It was great hearing from Earl Nall. He sent 101 these photos via David Clary, a 25-year WATO employee.

Do you have a WATO story? 

Lots of big names passed through...Mike Clark, Dennis Willard, Randy Miller and on the FM Q94 side- Eddie Beacon, Jeff Winters, and Joe Grant.

In late spring 1981 Dave Young became GM, I was on the Q94 staff...he made me morning DJ at WATO, assistant PD at WATO, and MD at both stations. My first morning show was Monday May 25...the turn tables were broken, and the headphones would not work. I made May 26 my last show, as the radio gods were beginning to tell me to run forest run! (soon it was to be platters to platters for me- radio to restaurants).

WATO went on the air in 1948 at 1490 on the dial with 250 watts and was on the air 18 hours per day. In 1959 the station moved to 1290 on the dial. The station was led by Sam (Speedy) Thrower Jr.

In those days WATO carried Mutual's Game of the Day (major league baseball).

As the 1960s arrived the station increased power to 5KW.

In 1967 Rau Broadcasting purchased the station from Sam Thrower, etc. for $350k. That same year WATO-FM 94.3 was hatched.

That frequency became WUUU-FM and then WETQ-FM, followed by WKNF-FM in 1985.

Below are the photos of the demise of the building...

 

 

 

Mick Rizzo arrived on that 15Q train in the spring of 1976. I even air checked his first sign on, and he noted he was in San Antonio just 24 hours ago, and now...well, that's radio.

Mick got 15Q up and rolling and then moved down the dial to WKGN 1340 for a while.

Mick had opened his mic at WDRO Detroit, KONO San Antonio, 15Q and WKGN in Knoxville, then Big WAYS in Charlotte, before moving to WAYS sister station WAPE in Jacksonville. Kudos to that company for some very groovy call letters.

This ad of the handsome and debonair Mick is from the spring of 1977.

...and the rest is 101 history!

He was born with the perfect radio name, voice, and personality. Today we wish HBD to Walker Johnson.. 

Here's Walker via his typewriter in a 101 Reload-

 "I kinda figure my life (age wise) as to which station I was with at what age. I was 22 in 1970 and started the radio ride at WGAP. In '73 I was just about 25 and working at WKGN. I turned 27 in 1975 and replaced Mike Beach at WETE. I think he came over to 'KGN but I would not make book on it. I hit the ripe old age of 28 in 1976 and Basic Media Limited bought out Hall Broadcasting and turned WETE into WRJZ. The plan was to fire all of us but CP talked them into putting the two of us in the morning. I remember he had at 10 in the morning on WETE and I had an 8 in the afternoon. First book for WRJZ we pulled an 18, knocking off all the morning shows except Claude at WIVK. Next book we nailed the Cat to the wall. Are you bored yet? WRJZ was being sold and the new owner was being told to go country by our...GM! It was 1980 and I had just turned 32 when my contract was up and I ran over to WIVK, CP came when his was up. James A. Dick built his AM station around us and changed the calls to WHIG. I know, 'bout as stupid a set of letters ever used. Anyway we went on the air with the same format as the old WRJZ. Johnny Pirkle was sick of us beating his station so he had a few friends call up Bobby Denton to complain. Before the first month was gone we were playing country music and our fans from WRJZ were all sick! They would call to say they tried to turn the station OFF when the music came on and then get back to us when we talked! At the ripe old age of 37 (1985) my father and I bought a radio station. OK, HE bought 50% and I bought 1%. We took WEAG in Alcoa, (a very old big band station) rock, bought a restored 1969 Caddy hearse and had more fun that you can imagine! The late Jim Donavon was my morning man, Becky Lynn (of the old WIMZ and now a radio star in Arizona) did middays, the late GREAT Ernie Baker was News Director and none other than Ted Ousley (Gunner on WIVK today) did afternoons. Dad and I sold the station WMDR (My wife told me the calls said "Walker Makes Denise Rich" but after a year she kind of dropped that thought) in 1989 and I went full time with U 102 as I turned 41. More stations followed after that and some TV work but after U 102 the "BIG" money was done and with the exception of a few places that died either while I was there or just after I left, that was IT for radio! Turning 61 is outstanding IF you still have the mind of an 8 year old, yep I qualify big time there."

Happy Easter 2026

Here's a fun tidbit. The Brothers, originally on the air at 15Q and then WOKI-FM 100 came about when 15Q Program Director Ron Baptist recommended that DJs Alan Douglas and Gary Adkins keep a little bit of the W-149 feel on the new Q. Bill Johnson eventually took over for AD, and the rest is history. "Bring on The Brothers".

The 101 Audio Vault travels to WIVK in 1978 with Suitcase Simpson-

 

On November 22, 1974, a Friday, Wayne Bernard signed off for the last time as afternoon DJ and PD at WKGN 1340. Some of the other DJs there at the time were Your Dave Young, Frank Erwin, and Bob Thomas.

Like so many before him, Wayne was transferring to Mooney Broadcasting Corporation sister station WMAK 1300 in Nashville. Think...Smokey Burns morphing into Murphy in the Morning at WMAK. 

Wayne became Charlie Chase, and the rest is Ktown radio history. 

PS-in 1976 Dick Broadcasting Corporation (WIVK) purchased WKDA/WKDF Nashville and personalities such as Mike Hammond and Paul Lyle spent time there. Vic Rumore headed to NashVegas in 1978 and down the road Alan Sneed (AD) joined as PD of the AOR formatted WKDF. 

Scott Black on WIVK-FM

 

...It's the fall of 1983 at WNOX 990 and they were playing country music.

The DJ lineup included Michael Henry Martin with Fred Lee on news in the morning, Scott Majors middays, Jimmy Vineyard of WIVK fame in the afternoon, Lisa Patton evenings, and Keith Arnold overnight.

The 101 Audio Vault features Michael Henry Martin- 

 

 

The 101 Audio Vault dusts off King in the Morning on WOKI-FM 100 in 1974...

 

Back in 1972 WNOX 990 saw it's DJs go on "strike" due to working conditions via the morning announcer J Worthington Smith. He had to stay on the air until the issue was resolved, and it took 29 1/2 hours. In the end he switched to the 7p slot and was replaced by...King in the Morning, who later went on to be AM jock at WOKI FM 100 when it debuted in 1974. WNOX at that time was led by GM Pete Dryer (his wife was my first-grade teacher at West Hills Elementary School) and PD Eddy Roy.

Never to be outdone, W-149 with Johnny Pirkle and Dick Sterchi in command countered with this catchy newspaper ad. Radio wars were the best!

By the mid 1970s Big Jim was known as the announcer of John Cazana's Wide World of Wrestling, as well as being a very successful businessman. 

But did you know that Big Jim was on the original broadcast team at WIVK 860 back in 1953, along with Claude Tomlinson. 

This was a newspaper ad regarding WIVK launching onto the air back then. Jim Dick was good at utilizing media advertising from day one.

Look who I found...

Back in the summer of 1983 while on holiday in Hilton Head, I found Ktown DJ Todd Martin (WKGN/WNOX) on I-95 Savannah. That station had changed call letters in 1983 from WSGF-FM to WIXV aka I-95.

Here's Todd via the 101 Audio Vault- 

 

photographs and memories via Gary Adkins

Here are some classic WOKI FM 100.3 photos- Cecilia Mason, Mike Beverly and Bill Johnson. 

The more things change...

..the more they stay the same!

I was perusing through an air check from late 1977 and I came upon mE dedicating a song to Lenny and Patti Robertson and a shout out to my buddy Captain Kirk. Radio was definitely live and local back in the day.

Captain Kirk is Kurt Robertson, we were in Cub Scouts together and still chat every day. Wow, mother nature and father time are still in charge. 

 

These days the Captain is relaxing on his sailboat or on the golf course in Destin, Florida (30A, Santa Rosa Beach, etc.).

The Robertson family, led by wife Sabine and daughter Christine operate an incredibly successful real estate company there called Sea Haus Realty!