a major undertaking. As a rule, if it happened after about three in the afternoon, it was a big deal to get the film processed, edited, the story written, and on-the-air. WBIR's first microwave ENG truck was delivered just before I left for WSB Radio in 1977. Radio news was still the main source for live-breaking news and information on a regular basis. And it was not unusual for reporters from three radio stations to cover a news event. Now, Citadel's stations, and U-T's public radio station are the only two with staffs who have outside reporters.

Thanks for your great site. It's a pleasure to read about Knoxville radio, and all the people we've either worked with, or who have entertained us in years past."

In the 70's Dave Young was one of Knoxville's best "Top 40" DJ's...Dave worked afternoon drive at WNOX, moved to WKGN where he and Joe Anderson teamed up for "The Dave Young Morning Show", and then in the mid 70's, Your Dave went country! Many radio greats have passed thru the doorway of WIVK, few made the impact that Your Dave did. Dave was selected to replace Bobby Denton as afternoon drive DJ and for the next several years he ruled Ktown radio in afternoon drive. He teamed up with Buckeye Bob Kesling who handled sports then at WIVK!

Thanks to anonymous for sending 101 this great photo!

From 101's inbox...

Suitcase Simpson...
Fleetwood Gruver! He was from the Chattanooga area (Rossville GA I think) originally. He used to hang out at the Top 40 WFLI in Chattanooga when he was a teenager and I was on the staff there. Fleetwood eventually wound up at WQXI in Atlanta when it was a Jefferson Pilot station and stayed with that organization for years. Not sure where he is now.
But his real name was....(drum roll).....Fleetwood Gruver! Who needs a stage name with a real one like that? Love your blog!

Ted Ferguson...
I forgot all about Possum Riley...He was the pd at 'KGN who hired me. Arranged by Skip Boussard who was actually replacing himself on air....
Possum was actually Randall Dickerson....who went from Knoxville to WKRC (WKRP) Cincinnati...Very nice guy actually...
Later in the 70's I went to 'DRQ in Detroit. Bartell execs named me China Jones, but Ktown missed that act...

Jay Michaels...
I went to middle school with Murphy in the Morning real name David Broughton here in Birmingham…we even started radio the same time, his famous funny on the air was the P.T.L.. club (pass the loot) with Jim and Tammy…

Bob Thomas...
My favorite all time was Sonny Knight who was Carlos Kivett. I think he has since passed away. When I got to 'KGN he was sales manager.

Jay Kersting...
Even though most of the information on the site is from before my time on the air in Knoxville, I love the site. Great stuff about guys that I know or worked with while in K-Town. Loved the old pics of Phil Williams with the whiskey bottle from his first stint at WNOX. Great stuff.I keep trying to find similar info about the radio history of Jefferson City/Columbia, MO. No one is as resourceful here as there when it comes to radio history/heritage. Thanks and keep up the great work!!

Dave Young...
An interesting thing about 1974 at WKGN was the good old radio promotions. WNOX had the constant contest and we at the Famous 1340 had the inconsistent contest. In the spring book WKGN pulled even with the Big 99.'74 was also the year that I rode the ferris wheel during the T.V.A & I fair to raise money for the Children's Hospital.

Coming soon...101 received a classic photo of Dave Young and Bobby Denton!

One of 101's favorite Ktown radio names is Smokey Burns. Smokey was the morning DJ at WKGN in '73-'74. Smokey went on to work in Nashville and Charlotte and other spots as Murphy in the Morning.

When 1974 started WKGN and WNOX were battling for the top rock spot in Knoxville...

WKGN-
6 Smokey Burns
9 Bob Baron (PD)
11 Frank Erwin
3 Wayne Bernard
7 Dave Young
12 Jerry Steel
WE Dick Winstead, Ken Burger, Jack Gregory
News Joe Anderson, Walker Johnson

WNOX-
6 Eddy Roy
10 Fleetwood Gruver
3 Randy Lane
7 Jay Richards
12 Fred Brown
News Ron Ashburn, Larry Booker

WETE 620 was still a few years away from morphing into 62 WRJZ, they played an easy rock type format...

WETE-
5 Jim Clark
9 Jim Humphries
2 Curtis Parham
6 Open Line with Tom Padgett
8 Adrian Newton
1 Ernie the Bartender

In February 1974 the 41 year All SEC basketball team was announced...Bob Pettit and Pete Maravich of LSU were on the first team, as were Ralph Beard and Cliff Hagan of Kentucky, and Bailey Howell of MSU. The coach was Adolph Rupp.

On Monday March 25, WKGN had a big line up change as Smokey exited and Wayne Bernard switched from afternoon to morning drive. Your Dave took over afternoons and "Laid back low key" Kent Newton became the rocker from 7-12 on 'KGN!

The next week WETE's Jim Humphries became the iron man by beating the world record of being on the air for 209 consecutive hours. Remember Jim broadcasting from the parking lot of Suburban Center during those many hours!

Remember some great sounding radio names...'Possum Riley, Eddie Beacon, Suitcase Simpson. What's your favorite made up radio name from Ktown's yesteryear?

101 wants to add your link or your radio station, send us an email! Also...keep the comments, contributor stories, and photos coming! Wasn't it fun hearing from Sir Bernard!!!

Today's contributor is Sir Bernard J. Quayle...WNOX 1969!

"It was so good seeing all those names from one of the happiest periods in my radio career. I joined WNOX late April, 1969. I thought a little background to my arrival may be of interest to your readers. Please feel free to use whatever you wish.
I started my radio career in July 1967 at Manx Radio in the Isle of Man, right in the centre of the British Isles. Pirate radio stations had brought American style broadcasting to Britain but the UK Government was closing them down. Manx Radio was the first legal commercial station with a very limited signal but with the demise of the pirates, we had the potential to increase our power and become Britain's first legal commercial station. With this in mind, in 1968, I spent a two week vacation with my sister in Knoxville so I could get to experience American broadcasting first hand. My sister Pauline, then a beautician with Metz & Kerchner on Kingston Pike, arranged visits with a number of radio stations. Don Armstrong was the PD at WNOX and convinced me that the only way to learn was to work within the system and offered me a job.
I assumed I'd be given some menial task like stacking records in the library and could not believe what happened when I arrived at the airport. (See attached picture) The station had been telling its listeners that they were importing one of Britain's top DJs and I was going straight onto the breakfast show! I protested that I was an absolute greenhorn, a rank amateur compared to those guys on the air already. Don assured me it would be OK as long as I just kept my accent. Well judging by the ratings, it seemed to work. When Don Left for WOHO, Toledo, I joined him there about a year later. I returned to the Isle of Man in 1980, went to South Africa for a while but came back to Manx Radio in 1989 and have been presenting the Late Show there ever since. I recently did a programme celebrating the 40th anniversary of my first broadcast on Manx Radio, perhaps I could do a 40th anniversary show in Knoxville in 1969?
I've been back to Knoxville and the Smokies on vacation a number of times in the past 20 years and love the area and the people.
I do the Late Show Mon-Fri from 22.00 to 0100 (British summer time) and you can listen live at www.manxradio.com"

Longtime Knoxville radio personality Phil Williams was calling middays at WNOX home in 1978...At year's end WNOX had a great promo, Phil drank on the air to demonstrate the effects of alcohol. He was then driven home and tucked into bed! 101 got an email from Phil, great hearing from you!

WNOX (December 1978)-

PD Bob Savage
530 Dr. Dave Dunaway
10 Phil Williams
2 CC McCartney
6 Scott Majors
10 Bill Beason
2 James Maurice
News- Win Maxwell, Julie Lemaster

Over at WBIR Action 10 News...Bill Williams and Elda Brown were the anchors, Scott Sams did the weather, and Jim Cline sports.

The CMA awards in October '78 awarded Dolly Parton as entertainer of the year, Don Williams won the male entertainer, Crystal Gayle won female honors, and the single of the year was "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" by The Kendalls.

On November 7, Lamar Alexander beat Jake Butcher and became Tennessee's new Governor.

101 says hello to several record spinners from yesteryear who dropped us a note this week...Mike Hammond, Jay Michaels, Eddie Beacon, Bob Thomas, Chris Huff, Phil Williams, Sir Bernard J. Quayle, and Your Dave Young.

Coming soon...our next contributer!!!

Booby gives up drive time...

On Monday June 13, 1977 WIVK split it's AM and FM stations during the midday. Bobby Denton also turned over afternoon drive to Your Dave Young.

WIVK-FM
6- Claude Tomlinson
10- Jimmy Vineyard
1- Bobby Denton
3- Dave Young
7- Donny Meltabarger
12- Terry Womack

WIVK-AM
6- Claude Tomlinson
10- Ed Brantley
1- Jean Ash
3- Dave Young
7- Jeff Winters

Tidbits...Eddie Rabbit's I Can't Help Myself was #1, James Earl Ray had escaped from Brushy Mountain prison that week, and Islands in the Stream was a brand new movie.

Over at WRJZ that summer, the line up was-

5 CP and Walker
9 Rick Kirk
1 JJ Scott
4 Tim Edwards
8 John Boy Isley
12 Adele