This issue:   IRS 501(c)3 GRANTED!    -    Last Call: Induction Tickets On Sale Now  -   Bonus for New Members  -  More Regional Meetings  

April 2014

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ENTER THE TENNESSEE RADIO HALL OF FAME WEBSITE
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 IRS 501(c)3  GRANTED
Maybe the most important document ever received by the TRHOF has finally arrived!

The Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame has been granted the coveted IRS 501c3 status, as announced at last month’s Board and Membership meeting. It has been a long and tedious road, but the behind-the-scenes work by all involved, especially President Ralph Vaughn, has made it possible for our organization to be exempted from taxes, to be able to receive public and private donations (tax-deductible for the giver), organization perpetuity, and many other benefits.  And a BIG thanks to TRHOF member Pete Weber for paying the IRS filing fee.  It wasn't chump change, either.

Ralph Vaughn shows off the good news. 

Ralph named this as his NUMBER ONE goal when he first took office almost two years ago. Thank you, Ralph, for your persistence and hard work! Now we can call off that bet where you had to wear pearls and stilettos at this year's banquet.                                         
                     
  Next one: Memphis, April 5th  
 REGIONAL MEETS:
  Cookeville

The success continues with our regional meetings! We’re pleased to announce that 13 radio professionals signed on as NEW members of the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame during the group's "meet and greet" event for broadcasters in the Upper Cumberland area of the state. Some 45 people were at the March 15 event in Cookeville, hosted by Hall members Martin and Mike Medley (sons of 2013 TRHOF inducteeLuke Medley, the founder of WHUB, Cookeville).



As always during TRHOF events, great radio stories were shared, creating repeated rolls of laughter through the room at Crawdaddy's Grill. New Cookeville area members are:  

                               

Mike Allen
Roger Ealey
Brent Carl Fleshman
Philip Gibbons
Drue Huffines
Collins Jones
Zach Ledbetter
Marcia Lee Lorance
Jim Stapleton
Larry Stone
Joel Upton
Laura Wolf
Lee Wray

The Cookeville get-together is part of a series of informal events the Hall is hosting across the state this year, as it seeks to broaden its membership base statewide. The next visit will be in Memphis on April 5 (details below). If you are a broadcaster of know of one in Memphis or surrounding counties, be sure to get him/her there!                                  

                                     

Laura Wolf and Brent Carl Fleshman

 
Larry Stone and Marcia Lee Lorance

Jim Beasley and Mike Medley

Martin Medley, Stacey Mott, Mike Medley

Mike Allen and Lee Wray
MEMPHIS MEET 'n' GREET
Saturday, April 5, 11:30am-1:30pm
Corky's Barbeque
1740 N Germantown Pkwy
Cordova, TN 38016

Directions: I-40 to Exit 16(A), then 
South on N. Germantown Pkwy about 1.7 miles.
Turn Left on Dexter, and IMMEDIATELY RIGHT into the 
First Tennessee Bank parking lot.
Corky's is in the Shopping center behind First Tennessee Bank.
Click for map

Everyone is invited to come, but we ask that you RSVP to RalphEVaughn@comcast.net so we'll have a better idea of how many to plan for. We'll discuss the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame and upcoming events. In order to have as many attendees as possible, please feel free to pass along the invitation to anyone who has worked in Tennessee radio for at least 2 years, in ANY capacity...whether still active in the industry, or not. There is no obligation (other than paying for your own lunch), so come meet your fellow broadcasters from around the state and enjoy an afternoon of swapping stories and learning about the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.

 YOU NEVER KNOW WHO'S LISTENING

What do the Secret Service, chicken costumes, and John Young have in commonIt started out with a younger John Young answering his morning show request line at the #1 rated station in Atlanta a few years ago.  ~ by John Young

At times it’s easy to do our on air job everyday and forget who actually might be listening that quarter hour. I got a call from a rather formal sounding lady saying, "Mr. Young, Rosalyn Carter would like to come by at 3pm today and wants you to help her record a public service announcement, is that ok?"  I said, "Sure! Tell her to come on by, I’d love to see her," thinking it was some prank. (The previous week one of our colorful record promotion men came into our prestigious bank building studios dressed as a chicken to promote a record. I figured this was another stunt and hoped the bank guards would continue to tolerate "those radio people on the 9th floor.") An hour later my assistant says, "We have secret service agents in the lobby to see you" and the blood rushed from my head. They were coming to do a sweep of the floor and I’m thinking "She IS coming" and "Why do secret service do all this for the former first lady of the United States… seriously?" At three, Mrs. Carter arrives and explains she was asked to record a radio spot and wanted to make sure she did it right and asked me to coach her. When we completed her effort I noted that we’d never met and was curious why she called me. Her reply was, "Well it was(their daughter) Amy’s idea. At breakfast, I was asking my assistant how we should handle this and Amy has the radio on your station every morning at breakfast. She said "Call John Young.. he sounds like a guy who’d say yes." I replied, "YOU and President Carter have OUR station on every morning?" ... as I quickly remembered that Steve McCoy did a great Jimmy Carter impression that wasn’t always the most flattering. She told me they stayed in Atlanta (not Plains) so Amy could attend school and it was the station she likes best. The next day we dedicated a song to the President and his family and I put a framed photograph of the president in the studio with a caption "You never know who’s listening..."

Early on, I was taught that EVERY listener is important. Everyone tuned in is coming to personality driven radio for entertainment or companionship. They trust us and like us. Whether it’s the former President and his family, Ted Turner (and he was also a regular listener) or the guy driving my kids school bus (and he also listened) we treat them all as special people, and family. If you make one person upset, they could tell no-telling-how-many-people how rude you are. But if you do it right, even the first family of the United States feels comfortable enough to call, already considering you their friend. 

You just never know…WHO’s listening.  ~JY

Got a good radio story? Or, how did YOU get into radio? Just contact any of the news staff members listed at the bottom of the newsletter.

THEY SAY IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY...

APRIL

Mike Allen
Jim Beasley
Brad Weiss Carson
Lynda Christiansen
George DeVault
Dru Smith Fuller
Jay Joyce
Marcia Lee Lorance
CC McCartney
Bobby Melton
Marijo Monette
David Mott
Bud Walters
Laura Wolf

 What's in YOUR boxes?
 COOL STUFF  

Quirky, neat-o stuff can be found in anyone's collection. For example, Jay Young, son of the late Cal Young, found this neon light bulb in the original packaging among the broadcast memories left by his father. We couldn't find many hints on the box about who or where it was manufactured.  But it certainly is cool.  Cal Young was a broadcast pioneer who has been nominated for induction numerous times to our Legacy category.  As an announcer, he officially signed 1300-WMAK/Nashville on the air in 1948, assisted in putting WDBL/Springfield on the air in 1950; Then in 1951, as a majority stockholder, he built the first black radio station in Nashville, 1470/WSOK (Later, WVOL).  In 1953, he was granted Nashville's FM allocation on 105.9FM. Deciding that the future of FM was risky at best, he soon sold 105.9FM for $3000 to Bill Barry (WAMB-Nashville). After Young sold WSOK, in 1957 he was granted an FCC Construction Permit for 1430AM licensed to Madison/Nashville, and thus was born WENO, the only full-time country music station in the Nashville Market, and one of the few in the nation at that time.  Folks don't remember that WSM was country only at night from 6pm-6am until about 1981.
                       
                            
 Newsletter staff:

Editor:Cathy Martindale cathymartindale@comcast.net
Buddy Sadler sbuddy@bellsouth.net
Melissa McDonald starmagic@comcast.net
Skip Woolwine  woolwine@comcast.net

Copyright © 2014 
The Tennessee Radio Hall Of Fame.   
All rights reserved.
Contact email: TennRHOF@gmail.com
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  Special Hotel Rate Deadline
  Extended to April 7!
 BUY BANQUET TICKETS  NOW. 

May 3, 2014 (5pm)
The Embassy Suites - Murfreesboro

Banquet chairman Chip Chapman (cchapman@wdef.com) confirms it's LAST CALL for tickets to the 3rd Annual Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame Induction and Banquet. You can EASILY purchase tickets and discounted tables of 10 online at www.tennradiohalloffame.org and click “BUY TICKETS NOW” or go to the “EVENTS” tab. The biggest question asked every year is “what do I wear?” We make it simple…whatever feels right. Everything from business casual to formal, along with an occasional pair of jeans. We want you to be there, see old friends and meet your radio idols. Saturday, May 3 is coming soon! Last year, attendance topped the 300 mark, and this year our goal is to surpass 400, as we have committed to a larger banquet space. As previously announced, Nashville-based, nationally-syndicated radio and TV hosts Charlie Chase and Lorianne Crook will be the co-Masters of Ceremonies. Chase was inducted to the Hall Of Fame last year.

Chip Chapman encourages anyone who wants to take advantage of a Banquet Sponsorship opportunity to please contact him at the email above.


APRIL 7th IS THE FINAL DAY FOR THE SPECIAL HOTEL RATE of $129 (plus taxes).
You must reserve by phone, (800)446-6677, and tell them you want the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame Rate.

A list of those 2014 HOF Induction winners is found here:

         
                 

  A big bonus for you!
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
If you ever sold radio, you know what Bonus Spots are. Our membership year runs July 1st to June 30th, and we do not pro-rate membership fees for partial years. But, as an incentive to join now (in the later months of our year), we are BONUSING these last 3 months now through June 30, 2014. and giving you the FULL 12-month calendar year July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2015!  This applies retroactively to everyone who has joined since December. So join now, and get 3 bonus Months!  Full Members can nominate and vote on inductees, officers and board members. We have added some new members directly from our website as some have ordered their banquet tickets. We have now SURPASSED 200 voting Full Members, with 13 Associate Members in addition to that number.  See who has joined (23 new names) in the last month:

Mike Allen: Cookeville, ClearChannel and StoneCom Radio/Cookeville
Michelle Bolden: former WSM-AM/FM, WWTN-FM Nashville
Vicky Cutrer: Wife of inductee T. Tommy Cutrer
Zelicia Cutrer: Daughter of inductee T. Tommy Cutrer
Roger Ealey: Cookeville
Brent Carl Fleshman: WHUB-AM, WGSQ-FM, WPTN/Cookeville
Doris Freeman: (Lifetime) "Cousin Tuny" on Jackson TN Radio, inductee
Phillip Gibbons: Cookeville
Hairl Hensley: (Lifetime) WSM, WKDA, WLAC/Nashville, Inductee
Drue Huffines: Cookeville
Collins Jones: StoneCom Radio/Cookeville
Zach Ledbetter: WGSQ-FM, WGIC, WKSW/Cookeville
Marcia Lee Lorance: ClearChannel, StoneCom Radio/Cookeville
Paul Lyle: WSIX, WKDA, WKDF/Nashville
Carl P. Mayfield: (Lifetime) WKDA-FM (WKDF), WSIX-FM/Nashville, Inductee
John Padgett: WYHY-FM, WLUY-AM, WSM-AM/FM, WWTN/Nashville
Allen Schemmel: WVJS-WSTO/Owensboro, KY; WSM-AM/FM, WWTN/Nashville
Bill Smith: WXRQ/Mt. Pleasant, WXKY/Milan, WDXI-WMXX-WWYN-WHHM-WZDQ-WFKX/Jackson
Jim Stapleton: WGSQ-FM, WGIC, Kicks106.9, B-Rock93.7/Cookeville; WUSY-FM/Chattanooga
Larry Stone: Titans Radio/WKDF/WGFX/Nashville, StoneCom Radio/Cookeville
Joel Upton: Livingston
Laura Wolf: Cookeville Communications
Lee Wray: Cookeville Communications
                                
 MEMBER NEWS
 Hall of Famer Wink Martindale got a nice write-up in the Jackson Sun.  To quote: In the history of televised game shows no name is more synonymous with 'host' than Wink, the man who has guided twenty-one game shows. But Martindale’s fifty-plus years in broadcasting encompass more than the hit programs for which he is best known. Before TV there was radio. Before game shows there was a Platinum record, 'Deck of Cards', leading to an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Along with 'host' there have been numerous 'producer' credits as well. Winston C. Martindale –nicknamed 'Wink' by a neighborhood pal –was born and raised in Jackson, Tennessee… "
You can read it all here.

 2013 inductee Pat Sajak went viral a couple of weeks ago when a contestant made an almost impossible “solve” on WHEEL OF FORTUNE. Pat tweeted "...most amazing solve in my 30+ years on the show." Hey, it’s pretty amazing to have the SAME GIG for over 30 years, Pat!   See what happened.

  In other news:  
 It’s been announced that Gabriel Media has signed on as an underwriter of our web hosting costs for the year. Gabriel Media is a broadcast revenue consulting firm based in Nashville. They're at
http://gabrielmedia.net
                         
--- A committee has been formed to collect and purchase Tennessee radio memorabilia, including old microphones, on-air signage, transmitter parts, and anything related to TN radio stations. If you have items you'd like to donate (or purchase on Ebay, Craigslist, etc.) please contact Nick Archer.  Nick also oversees the TRHOF Facebook page which now boasts over 880 members.
                     

--- Looking for a gig or have a spot to fill?  Post it HERE next month! 

 NEXT MEETING   
The next upcoming joint meeting of the Board of Directors, the Advisory Council, and the Full Membership will be Saturday, April 12th, 10am to noon, at the TAB headquarters in Nashville. Our primary topic will be the May 3rd banquet in Murfreesboro. Check "Events" on our website.

                       

 WHAT'S NEWS?


Please send any news, promotions, stories, trivia…maybe you have an old radio story you’d like to share with us….anything that may be of interest to our membership.  Please email it any of the newsletter staff listed below.  Our newsletter is published the first of every month and back issues may be viewed on our official website at tennradiohalloffame.org   Please keep your email address current so you don’t miss an issue!