The crew you are seeing all worked for the OLD U102 (WMYU) back in the day when folks listened to radio stations and radio stations put on big events, like BOOMSDAY.
Monday evening WBIR thought it best to broadcast a tape of BOOMSDAY the day after the event and although it was one of the best fireworks shows ever seen on the river the fabricated history that belched out of the show still is stinking up my rumpus room!
A grizzled looking B 97 kid said he MCed the first BOOMSDAY and said the crowd count was around seventy five thousand folks. Truth is he may have been at the first one but I didn't see him on stage with CP AND WALKER counting down the start?
Earlier in the same broadcast two odd looking people said they were the ones who started the event, bless their hearts, I don't think they even lived in Tennessee when the first sparkler was touched off. Truth is their radio station was THE station to GIVE the show away and this years attempt by those who now own it to run the one day event into three was a giant failure!
Truths...Boomsday was started by the old JACOR Broadcasting. It was a gift to the people of Knoxville and over 150 thousand were there that first night. As the numbers grew the city tried very hard to take over the event and the local papers would never give the founding station credit in their coverage. Still the show went on and still it grew.
So what happened?
Simple, the founding company learned folks would NOT come to a concert the day before or even two days before the big show. Reason?? FOOTBALL! Friday night is HIGH SCHOOL BALL and Saturday is UT!
Also this year the act on Friday was tangled in litigation over killing a PET and filming the death! Less than 2500 folks showed to hear them sing.
On Saturday afternoon less than 300 came out in the heat to hear the bands and when the promised big screen failed to produce the UT game, most demanded their money back.
Boomsday was fine, the two days before it were a BOMB
Preacher Mull passed this morning. He not only owned a radio station in Knoxville but was the founder of the first traveling gospel singing shows. Lots of broadcast history died with him.
Last of the Tyler story hit the shopper and this morning Da Bean was on 1180 talking about it. A lack of calls this morning may have been a way of saying folks are just over it. IF a TV station picks the thing up it might grow, but chances are very slim. If you wanta see part three check it out at hallsnews.com.
9 comments:
Love your old black and white radio photos...radio in general is not the same, yikes, sounds like I'm getting old making such statements.
U102 was strong when it debuted...Doctor Dave Dunaway and company.
The first line up, from April 1981...
6-10 Dave Dunaway
10-2 Bill Burkett
2-7 Tom Van Hart
7-12 Steve Harrison
12-6 Rick Hudson
All those were fired when JACOR bought the station and moved it to Knoxville. Before it was sold Burkett had Phil Williams in the afternoon and I told him CP and Walker would be open to talk about doing mornings. He turned me down flat and said the station was going to be all music and no talking. Today he is the guy who said no to CP and Walker in the morning and Phil in the afternoon. Reports are he is working at a small spanish station in East Tennessee?
Glad you liked the picture!
WJ
I think Jeff Jacoby has a couple of similar pics in his office. He needs to get Coach on some morning. Too bad his co-hosts would not get it. The dullards.
I'm not signing this, but you know who this is......the use of dullards may have given me away.
DULLARDS, dang I loved them when they picked on Andy! Rodney was my fav, although Brisko was great on the jug!
Jake was a coach WANTABE! First time I saw the guy the real coach said, that guy is a saleman who wants to be on the radio, pray it never happens!
Bless his heart he has come a long way but he still is a sad case!
DULLARDS, dang I loved them when they picked on Andy! Rodney was my fav, although Brisko was great on the jug!
Jake was a coach WANTABE! First time I saw the guy the real coach said, that guy is a saleman who wants to be on the radio, pray it never happens!
Bless his heart he has come a long way but he still is a sad case!
Walker, U-102 was a real radio station. Great air staff, great news department, great promotions...man, I miss it.
Also, Preacher Mull was a true icon in Knoxville, and he had a big impact on gospel music all over the country.
Yeahboy
Walker, U-102 was a real radio station. Great air staff, great news department, great promotions...man, I miss it.
Also, Preacher Mull was a true icon in Knoxville, and he had a big impact on gospel music all over the country.
Yeahboy
By the way, I too saw those yakkety yaks saying "they" were in on the beginning of boomsday. I had to laugh.
Yeahboy
My condolences to the Mull family. Watching J. Bazzel *spelling?) and Lady Mull every Sunday morning was a part of growning up in the Bible belt for my family.
Loved Boomsday, but I'm no fool! I stuck to the south side of Henly Street bridge and high tailed it back home just as the finale' started. ROCK ON WJ!!
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