The 101 Audio Vault features Bobby Denton on WIVK...

 101 is now on X...

www.x.com/talkgeorge

Randy Miller interviewing Crystal Bernard back in '82 at 96KX in Pittsburgh. 

It's truly a moot point but the truth is the truth. 

In no way did yours truly have anything to do with inventing a frog mascot. 

However, growing up and dial twisting in the early '70s I enjoyed tuning in to Wacky in Louisville (WAKY) and Wisby in Atlanta (WSB). 

Fast forward to the fall of '76 and I'm hired to be a very raw 18-year-old UT freshman weekend DJ at WIVK. 

This weekend I was going thru some cassette airchecks and found one of me from December 18, 1976. I was on the air that Saturday night. 

If you listen closely (and even chuckle at my neophyte ability at that time) ...by golly, I was croaking WIVICK! 

And I did so throughout my five years jocking at East Tennessee's Jolly Green Giants! 

The official story is the WIVICK croaking was hatched in '78 in a production room. 

...as Paul Harvey would day, "and now you know the rest of the story".

 (George Michael Vavalides)

WRJZ The New 62 went on the air in late 1976 and lit up the left side (620 kc) of the Knoxville radio dial. The original nighttime DJ was Lee Taylor, but soon thereafter John Boy Isley hit the airwaves...and the rest is history as they say. 

Fast forward a couple of years and John Boy is in Charlotte at WBCY and is teaming with Billy James. They are still on the air today and syndicated, think WIMZ, but all great things must come to an end, and the duo is exiting stage left at the end of 2025.

The 101 Audio Vault features a clip from my cassette recorder of John back in 1977...

 Page 3...

The Stick! Great to hear Rick (Davis). He has always been a favorite of mine. We painted Ktown red more than a few times. Thanks for the memories! And hey Rick...I think you owe me $20. LOL. Mike Beach

PS...you can hear Mike daily starting at 3p eastern on Global Radio Daytona.

Rick Davis joined WKGN 1340 in the summer of 1974. 

He was a news anchor and weekend DJ at his start. 

In late September Rick replaced Mike Beach in the 7-midnight slot as Mike returned to WETE 620. 

The 'KGN line was Your Dave 6-9a, Frank Erwin 9-12. Jeff Stevens 12-4, PD Wayne Bernard 4-7, Rick at 7p, then Todd Martin overnight. Oh, Jean Ash joined WKGN and their new department at that time. 

In late November, Wayne Bernard exited stage left for Mooney's WMAK Nashville (didn't they all), and Rick took over afternoon drive. PS- Bob Thomas became the overnight DJ at that time too.

The 101 Audio Vault features Rick Davis...

 

The 101 InBox

It's trick or treat 1971 with Johnny Walker (and his trumpet). We heard from some super jocks about the Halloween antics-

"That's great. Sounds like something I would have done. Best." (Mike Beach)

and...

"Funny Story! At that time, I was living in the basement apartment at the 11th Street Grocery during my 5th football season at UT. Beer business days before radio. Long ago!" (Alan Douglas Sneed)

Happy Halloween from Wayne Wood...

This clip ran in the News-Sentinel on Oct. 29, 1971. Apparently on spur of the moment in response to a caller who said he was intending to roll the radio station with toilet paper, but would be out of town on Halloween, WKGN DJ Johnny Walker invited the caller and anyone else listening to come on down and roll away. Throughout the evening Walker gleefully reported on the ongoing paper roll vandalism of the building and parking lot. I recall that the employees of the Hamilton National Bank, on the first floor of the two-story building, were not amused when they came in to work the next morning.

 

Trick or Treat

Steve West arrived in Knoxville in the spring of 1976 to be the morning DJ at the brand new, and major market sounding 15Q (WKVQ). Later that year Steve jumped over to WKGN for a short stay. Fast forward to early 1982 and Steve returned to Ktown as Program Director at WRJZ 620 "My Kind of Country". Steve would go by Dr Don West this go around...and, when putting his on-air staff together he hired mE and Bill Beason the same day to be weekend jocks. 

The 101 Audio Vault travels to '76 and WKGN...

 

JJ Scott before WRJZ...

 

It's the fall of 1996 and afternoon drive in Ktown was about to change...Ed Brantley, an almost 30 years on air veteran at WIVK was hanging up the microphone and 45 rpm records to become the station's General Sales Manager.

Ed was working middays when I arrived at WIVK back in 1976, a few years later he replaced Your Dave Young in the 3-7p slot. 

Ed, like many aspiring radio talents, attended Fulton High, the school that had a student's radio station...

Ed started his career at WNOX 990 as a part time announcer, and when Allen Dennis exited for WMOC in Chattanooga, Ed went with him as his first fulltime gig was underway. 

After serving Uncle Sam, Ed returned to Ktown and WIVK...this was the early 70s. The DJ line up included Kenny Dearstone 6-10, Claude Tomlinson 10-noon, Ed noon-3p and Bobby Denton afternoon drive. (I can still smell Booby's cigar in the control room, ha).

Fast forward a few decades...and Ed was back on the air at News/Talk WNOX FM 100.3 hosting the morning talk show "The Ed and Bob Show" with Bob Thomas. 

As Paul Harvey always said, and now you know the rest of the story.

PS- I took this iconic picture of Ed, and that was before we all carried cameras or are they phones, etc. in our pockets!

Back in the day...

 

Before Al Gore invented the internet and back when there were 3 TV channels, powered by rabbit ears, these groovy pamphlets kept the world abreast to top songs and DJ photos!

Hey George, what a nice surprise to see that photo of me and Alan Sneed at WKDA/WKDF! Thanks to AD for sending it to you and for the kind words. Alan’s impact on my career was life changing. What a great teacher, mentor, and friend. I was so lucky to be in his orbit in those years. All the best! GBO! (Mike Beck)

Back in 1978 the radio gods shouted, "head west", and several jumped-on board. After Dick broadcasting bought WKDA and WKDF in 1976 both Mike Hammond and Paul Lyle relocated from WIVK to Nashville...the invasion was not over! Vic Rumore became GM with Alan Sneed and Mike Beck from WKGN as station leaders!

NashVegas 1979...

Mike (Beck) was PD of Country WKDA, and I was Program (Operations) Manager of WKDF/WKDA and PD of KDF. A great guy. (Alan Sneed)