It's time for a 101 Reload...Ron Campbell wrote to us in 2011~

"Hi...ENJOY YOUR STORIES ABOUT KNOXVILLE RADIO. BRINGS BACK MANY MEMORIES OF THE YEARS THAT I WAS AT WIVK FROM '68-'72, WORKING THE 7p SHIFT, FOLLOWING BOBBY DENTON'S SHOW. ALSO WORKED THE MORNING SHOW AT WBIR IN '75 AND '76...KNOXVILLE RADIO IS ALWAYS CLOSE TO MY HEART. WAS INDUCTED INTO THE DJ ROCKABILLY HALL OF FAME IN JACKSON LAST YEAR. NEVER THOUGHT I WOULD SEE ANY HONOR LIKE THAT FOR AN OLD COUNTRY BOY. THANKS" 

"Good to see my old friend, Ed Brantley doing well these days at WNOX. We worked together at WIVK in the old days from 1968 until 1972. He is still one of my friends and will remain so. Plus Ed Brantley is a great radio man. Thanks Ed." 

Two Ktown legends...Your Dave Young and Marshall Andy, circa~ late 70's in the WIVK studio.

...from Bob Catron (written on our 101 facebook page) "Trying to understand the perspective here, Dave. Just outside the window with curtains behind you, was that the stairwell to downstairs? If so, there were a lot of equipment improvements since I left 3 years earlier in '76."

Kidd Kraddick...RIP!

"Gone 2 Soon"

froggie...

Ktown radio 2day...

WIVK 107.7

5-10 Andy and Alison
10-3 Colleen Adair
3-7   Gunner
7-12 Cody Alan
12-5 Kix Brooks

...news with Channing Smith!

Page 3~

Happy Birthday to Paul Lyle!

The 101 Audio Vault has been dusted off and cranked up...here are 2 popular voices, Rich Randall and Ed Brantley~

It's time to vote...for the 2014 "101 Wall of Fame"!!!

This will be the 4th class (first 3 are listed on the right side of 101)...send up to 10 nominees to 101 at KtownRadio@gmail.com. 

101 will then announce the finalists and the final vote will be taken.

Who is eligible? Anyone that has a Ktown radio history...janitors to presidents!!!

Page 3~

Foto is of Jack Ryan...a few years back! Check out Jack's page~ click here

TGIF!!!

Happy Friday!

2day we feature the 101 Audio Vault...

I went to high school with Jim Donovan, his sister Terri was in my grade and remains a friend. Jim had a booming voice and a great laugh. He was taken too soon!

Steve Bridgewater was my last boss in radio as he hired me to be a weekend DJ and do music research at WRJZ (1982). Steve first came to Ktown as part of the monster mash, that magnificent group of personalities imported to Ktown for 15Q! (1976)

Here's a 101 Reload, posted first back in 2009...

Country music was king in Ktown in 1982 as both WRJZ and WNOX were spinning that format and competing with WIVK...and WNOX was about to debut their new FM sister station..."Kix 95" which was also scheduled for the same format.In September 1982 WNOX's Program Director was Jerry Howell and their DJ lineup was jam packed with talent-

6-10 Dave Young
10-2 Jim Donovan
2-6 Jimmy Vineyard
6-12 Joe Grant
12-6 Bill Jeffers

As "Kix 95" cranked it up Jimmy Vineyard moved over from WNOX and the line up featured PD Phil Hunt 6-10, Rick Davis 10-3, Jimmy Vineyard 3-7, Doug Bingham 7-12, and Elaine Scott 12-6.

He's Back!

In case you missed...here's Dan Bell signing on to his new Sunday Survey on Merle~

Back to the Future...

Modern technology has allowed "local" radio to slip into the abyss. 

In a radio coup WMYL is adding the decades famous "Sunday Survey" with it's host Dan Bell.

Back in the late 70's Dan was a news anchor on WIVK, then on March 4, 1979 Dan added the 1-6p Sunday DJ slot and the countdown began. 

One of Dan's highlights was he always had interviews from the stars!

PS- I was on the air at 6p after Dan's first Sunday Survey show!

Dan debuts today from noon to 4p on Merle.

Page 3...

Join Mike Kelly 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. for Sunday in the South! Where country and bluegrass artists sing about family and faith. Only on 96.7 Merle FM!

WATO AM and FM...

From our 101 facebook page, here is some bantering about WATO Oak Ridge~

WATO-FM signed on in 1967. Ran a free-form rock format supposedly. Became WUUU in 1971 first running SRP Beautiful Music then switched to Bonneville Beautiful Music later on. (Kent Teffetelle) 

WATO-FM went on the air in the late 60's and shocked a few folks with an alternative album rock format. I remember listening to "Country Joe and the Fish" "The Amboy Dukes" and Steppenwolf's "G.D. the pusher man" to name a few selections. Who knows what happened, but by the time I went to work at WATO (Oct '71) they had changed to WUUU and changed to a "beautiful music" format. LOL, boring crap for a young kid. (Gary Stone) 

When I came there (WATO 1290) Dave Bruce mornings, Alan Crockett middays (later nights), Joe Vann afternoons and me 6p-12. I remember Jim Westcott as news director, Hugh Newsom weekends and a host of others coming and going. (Gary Stone)

It (Q94) had a revolving door, Tony Eubanks, Dan King, Randy Bishop, Greg McMahan, this was around the spring of '82. I can't remember the list after that. Rau Radio sold it about a year or so later to a guy named Pyle. He made the AM MOR/BB and the FM went soft /AC. (Bob Poland) 

Hugh Newsom was still there when I worked there in '79-'81. Of course Dave Brown was engineer. Jeff Winters was there for a short time as was Bill Page, who did play by play for Oak Ridge football. (Mike Clark)

Do you have WATO or WETQ memories?

So what did Ktown radio sound like in the early 80's? 

The 101 Audio Vault features Chuck Edwards on WOKI, Bill Burkett on WMYU, and Dr Don West on WRJZ... 

Bits and Bacon Pieces...

There's a ton of fun happening at our 101 facebook page! Here are just a few of the stories recently posted~

"I worked at WNOX/WTNZ/WNKX from 85-88 and here's the deal. Sanders did buy WNOX and 95.3 in '82, which became KiX95. Both were Country. In 1985 Sanders sold both to John Lack and his partner from NYC. Several months later Lack's partner along with CBS news person Jessica Savage drove into a swollen creek doing a storm. Both were killed. The stations were then sold to Rebs Inc. (Rick James and Bob Dearborn, along with their wives) in the Fall of '86. WNOX remained Country while KiX became 95.3 WTNZ with a Top 40 format." (Bill Beason)

"In 1971 they (WBIR-FM) were running a Drake syndicated format package. When I left Knoxville for the military in 1969 there was nothing contemporary on the Knoxville FM's. When I got back to town in 1971, I tuned across the FM dial and the first thing I heard was "Handbags and Gladrags" by Rod Stewart. Weird. For some reason I never forgot that." (Gary Adkins)

"Anyone heard that Mike Kelly 15 year veteran of WDVX Sunday mornings is headed to Merle FM for Sunday in the South 8a-12n Sundays..Country and Bluegrass artists sing about family and faith. Live with requests. And Dan Bell revives the Sunday Survey. Sunday Survey 20/20 begins 7/14~ Today's top 20 and the top 20 from yesterday all in the same show. Real Jocks..Real Shows, Real Radio.." (Ron Meredith)

Dan is Back!!!

"Okay, who wants to be part of The Sunday Survey on Merle FM? Email me your favorite top ten songs of all time...to danbell@merlefm.com! Each week, I'll play a top ten by someone. Yes, you can remain anonymous if you wish! (Dan Bell)

Happy 4th of July!

Lots of fireworks 2day...

101 heard from Jay Harder yesterday and then look what we found in the 101 Audio Vault (Jay and Scott Majors)~

"Cool site! What ever happened Fred Lee, ND, WNOX? I was there in 1981/1982 as afternoon news anchor. Bill Evans was through the glass from me as PM drive DJ. I am in Charlotte, Bill is chief meteorologist at WABC TV in New York. Have a great afternoon! Best, Jay"

Ktown 1963~

The Knoxville radio landscape 50 years ago...

2fer on Tuesday...

The 101 Audio Vault features Phil Williams on WNOX and Bob Ziegler on WRJZ~

'82 was a very special year as planet earth visited "The 1982 World's Fair" in Knoxville!

We kick off July with the 101 Audio Vault and Jessica James and Ernie Baker on WRJZ...