Hey George -
I got to WKGN in 1969 and the incident I'm about to relate happened not long before I got there. It was still a topic of conversation among listeners.
The city police department in Ktown was running these "safety lanes" and using them to write copious tickets, bringing in the revenue to city coffers. It was something of a racket - really just a way to stop traffic to check license and registration, but disguised as a safety tool. WKGN had an old mobile news unit that was in terrible shape. The tires were bald, the windshield wipers were frayed and at least one tail light was out.
The news director (I think it was Allen Pressley) drove the rolling wreck through the safety lane and it passed! It was insured and the license and registration were up to date. He ran a recorder while he did it and, after being waved on, pulled over and confronted the police. The "safety lanes" quietly disappeared.
That mobile unit was gone when I arrived. I was told it was hit from behind and driven into the car in front of it. Nobody was hurt, but the whole front of the unit cracked off and it took two men two scoot it to the curb. It had been fixed so many times there were a couple of hundred pounds of Bondo in its nose.
Thanks for hangin' with the Possum
Possum Riley
Ashland City, Tenn.