The Tennessee Association of Broadcasters (TAB) concluded its 69th Annual Conference at Murfreesboro's Embassy Suites Wednesday (8/16/2017) by presenting the Distinguished Service Award (DSA) to Whit Adamson.

Adamson had been in sales at WSMV for several years, and a period of time in radio ownership, but most of his career as president of the TAB. In fact, for more than three decades, he has been a hands-on person helping radio and television broadcasters across the state to learn new ways to better serve their communities.

(Previous DSA recipients in attendance L-R: Bud Walters, Dennis Oneal, Art Gilliam, 2017 honoree Whit Adamson, George DeVault, Paul Tinkle and Bart Walker.

The keynote speaker at the Awards Luncheon was longtime broadcaster and music historian Rick Sanjek. He spoke on the first 100 years of music and broadcasting. This fascinating romp through the history of entertainment's marriage to broadcasting included everything from the early days of radio through today's digital age. In fact, his research will be released next year by the Oxford Press in a book titled American Popular Music and Its Business In The Digital Age: 1985 to Present.

After the luncheon, conference visitors broke out into an expansion of morning workshops including everything to understanding government regulations including technical changes in the EAS system, better engineering to make radio and television's service to its city of license the best it can be, along with sessions in management and sales.