Sam Brown (WA4IUM)

Aug 25, 2009

KNOXVILLE (WATE) -- Former WATE Anchor Sam Brown - WA4IUM has died at age 59. Brown, who was also an anchor at WNOX and WKXT, which is now WVLT, was found in his home on Webster Groves Lane at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday. Capt. Gary Holliday said police believe Brown died of natural causes. Brown's son had called police because his father hadn't been heard from in a few days. Officers had to force entry into Brown's home. His body was taken to UT for an autopsy. Brown worked at WATE beginning in the early 1970s. He left the station, but returned in 1984. Brown left again for WKXT in 1992. Sam Brown was vice president of North American operations for KnowledgeSource. He had a BA from the University of Kentucky in political science and telecommunication and a masters degree from Columbia University's School of Journalism. Brown was a lecturer at UT in the graduate school of journalism. He had 35 years experience with ABC, CBS, NBC affiliated TV and radio stations in Knoxville, Nashville, Pittsburgh and Chicago. Brown had won four national Edward R. Murrow Awards and contacted every country in the world by amateur radio with the call sign WA4IUM. Courtesy of WATE http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=10988387

Contributed by: Monus Brewer, Jr (N4CQW)

I have been a friend of Sam Brown, WA4IUM, for many years. He was a member of our DX Club, East Tennessee DX Association. In the early 1970's Sam came to my shack to do a story on the Mars Lander which I was picking up Slow Scan Video from JPL on 20 Meters. He was anchor of our local TV station WATE, Channel 6 News, in Knoxville, TN; and was a very popular news anchor. He did several stories about ham radio for TV. He will be missed.

Contributed by: Dave Garner (K4YRK)

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