The Tennessee Jamboree: Local Radio, the Barn Dance, and Cultural Life in Appalachian East Tennessee
Bradley Hanson, Brown University
Essay Sections:
Introduction | Rural Radio | The Barn Dance Genre | The Barn Dance in East Tennessee | LaFollette | WLAF | Tennessee Jamboree | Original Broadcast, Part 1: Music | Original Broadcast, Part 2: Advertising and Banter |
"Our time has come and gone" | Notes | Recommended Resources
"Our time has come and gone" | Notes | Recommended Resources
WLAF:
AM 1450 WLAF, LaFollette's first radio station, began broadcasting with 100 watts on Sunday, May 17th, 1953 at 2:00 pm. Before that, residents of LaFollette and Campbell County listened, as did most of rural America, to stations emanating from regional hubs in nearby, and sometimes distant, metropolitan areas. Though these commanding stations appealed to rural listeners, most people living outside the major population centers had not experienced local radio. LaFollette welcomed the new station with fanfare. The LaFollette Press listed local dignitaries in attendance for the first broadcast. As part of the opening ceremony, the Rev. John H. Thompson of the First Presbyterian Church gave an invocation and state politicians, including Senator Albert Gore Sr. and Representative Howard Baker, delivered greetings by way of transcription.
The mission of WLAF was, from the start, quite simple: give priority to the interests and events in its broadcast area. Bill Waddell, the station's current owner and its historian, has understood and maintained this locally-focused orientation since joining the station in the 1970s. His comments in 2005 reflect the attitude that shaped WLAF:
The mission of WLAF was, from the start, quite simple: give priority to the interests and events in its broadcast area. Bill Waddell, the station's current owner and its historian, has understood and maintained this locally-focused orientation since joining the station in the 1970s. His comments in 2005 reflect the attitude that shaped WLAF:
The station came on the air back in 1953 . . . to serve the community. We have still kept the local image. We do local news, local obituaries, [and a] local call-in trading show each day. We just kinda localize it. Forget about the rest of the world. If people want national news they've got CNN and all that. If they want full-time weather, they've got the Weather Channel. We just keep it locally of what's happening right here in our county, and it's worked pretty well for fifty-two years now…32
Listen to a clip from an interview with Bill Waddell, owner of WLAF, LaFollette, Tennessee. Conducted by Joe Decosimo, August 3, 2005 (2:05 min).
Tennessee State Library and Archives RealMedia | Windows Media | QuickTime |
With dedication, WLAF has catered to the interests of LaFollette. "We do the local ball games . . . , we do the public commission meetings, the city council, the school board, and the county commission," adds Waddell. "It's just all local, like I say, everything we do is aimed at Campbell County. We just forget about the rest of the world. It works pretty well."33
In addition, WLAF features the music and the musicians who affirm local preferences. "Lotta local talent around here, always has been," says Waddell. "Gospel and Bluegrass especially [are] extremely popular in this area. Here in the mountains. We're true mountain people."34
In addition, WLAF features the music and the musicians who affirm local preferences. "Lotta local talent around here, always has been," says Waddell. "Gospel and Bluegrass especially [are] extremely popular in this area. Here in the mountains. We're true mountain people."34
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WLAF billboard entering LaFollette, Tennessee, 2008.
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Among the first programs launched on the WLAF airwaves was a Saturday night barn dance, the Tennessee Jamboree. As on so many of the other small-town post-war stations, country music proved a popular and reliable early staple. The appeal of the new program, coming from within the town's borders, cannot be underestimated. "That was the place to be on Saturday night, downtown LaFollette," Waddell recalls, "where some of the talented musicians from this area came and performed. It was an exciting time for everybody in LaFollette."35
Listeners in LaFollette and Campbell Country were well-acquainted with the barn dance genre, either through WSM's Opry and network radio, or the Midday Merry-Go Round, the Tennessee Barn Dance, or Cas Walker from the stations in Knoxville. The power of radio and the success of these programs helped connect the residents of LaFollette with a growing sense of regional and national identity. But, with the new Tennessee Jamboree, LaFollette had a barn dance to make its own.
Listeners in LaFollette and Campbell Country were well-acquainted with the barn dance genre, either through WSM's Opry and network radio, or the Midday Merry-Go Round, the Tennessee Barn Dance, or Cas Walker from the stations in Knoxville. The power of radio and the success of these programs helped connect the residents of LaFollette with a growing sense of regional and national identity. But, with the new Tennessee Jamboree, LaFollette had a barn dance to make its own.
Essay Sections:
Introduction | Rural Radio | The Barn Dance Genre | The Barn Dance in East Tennessee | LaFollette | WLAF | Tennessee Jamboree | Original Broadcast, Part 1: Music | Original Broadcast, Part 2: Advertising and Banter |
"Our time has come and gone" | Notes | Recommended Resources
"Our time has come and gone" | Notes | Recommended Resources
