Sunday, September 07, 2025

Today, September 7 2025...101 turns 18 years old. This is our 2094th post. We also added the interactive 101 Facebook page a few years later. Thanks to all for your reading, writing and arithmetic! 

This 101 Reload is from our 1-year anniversary where I revealed my DNA...and thought I was Lester Longmire, some thought I was Dr. Al's "Witch Hazel", ha.

Here's the reload~


Happy Sunday and thanks for reading Knoxville Radio History 101. Today 101 turns one year old! On September 7, 2007 this site was born. The intent was and is simple, share photographs and memories that I collected thru the years and to create a network of Ktown DJ's that wanted to do the same.

Many have emailed and asked...who are you? For those who haven't figure it out, I'm The Greek. My career as a DJ was short and sweet, my love for radio remains strong today, over 30 years since I started as a weekend DJ at WIVK (1976-1981) while attending UT. After working at WRJZ for Steve Bridgewater in 1982 my career path was at a fork and I got into the restaurant business.

In radio my mentor was Your Dave Young, Bobby Denton and Steve Bridgewater both gave me opportunities to fulfill my childhood dreams, and my closest friend in the biz was Jamey Kerr (now with Dick Broadcasting for 30 years...congrats to you Jamey)!

Like many of you I fell in love with radio as a youngster. In the late 60's I started listening to and imitating John Ward on the Vols network and Milo and Ernie, who called the Atlanta Braves games.

In 1976, my senior year in high school, I took and passed the then very difficult FCC 3rd class license test. That summer I worked at WBLC in Lenoir City. In the fall as I was about to start at UT, the phone rang at my home and it was Bobby Denton. Little did I realize what a great and memorable experience lay in front of me. For the next five years I worked with great people...Bob Thomas, Bobby Denton, Claude Tomlinson, Ed Brantley, Mike Hammond, Jimmy Vineyard, Suitcase Simpson, Jean Ash, Dan Bell, Ed Rupp, Bob Kesling, Randy Miller, Jeff Winters, Jamey Kerr, Joe Grant, Tony Eubanks, Terry Womack and of course Your Dave Young.

In 1982 with a UT diploma in my hand I had to make a career decision. I was having fun at WRJZ, we were playing country and had a great staff...Bill Beason, Steve Bridgewater (Dr Don West), Eddie Beacon, Jessica James, Martin Baker, David Henley, Ernie Baker, Brad Schulz, Bob Ziegler and GM Bill Hays. WRJZ ended up being my last hurrah as a DJ.

Fast forward to today. I live in Orlando, still have over 27,000 minutes of Ktown air checked and many journals with Ktown radio history...so I thought, what the heck. Let's share it all and see what happens. Today I'm still a radio fan, I listen to today's Ktown radio via the Internet, and love it.

In our first year 101 posted 170 times and had over 16,100 visitors. I'm just that kid of the 60's who fell in love with my transistor radio and all the sounds that came over the air waves!!!

As 101 starts year two, keep the photographs and memories coming our way~KtownRadio@gmail.com

Tuesday, September 02, 2025

It's late 1966 and WIVK AM is now at 850 on the dial and beaming 50000 watts of power...and FM is taking off in the radio universe, therefore WIVK playing up the "whole" radio ads. This one features Kenny Dearstone and Mike Hanes.
 

Saturday, August 23, 2025

It's March 1953 and WIVK 860 located on Gay Street directly across from the Regas Restaurant, is about to flip the switch and turn on for the first time.

Marketing was already king as "the independent voice of Knoxville" was featuring Jim Hess in the local newspapers!

Thursday, August 21, 2025

Look Mom...I found Dave-


 ...Dave Elrod that is!

Check yesterday's post! I knew back in that WKGN era there were 4 on air DJs- Alan Douglas (Sneed), Dave, Robin Beck (Mike Beck) and Keith Lambert (Kerry Lambert).

Either through fact or AI, Dave has appeared on this classic WKGN photo with Ted Nugent, ha. PS- he was in the original, or was he?

PS- the format was AOR!

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Bill Williams


Knoxville media legend and many decades WBIR-TV news anchor Bill Williams has passed away; he was age 91. 

Like many TV personalities, Bill got his start behind the radio microphone.

This photo is at his first gig, KCRC in Enid, Oklahoma, back in 1956.

Go rest high on that mountain!

Sunday, August 17, 2025


Before cutting his teeth as the nighttime DJ at WKGN 1340 in 1973, Jack Diamond worked at KEYN in Wichita, Kansas.

Jack (and Guerilla) exited Ktown for WAKY in Louisville before settling in for a many decades' gig at WAMZ in Louisville as Coyote Calhoun. 

Here's my journal entry from Jack's arrival...he exited in September.

Thursday, August 14, 2025

More WBIR Radio memories from a faded and yellowing file folder.

The trove includes a tattered old WBIR AM-FM weekday work schedule from 11/1969. At this time, there were very few pre-produced spots from national accounts. Those that did exist came in on 2.5” and 3.5” magnetic tape reels, delivered via Air Mail.

So, all local accounts and almost all national product accounts required local production work. That demand drove the Production work assignments shown below. 

Subtract the ad copy read on-air, and each broadcast hour had up to 20 ads that played from tape carts.  I wish BJ had drawn a picture of the cart stacks which DJs had to pull for each hour.

Advertisers, pre-Walmart? There were scores who were on radio. The two radio salesmen — Carson Chapin and Bill Minnoc — must have spent hours and hours in those pre-Walmart days, walking between dozens of accounts located throughout the downtown.  

And starting right after Thanksgiving, when the tobacco auctions were running, WBIR was sold outwith local car dealers angling for their share of the checks issues by the area’s half-dozen tobacco warehouses.

Radio back then was indeed local, and the ads so well documented the commerce of the time. 

_______________

Bill Jenkins (5:00 AM - 10:00 AM) & Doc Johnson (7:00 AM - 10:00 AM)

Art Miller - News (4:30 AM - 8:30 AM)

Doc - production, after 10:00 AM, as needed


Jim Riddings (10:00 - 2:00 PM)

Production (2:00 PM - 4:00 PM)


Ken McGavock (2:00 PM - 7:00 PM)

Production (12:00 noon - 2:00 PM)


Jim Ellis  (7:00 PM - 12:00 midnight, sign-off)

(Production 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM)


Jon Mack, Bick Berney & Jay Beeler 

news feeds from TV all day


Walt Martin

Promotion as required

Tuesday, August 12, 2025


 Mick Rizzo was part of the original 15Q invasion back in 1976. He spent time at WKGN later that year.

This classic photo is WCHP in Mt Pleasant, Michigan, circa 1971 at the Central Michigan University station!

Saturday, August 09, 2025

It's 1996 at WIVK...


I auto send $20 each month to St. Jude, perhaps the worthiest cause!

Can you name these folks?

left to right...Ed Brantley, Darren Wilhite, St. Jude rep, colleen Addair, Les Acree, and Chris Huff.

Thanks to Darren of Wilhite and Wall for sending!!!

Thursday, August 07, 2025


For your readers who didn’t catch this on my Facebook page: In ‘77 we gave away the electric "KGN Car.” Pictured are the winner, WKGN GM Dan Shipp, and sponsor F.B. Kuhlman, whose company distributed Tuborg Gold. We were ahead of our time!

Alan Sneed

Saturday, August 02, 2025

Happy Birthday to Mike Beach


Let's keep the throwback fotos headed into the 101 InBox - ktownradio@gmail.com.

BTW...The Beachman is still cranking out the hits at his very own Global Radio Daytona.