Earl (Hey Earl) Freudenberg has donated over 500 audio cassette tapes of his popular “Hey Earl” radio program on WDOD to Picnooga/Chattanooga Historical Society.
Mr. Freudenberg’s radio presence in the Chattanooga area has spanned nearly 55 years, and his work started at WDOD in 1965. The shows he personally recorded are from the mid-1980s through the early 2000s and include many interviews of local and regional personalities.
David Moon, president of Picnooga, said, “It’s a great honor for us to be the custodian of Earl’s legacy and eventually make a large chunk of his life’s work available, once again, to everyone.”
Picnooga/Chattanooga Historical Society plans to digitize Mr. Freudenberg’s recordings with help from the Appalachian Media Archives. “We’ll have to raise funds for the archival-quality transfer to digital media, and it would take up to a year to complete the work,” said Mr. Moon. "We need $3,500 to preserve all of the recordings digitally."
The public can donate to the project by visiting https://picnooga.org/support/ and selecting “Earl (Hey Earl) Freudenberg Audio Archive” in the “Desired designation” dropdown field on the donation form. Or write, “Hey Earl” on the memo field of your check and send it to Picnooga, PO Box 389, Lookout Mountain, Tn. 37350. Picnooga is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charity organization.
In 2016 Earl Freudenberg was inducted into the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.