Les Jones

East Tennessee > Knoxville Loses a Great Radio Station

100.3 FM "The River" is shutting down on Thursday. It was the number four station in town. Just two years ago they were number 11. A change to the Triple A format brought them legions of new listeners. Citadel bought 100.3 and its sister channels and decided The River's format didn't fit the company's needs, so they're closing the station, despite protests from local fans and musicians. More background info is available at Save 100.3 The River

Melissa and I have our clock radio tuned to The River. We don't get out of bed until we've heard David Henley News or the Frank Files, and we love Phil Williams and "Dr. Phil." You guys are the most human voices on Knoxville radio.

The River is one of the few stations that promotes local concerts. You've been sponsors and enthusiastic promoters of the free Sundown in the City concert series and Rockin' on the River. We also appreciate that 100.3 is the home of Titans Radio, House of Blues, E-Town, and the Americana Cafe.

The morning crew has been worried about the loss of the files on their web site. Some of those files will be available on the Internet Archive. Here's a link to what's currently available at Archive.org. I hope that helps a little.

To Dave, Frank, and Phil: we love you, we hope to hear from you again soon, and remember that it wasn't you, it was the suits. You guys have heard of Murphy's Law: if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. There's another one called Herblock's Law: if it's any good, they'll quit making it. The River is good, and so are you.

Best wishes,
Les and Melissa Jones
Louisville, TN