Late Rev. Emerson Sweat remembered on his birthday

Reverend Emerson Doyle Sweat’s radio program began in 1973 on WLAF

By Jim Freeman

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – It wasn’t unusual to see Emerson Sweat arrive at WLAF wearing his bib overalls on Saturday mornings. A little before 11am, Rev. Sweat would have stopped his work day and dropped in at the radio station for his broadcast. His first broadcast, and a good portion of the ones that followed, originated from WLAF’s basement studio for almost 40 years.

Sweat was a jack of all trades, professionally a carpenter and electrician, and would occasionally help us out here at the radio when something quit working or needed attention. One day, we kept smelling spoiled milk in a back office. The odor would come and go. We just didn’t know what to make of it so we called Emerson. He walked in, took a sniff, and said “the ballast in this light has gone bad,” and he replaced the ballast with the odor going away.

Murrayville Baptist Church and Ford Town Baptist Church are where he also served as pastor in addition to his radio ministry over WLAF. Emerson not only preached, he’d play his guitar and sing.

Though Emerson passed away in October of 2011, his presence has never left the WLAF airwaves. His sister Genella Sweat kept his Saturday radio time slot going with archived programs for years, and to this day, she regularly has a program airing close to or on Emerson’s birthday (June 17) and Christmas.

A special tribute airs this afternoon at 1:00 over WLAF Radio and TV and the eight other WLAF media outlets. Click on the WLAF-Lindsay’s Carpet & Paint Center to listen today. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED – 06/17/2025-6AM)