Jeff Styles back with 'Chattanooga Drive In Show' podcast

Contributed Photo by Taft Sibley / On-air personalities for "The Chattanooga Drive In Show" are, from left, Jen Lambert, Jeff Styles and Russell Stroud. The new podcast will be posted weekdays and 5 a.m.
Contributed Photo by Taft Sibley / On-air personalities for "The Chattanooga Drive In Show" are, from left, Jen Lambert, Jeff Styles and Russell Stroud. The new podcast will be posted weekdays and 5 a.m.

Veteran Chattanooga talk radio host Jeff Styles is back doing "drive-time" programming, but now the format is as a podcast.

Beginning in October, he will host "The Chattanooga Drive In Show" and will be joined by three of his formerco-workers from his preious gig at WPLZ-FM 92.7. Jen Lambert is co-host, Bryan Stone is producing and contributing on-air commentary and Russell Stroud, news director at NoogaRadio, will provide news.

In addition, former WGOW-FM 102.3 sports on-air personality Dave Hooker will provide sports updates and Jeff Greenspan will be a regular contributor discussing a variety of topics. Taft Sibley is the show's business manager.

"The world has changed," Styles said in a news release. "We have changed. America's, and Chattanooga's, media consumption habits have changed. But most traditional radio and TV morning shows haven't. That's a problem that needs to be fixed not enough information stretched over too many hours of mindless fluff. We present a solution - 'The Chattanooga Drive-In Show.'"

Styles said the one-hour podcasts will be posted on all podcasting platforms at 5 a.m. each weekday "just in time for morning drive-time."

"Of course, it's a podcast, so people can listen whenever they want, but we fully intend to compete and eventually take over people's drive-time listening," he said.

The show will follow a similar format to what Styles has done for much of his career, almost three decades of which was spent doing live talk and news at WGOW-FM 102.3.

"In those 29 years and counting," Styles said, "you all have come to learn, if nothing else, I'm honest, and I love this town. I hold authority figures accountable, I point out the ridiculous, and have good old-fashioned fun. That's not going to change."

He had been at NoogaRadio for the past almost two years. He and Lambert, who was program director at the station, left over a management dispute.

The show could expand in the future if the demand is there, he said, and so far, he has been pleased with the interest, especially from sponsors. That's part of what has drawn Stone to be a part of the show.

"I have to say out loud," Stone said this week on his StoneOnAir podcast, "This is a bold idea, and the reason I am all on board is that so far, going forward, this is a paying gig. If it's done the way I envision it, it's going to be pretty good."

Styles said they are "still figuring everything out and tightening things up, but it's coming along very well and we've been very pleased with the number of people ready to be sponsors."

He said in addition to a podcast, the show is being recorded to video and will be available on platforms such as YouTube and Facebook.

"We've been working on this show for several weeks because people keep asking for it," Styles said.

The show will feature guests, plus regular segments focusing on music, world news, local calendar events and discussions on the news topics of the day, according to organizers.

"This is very exciting, and I get more excited about it every day," Lambert said.

Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.

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