The Wonderful World of 101 says...

...thank you for a groovy 2018!

It was a magical year looking back at the voices and stories of East Tennessee radio!

We crank up The 101 Audio Vault one more time this year and travel to 15Q in '76 and Kid Curry~

Happy Trails!

Phil Jarnagin has been a major player for Merle-FM during its 10 plus years. Today Phil signs off for the final time as midday personality! 

Merle-FM (WMYL 96.7) features the syndicated morning show "Big D and Bubba", Phil, and Jack Ryan afternoon drive.

Good Luck Phil!!!

~from the 101 InBox...

Regarding Jim Humphries passing-

Thanks so much for posting about Jim Humphries death. I worked with Jim at WETE from March to August '76. We used his "Disco Dance" machine for several parties at Walters State and other venues. Again, thanks! (Bill Beason)

Sad as hell to read this. He was old school radio and left a big mark on the local radio market. (Walker Johnson)

On Chris Hampton's post regarding WKGN-

Chris, Cleveland Wheeler, and I were all in the Class of 1967 at Brainard High School in Chattanooga. Happy Holidays and have a great 2019! (Alan Sneed-o)

Keep the cards and letters coming, 101 wants to hear from you! KtownRadio@gmail.com

Le'ts Tweet...follow me on Twitter, I follow back- talkgeorge

Merry Christmas from 101...

...and "Santa Dan". 

Dan Bell is a Ktown radio legend and is heard afternoons on WJBZ Praise 96.3, and don't forget The Sunday Survey!

It's January 1971 and the above line up made up the WKGN Good Guys...

Fast forward some months later and enter stage left~ Chris Hampton!

"Wow, I got there just a few months after that date and (Eddie Beacon) was already gone. As a matter of fact, the only one still there was Sonny Knight doing noon-3. Bob Baron was the PD and did mornings, Frank Erwin did 9-noon, I took over noon-3 when Sonny went in to sales. Wayne Bernard (Charlie Chase) did afternoons, Jack Diamond 7-midnight and Jerry Steele overnights. Must have been a major shake up. It did work though. Before I left our little thousand watter pulled in to a virtual tie with 10,000 watt WNOX. It was a one book accomplishment, but we worked our asses off to make it happen. We did lots of outside promotions and were very visible in the community. It took that kind of over the top effort to make it happen. Baron taught me a lot I carried with me when they promoted me to PD at our Pensacola station and those lessons served me well." (Chris Hampton)

Page 3...

Happy Birthday Week to Mike Clark!

Eddie Rogers

Monday January 7, 1980 brought changes to WNOX 990 as Dr Dave Dunaway and Night Train Lane both exited stage left. Enter Eddie Rogers as the new morning show DJ.  

530-10 Eddie Rogers 

10-2 Phil Williams

2-6 Randy Miller 

6-10 Scott Majors 

10-2 Tom Michaels 

2-530 James Maurice 

 News- Suzanne Dalton and Cal Raines! 

 Here's Eddie (via The 101 Audio Vault) signing on for the first time~

Let's explore the Ktown radio landscape in January 1976...

Dr. Al Adams was PD and morning DJ at WKGN 1340.

W149 featured Alan Douglas (Sneed), Gary Adkins, Leslie Sheiler, Dave Elrod, and Chris Grabenstein.

Over at WETE 620-

5-9 Harry Robert Shaw

9-2 Jim Humphries

2-6 Walker Johnson

6-10 Joe Crotty

10-12 Carl Warner

12-5 Ernie Baker

In late January the insegrevious Eddie Beacon became the night DJ at WETE Super 62.

Doc Johnston was still the host of "Date with Doc" mornings on WBIR 1240....

...then on January 12th, WBIR 1240 became "WBIRadio 124 All News", hashtag way ahead of the times! Dave Foulk, Carol Utley, Don Lindsey, Ray Wilck, Carl Williams, Sam Dalton, Judy Jenkins, and the list goes on of on air newsies! PS- Doc Johnston was still part of the team!

January saw Mike Beck kick off his on air career as Barry Tucker on WKGN 1340.

And the Aardvark was working his magic in the pm at WNOX 990.

Where were you in January '76?

As fall approached in 1974, the WKGN 1340 on air line up included...

Your Dave Young 6-9

Frank Erwin 9-noon

Jeff Stevens noon-4

PD Wayne Bernard 4-7

Mike Beach 7-midnight

Todd Martin overnight

Joe Anderson, Jean Ash and Chris Moser anchored the news desk with David Todd as weekend DJ.

Fast forward to the end of September 1974 and Rick Davis replaced Mike Beach in the 7p time slot. Soon thereafter Jeff Stevens exited, Todd Martin moved from overnights in to the noon-4p slot and Jay Richards was added as overnights. Bob Thomas was now heard on the weekend.

6-9 Your Dave

9-12 Erwin

12-4 Martin

4-7 Bernard

7-12 Davis

12-6 Richards

At the end of November Wayne Bernard was shifted to Mooney's WMAK in Nashville, sister station of WKGN. PS~ Wayne became Charlie Chase.

Here's the new team-

6-9 Dave Young

9-12 Frank Erwin

12-3 Todd Martin

3-7 Rick Davis

7-12 Jay Richards

12-6 Bob Thomas

Say hello to 1975! Larry Wayne joined the air staff as the new year kicked off and took over the all night shift as Bob Thomas moved to 7-midnight, Jay Richards was no longer on 1340. Tollie Michaels (Russ Brown) joined David Todd as weekend DJs.

As spring time approached, Mike Beach was back and on February 24 Dr. Al Adams debuted as PD and morning DJ!

Its March and the moniker "WKGN Takes You To The Country" debuted along with the new line up-

6-10 Dr. Al Adams

10-3 Frank Erwin

3-7 Mike Beach

7-12 Rick Davis

12-6 Bob Thomas

WE- David Todd and Russ Brown (now using his real name)

News- Joe Anderson and Jean Ash

...soon its "WKGN where all the good old songs have gone"

In April Russ Brown left for WNOX so Chris Lee (Kerry Lambert) and Phil Michaels joined! Lauren Murphy and Connie Lee were now on Joe Anderson's news team. PS- Vic Rumore was GM.

It wasn't until the end of August 1975 that the weekday DJ line up changed...exit Rick Davis with Phil Michaels in as 7-midnight.

More changes came about in late September with Coyote Smith becoming the 7-midnight DJ, David Todd overnights as Phil Michaels returned to weekends and Bob Thomas had left for WBIR as Paul R Wells. Steven Ray King was now reading news. 

And finally at Thanksgiving Scott Sams became the night DJ.

6-10 Dr. Al Adams

10-3 Frank Erwin

3-7 Mike Beach

7-12 Scott Sams

12-6 David Todd

...that's a wrap of WKGN from the fall of '74 through '75!

Jim Humphries

Jim Humphries passed away on Monday. Jim was a long time DJ in Knoxville and is a member of the 101 Wall of Fame. 

Jim grew up in the Burlington community and attended East High. After his radio days, Jim went on to work for Southern Railway for over 30 years, plus he created Disco Dance, Jimmy's concessions, and Jimmy's Southern Pub. 

Back in 1974 Jim set the Guinness World Record for the longest continuous radio broadcast. (101 was in the crowd cheering him on from the remote location at Suburban Center in West Knoxville.)

Let's look back at WETE 620 in 1974...

The year kicked off with the following on air line up ~ Jim Clark 5-9, Jim Humphries 9-2, Curtis Parham 2-6, Adrien Newton 6-1, and Ernie the Bartender 1-5. The news crew included Tom Badgett, Don Patrick, and Glen Prosser. Mike Beach and Roger C. Hoover were on the team too.

End of March...Jim goes for the Guinness World Record, the mark to beat was 209 hours! Jim did it and was forevermore dubbed "The Iron Man".

In May Curtis Parham took over AM drive from Jim Clark with Mike Beach becoming afternoon DJ. Open Line was added as a 6-8p talk show and was hosted by Tom Badgett.

At the end of June Mike Beach joined WKGN 1340 and basically swapped dial positions with Walker Johnson who left the WKGN news department for the 2-6p time slot at WETE.

Later that summer Joe Crotty became the night time DJ. 5-9 Curtis Parham, 9-2 Jim Humphries, 2-6 Walker Johnson, 6-10 Joe Crotty, and Ernie Baker aka Ernie the Bartender overnight. That line up stayed in place the remainder of 1974.

RIP Jim...may his memory eternal!

40 years ago I sat down with Joe Grant aka The Joe Show and asked him about his radio career path up until that time...

WCOR Lebanon 1967-1970

WSSO Starkville 1970

WIVK Knoxville 1971

WROL Knoxville 1972-1973

WBNT Oneida 1973

? Jackson 1974-1975

...and via the 101 Audio Vault, here's Joe on WIVK, circa 1979~

It's a 101 Reload...first posted on October 27, 2008~

Today 101 travels to the year 1978, 30 years ago, wow!

1978 kicked off with "Saturday Night Fever" being the big box office hit.

Over at WNOX Dr. Dave was the morning man. Rival WRJZ featured CP and Walker in the morning. Foster Arnett was piloting the Z plane and reporting on traffic.

The Vols basketball team featured current UT broadcaster Bert Bertelkamp. (Bert and I went to high school together).

In late January WRJZ added a new voice in the night time, John Boy Isley.

On February 2 Tony Eubanks turned 21 years old!

In March Alan Sneed (AD) became program director at WKDF Nashville.

As spring time and baseball cranked up, Knoxville's minor league team was anchored by a right fielder named Hal Baines.

WIVK's May Shindig featured Merle Haggard and Eddie Rabbitt.

In May Randy Miller began polishing his skills by becoming afternoon DJ at WATO Oak Ridge. Randy currently lives in Kansas City...

Summer time arrived and Jeff Jarnigan was added to the weekend on air line up at WRJZ.

Over at WOKI the summer of '78 began with Johnny Pirkle, Gary Adkins, Scott Sams, Mike Beverly, The Brothers, and JL Myers.

In July the ratings were announced...WIVK AM/FM scored a 25.7, next was WEZK at 16.1, WRJZ also scored a 16.1, WNOX 11.3, and WOKI 5.5.

July also saw Scott Sams becoming the full time weatherman at WBIR-TV. Sams replacement at WOKI was Michael Henry Martin. Beverly moved to afternoons and MHM became the night DJ.

Big screen flicks in August were blockbusters Animal House and Grease.

September...Jamey Kerr got his first on air gig, working part time at WOKI's AM, WORI 1550. In late September WNOX announced a new GM, Christopher T. Gallu. At that same time Win Maxwell took over the morning news anchor position at WNOX.

Things didn't slow down at WNOX. Bob Savage was brought in to be PD from WKTQ Pittsburgh. Savage's assistant PD was Bill Beason. Savage bolstered their line up in October by hiring former WNOX DJ Robin Huff aka The Aardvark to work 10p-2a. He became Scott Majors at this point.

Up in Chicago WMAQ radio had a GM named Burt Sherwood and a PD named Bill Hennes. They would enter the Ktown market a few years later....

On November 7 Lamar Alexander (R) beat Jake Butcher (D) to become Tennessee Governor. In congress both Howard Baker and John Duncan were reelected.

Early December saw the introduction of a fine addition to WIVK's weekend line up, Ed Rupp...I was there and we had fun! Bob Thomas, Suitcase Simpson and Jeff Winters also were part time WIVK jocks.

As 1978 came to a close, the #1 country song was Crystal Gayle's "Why have you left the one you left me for"...which could be a question most DJ's and radio stations ask each other!

It's July '78 and Dave Preston is hired at WNOX 990. The boss suggested that his name was too common and suggested two on air names - Ed Stoner or CC McCartney.

Here's the DJ line up led by Program Director Scott McLeod...

6-10 Dr Dave Dunaway

10-2 Phil Williams

2-6 Scott McLeod

6-10 CC McCartney

10-2 Larry Steele

2-6 Bill Beason

101 travels to the summer of '79...

The line up at 1290 WATO Oak Ridge~  530-10 Jeff Winters, 10-2 Bill Page, 2-6 Dennis Willard, and Fred Cowgill at night.

Drive times at WOKI-FM 100 included Johnny Pirkle (AM) and Mike Beverly (PM).

Over at WBIR-FM aka Music Country 103, Carson Cooper anchored the all night show.

...and John Boy Isley was making magic in the nighttime at WRJZ. Via the 101 Audio Vault here's John Boy~