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15Q-WKVQ

Sitting here in the Tri-cities rummaging thru old Knoxville air checks and came across an all but forgotten one....15Q.Does anyone else remember that fabulous station with George Patrick Dooley,Rockin Ron Baptist,Suitcase Simpson,and even Bob Kaghan(yes his first appearance in Knoxville)....What a staff and what a sound. Too bad it was a 1Kw daytimer with .25Kw at night...Anyone else remember it?
 
I remember the Q..At the time there were 3 or 4 top-40 stations in Knoxville all at the same time. Great competition. Great talent and a win-win situation for the listeners. The studio's were right off the strip (Cumberland Ave) on campus and had a great view. Too bad they didn't have a signal that got much further.


> Sitting here in the Tri-cities rummaging thru old Knoxville
> air checks and came across an all but forgotten
> one....15Q.Does anyone else remember that fabulous station
> with George Patrick Dooley,Rockin Ron Baptist,Suitcase
> Simpson,and even Bob Kaghan(yes his first appearance in
> Knoxville)....What a staff and what a sound. Too bad it was
> a 1Kw daytimer with .25Kw at night...Anyone else remember
> it?
>
 
> Sitting here in the Tri-cities rummaging thru old Knoxville
> air checks and came across an all but forgotten
> one....15Q.Does anyone else remember that fabulous station
> with George Patrick Dooley,Rockin Ron Baptist,Suitcase
> Simpson,and even Bob Kaghan(yes his first appearance in
> Knoxville)....What a staff and what a sound. Too bad it was
> a 1Kw daytimer with .25Kw at night...Anyone else remember
> it?
>

Wow! I certainly remember 15Q...any possibility of getting a copy
of your aircheck? Would love to have one...

booger!
 
> I remember the Q..At the time there were 3 or 4 top-40
> stations in Knoxville all at the same time. Great
> competition. Great talent and a win-win situation for the
> listeners. The studio's were right off the strip (Cumberland
> Ave) on campus and had a great view. Too bad they didn't
> have a signal that got much further.
>
>
> > Sitting here in the Tri-cities rummaging thru old
> Knoxville
> > air checks and came across an all but forgotten
> > one....15Q.Does anyone else remember that fabulous station
>
> > with George Patrick Dooley,Rockin Ron Baptist,Suitcase
> > Simpson,and even Bob Kaghan(yes his first appearance in
> > Knoxville)....What a staff and what a sound. Too bad it
> was
> > a 1Kw daytimer with .25Kw at night...Anyone else remember
> > it?
> >
>
I remember 15Q very well. I was in high school when they first came on the air in spring 1976. It was AOR W-149 prior to becoming 15Q. Imo, I thought it was programmed much better than WNOX or WKGN was at the time and was the fore-runner of WRJZ. I could only hear it during the day because of it's weak signal at night. I think they changed formats after WRJZ debuted in the fall of that year. It sounded like stations I had heard in other markets, not like one programmed in Knoxville.
 
> >It was certainly a cut above..kinda like 13Q in Pittsburgh or KCBQ in San Diego


I remember the Q..At the time there were 3 or 4 top-40
> > stations in Knoxville all at the same time. Great
> > competition. Great talent and a win-win situation for the
> > listeners. The studio's were right off the strip
> (Cumberland
> > Ave) on campus and had a great view. Too bad they didn't
> > have a signal that got much further.
> >
> >
> > > Sitting here in the Tri-cities rummaging thru old
> > Knoxville
> > > air checks and came across an all but forgotten
> > > one....15Q.Does anyone else remember that fabulous
> station
> >
> > > with George Patrick Dooley,Rockin Ron Baptist,Suitcase
> > > Simpson,and even Bob Kaghan(yes his first appearance in
> > > Knoxville)....What a staff and what a sound. Too bad it
> > was
> > > a 1Kw daytimer with .25Kw at night...Anyone else
> remember
> > > it?
> > >
> >
> I remember 15Q very well. I was in high school when they
> first came on the air in spring 1976. It was AOR W-149 prior
> to becoming 15Q. Imo, I thought it was programmed much
> better than WNOX or WKGN was at the time and was the
> fore-runner of WRJZ. I could only hear it during the day
> because of it's weak signal at night. I think they changed
> formats after WRJZ debuted in the fall of that year. It
> sounded like stations I had heard in other markets, not like
> one programmed in Knoxville.
>
 
"15Q is gonna make me rich." Just stop by Burger King locations where the signal can't be heard to get your button. It was hysterical to see people at the Burger King in Sevierville try to figure out what a 15Q was.



> > >It was certainly a cut above..kinda like 13Q in
> Pittsburgh or KCBQ in San Diego
>
>
> I remember the Q..At the time there were 3 or 4 top-40
> > > stations in Knoxville all at the same time. Great
> > > competition. Great talent and a win-win situation for
> the
> > > listeners. The studio's were right off the strip
> > (Cumberland
> > > Ave) on campus and had a great view. Too bad they didn't
>
> > > have a signal that got much further.
> > >
> > >
> > > > Sitting here in the Tri-cities rummaging thru old
> > > Knoxville
> > > > air checks and came across an all but forgotten
> > > > one....15Q.Does anyone else remember that fabulous
> > station
> > >
> > > > with George Patrick Dooley,Rockin Ron Baptist,Suitcase
>
> > > > Simpson,and even Bob Kaghan(yes his first appearance
> in
> > > > Knoxville)....What a staff and what a sound. Too bad
> it
> > > was
> > > > a 1Kw daytimer with .25Kw at night...Anyone else
> > remember
> > > > it?
> > > >
> > >
> > I remember 15Q very well. I was in high school when they
> > first came on the air in spring 1976. It was AOR W-149
> prior
> > to becoming 15Q. Imo, I thought it was programmed much
> > better than WNOX or WKGN was at the time and was the
> > fore-runner of WRJZ. I could only hear it during the day
> > because of it's weak signal at night. I think they changed
>
> > formats after WRJZ debuted in the fall of that year. It
> > sounded like stations I had heard in other markets, not
> like
> > one programmed in Knoxville.
> >
>
 
> Sitting here in the Tri-cities rummaging thru old Knoxville
> air checks and came across an all but forgotten
> one....15Q.Does anyone else remember that fabulous station
> with George Patrick Dooley,Rockin Ron Baptist,Suitcase
> Simpson,and even Bob Kaghan(yes his first appearance in
> Knoxville)....What a staff and what a sound. Too bad it was
> a 1Kw daytimer with .25Kw at night...Anyone else remember
> it?
>

I am Suitcase Simpson, and yes, it was a helluva staff. Almost all the other things said were also true except one - it didn't die because of WRJZ. The owners simply ran out of money and went back to doing what they did best - paid religious programming (WRJZ appeared right after, though, and they were also terrific for the era). There was almost no money coming in to the Q. Salaries were by far the best in Knoxville, but the signal faded in Bearden. Eddie Beacon was the Swangin' Deacon, but 15Q was The Swangin' Door. In addition to Dooley, Baptiste and myself, Boo Barron, Eddie Beacon, Charlie Fox (Blake Lawrence), Shotgun Kelly (one of the clones), Kid Curry, the late Birdman Bill Thomas, China Smith (Greg Barman), Scott Sams, Mike Beach and a host of others whose names don't immediately come to mind also bounced through. Every couple of weeks someone would leave - after all, we had great audition tapes! It should also be noted that Pete Michaels of local traffic reporting fame did the all-night show as Dr. Boogie. In AM Drive, he did his first traffic reporting from the 15Q production room. Pete would listen to Wayne Bell's helicopter reports on WIVK, jot down the info, then beat on his chest for that "copter" voice effect.The promotions were incredible for the time period. My favorite was when, without warning, the mysterious Q Millionaire (Eddie Beacon in a tux) dropped cash from atop the ferris wheel during the Fair and almost caused a riot. I have several 15Q airchecks and would love others. It was short and sweet and the most fun I've ever had in radio.
 
I am Suitcase Simpson, and yes, it was a helluva staff. Almost all the other things said were also true except one - it didn't die because of WRJZ. The owners simply ran out of money and went back to doing what they did best - paid religious programming (WRJZ appeared right after, though, and they were also terrific for the era). There was almost no money coming in to the Q. Salaries were by far the best in Knoxville, but the signal faded in Bearden.
Eddie Beacon was the Swangin' Deacon, but 15Q was The Swangin' Door. In addition to Dooley, Baptiste and myself, Boo Barron, Eddie Beacon, Charlie Fox (Blake Lawrence), Shotgun Kelly (one of the clones), Kid Curry, the late Birdman Bill Thomas, China Smith (Greg Barman), Scott Sams, Mike Beach and a host of others whose names don't immediately come to mind also bounced through. Every couple of weeks someone would leave - after all, we had great audition tapes!
It should also be noted that Pete Michaels of local traffic reporting fame did the all-night show as Dr. Boogie. In AM Drive, he did his first traffic reporting from the 15Q production room. Pete would listen to Wayne Bell's helicopter reports on WIVK, jot down the info, then beat on his chest for that "copter" voice effect.
The promotions were incredible for the time period. My favorite was when, without warning, the mysterious Q Millionaire (Eddie Beacon in a tux) dropped cash from atop the ferris wheel during the Fair and almost caused a riot. I have several 15Q airchecks and would love others.
It was short and sweet and the most fun I've ever had in radio.

>
 
>Suitcase..I can remember hearing you on the Q and WOKI...Do you remember my friend Mark Evan Mc Kinney??Do you perchance have a check of Dooley's last partial morning show when he was doing his "magazine" format?? BTW it was the most fun I ever had listening to radio..a true taste of the "big time" here in lil ole East Tennessee.


I am Suitcase Simpson, and yes, it was a helluva staff.
> Almost all the other things said were also true except one -
> it didn't die because of WRJZ. The owners simply ran out of
> money and went back to doing what they did best - paid
> religious programming (WRJZ appeared right after, though,
> and they were also terrific for the era). There was almost
> no money coming in to the Q. Salaries were by far the best
> in Knoxville, but the signal faded in Bearden.
> Eddie Beacon was the Swangin' Deacon, but 15Q was The
> Swangin' Door. In addition to Dooley, Baptiste and myself,
> Boo Barron, Eddie Beacon, Charlie Fox (Blake Lawrence),
> Shotgun Kelly (one of the clones), Kid Curry, the late
> Birdman Bill Thomas, China Smith (Greg Barman), Scott Sams,
> Mike Beach and a host of others whose names don't
> immediately come to mind also bounced through. Every couple
> of weeks someone would leave - after all, we had great
> audition tapes!
> It should also be noted that Pete Michaels of local
> traffic reporting fame did the all-night show as Dr. Boogie.
> In AM Drive, he did his first traffic reporting from the 15Q
> production room. Pete would listen to Wayne Bell's
> helicopter reports on WIVK, jot down the info, then beat on
> his chest for that "copter" voice effect.
> The promotions were incredible for the time period. My
> favorite was when, without warning, the mysterious Q
> Millionaire (Eddie Beacon in a tux) dropped cash from atop
> the ferris wheel during the Fair and almost caused a riot. I
> have several 15Q airchecks and would love others.
> It was short and sweet and the most fun I've ever had
> in radio.
>
> >
>
<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by TennStud on 10/16/05 03:14 AM.</FONT></P>
 
> >Suitcase..I can remember hearing you on the Q and WOKI...Do
> you remember my friend Mark Evan Mc Kinney??Do you perchance
> have a check of Dooley's last partial morning show when he
> was doing his "magazine" format?? BTW it was the most fun I
> ever had listening to radio..a true taste of the "big time"
> here in lil ole East Tennessee.

I remember the name Mark McKinney (didn't he work in the Tri-Cities, too?), but I'm not sure if we met - we didn't work together. I left after Dooley came, but before he left. I took a radio gig in the midwest so I was gone when he did his final morning show. Dooley was better known as Tom Dooley before 15Q and had made a name for himself at several major market stations. By the time he hit 15Q, he was on the way down, but his ego was still major market caliber. My memory's hazy, but wasn't he pretty much the last cowboy left at that rodeo before they brought in the cigar boxes for the preachers? - Bill Miller (I Am Still Suitcase Simpson)
 
> > > Yes, I know he was Tom Dooley and he had a penchant for leaving in a blaze of glory....I have an aircheck of his final show on KHJ where he accused Richard Nixon of the murders of JFK,Bobby Kennedy,and MLK....He was quite the psycho.


Suitcase..I can remember hearing you on the Q and
> WOKI...Do
> > you remember my friend Mark Evan Mc Kinney??Do you
> perchance
> > have a check of Dooley's last partial morning show when he
>
> > was doing his "magazine" format?? BTW it was the most fun
> I
> > ever had listening to radio..a true taste of the "big
> time"
> > here in lil ole East Tennessee.
>
> I remember the name Mark McKinney (didn't he work in the
> Tri-Cities, too?), but I'm not sure if we met - we didn't
> work together. I left after Dooley came, but before he
> left. I took a radio gig in the midwest so I was gone when
> he did his final morning show. Dooley was better known as
> Tom Dooley before 15Q and had made a name for himself at
> several major market stations. By the time he hit 15Q, he
> was on the way down, but his ego was still major market
> caliber. My memory's hazy, but wasn't he pretty much the
> last cowboy left at that rodeo before they brought in the
> cigar boxes for the preachers? - Bill Miller (I Am Still
> Suitcase Simpson)
>
 
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