2009

Lightning 100 staff

Lightning 100 fires up "Music City Mayhem"… a local artist/band competition. Contestant's songs are featured both on-air and on-line. Listeners and friends are invited to vote on-line to move their artists up the bracket. This promotion alone doubled the station's database of followers in less than 30 days.

Brett Dennen with Fred Buc

Eric Hutchinson with Fred Buc

Bonnaroo Staff 2009

Lightning 100 at Air Award

Mayor Karl Dean and Lightning 100 announce a new environmental-friendly live outdoor concert series, "Live on the Green" to begin on September 3rd. The Mayor and station owner Lester Turner hold a press conference on the grounds of the site at Metro's Courthouse Plaza. The six-week Free concert series would end up bringing over 24,000 fans to downtown Nashville.

Fred Buc, Karl Dean, Ricky Young, Aaron Winters, and Lester Turner

What we were listening to in 2009

01. Kings Of Leon – Use Somebody

02. Snow Patrol – Crack The Shutters

03. Bell X1 – The Great Defector

04. James Morrison – Nothing Ever Hurt Like You

05. Matt Nathanson – All We Are

06. Death Cab For Cutie – Little Bribes

07. Counting Crows – When I Dream Of Michelangelo

08. Michael Franti & Spearhead – Say Hey (I Love You)

09. Gomez – Airstream Driver

10. Airborne Toxic Event – Sometime Around Midnight

11. David Gray – Fugitive

12. Coldplay – Life In Technicolor II

13. Mat Kearney – Closer To Love

2008

Team Green is honored as "Conservation Organization of the Year" in a reception sponsored by the Tennessee Wildlife Federation.

Lightning 100 staffers receive national media attention for their hard work and contributions to the annual Bonnaroo Festival -- serving as "flagship station", building and setting up the radio compound each year, serving as DJs on Bonnaroo Radio, and putting together interviews and other material to be distributed to radio affiliates throughout the U.S.

Ingrid Michelson with Lt. Dan

Brian "Web Guy" Waters graduates from Middle Tennessee State University and finishes up his internet ship in the summer of 2008.  Brian is hired as the New Media Content Coordinator.  Ever wonder who films all the in-studio videos?  Here is one of Brian's favorite videos of 2008.






Old Crow Medicine Show

First ever in-studio video performance!


Tommy Emmanuel

Jayson Mraz with Fred Buc and Rev. Keith Coes

Laurel Creech is appointed to serve on Nashville's Green Ribbon Committee by Mayor Karl Dean.

Music Business Raido celebrates their 100th episode with a listener party at BMI.

Keeley Reid is hired as the Team Green Event Coordinator and Lightning 100 PSA director in the Fall of 2008.  Now you will find Keeley at almost every Team Green Adventure around town!

Meiko with Fred Buc and Rev. Keith Coes

Sheryl Crow drops by the Lightning 100 studio

What we were listening to in 2008

01. Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Possess Your Heart

02. R.E.M. – Supernatural Superserious

03. My Morning Jacket – I’m Amazed

04. Ingrid Michaelson – The Way I Am

05. Ray Lamontagne – You Are The Best Thing

06. Counting Crows – Come Around

07. Coldplay – Viva La Vida

08. Brett Dennen – Make You Crazy

09. Mike Doughty – 27 Jennifers

10. Kings Of Leon – Sex On Fire

11. Jason Mraz – I’m Yours

12. O.A.R. – Shattered (Turn The Car Around)

13. Snow Patrol – Take Back The City

2007

Laurel Creech is recongized in a ceremony as one of only 14 "Emerging Leaders" by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Colbie Caillat with the Rev

Popular local bartender, Logan, hosts his final "Real Jazz" program on WRLT Sunday mornings.

Delbert McClinton with Fred Buc

Nashville is chosen as one of the few select cities world wide for Red Bull's Flugtag event.  Lightning 100 and Team Green together with a team of listener volunteers participate by building and manning a "Yellow Submarine" for the competition, placing 3rd. Over 100,000 spectators attended the Flugtag event.

Train crashes into Marathon Village

Pete Yorn visits the studio

Lightning 100 resumes streaming its on-air signal over the internet after a four year hiatus.  The station pulled the plug in June 2002 due to a national controversy over royalty payment issues.

Will Hoge in-studio performance

WRLT receives 16 finalist nominations in the annual March of Dimes AIR Awards, winning a record six awards in 2007

What we were listening to in 2007

01. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)

02. John Butler Trio – Better Than

03. Snow Patrol – You’re All I Have

04. Beck – Think I’m In Love

05. Ryan Adams - Two

06. John Mayer – Belief

07. KT Tunstall – Hold On

08. Modest Mouse – Missed The Boat

09. Amy Winehouse – You Know I’m No Good

10. Spoon – The Underdog

11. Ben Harper – In The Colors

12. Rilo Kiley – Silver Lining

13. Katie Herzig – Sweeter Than This

2006

WRLT launches a new Sunday Night show, "Music Business Radio", that spotlights the inner workings of the music business. Hosted by local music marketer David Hooper, each show features a prominent industry professional who offers insight into how the music business works. Top-level local music executives are invited as guests, and within months -- are actually calling the station wanting to be the featured guest of the week!

Pete Yorn

Los Lonely Boys

Willie Nelson with Keith Coes

Lightning 100 celebrates 10 years of weekly "Nashville Sunday Night" broadcasts. Music Director Keith Coes and the venue's manager, Ron Brice, have been responsible for booking over 500 consecutive weekly broadcasts!

Wide Spread Panic

Laurel in City Paper

Stephen Stills with Fred Buc

Robert Randolph with Hammel and Jayson

Neil Young

What we were listening to in 2006

01. The Fray – How To Save A Life

02. Shawn Mullins – Beautiful Wreck

03. Ray Lamontagne – Three More Days

04. Nickel Creek – Jealous Of The Moon

05. Gomez – See The World

06. Mat Kearney – Nothing Left To Lose

07. KT Tunstall – Suddenly I See

08. Gnarls Barkley – Crazy

09. Jack Johnson – Upside Down

10. Death Cab For Cutie – I Will Follow You Into The Dark

11. Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars

12. Keane – Is It Any Wonder

13. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Dani California

2005

Air Staff 2005

After 10 years and three months high atop the 30th Floor of the L&C Tower downtown, Lightning 100 picks up stakes and moves its digs to Marathon Village -- a recently renovated old warehouse in Midtown. The station would become an anchor tenant of the complex, which was in the process of being transformed from a 1900 turn-of-the-century automobile manufacturing plant into a thriving creative community.

Marathon Village

Lightning 100 participates in a major fund raising campaign to assist victims from the recent Hurricane Katrina. A silent auction and telethon is held on-air and on eBay. Items up for bid included a Takamine guitar autographed by the Eagles, a private John Mayer Trio concert performance, and a Gibson Les Paul guitar signed by Les Paul. Donations are also taken for food and clothing items.

Fred Buc, Tristian Prettyman, Jason Mraz, and Dan Buckley

Marc Broussard with Angie

Ben Folds with Lt. Dan

Lightning 100 releases a compilation sampler CD of various "Nashville Sunday Night" performances from its nine years of live broadcasts of the program from 3rd & Lindsley".

15th Birthday at Beyond the Edge

Al Stewart with Fred Buc

What we were listening in 2005
The Fray – Over My Head
Snow Patrol – Chocolate
KT Tunstall – Black Horse & The Cherry Tree
Aqualung – Brighter Than Sunshine
Mike Doughty – Looking At The World From The Bottom Of A Well
Feist – Mushaboom
Blue Merle – Burning In The Sun
Jack Johnson – Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Keane – Everybody’s Changing
Coldplay – Fix You
John Butler Trio – Zebra
Ben Folds – Landed
Nickel Creek – When In Rome

2004

14-year station voice, Sue Wilkinson ("That British Chick") succumbs to cancer and passes away in her native London home. Her family and estate allow Lightning 100 to continue to use her voice on the station because WRLT meant so much to Sue during her life.

Sue Wilkinson on left

Lightning 100's Earth Day celebration at Centennial Park. It's a soggy day of entertainment by Nanci Griffith, Indigenous, Randall Bramblett and Sophie B. Hawkins.

David Hall interviewing John Mayer

Justin Hammel completes his internship from Belmont University and his hired full-time as a coordinator for Lightning 100's programming, production and promotions departments.

Jayson Chalfant, Justin Hammel, and Sting

Lightning 100 introduces the "Local Lightning Spotlight" -- a twice-a-day feature that spotlights the music of independent and non-signed local artists. Local artists are asked to submit their works to be considered for airplay.

 Lt. Dan with Steve Winwood

Fred, David, Bob Dail, Bruce Hornsby

 David, Fred, Crosby and Nash


I started in July 2004.  We were in the LNC tower on the 31st floor!   Loved the view, loved the building, loved the location!!!  I have always been a huge fan of Lighting 100 and was so proud to become a part of the station.  Was 2004 the last year of Uptown Mix or 2005?  I know it ended soon after I started.  It was my favorite concert series ever!  Lots and lots of great memories from many shows.  Very sad year when it went away.  I am sure there are more memories of that year, I will send them as they come to me.
-Cindy Christian


What we were listening to in 2004
Mindy Smith – Come To Jesus
Marc Broussard – Home
Green Day – Boulevard Of Broken Dreams
Ray LaMontagne – Trouble
Keane – Somewhere Only We Know
Ryan Adams – Burning Photographs
Norah Jones – Sunrise
Howie Day – Collide
Jet – Are You Gonna Be My Girl
Snow Patrol – Run
Lenny Kravitz – Lady
Finger Eleven – One Thing
Modest Mouse – Float On

2003

Longtime Lightning 100 and Phoenix air talent John Larson moves to commune with nature in rural New Mexico.

Jayson Chalfant, a former promotions intern, assumes full duties of Lightning 100's promotions department.

What we were listening to in 2003

Los Lonely Boys – Heaven

Ben Harper – With My Own Two Hands

Jason Mraz – The Remedy

Wallflowers – Closer To You

John Mayer – Bigger Than My Body

Coldplay – The Scientist

Nickel Creek – Smoothie Song

Jack Johnson – The Horizon Has Been Defeated

John Hiatt – My Baby Blue

Sheryl Crow – The First Cut Is The Deepest

Johnny Marr & The Healers – Down On The Corner

Paul Simon – Father & Daughter

Eastmountainsouth – You Dance

2002

Previous Senior Account Executives Lesli Bills and Bob Dale both return to the station after being absent for several years.

Tuned In Broadcasting sells its rural FM frequencies 93.7 (WYYB/Kingston Springs - "The Phoenix") and 94.1 (WRLG/Smyrna - currently as simulcast of Lightning 100) to Salem Broadcasting, a publicly-owned national Christian format.

 

Tuned In Broadcasting sells its AM/FM combo 1590/94.3 (WDBL AM & FM/Springfield, TN) to publicly-owned Saga Communications. Saga would merge these stations into their multi-station Clarksville/Hopkinsville, KY cluster -- leaving WRLT as Tuned In's sole radio property. 

GM Fred Buc fires GSM Scott Neal and assumes General Sales Manager duties on top of his GM role.

Mid-day personality Kerry D. Massey leaves.

What we were listening to in 2002
Pete Yorn – Strange Condition
U2 – In A Little While
Chris Isaak – Let Me Down Easy
Sheryl Crow – Soak Up The Sun
Jack Johnson – Flake
John Mayer – Why Georgia
Counting Crows – Big Yellow Taxi
Coldplay – In My Place
Norah Jones – Don’t Know Why
Red Hot Chili Peppers – The Zephyr Song
The Corrs with Bono – When The Stars Go Blue
Ryan Adams – Answering Bell
Indigo Girls – Moment Of Forgiveness