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Talk Radio Host 'Wally Witkowski' Dies

791 views · Published 17 April 2013 · 2:13 · Indexed 6 November 2026

Channel: WTVC NewsChannel 9 · 2013 · News & Politics

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Radio listeners mourn the death of a local talk radio personality.It may have been one of the hardest days that I've ever had in radio, said WGOW News Director, Kevin West, reflecting on the loss of Tom Bolden, known to many as Wally Witkowski. He was a man that was bigger than life, said West, he was a true Chattanooga character and icon.Witkowski died in a Nashville hospital Monday night from complications of cancer. He had been in the hospital for several weeks. It's the callers and their memories and stories that made it easier, said Jim Reynolds who hosts The Village Idiots with Witkowski, as the saying goes, the show must go on. He would be the one to say laugh, have a good time, and if its at my expense then so be it, continued Reynolds.Tuesday morning's show was dedicated to the man who entertained thousands for an hour each day. You could wind him up, you could throw the bait out there and he would take it every time, said Reynolds, and every time he did, it was pretty darn entertaining.Friends and co workers describe the man behind the microphone as having a big heart. If you got Tom Bolden one-on-one and you said you needed five dollars, or said there was a kid that needed a toy on Christmas time; He was the biggest teddy bear, said Reynolds.Witkowski was also an unsuspecting talent. If you had a stack of resumes and you said, well here is a guy that ran a grocery store that stutters and is 450 pounds, you'd say,  yea I think I'll hire him to be a talk show host, said Reynolds letting out a laugh. You can't recreate that, you can't teach that, he just is, said West, he had something. He had a quality that the most of the rest of us don't have. Witkowski left an impression on his co-workers and the airwaves. He just filled up a room and filled up a lot of people's hearts obviously, said Reynolds. We'll figure it all out. It will be different, I know that. Fred The Show next on WGOW, said Reynolds, letting out a sigh as he finished up his show Tuesday morning.  Heritage Funeral Home is handling the funeral arrangements.

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