WDOD Radio Switches From Air America To Music Format

Wednesday, August 23, 2006 - by Judy Frank

Chattanooga’s oldest radio station, WDOD, has ended its 11-month experiment with progressive talk radio.

At 10 a.m. this past Monday, the station switched to a format featuring musical oldies and standards from the late 1950s and the 1960s and 1970s, according to Danny Howard, director of programming and operations for WDEF and WDOD.

The new format, which is locally controlled, is known around the station as Ruby AM 1310.

Who’s Ruby?

“It’s kind of funny,” Mr. Howard said with a laugh. “When we started talking about doing this, it turned out that everybody had an Aunt Ruby or a grandmother named Ruby who would like this kind of programming. And then, of course, Chattanooga has Ruby Falls . . . So we decided to name it after all the Rubys.”

One highlight of the new format will be Ruby’s Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting, when host Chris Adams will play Southern Gospel music. Adams also will host a similar show on Sundays called Ruby’s Fried Chicken Sunday Dinner.

WDOD will continue to simulcast WDEF TV’s early morning news show on weekdays, as well as WDEF TV’s 6 p.m. newscasts.

The decision to drop Air America talk show programming grew out of the format’s failure to attract adequate advertiser support, Mr. Howard said.

The fact that Air America is only a few years old and has been through some tumultuous times made it more difficult to attract advertisers and listeners, he said.

“I think they will continue to do well in some markets, but we thought it was time to try something else here,” he said.

Mr. Howard said the new format will be similar to that used at WDOD prior to switching to talk radio, but it will be aimed at a younger audience.

The previous musical format, which was network driven, featured music from as far back as the 1940s, and failed to attract either listeners or advertisers, he said.

“Some of what they played, you wouldn’t recognize it unless you were 80 years old,” Mr. Howard said. “It was good music, but lots of people just weren’t familiar with it.”


Sobriety Checkpoints Set For May 31

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office and East Ridge Police Department in a combined effort, will be conducting sobriety checkpoints on Friday, May 31.  The officers will be covering various highways, streets and roads throughout Hamilton County and the city of East Ridge.  These locations include but are not limited to Ringgold Road, Spring Creek Road, Frawley Road, Germantown ... (click for more)

Holiday Schedule Announced For Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority

Four Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Authority facilities will be closed on Monday, in observance of Memorial Day.  Locations include the Old Dixie Landfill and Convenience Center, McGaughey Chapel Convenience Center, Westside Convenience Center, and the M.L. King Convenience Center.  All locations will reopen on Tuesday, from 7 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information visit ... (click for more)

City Council Ad Hoc Committee To Study Moving Elections To August, Adding More Districts, Staggering Terms

City Council Vice Chairman Chip Henderson said Tuesday he will lead an ad hoc committee that will look into possibly increasing the number of council districts from the current term. The panel will also look at staggering the terms of council members, who are currently all elected at the same time, he said. Vice Chairman Henderson said the committee will also look into moving ... (click for more)

Chief Magistrate Russell Says Ables Should Have Waited To Sign Warrant For Teen Beer Bust

Officials in the Sheriff's Department said a warrant was not obtained early Saturday morning to go inside a house where over 20 allegedly beer-drinking teens were partying because a magistrate said he was about to get off duty and wouldn't wait over. Sgt. Robert Starnes said he was standing by a deputy who called Magistrate Larry Ables at 4:30 a.m. seeking the warrant ... (click for more)

Thanks, Sheriff

The Hamilton County Sheriff's Department is very responsive and professional out in Apison, and I appreciate that.  We have some fine deputies serving Hamilton County.    I took a minute to call and tell them thank you, I hope my neighbors will also. Brian Wood Apison (click for more)

Roy Exum: Please Send Me Funny Jokes

It has been about 25 years or so since I had the opportunity to visit every county in the state of Tennessee and, as a volunteer for the American Cancer Society at the time, I met cancer survivors and listened to their incredible stories. I remember one man in particular who had bone cancer and one night he said he rolled over in bed and literally broke his arm in a very simple ... (click for more)