WAPO Radio – The Forgotten Station

Chattanooga’s second radio station was WAPO that signed on the air in September, 1936. There’s some history on WAPO but not as much as the other two early stations. The first station, WDOD, went on the air April 13, 1925, and the third Chattanooga radio station, WDEF, was founded by baseball legend Joe Engel and signed on December 31, 1940. WDEF was home to national radio hall of famer, the famous Luther Masingill.

Retired broadcaster Erwin O’Conner, now in his 80’s, worked for WAPO in the 50’s and 60’s. Mr. O’Conner said the radio station started with 1,000 watts and the studios were on Foust Street off Rossville Boulevard. Mr. O’Conner said about 1940, founder W.A. Patterson got the AM frequency changed from 1420 to 1150 as a full-time 5,000 watt station, and they moved to the Read House. Mr. O’Conner wasn’t sure of exact dates.

WAPO call letters came from one of the Patterson business ventures, W.A. Patterson Oil. Mr. Patterson owned a dozen service stations in the Chattanooga area. WAPO also used the slogan, “Where advertising pays off.”

W.A. Patterson died in 1946 and was succeeded by his son, WAPO general manager Ramon G. Patterson, who later started Chattanooga’s second TV station, WRGP. Those call letters came from the younger Patterson’s name.

Mr. O’Conner said when he started working for the station it broadcast from part of the Read House mezzanine and the large hotel ballroom was a big studio where live programs originated. WAPO moved to the historic hotel’s basement around 1960 in a much smaller facility.

Mr. O’Conner said to help Mr. Patterson finance his interest in television he sold 80 percent of the station to four Chattanooga businessmen - Insurance executive Gordon Gambill, Baylor Coach Humphy Heywood, Sporting goods store owner Buddy Martin and Hamilton National Bank Vice President R.T. “Rice” Russell.

When Ramon Patterson was granted the television license in 1958 (WRGP), Mr. Russell took a more active part in day to day operations of WAPO, although Ramon Patterson remained the fifth investor.

Charlie “Peanut” Faircloth came to the city in 1956 from Augusta, Georgia. He hosted the station’s morning show and a noon country music program until 1964. Mr. Faircloth took his popular program downtown on Saturday mornings broadcasting live the “Main Street Jamboree.”

Mr. Faircloth was also a country musician and a friend to many of the artists whose records he played. Mr. O’Conner said Mr. Faircloth was very popular making a lot of live appearances with his band, the Dixieland Drifters. Singer Brenda Lee credits Peanut Faircloth with her discovery in her biography. At that time, she was only 10.

Country music singers would drive to Chattanooga to be on the air with the country DJ.

For a time, Peanut’s programs were the only country music shows on Chattanooga radio. One Saturday his guests were Kitty Wells and her husband Johnny Wright.

Mr. Faircloth was on the air the day in March, 1963 that Patsy Cline, Hawkshaw Hawkins and Cowboy Copas were killed in a plane crash. Peanut said he had fond memories of singing with the three especially Ms. Cline.

He coined the popular phrase at the end of each ad, “Tell um Peanut saunt ya.”

According to “Hello Chattanooga” by David Carroll, there were many country music shows at the Memorial Auditorium in the 50’s. Some of the entertainers included Red Foley, Roy Acuff, Minnie Pearl, Ernest Tubb, Faron Young and Hank Snow, all friends of Peanut Faircloth, who served as the master of ceremonies.

For many years Gus Chamberlain was the station's sports announcer and very popular on the air. The Baylor School graduate broadcast all the Chattanooga Lookouts games including the 1961 contest when the team won the pennant. All away games were sent to the studio by teletype where Mr. Chamberlain would re–create the broadcast.

“Our boy Gus” as he was known also called Rossville High School football on Friday nights and did Saturday afternoon “Scores and Music” after Georgia Tech football broadcasts.

The well-known sportscaster knew many of the Rossville players and coaches and would interview them on his various sports shows.

Mr. Chamberlain left the station in 1963 and management replaced him with Atlanta broadcaster Bob Powers, who later became WDOD station manager.

Walter Stamper Sr. was hired away from WDOD in the late 40’s and served as the station's sales manager for nearly 20 years. Mr. Stamper would voice his own commercials from time to time and was known on the air as “Uncle Walt.” After several decades in broadcasting both at WDOD and WAPO, Mr. Stamper left radio for the new afternoon newspaper, the Chattanooga Post. When the paper ceased publication, he became Chattanooga Manufacturing Association president before retiring.

As associate of Walter Stamper was Rome Benedict. He was a salesman for the station but also played drums with the Bob Brandy trio on WTVC TV. After WAPO, Mr. Benedict worked for WGOW and WFLI radio. Mr. Stamper once said, “Benedict could sell anything and was one of the best radio advertising salesmen in the city, Benedict made a lot of money while at WAPO.”

Another WAPO broadcaster/salesman was Van Campbell. He later opened an advertising agency and hired country musicians the Willis Brothers to create advertising jingles for Adcox–Kirby Chevrolet, Red Wing Exterminating and Lake Winnepesaukah amusement park. The trio had a television show on WRGP in the new TV station's early days and Mr. Campbell utilized their talents.

The station was afflicted with the NBC radio network when they came on the air but later joined the ABC radio family of stations.

When Earl Winger, co-owner of WDOD, decided to go in a different direction - eliminating morning religious broadcasts - WAPO immediately welcomed two live programs.

Rev. T. Perry Brannon did his “Radio Revival” from the WAPO studio from 8:00–8:30. Horace Feagans played the organ for all the broadcasts and Neil Queen was one of the vocalists.

“Gospel Dynamite” followed from 8:30–9:00 with Dr. Lee Roberson. That program originated live six days a week from the main auditorium of the Highland Park Baptist Church. The musicians on both broadcasts were all live just like the earlier days of radio. Singers included blind musician Georgia Webb Gentry, who sang from a wheelchair. Both religious programs had large audiences, according to radio ratings.

Dean Wickerson, “known as the Dean of Music,” hosted several programs on the station.

One of his shows for several years was the popular talk show in the morning, “For Ladies Only.” It ran from 10:00–11:00 and featured live guest and call ins.

Mr. Wickersham teamed up with the station bookkeeper, Francis Wright, for an afternoon talk show, “the Dean and Fran Show.” Many celebrities staying at the Read House made appearances on the mid 60’s early afternoon broadcast.

Frank F. Hubbs served as the station manager in the 50’s but was good on the air. Mr. Hubbs was hired away from WDOD and worked for a short time as WDEF operations manager before retiring. Mr. Hubbs hosted a program on WAPO entitled, “A guy named Frank”. He signed off every day by reminding listeners he’d see them tomorrow by the same lamppost. Mr. Hubbs was good friends with DOT recording artist and arranger Billy Vaughn whom he interviewed several times. Mr. Hubbs was one of the first to play Vaughn’s top 10 recording of “Sail along Silvery Moon.”

Mr. O’Conner said Frank Hubbs met his wife at either WDOD or WAPO where she hosted a program, and the station manager gave this writer his first radio job.

WAPO was the home of several early lady broadcasters. Drue Smith worked at the station before moving to WDEF TV. Other females on the air were Betty Mac, Joan Berry, Farol Faye Finkelstein Seretean, Eleanor Jacobs, Carol Glenn, and Francis Wright.

Co–owner Russell said female broadcasters were very popular on the station but maybe a little ahead of their time.

Several other popular Chattanooga broadcasters hosted programs on WAPO. They included Bill Nash, Roy Morris, Lee Jackson, Wally Cobb and Ray White.

WAPO was home to the weekly country music program of Pete Cassell who known as “King of the Hillbillies’.” The Cobb County, Ga. native was one of the original artists on the WSB barn dance with country hits, “The Last Letter” “Freight Train Blues” and “Letter Edged in Black.” His music was very popular at that time.

My first radio job was at WAPO. My father went to school with Mr. Chamberlain and in the early summer of 1962, Dad called Gus and told him about my radio interest. Mr. Chamberlain said, “Send him down, we’ll find something for him to do.” Manager Hubbs gave me a short interview and put me to work.

I would take the teletype half inning by half inning from the Lookouts road games into the other studio where Gus was broadcasting and keep his Major League and Southern League scoreboards. Later I would file records and they gave me a $5.00 bill each week for my services. (With my first pay day, I went across Broad Street to the S&W cafeteria and purchased three chicken legs, mashed potatoes, a roll and ice tea for $1.10. I thought I was a big time broadcaster; did I have a lot to learn.)

WAPO was the Chattanooga home of Paul Harvey News and Don McNeil’s Breakfast Club, both ABC radio broadcasts and out of Chicago.

WAPO was one of the first Chattanooga radio stations on Nov. 22, 1963 with the news that President John Kennedy had been killed. WAPO was airing the ABC network program “Matinee” from 1:00–2:00 when Don Gardner broke in with a news bulletin and it ran live from ABC’s New York newsroom.

Later in the day, WAPO staff members gathered in one of the studios and listened as the network's Paul Harvey did a live report at 6:00. “Good Evening Americans, We are just never ready for this kind of thing in our country. We deplore the hot heads in the world that change governments with guns but ignore the fact that four of our presidents have been gunned down. Quoting General Douglas MacArthur, His death kills something in me.”

This writer assisted in answering the station's phones for three days, listening to callers grieving over the nation’s loss. It was an unforgettable weekend.

I can never forget the spring night in 1965 when Chattanooga Physician Dr. Robert Demos was kidnapped from his Riverview home by a man police said had robbed a bank earlier in the day. The two were traveling down Highway 27 toward Rome, Ga. An ABC reporter in New York called (I answered the phone as everyone else was busy) wanting a story and dictated copy to me that I typed out and read back to him on the telephone. It aired several times on the network’s hourly newscasts that evening. I was only a teenager when I got that big break.

During the 60’s. WAPO broadcast Chicago White Sox baseball games in the afternoon. Buddy Martin, partner in Martin–Thompson Sporting Goods on Cherry Street and part station owner, was a big White Sox fan. Bob Elson and Milo Hamilton were the announcers. Hamilton left Chicago and the White Sox in 1966 and joined the Atlanta Braves radio network.

A special WAPO memory was the night Dinah Shore surprised us with a visit about 7:30. Ms. Shore was staying overnight at the Read House and came downstairs to the station to say thank you for playing one of her records earlier in the day. (She had been listening)

Announcer Dean Wickersham asked twice to let him interview her but she declined saying, “I don’t want anyone to know I’m spending the night in Chattanooga.” The Winchester, Tennessee native gave us all a kiss, thanked the station again for playing her records and then returned to her room.

Listeners can’t forget the famous Read House Green Room Chef Gunther Krupp sharing his recipes on the station and inviting listeners to experience a true German meal at the famous hotel. Krupp’s three minutes on the radio with his famous German accent was among the most popular features.

The announcer with the big deep voice, Tony Marvin, did a nightly wrap up of the national and international news on WAPO and our family always listened. During his career, Marvin worked for the major networks and was the voice of the 1939 World’s Fair. When it came to news reporting, Tony Marvin was the Walker Cronkite of radio.

I’m sure there were broadcasters who worked for the station that this writer is un-aware of.

The station gave us hundreds of hours of enjoyable listening and has its place in Chattanooga radio history that sometimes gets buried, but WAPO is a very important part of Chattanooga’s broadcasting fabric.

It was where this writer spent three years serving as an intern, learning and working. The staff was very patient and helped shape my career, which lasted 55 years.

WAPO broadcast for 32 years before being sold in 1965 to Martin Theaters who owned WTVC TV, Channel 9. The station moved their studio from the Read House to the Golden Gateway TV complex.

In 1968, Atlanta businessman Ted Turner purchased the station and changed the call letters to WGOW. At that time his family owned Turner outdoor advertising and their signs were all over Chattanooga. The CNN founder and McCallie School graduate relocated the studio to the station transmitter site on Pineville Road

Turner changed the format to “Top 40” and the call letters to WGOW going up against rocker WFLI. The station became home to Chickamauga Charlie, Garry Mac, Dale Deason and David Carroll among other personalities. All had popular top-rated programs during the next 10 plus years.

AM 1150 - WAPO, now WGOW AM, is still on the air, run mostly by a computer and is currently home to some of the nation’s top syndicated talk shows.

Early Chattanooga radio stations were located downtown in the center of activity. WAPO owners were very proud their studios in the iconic Read House hotel on Broad Street. WDOD’s studio was in the Hamilton National Bank Building at Seventh and Market streets, WDEF Radio was in the Volunteer Building at Georgia Avenue and Ninth Street. WDXB Radio broadcast from the famous Dome Building on Georgia Avenue, and WAGC radio was in the Hotel Patten on Market Street.

Gone are the days when a Dinah Shore could walk into a radio station like WAPO located downtown and say hello to the on air announcer and thank them for playing their music.

Radio was once known as the “theater of the mind,” and stations like WAPO were part of that era. My how things have changed because of new technology and all that’s left are a lot of happy memories.

In closing our conversation, Mr. O’Conner said, “WAPO might be called Chattanooga’s forgotten radio station, but it had a major impact on my life,” Mine too, Erwin.