David Carroll credits a bit of nostalgia and Facebook for helping him conceive and execute a new book highlighting the people and history of radio and television in Chattanooga.
"Chattanooga Radio and Television" hits book stores Monday, and Carroll, a veteran of both mediums who is currently an on-air personality at WRCB-TV 3, said the idea for it started two years ago
"I was feeling kind of nostalgic about my early radio days and thought it would be a good idea to put something together, but I didn't know how to go about it."
That's when friend and radio personality Cleveland Wheeler told Carroll that Facebook wasn't just for college kids anymore.
"I started putting up some old pictures and it just snowballed, and people started sending me their old pictures."
Then Bill Markham gave Carroll a book that had been done about radio and TV in Birmingham.
"I figured I could do that," Carroll said.
Like so many seemingly good ideas, the reality of making it work was tougher than he thought. The book contains 227 pictures dating from the 1930s to present. Carroll said he had a few definitive ideas on what should be covered, and finding pictures that both told the story and met the quality requirements of the publisher, Arcadia, was the toughest.
"I knew I wanted a chapter on the early days, and I knew I wanted a chapter on Luther, who deserves a book on his own," Carroll said.
"I wanted a chapter on TV and another on the personalities, not just weather, sports and news, but the people like Dr. Shock, Harry Thornton and Miss Marcia. It pretty much worked out."
Carroll said he got a couple of breaks in his research. The first came from Earl Freudenberg, who had saved a lot of artifacts from his early days at WDOD-AM, the first station in town. It was started by high school friends Norman Thomas and Earl Winger, who put the station on air to help them sell crystal radios, which they were making as a hobby.
The cover is a shot taken from "The Bob Brandy Show," featuring the long-time WTVC personality and a group of Boy Scouts.
Inside are photos of people who have worked here for decades and those of personalities like Jim Nabors, George Gobel and Archie Campbell, who did stints here before moving on to national fame.
Carroll said Chattanooga has much to be proud of when it comes to television and radio and hopes his book will illicit fond memories from people.
The book is available for $22 at most book outlets and online at www.chattanoogaradiotv.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6354.