The Tri-Cities Radio Tribute Page

Here are various airchecks, commercials, etc. related to the Tri-Cities area of northeast Tennessee and southwest Virginia.
NOTE: WKYE radio, which later became WBCV, is covered in The WKYE/WBCV Tribute Page.

Sears commercials
These commercials were made for the Sears stores of the Tri-Cities area. I think these were from before the move of the Bristol store from downtown Bristol to the Bristol Mall on the Virginia side. In 2007, the downtown building that once housed Sears was torn down, and a new restaurant has been built in its place.
Download(915KB) This is a complete reel of commercials from Feb., 1973. They include the audio "slate" before each commercial.
Download(501KB) These commercials announced a sale at a new Sears warehouse in Gray, Tenn.
The rest are commercials I dubbed from various reels.
Download(461KB) Here are a couple of 1972 ads.
Download(465KB) These were taken from a reel of Christmas-related commercials from 1972. The first is an ad for the Sears catalog, and the second is for a sale happening in January of 1973.
Download(657KB) From 1973.

WABN, Abingdon, VA
What's Happening w/ Blue Gotham - WABN, Abingdon, Va., Apr. 24, 2002Download(1.7MB) Here's a remnant of WABN radio during the short period of time when it was owned by the Abingdon Church of the Nazarene. Although it was owned by a church, it was a secular oldies station (I do remember they played Arthur Brown's "Fire" without the intro). One interesting thing on this station at that time was its community bulletin board program called "What's Happening", hosted by a woman named Blue Gotham (long "o" sound). By the time 2002 was over, the station went off the air, to return a few years later under new ownership, playing oldies - although without "What's Happening".

WOPI, Bristol TN-VA
This, the Tri-Cities' first radio station, began in 1929. With various changes in ownership over the decades, it is currently part of Holston Valley Broadcasting Corporation's "WKPT Radio Network", playing rock oldies. The station runs locally-originated programming during high-school sports, and with a country music format on Saturday and Sunday mornings and afternoons.

Paul Culp commercials
From the late-70's to mid-80's, WOPI's owner was Paul Culp. At the time, the station was playing soft-rock music, and later ran the "Music of Your Life" package. During Paul's tenure there, some interesting commercials ran on the station, including those he voiced himself. Here are the scarce few I have copies of. (He did more, believe me!) Most of them were taken from reels sent to WBCV to play on that station as well.
Gateway Clothing Outlet Download(111KB) An interesting series of ads that ran for years were of Paul speaking with Phil Rust, who owned this store.
Haynesfield Nursery Download(246KB) In the early-80's, before Chip Kessler became "Voice of the Bucs", he and Paul were co-hosts on, if I'm not mistaken, WOPI's midday shift. This is one they did together during this time. Chip is heard near the end.
Parks-Belk
Download(135KB)
Download(133KB)
The Quality Shop, 1986 Download(139KB)

1990 aircheck Download(479KB) This is from early-1990, sometime before the switch to country. During this time, on Monday-Friday they were playing "Lum & Abner" reruns in the morning, repeated in the afternoon. Here, the station returns to a morning program that took time out for "Lum & Abner".
Dana Ray, 1990 Download(2.1MB) In 1990, Bristol music store operator Joe Morrell bought the station, and WOPI became a country station. Dana Ray Holtsclaw was a Tri-Cities radio legend who, like "Jimbo" Widener, left us too soon. I recorded these clips of him speaking between songs during, if I remember correctly, the first 2 Saturdays of WOPI as a country station in March, 1990. He was known for his interesting off-the-cuff remarks, which every once in a while got borderline-"controversial". For example, "He might let you play free" in his ad for Collingwood Miniature Golf. He died at age 73 on May 3, 2001, after keeping on with his DJ work until almost the end! The boombox I recorded this on had a magnetism problem, so there are a few volume drops, and one moment where you hear the other side of the cassette backwards.
The Home Town Boys, 1990 Download(1.3MB) Shortly after WOPI went country, the station experimented with different programs presenting live music. At 5:00 PM on Saturdays, The Vanover Sisters came along. Later that year, an hour-and-a-half block, from 5-6:30PM, began with The Vanovers, followed by two other interesting shows that didn't last long: The Home Town Boys, and then Sundown Pete & Margie L'lane (Thank goodness I came across one of her old albums so I'd know that correct spelling). Here are a couple of songs I recorded from this show during its short run.

The Vanover Sisters
1991 Download(5.7MB) What few details I have picked up about them are sketchy, but from what I understand, the first appearance of the Vanover Sisters on WOPI was during World War II. After decades and different radio stations along the way, they began a regular weekly program on WOPI in 1990, which lasted until 2005. I have a couple of shows that I originally recorded on cassette tape. This one starts in progress, since I started too late. Here you can get an idea of how much fun the Vanovers had doing the show, and that anyone hearing their show had as well.
May 5, 2001 Download(7.1MB) Before my dad, mom, and I left for church in his car, I started the recorder running on this one, because I knew that this was the first show since Dana Ray died, and I wondered if any mention would be made of it. To our surprise, the Vanovers dedicated one song to the DJs working at a "Christian station", referring to WBCV, which included my dad! Later on, they eventually mentioned Dana, and talked about fun moments they had together, and their friendship.
Estelle (Vanover) Wood died on July 19, 2011, at age 88.
Obits:
http://www.akardfuneralhome.com/pg_obits_detail.php?ID_obits=430
http://www.wopi.com/vanover.html

July 20, 2008 - 97.9FM Download (7.6MB) For the past few years, "The WKPT Radio Network" has also run on a different FM frequency in each of the 3 tri-cities, and that's what I recorded this from. From 2008-09, WKPT ran this same unusual 30-min. block of gospel songs, with the same "SuperHits of the Tri-Cities" liners in the same places, every Sunday morning. It ran either at 8:30-9 or 9:30-10, and there were times when it ran from 8:30-9 and 9:30-10. This is the 8:30 time slot, where you hear the end of a gospel broadcast, followed by "the block".

WQUT, Gray, TN
1979 Download(4.2MB) I found this on a "blank" 8-track tape I got at a yard sale. The audio was only on one audio channel on the tape, so I have it here in mono. You may hear a little material from albums dubbed on the other tracks of the tape in the background here.
1985 STEREO
Jay Christian Download(1.1MB) By this time, WQUT was a top-40 station. This clip includes commercials for an IROC-Z car giveaway sponsored by the (ulp) New Coke, a remnant from the days when smokeless tobacco commercials were still allowed, and a public service ad for literacy with an unintentionally-funny beginning.
Gordon Light Download(195KB) Gordon comes out of Madonna's legendary (also ulp) "Material Girl" with a commercial and promo.

WTFM, Kingsport, TN
"Love Notes" with Elva Marie, 1989 STEREO Download(22.3MB)
From 1986-99, one thing Tri-City listeners could count on every Mon.-Fri. night was this local request-and-dedication show. This material is from both sides of a cassette tape.

WXBQ, Bristol, VA
Steve Grant, 1991 Download(9.3MB) A cassette recording of the overnight shift, and a taste of country music in those last waning days before "Achy Breaky".

WZAP, Bristol, VA
Ted Montgomery, July 22, 1977 Download(7.8MB) This was the same DJ who worked as "The Silver Dollar Kid" on WKYE in 1974. He later worked on WLVS-FM in Memphis under yet another name. For that, click here.