Luther - 10 Years Later, "Just Remember Me As A Nice Guy"

Chattanooga Radio and television hasn’t been the same since Oct. 20, 2014, when Luther Masingill died at 6 a.m., the exact time he came on the air for more than seven decades.

Not only was Luther on radio every morning, but over the many years, Luther’s community calendar was a popular feature on WDEF TV’s noon news.

Channel 12’s Chip Chapman was the first to break the news on the air. He said, “Luther Masingill was so much more than a friend, he was our family. Certainly, without a doubt, it was the most challenging thing I’ve ever had to do publically in the media.”

Luther’s alarm clock would go off at 4:15 a.m. and he said he’d start his day with exercise by touching his toes and putting on his shoes.

Luther would leave his Avondale home and head straight for the Waffle House on 23^rd Street, ordering a coffee and biscuit, taking it to eat at his radio studio a few miles away.

While sitting at his desk, the national radio hall of fame inductee would read the morning paper, making a few notes about the events of the day. He’d prepare for a three-minute TV telecast about 5:45 a.m. consisting of community calendar events.

His program was listener driven and featured a lot of area news. Luther was known for finding lost dogs and cats. His audience could depend on the veteran broadcaster to announce events such as the Armed Forces Day Parade, Brainerd Kiwanis Club B-B-Q, Highland Park Baptist Church revival meetings, and the Hamilton County Fair.

Members of the WDEF TV news team, Jimmy Sampley, Tommy Eason, Jay Branum and others, would give live traffic reports from all over the Tri-State. Luther said with the invention of cell phones every listener became a traffic reporter.

Luther would jump on fellow broadcasters if the phone went un-answered. Luther said that every listener was a reporter with information that could affect many lives.

Luther enjoyed talking about his visits with Perry Como, Stan Freberg, Jerry Clower, Johnny Cash, Floyd Cramer, Liberace and Dr. Billy Graham, just to name a few.

The Veterans of Radio Wars annual Christmas party hasn’t been the same the last 10 years. After his noon TV appearance, Luther would make a grand entrance and the group gave him a standing ovation.

Luther loved his church, the Avondale Baptist Church later Cornerstone Baptist Church. He was seen in the spring and summer mowing the lawn. The legendary broadcaster called himself the un-official building superintendent, changing light bulbs, handling plumbing problems and even painting the Sunday School Classrooms. It was where he was raised and married his wife of 57 years Mary Varnell.

Listeners will never forget Luther’s jubilation when his daughter Joanie and son Jeffery were born. He was proud of his grandchildren and would often talk about reading to them.

Area educators talked with Luther to get the latest weather information before closing schools. The late Hamilton County School Superintendent Dr. Don Loftis said he’d call Luther before making a decision.

Chattanooga Public School Superintendent Dr. Jim Henry said, “We depend on Luther; if he said it, we believed it.” The late Hamilton County School Superintendent Sam McConnell said if he didn’t call Luther by 6 a.m. the announcer would run him down.

Grocery Store and Convenience store managers said if Luther said it was going to snow, his listeners would empty their shelves and flock to the gas pumps to fill up their vehicles.

Luther became very irritated one morning after a newscast (supposed to be local) was filled with regional and national news. When the newscaster came out of the booth, Luther told him his listeners didn’t care about Wall Street but they wanted to know what was happening on Market Street. Luther told the young broadcaster if he didn’t have any local news come to see him, he had three sheets of lost animals he could read. Luther’s desire was to inform his audience about what was happening in and around Chattanooga and he felt it was the network job to cover national events.

Luther was good friends with NBC’s Russ Ward who was raised in East Chattanooga. During the 50’s and 60’s, Ward was heard every morning over WDEF at 7:00 giving the national news. Luther talked with Ward several times on the phone when President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Luther said Mr. Ward was a friend as well as a colleague.

When asked what his listeners complained about the most he responded, “I didn’t give the time enough.”

Luther said he learned early in his career listeners were very busy getting ready for work and school and they depended on their radio for information, especially the time and weather.

There were the humorous moments with broadcaster turned newspaper writer Buddy Houts. Buddy would call Luther with two Tennessee – Alabama tickets on the 50-yard line to sell at the regular price. Luther said, “About halfway through giving the phone number Buddy would hang up.”

Milt Ridgeway was Luther’s control board operator after Buddy Houts left and went to the paper. He said Luther arrived shortly after 5 and would read his newspaper until time to go on the air. Mr. Ridgeway said his first words were usually, “It’s 6:00 and it’s time to hit that linoleum, that cold linoleum.” Mr. Ridgeway said, “He went to the same schools as me, Avondale Elementary, Hardy Jr. High and Central High, only he was years ahead of me. My mother was one of his teachers and said Luther would walk up and down the hallway with a drumstick beating on the lockers. It drove the teachers crazy but that was Luther.” His teachers said in high school Luther took the lead with speaking parts.

A listener favorite was Mrs. Violet Pannell, who lived on Walden’s Ridge. She would talk with Luther about life in general and often predict snows. If her prediction was wrong she’d tell Luther, “Well, it’s snowing somewhere.”

Luther’s favorite time of the year was the Christmas season when he started playing his holiday favorites the day after Thanksgiving. We couldn’t wait to hear “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth,” “Christmas Dragnet,” The Singing Dogs, Paul Harvey’s “Man and the birds” and a “Carpenter, Mother and A King.” Art Carney’s “Santa and the Doodle-li-boop” was another favorite. When a listener called and asked Luther what’s a Doodle-li-boop, he responded, “I really don’t know, some type toy, I guess.”

Luther enjoyed the comedy records and his favorites were the Jerry Clower stories. The comedian would often call Luther just to say hello. One of Luther’s most requested humorous records was “Down at the Greyhound Bus Station” by comedian Moms Mabley and the punch line; “You done fooled around with that Indian and missed your bus.”

Luther was a very generous person often helping those in need. His good deeds were felt all over the community, even by people he didn’t know.

Television news anchor David Carroll wrote that McCallie School graduate Ted Turner (who purchased a Chattanooga radio station) once offered Luther a job but he chose to stay at WDEF, the only station he ever worked for.

Luther was offered employment in other markets but was quick to tell you how much he loved Chattanooga and never had intentions of leaving.

Luther first signed on the air on New Year’s Eve in 1940. He’s the only radio personality to have reported both on the Pearl Harbor and 9/11 attacks. At the time of his death, he was the world’s longest running broadcaster.

Luther was educated in Chattanooga Public Schools, graduated from Central High School and proudly served in World War II. He was given dozens of awards including induction into the National Radio and Tennessee Radio Hall of Fames.

Some media experts said Luther’s style of broadcasting was out of touch with today’s listener demands. The proof was in his ratings; while on the air there was no doubt about the size of Luther’s audience.

The late Bob Elmore, who served for years as Convention and Visitors Bureau chief, went to Central High School with Luther. He said, “You can’t say enough nice things about Luther; he’s been a real good role model for Chattanooga. Luther loved Chattanooga and showed it.”

On Luther’s 91^st birthday, his former boss, Ben Cagle, asked him how he wanted to be remembered. Luther responded, “Ben, remember me fondly; I was a finder of lost dogs and cats. I tried to help people on the air; when they were burned out and during the storms we had. Radio can be so helpful. Just remember me as a nice guy.”

The story goes that Bill Penny operated a service station in East Chattanooga on Dodson Avenue. Even when Mr. Penny refused to give Luther a job he’d still pump gas and clean windows. Mr. Penny finely hired the high school student and one day Baseball Legend Joe Engel pulled in for a fill up and offered Luther a job at his new radio station. As they say, the rest is history.

Two of Luther’s best friends were Buddy Houts and Wayne Smith; both control board operators in the early days of WDEF radio. Mr. Houts said, “Luther was not only a co-worker, he was my best friend. We spent a lot of time together, mostly laughing.” Mr. Smith said, “When Luther read or ad-lived a commercial he was very believable and made the listener want to buy the product. When I worked for Trotter Pontiac he sold a lot of cars for us. Luther was the best at what he did and there will never be another. If Luther said it was going to snow you’d better get your milk and bread. Luther’s priority was always the needs of his listeners; we don’t have a lot of that now.”

On a very personal note, Luther was in the hospital on Oct.12, 2014, the day my mother passed. The next morning I answered my phone and it was Luther, my friend of many, many years. Always thinking of others, Luther in a weak voice asked me if I needed anything and I’ll never forget his closing words. “Earl, I’m sorry about your mother, I’ll be out of here in a day or two and see you soon, and I’ll see you at her funeral.” I told Luther to take care, rest and just get well soon. He told me how much he loved my family and that was my last conversation with the man who had got me ready for school for all those years. A few days later, Luther’s earthly microphone was un-plugged and his address changed to his heavenly mansion.

Quoting from his obituary, “Finally, Luther’s philosophy on life was this: Love, there’s the love for Jesus Christ, the love for your family, the love for your children, the love that you display to other people. Yes, love, in one word describes life. If you’ve got it, if you receive it, you’ve got it made.”

Yes, Luther was indeed love. He was loved by his family, his friends and by the entire city of Chattanooga.

Luther, as he was affectionately known, was truly ‘the Voice of Chattanooga,” who is still missed by so many today.”

Click here for Luther's own words on how he wanted to be remembered.

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Earl Freudenberg can be reached at HeyEarl1971@epbfi.com