Ronnie Love on WJBE, circa 1975...

 

On September 3, 1979, WOKI FM 100 went live...as opposed to voice tracking which is prevalent in today's radio world. 

I remember going to their studios in Oak Ridge with my friend Scott Sams, he recorded his entire week in one sitting. The station had been automated since going on the air in 1974.

The DJ line up in September that year included 6-9 Michael Henry Martin, 9-noon Gary Adkins, noon-3pm Larry Mazzeti, 3-7p Mike Beverly, 7-midnight Brother John Saint John, and The Brothers overnight. The news team included Steve Everett, Linda Scott, and Joe Blackmon.

The 101 Audio Vault features PD Gary Adkins, as recorded via my cassette recorder....

Suds to Songs

In 1975 Alan Sneed wet his whistle behind the radio mic...Alan was working at Kuhlman-Murphy Distributors.

As Alan Douglas on the radio, theoretically he went from selling hops to hosting sock hops.

He joined W-149 first as a part-time DJ then took over morning drive.

So, what was happening at WROL 1490 in 1975?

Gary Adkins was PD and Bob Hamilton started the year in the AM time slot. Gary was working afternoons on the AOR formatted station.

WROL/W-149 was affiliated with NBC and even carried the Rose Bowl and Orange Bowl on January 1 to kick off the new year. 

Other voices heard on the station were Dave Elrod, Leslie Shelor, Frank Costa, Bill Johnson, and Steve Clark.

In December 1975 the station was sold to Radio Knoxville Inc. owned by Bob Blow Sr and Jr and Bob Gross, they were Jackson TN based. 

The studios were at 1830 White Ave and Sam Thrower had served as President and General Manager.

...by the spring of 1976 15QQQQQQQ was hatched!

 George,

My mate, Lin, and I have been friends of Dr. Al Adams and his wife, Carolyn, for a half-century. We attended Dr. Al’s (Allen Johnson) funeral last Thursday in Knoxville and were again thoughtful of Al’s “three careers”.

 Radio fans of a certain age are well aware of Al’s amazing nighttime show on WKGN, during which he drew phenomenal ratings on a paltry 250 watts. Early in his career there, a boy called him for advice about a girl and Al put him on the air. The kid laughed at the off-kilter advice and said “thanks, Doc.” The program director heard it and said to run with it. “Doctor” Al was born. Just where his sidekicks Willard Duck and Witch Hazel came along isn’t as clear.

Al also was an educator. After radio stints in Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Syracuse, Al came home to Knoxville and back to WKGN but later became a teacher and station manager for WKCS at Fulton High School where he taught and inspired students for decades.

Al was a man of deep religious faith and that manifested itself in a call to the ministry. He was a pastor and associate pastor at Baptist churches in the Knoxville area for years.

Among his radio career, his teaching, and his preaching, it is incalculable how many lives Dr. Al touched over his lifetime.

If you’re the praying sort, loft one for Carolyn and their sons, Fon Allen and Kevin. If not, just reflect on a life well lived.

Possum Riley

Former WKGN Boss Jock

Before the internet, back when the overnight DJ was live and local...these radio ads were A+ groovy!

This is from the 1960s, what incredible on-air talent at WKGN 1340.

6 Charlie Champion

9 Joe Sulliven

12 Bob Baron

3 Allen Dennis

7 Dr Al Adams

12 Sonny Knight

Rest in Peace...

 Page 3...

My brother Phil Vavalides also passed away on Sunday, suddenly and unexpectedly. May your memory be eternal.

Art Miller...

Do you remember back in the 1960s, when AM was king...and Knoxville made stuff? Coffee: the pungent aroma of JFG Coffee wafted downtown several nights a week. From Kerns (Chapman Highway), Merita (North Central Avenue) and Swans (Magnolia Avenue) bakeries created a tantalizing treat for the nose. Knoxville Glove Company on Sevier Avenue made, of course, gloves. Coster Shops fixed railroad cars, made new wheels. Jeans rolled out by the railcar and trailer road from Levi-Strauss on Cherry Street. Dempster: world famous "Dumpsters". Standard Knitting Mill: HealthKnit underwear. There were additional knitting mills on Baxter Avenue; Atlantic Mills on Concord Street; and Breezy Wynn's huge operation on Euclid Avenue. Southern Extract in Lonsdale: craft paper rolls. Camel Manufacturing: military jackets and then tent, awning, and ski vests and jackets. Lays Packing Company: bacon, hot dogs, dog food, hams, and more. Smaller concerns re- chromed bumpers, made bird food, mayonnaise, bent steel, and machine parts for TVA, Oak Ridge, and Alcoa. 

One of Knoxville's most fragrant industries was Foote Mineral Company on Lorraine Street (now the site of the Knoxville City Garage). Foote Mineral refined locally mined manganese ore. Raw ore was dropped into a 1200-gallon vat, sulfuric acid was added, and the mixture then blasted with 640 Amps. Melting point of manganese is about 1300C/2300F. A fire there in February 1970 sent me to UT Hospital for 3 days with chemical pneumonia. That fire destroyed 40% of my right lung. The Knoxville News-Sentinel devoted about 2 column inches to the story. 

What the KNS never reported was that the fire also torpedoed my shot at a US Army officer's commission. At that that time, I had a US Selective Service 2-S Deferment draft classification (with a 2.10 GPA).

About seven months after the fire, the ER MD who admitted me to UT Hospital was moonlighting at the Armed Forces Entrance Examination Station (on North Central, just south of the old Sears building). I had to report there for a physical as part of qualifying for advanced Army ROTC at UT. Vietnam was in our daily headlines, and I figured that serving as a Transportation Corps officer- with an 88U MOS (Railway Specialist)- was the best way to serve the country. Running railroads at Fort Eustis, Camp Campbell, in Europe, and even on the "Saigon & Northern" (a real "mortar bait" operation) did not seem too bad of an option. But when he spotted me in the waiting room, Dr McCullough didn't even bother to look at the x-rays I had brought. Thirty minutes later, I walked out with a letter destined for UT's professor of Military Science. Colonel Joe Sheppard let me keep my jump boots. And a 4-F draft card arrived 10 or so days later.

I wonder if any of Knoxville's fine cadre of DJs and radio production folks would like to share their draft board experience. I know at WBIR, TV newsmen Bick Berney and Bud Veazey had served, as did Bill Jenkins, Doc Johnston's WBIR-AM morning companion. I am sure there are many others.

The 101 Inbox

 (regarding the WKGN ad from 1965)

That sure brings back memories. Our studios (formerly a bar) were on Cumberland, near 22nd? Jack Sorbi got a gig in Denver as I recall. May have gone with La Monica. Jim Mack bought some stations in Florida...them were the days!! (Bob Baron)

The station I listened to when was a kid..then about 10 years later Dt. Al came back to program the station! (Mike Clark)

In early 1965 George Mooney at WKGN 1340 created a Top 40 format titled "Instant Music...Instant News".

On the air at WKGN were PD Jim Mack, Jack Sorbi, Joe Sullivan, Bob Baron, Dr Al Adams and Wayne Edwards!

The station featured "News at 55" 24 hours a day and added sports at quarter past the hour. 

Never Forget 9-11-01

I snapped this photo in the late 1980s... I'm sure many of you were on the air and reporting the events of that day. God Bless America!

It's the fall of 1937 and Ktown radio station WROL 1310 kc received the exclusive rights to broadcast UT football...and behind the mics were Alan Stout and Vols coach Blair Guillon.

Yes, the station occupied 1310 on the dial, then in 1941 they moved to 620 kc.

Stewart Broadcasting, the WROL operator via station manager Stewart Adcock, purchased the rights for $2000.

Both home and away games were broadcast.

Go Vols!

At WBIR, Cas Walker introduced me to Dolly one morning when I was reading the news on his show.  Chuck McDowell, the AM regular, was “under the weather” that Monday morning. We stayed in touch for many years. Years later, I helped her Dollywood staff ship a steam locomotive from Alaska to Knoxville. She was a class act in every way…and wickedly talented! 99% of our current A LIST entertainers couldn’t carry her wig box.

Art Miller

It's 1973 at WBIR-AM 1240...

The station was on the air daily from 5am and signed off nightly at 1am.

5-7 Bob Wilson

7-10 Doc Johnston

10-1 Ken McGavin

1-3 Don Lindsey

3-7 Rich Teeters

7-1 Dave Elrod