In the summer of 1983 U-102 (WMYU) was beaming the airwaves with Dr Dave Dunaway, PD Bill Miller, Larry Trotter, Chuck Edwards, Tom Van Hart, David Henley, Mike Clark and more!

The 101 Audio Vault enjoys Chuck Edwards...

Superstar Personalities Invade 101 InBox...

Alan Sneed-

Great post about ‘83. I started the year in Houston at ABC O&O 97 Rock and returned to Atlanta for my second stint as PD at 96 Rock, under new owner Gulf Broadcasting, who also owned Q102 in Dallas and Q95 in Indianapolis. (Bob and Tom arrived for mornings at Q95 early that year. The show is still on here after 43 years—although Bob retired a few years ago. They peaked in syndication with 150+ affiliate stations, but I don’t believe they were ever on a Knox-patch station, probably due to John Boy and Billy’s long run on WIMZ.) ‘83!

BTW… It’s bitter cold here with almost a foot of snow on the ground! 🥶

Cheers!

A.D.

aka Big Al the Kiddies Pal (A politically incorrect nickname given to me by Steve West in about ‘75 when he arrived in Knoxville and still used by some of my old friends from radio.)

Dan Bell-

The banking empire of Jake Butcher collapsed in early 1983, centered around the failure of his flagship United American Bank in Knoxville, which was declared insolvent on February 14, 1983. This marked the end of a vast, fraudulent Tennessee banking network, with 7 other Butcher-controlled banks failing that year and another 3 in 1984. I remember because the FDIC seized the bank but missed the drive thru branch in the parking garage. The teller, who I knew, opened at 7 am as normal. I pulled in and did an interview with her for WIVK news.  The feds heard it up on the top floor and rushed down to shut it down. (Dan Bell)

We recently featured a post about 1983, so what else was happening in Ktown that year...

62 WRJZ, where I had worked the previous year, featured Bob Ziegler 6-10, Eddie Beacon 10-3, Jessica James 3-7, Jim Wilson 7-12, and Lynn Davis 12-6. 

Jeff Jarnigan was the morning DJ at WOKI-FM 100.

At January's end WATE TV 6 welcomed a new anchor named Lloyd Immel.

All time UT basketball great Dale Ellis was leading the Volunteers on the court and as an All-America selection.

Grady's Goodtimes had opened in December 1982, and the waiting lines were out the front door...led by Mike Connor, Rick Federico, and Grady Regas. 

WNOX had an FM called "KiX 95" with Phil Hunt as PD.

As March rolled in Eddie Beacon was now working his insegreviousness on WBMK from 3p-sign off. James Maurice was morning DJ and Greg Daniels 10-3.  

In mid-March Jim Wilson exited WRJZ for mornings at KiX 95.

Baseball season arrived and the Braves roster included Phil Niekro, Dale Murphy, and Bob Hoerner.

Mike Clark and David Henley were anchoring the news at U-102 (WMYU).

In Atlanta WSB was called "The Voice of the South" and Ktown's Dave Foulk was on the airwaves. 

By September Jim Wilson had moved up the dial position again...working 10-3 on WOKI FM 100. The lineup was Jeff Jarnigan 6-10, Jim, John St John 3-7. Bandit 7-12, and Ron O'Brien overnight.

A very well-known personality, Jimmy Vineyard, was working afternoons at WNOX. Michael Henry Martin, Scott Majors, and Linda Patton were there too. 

The 1983 World Series pitted Philadelphia against Baltimore, Pete Rose versus Cal Ripken.

It's football time in Tennessee and on October 15 the Vols beat Bama 41-34, led by QB Alan Cockrell. Johnny Majors was the HBC, the line was coached by a young Phil Fulmer, and George Cafego was still going strong. 

The Vols capped of their season with a 30-23 Citrus Bowl victory, the defense was fearless led by Reggie White. 

...and that's a look back at 1983, where were you?

It's 1947...

 ...on January 21 super jock Tony Dennis (Anthony Drakos) was born!

...on September 28 WKGN 1340 went on the air for the first time!

Happy 80th to Dolly

Dolly Parton is 80 today. WIVK was there in her very early days, which helped springboard Dolly to major superstar status.

WIVK was influential in assisting in the launching of Alabama, we were the 1st station to play "Tennessee River", and Bob Thomas jump started Kenny Chesney's fame. Kelsey Ballerini's Dad worked at the station. Even a local singer/school teacher rose to #1 on the WIVK survey- Worley Max (McKinney)....and there are many more claim to fame stories through the years!

Photo is Bobby Denton, Dolly, and Con Hunley!

 

 It's 1983 at Rock 104...

The year kicked off with Beach and Williams in the morning, Dan middays, Keith lambert afternoon drive, and Jeff Young on at 7p.

The Fall 1982 ratings had arrived with WIMZ in at 9.9 (12+), WIVK led that book at a 23.3.

In late February Mike Beach exited mornings, Jeff Young joined Phil in the AM drive, and Sheri took over the evening slot. 

On Monday March 14 Rock 104 became 104 WIMZ!

In August...Mike Beck was back in Ktown! He took over afternoon drive at 104 WIMZ with Phil Williams 6-10, PD Keith Lambert 10-2, Mike 2-7, Dan 7-12, and Patrick 12-6.

By the end of the year Commander Dave became fulltime at 7p with Dan exiting and Colvin Idol was anchoring the news. 

...and that's a spin into WIMZ back in '83.

The 101 Audio Vault features Kerry Lambert (Keith Lambert on the air, and back at his WKGN 1340 days he was Chris Lee).

Page 3...

HBD to San Francisco super jock "Harry Michael Breeze".

AM radio was still king back in 1967...Knoxville had WATE 620, WIVK 850, WNOX 990, WBIR 1240, WKGN 1340, WROL 1490 and more!

This classic photo is in the WKGN studios on Cumberland Avenue and legendary DJ Charlie Champion!

Page 3...

Check out a great article as Bob Thomas was interviewed about WIVK's history at Country Insider. (click)

HBD Phil

I turned on my mic for the first time way back in 1976...many of you before me. 

I try and recall who is still on the air in Knoxville that was super jockeying back in 1976.

Our birthday legend Phil, of course.

Help me if I'm missing anyone-

Bob Thomas fills in at NewsTalk 98.7 WOKI and is better than ever on the airwaves.

Both Mike Clark and Dan Bell anchor the shows on Praise 96.3.

Pete Michaels buzzes the airwaves reporting on Ktown traffic.

Rick Kirk is weekends at B97.5.

...and who have I shamefully forgotten? Please let me know.

HBD Phil Williams

...do you remember Beach & Williams on WIMZ? These days Mike has his own station "Global Radio Daytona".

It's early 1975 in Knoxville!

Frank Kotsianas is negotiating to sell the Ivanhoe House of Beef in West Knoxville (now Copper Cellar)...and yes, every young Greek worked there, Opa!

On the radio-

Sam Sharp worked weekends at WIVK

If you dial twisted at night you could pick up Spiderman Harrison on WLAC 1500 in Nashville

Johnny Pirkle was morning DJ and owner of WOKI-FM

Bert Bertelkamp was named to the All-AA first team

POA was booming his newsworthy voice on WNOX 990 in the mornings

Ron Wright and Ron Fuller were grappling in the wrestling ring

CP and Walker were on the air on WETE 620, but not yet teamed up

...and The 101 Audio Vault features The Aardvark on WNOX-

 

 Page 3...

Did you know that Larry Solomon was the original midday jock on WIMZ (Rock 104). Check out his link at the right side of our 101 blog.

In the late 1970s Jimmy Vineyard and I, as WIVK air personalities, mc'd a couple of bluegrass concerts in Knoxville. Jimmy also hosted a weekly one-hour bluegrass show on WIVK called Bluegrass Today. The 101 Audio Vault features Jimmy. Thanks for a "great day" every day in 2025 and Happy New Year!

Page 3...

and yes, the Osborne Brothers performed "Rocky Top".

Merry Christmas from 101

George -

Your recent note about air names forces me into a confession.

I’ve told some folks who commented on my rock ’n roll monicker of Possum Riley that it wasn’t my choice. That’s true, but what I left unsaid is that I didn’t object, either. WKGN PD Skip Broussard called me as I was packing in Wichita for my drive to Ktown in 1969 and said, “Hey, I’d really like for you to go by ‘Possum Riley’ on the air. I had been going by a reversal of my genuine name, calling myself Dick Randall. It was pretty plain vanilla. I’d used it for a half-dozen years and it was almost a place-keeper kind of name. I figured Skip knew his market and had a reason for landing on ‘Possum’, so I said, ‘yeah, OK.’

I began using my legit name when I went back into radio news at WMAK in March of 1976. Operations Manager Stu Bowers asked me, “So, you’re going to go by Paul Dickerson?” I told him, “No. If I’m going to use my own name, I’m using all of it.” When I went to work at The Associated Press in 1989, I dropped the first name because it, literally, wouldn’t fit. It was too wide to be printed in a column inch when I started doing newspaper feature stories. When I did my first print story, some AP members identified me as Paul Dickerson, some as Randall Dickerson, and at least one called me Paul Randall. I wasn’t going to let them choose, so I dropped the ‘Paul’. But after all of those years of doing radio news, most folks I know use either all three on me or just ‘PRD’, which is fine.

Possibly forgotten factoid: Sonny (Kivett) Knight’s younger brother was also on WKGN. He did some weekend jock shows and was known on air as Kevin Young. Kevin bore the distinction of once having dropped into the Tennessee River from the Henley Street Bridge on a bet and lived to tell the tale. 

Thanks for hangin’

Possum

What's in a (radio) name...

One of the many groovy things about being a DJ, particularly back in the day, was, you could make up your on-air name!

Some were born with great radio names, think "Scott Sams and Walker Johnson". Others simply wandered to the ends of the mind's universe and created their monikers.

Did you know...Dr Al Adams is Allen Johnson? Possum Riley in real life is Paul Randall Dickerson. Sonny Knight's real last name was Kivett. And when Wayne Bernard left Ktown for NashVegas, Charlie Chase was born. 

Two classic names were Suitcase Simpson (Bill Miller) and Eddie Beacon (Clay Huskisson).

Oh, and A.D.- Alan Douglas is Alan Sneed.

The 101 Audio Vault features Dr. Al...

 

 

Can you believe...

This was 50 years ago at WKGN 1340. Dr Al Adams had returned to Ktown as PD and morning DJ teaming with News Director Joe Anderson, Frank Erwin anchored middays, and Mike Beach drove us home.

The 101 Audio Vault features an incredible promo via Mike, followed by Dr Al on the air waves.

Page 3...

George! Happy Holidays!

When I was PD at WKGN in the mid ‘70s, John Boy was doing nights across the street at WRJZ for the late Bob Kaghan. Over the years, I consulted several Rock stations that carried The Big Show. (All were in South except Rock 105 in Charleston, WV.) Nice run!

A.D.