Meet the Sports Team

Jan 25, 2012 at 12:21 pm by bryan


Bryan Barrett
bryan@wgnsradio.com
Bryan began his broadcasting career at WGNS while in high school. After hosting the morning news/sports for six-years, Bryan left to become the morning news anchor on the Tennessee Radio Network. TRN has over 80 radio affiliates across the state - WGNS one of them. Bryan began there in 1998. He was promoted to Associate News Director in 2003, Assistant News Director in 2004 and News Director in 2006. Bryan was called back to WGNS in May of 2007 as the Station Manager and afternoon drive personality. He hosts "Rutherford Issues," (weekdays at 10am) a show about just that...issues that affect Rutherford County. All these years, Bryan continued to play an important role in WGNS programming, even while at TRN. He's been a part of the Primetime Sports team since 1993, has been doing play-by-play for high school football on WGNS since 2002 and has been doing play-by-play and color commentary for basketball since 1994. Bryan is also co-host of the Prentice Alsup Heating and Air Coaches Corner (Saturday mornings at 8) with Jon and co-hosts the iDEAS Tees Primetime Sports Scene (Thursday nights at 6). In his free time, Bryan enjoys his being with his family and working in his church. He has two children, Dalton and Bobbye Susanna. Bryan has been married to his wife, Heather, since 1998. Bryan and his family attend New Vision.

Jon Dinkins
jon@wgnsradio.com
As the retired principal of Wilson School and a former basketball coach at Walter Hill, Jon knows the importance helping our young people succeed. Since 1996, Jon has co-hosted shows and worked on football and basketball broadcasts as part of the Primetime Sports team. Jon also grew up in Rutherford County and enjoys watching our student athletes succeed. Jon is host of the iDEASTees Primetime Sports Scene (Thursday nights at 6). He does color commentary for football and have since 2002. Jon also does play-by-play and color commentary for high school basketball, softball and baseball. He is also a co-host of the Prentice Alsup Heating and Air Coaches Corner (Saturday mornings at 8). Jon considers baseball his true love - especially the Atlanta Braves. Jon has one daughter, Samantha...who is married Brett Jackson. Jon is now also a grandfather and is loving every minute of it.

Monte Hale, Jr.
sports@wgnsradio.com

Monte Hale, Jr. is no stranger to Rutherford County sports. The longtime sports editor at a local newspaper, he's now currently editor of the Murfreesboro Post. WGNS listeners will know Monte well from his time as host of the long running All Sports Talk (weekday afternoons 5pm). Now, Monte is joining the Primetime Sports team, along with all of his other duties, to co-host the Prentice Alsup Heating and Air Coaches Corner (Saturdays at 8am). He'll also be doing reports from various football games throughout the county.

Chip Walters

Chip Walters is the "Voice of the Blue Raiders" in football and men's basketball. Walters, who spent the previous six years as a color analyst for football, took over the play-by-play duties for football and men's basketball in April 2009.Walters holds the third-longest tenure for Middle Tennessee broadcasters behind only the late Monte Hale and current women's basketball and baseball broadcaster Dick Palmer. In addition to these duties, Walters hosts the Rick Stockstill and Kermit Davis television shows and radio shows, emcees various Blue Raider events, and is the host of the Two-Minute Drill on GoBlueRaiders.com. Walters also sells corporate sponsorships for Nelligan Sports Marketing. Walters, who held the position of director of Public and Media Relations for the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration for six years, served as the marketing and promotions director at Middle Tennessee from 1993 to 2003. The Columbia, Tenn., native worked to expand Middle Tennessee's overall corporate sponsorship program while overseeing the entire Blue Raider Network, coaches television shows, and gameday publications. Prior to working for Middle Tennessee, Walters worked several jobs in sports broadcasting including working for WGNS before then going to the Tennessee Radio Network from 1986 to 1991 as sports director. Walters called play-by-play for minor league baseball affiliate the Nashville Sounds and did freelance television work for WNAB and WSMV.

Dick Palmer
Dick Palmer is the "Voice of the Blue Raiders" in women's basketball and baseball. Palmer, a 1960 graduate of Middle Tennessee, has been broadcasting sporting events for the past 50 years and ended a 25-year run in 2005 of calling Blue Raider football. From 1971 until his return to Murfreesboro, Palmer was the voice of the Memphis Blues Class AA baseball team, the Memphis Pros (later the Tams) in the American Basketball Association, and the Memphis Grizzlies in the World Football League. Earlier, he worked in Jackson, TN, for nine years, broadcasting a wide range of high school sports, as well as Union University's basketball games. Palmer, who co-hosted the first sports call-in show in Nashville during the mid-70s, was the studio host for Vol Network Football Broadcasts for five years and has called the TSSAA Basketball State Tournament on the Tennessee Sports Radio Network every year since 1982. A little league baseball coach since the 1960's, Palmer has enjoyed a long career with Palmer Wholesale. Palmer and his wife DeLois have three sons, Richard, Mike, and Jon, and he's a proud grandfather.

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