David Carroll is hardly a novice when it comes to media in our town, and he certainly knows his way around a radio station. The author of two books and a fixture on local television, especially at WRCB-TV 3 where he has been since 1987, Carroll started his radio career in South Pittsburg before moving on to WSKZ-FM 106.5.
Which is the long way around saying that even with all of that background, there were still some who thought his stint hosting "Vinyl Express" on WPLZ-FM 95.3 would be short-lived at best.
Barry CourterWell, when the show airs this Saturday and repeats on Sunday from noon to 2 p.m., it will represent the 100th episode. You can also listen online at big953.com.
If you haven't listened, and you should because the shows are entertaining and informative even to music snobs who think they already know everything there is to know about popular music, Carroll picks a theme each week and plays songs around that idea. It might be songs with colors in the titles, or break-up songs, or songs with numbers in the lyrics.
Carroll is a music fan and it shows, as he always manages to dig up some interesting trivia. To celebrate the centennial show, he has decided to go with a mystery theme this weekend.
"Listeners have to keep track of the songs," Carroll says in an email, "at least a few of them, and figure out what they have in common. They email me the answer (vinylexpress @email.com) and for the 100th show, I'm giving away $100 gift cards from Elder's Ace Hardware and Food City, plus $100 cash from Check Into Cash."
The show has grown in popularity both locally and nationally. As Carroll says, "I hear from all over the place. Each weekend, it's the stories behind the hits [late '60s through early '90s ... the 'vinyl era'], and there's a new theme each weekend to tie all the songs together. I've done songs with girl's names, guy's names, songs with magic in the title, songs by artists who've played the UTC Arena and Memorial Auditorium, the shortest songs ever, songs with misunderstood lyrics, plus shows that spotlight the hits, fads and news of a particular era, like the summer of 1986."
Carroll says that when he pitched the show, one area radio exec liked the idea, but said, "What are you going to do after the first 10 weeks?" In response to Carroll's question about what he meant, the executive said, "Well, you'll run out of themes by then."
"So I'm proud to hit show number 100, with many more themes lined up and ready to go," Carroll says.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.