From the 101 inbox~

"Anyone know what is goin' on with Chuck Baron? I haven't heard from him in years...decades." (Jack Diamond aka Coyote Calhoun)

"Did anything ever happen about a reunion this summer?" (Chip Emerson)

"I remember when Al Adams had the disco-teen show on channel 26 in 1967. Just curious if these shows can be found in the archives somewhere?" (Tenn Gal)

"Didn't know if you knew...there is a GREAT tribute to Bill "Birdman" Thomas on YouTube!" (Roger Epperson)

"Have been going thru some old stuff and found this sketch by 'Lester'. On the back of the 3x5 card is a birthday request for somebody dated May 9 1980, so I guess he doodled it that week as we were reading birthdays. I have no memory of seeing this before and don't know if it's PG-13 or not, but here it is. Maybe somebody knows what it refers to...best, Jean" (Jean Ash)

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Special b'day wishes to my Orlando neighbor and former DJ hit man Jeff Hawkins aka Jeff Winters aka Studley Dudley!!!

101 heard from Bob Ziegler~

"I was there doing evenings when the switch was made to country, and ended up doing mornings for a while when the switch was made to oldies. I worked with Sherwood and Hennes after that in Illinois and Minnesota for a while and got out of the business."

Going Country!!!

Back in early '82 the rumors were being floated...what would the new format be for long time rocker WRJZ? Sounds like a recent familiar story...

"My Kind of Country" was soon launched and became the property of Sherwood and Hennes. The DJ line up featured Jessica James, Bill Beason, Martin Baker, Bob Ziegler, Eddie Beacon the swingin' deacon, and the morning man and PD was Dr Don West~

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Scott Black has an updated link!

got foto?

This is a true classic from WKGN in the late 70's...they were rockin' with an AOR type format. From left~ Mike Beck, Ted Nugent, Kerry Lambert, and Alan Sneed!

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Birthday wishes to Star 102.1's Frank Murphy. Frank also writes a wonderful blog!

Back when radio was really groovy!

Nuttin' better than old radio photos or old airchecks. This is Bill Miller aka Suitcase Simpson, circa 1970 in Chattanooga at WFLI...some of the hippest call letters ever!

Send your photographs and memories...and airchecks to 101!!!

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Happy B'day yesterday to WIVK's Andy Ritchie!

From our friend Ed Brantley~

WNOX Radio 100.3 is looking for employees to debut a new radio station on August 1, 2010. Possible positions include On Air personalities, Board Ops, Account Executives, Traffic Manager, Sales assistant and receptionist. Experience is a must. This is a locally owned company and an equal opportunity employer. Send resumes to WNOX Jobs PO Box 10945 Knoxville, TN 37939 or to wnoxjobs@comcast.net

Very few "music" stations have carried a full time sports department, of course WIVK was the exception. Back in '76 when I joined WIVK, Paul Lyle was Sports Director and worked the morning drive program with Claude Tomlinson.

6-10 Claude Tomlinson
10-1 Jimmy Vineyard
1-4 Ed Brantley
4-7 Bobby Denton
7-12 Tony Eubanks
12-6 Terry Womack

Weekenders- Me, Donny Meltabarger, Jeff Winters, Your Dave!
News- Bill Carnett, Jean Ash, Larry Wayne, Rod Townsend, Lisa McNeal and Calvin Sneed
Sports- Paul and a young up and comer named Bob Kesling
Sales- Ken Russell, Jim Roberts, Eric Bettis, Your Dave, Ed, Booby, and Paul

Within a month of my joining WIVK, two wonderful gentlemen...Dan Bell and Chip Emerson, both came on board.

From the 101 Audio Vault here's a short clip of Paul Lyle...talking about the Vols hiring of Coach Majors~



1976 was also the year the Jim Dick had purchased WKDA and WKDF in Nashville...in January '77 Paul Lyle left Ktown for the Music City and remained at 'KDA-'KDF until just a few years ago!

Here is a very young me (101) on WIVK in November '76...this is the earliest I have found (in the 101 Audio Vault) anyone croaking the word "wivick", and I listened to a composite of WIVK from the summer of '77 and I was the only DJ or news person on that aircheck that said "wivick", Hmm...



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The spin doctors says that Ed Brantley will plant his flag at FM 100.3, if true...welcome back Ed, good guys do finish first!

NEWS FLASH...

President Kennedy was shot in Dallas, oh...wrong copy~

WNOX newstalk is moving to 98.7 FM beginning in August.

The news was expected as Citadel's bankruptcy effected the 100.3 FM LMA with John Pirkle.

And we thought the story was that Booby Denton had bought WIVK and was renaming it "Booby 107.7"...

102.1 FM signed on in 1961 as WSEV-FM Sevierville and remained intact for twenty years when new call letters, new sounds, and new DJs emerged...enter U-102 WMYU. The PD was Bill Burkett (101 Audio Vault). Twenty years later...WWST is born as Star 102.1.




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101 hears that WNOX-FM will make an annoucement this morning, 9a on HHH show!

Hello George!

 

I've fallen behind on Knoxville Radio History 101 the last few months and I'm catching up tonight. Really appreciate that you've continued to maintain this website. Between your site and Facebook, I've made contact with a large number of old radio friends. For example, I talked to both Eddie Beacon and Ed Brantley on the phone this week for the first time in a couple of years. Plus, Facebook has allowed me to touch base with old radio buddies from around the world that I haven't talked to in 10, 20, 30 years (I'll stop there!). By way of an update, I'm devoting my life to bluegrass music these days. I launched a syndicated show, "Bluegrass Gospel USA!", around Labor Day. We're up to 16 stations now and steadily growing.  (www.BluegrassGospelUSA.com). Missionary work. I'm still doing The Bill Miller Show on WAMU's Bluegrass Country in Washington, DC on HD Channel 2. We just showed up in the People Meter in DC (maybe the first HD channel in the USA to do so???). Also close to launching a new syndicated bluegrass show. Keep up the great work!  

Bill Miller (I Am Still Suitcase Simpson)

Ron Baptist was the PD at 15Q. In the summer of '76 the line up was~

6 Charlie Fox
9 Ron Baptist
12 Bob Kagan
3 Shotgun Kelly
7 Kid Curry
11 The Brothers
2 Dave Elrod

Chuck "Boo Boo" Baron was unique, to say the least~



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Birthday wishes to "AD" Alan Sneed! 101 will feature more from "The Brothers" soon!

Loved "The Birdman" check. He came to 15Q from Chattanooga. One afternoon Tom Dooley brought him into the control room to meet me, and have me show him the board. Bird said, I was listening on the way in and "man I want to sound like you". I told him, he could never sound like me...but the best thing he could do was "SOUND LIKE HIM". He certainly took those words to heart and became one of the most unique personalities anywhere. He was one of my best friends...someone who would go to war for/or with you. He was a wonderfully crazy man and a great talent. It was a pleasure knowing and hanging with him the short amount of time he had on the planet. There was only ONE Bill "Birdman" Thomas. I will always miss him! (Mike Beach)

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Happy Birthday wishes to Eddie Beacon!

Let's stay with 'KVQ today! One thing that happened in '76 was an influx of many great sounding DJs on WKVQ and WRJZ!

Check out "The Birdman" sounding great...and listen closely and you'll hear Mike Beach too...

Happy Weekend from 101...

It's always fun to travel down memory lane via the 101 Audio Vault and today is really groovy!

In '76 W-149 became 15Q and by the end of that year the station was calling itself "1490 KVQ".

The Birdman and The Brothers, enjoy!

Special birthday wishes to Dan Bell! Dan was a news anchor at WIVK back in the 70's but jumped at the opportunity to host the local weekly countdown show of the top current hits. As host of "The Sunday Survey" Dan took it and ran...interviewing artists, debuting new hit records, being a wikipedia of music and artists moons before wiki was created! Today 101 salutes Dan!

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Heywood Harris has passed away. Everyone knew Heywood and loved him...RIP! And did you know...Heywood was hired by General Neyland in 1960 to be the Vols Sports Information Director.

Happy Birthday wishes to Mark McCain and Allen Free!!!

Robin Huff made many appearances in Ktown radio...first as "The Aardvark" at WNOX in the 70's, and later as "Scott Majors"~