Nashville Broadcasting

by Lee Dorman

Overview

Built by a 16-year-old high school student named Jack DeWitt, the first radio station in Nashville went on the air in 1922. Three years later, DeWitt helped start WSM, arguably one of the nation's greatest radio stations, and in 1950, he and WSM put Nashville's first television station on the air. Over the years, Nashville has had its share of local radio personalities, such as Noel Ball, Coyote McCloud, and Gerry House, as well as television personalities like Jud Collins, Bill Jay, and Larry Munson. Nationally recognized stars such as Dinah Shore, Oprah Winfrey, Pat Sajak, and Pat Boone started their careers in Nashville as well. Here are the stories and images of the people heard on transistor radios and the programs—including Five O'Clock Hop, Ruffin' Reddy, and The Mickey Mouse Club—watched by children while they did their homework.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738568294
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	03/18/2009
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,136,230
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

A broadcast veteran of 48 years, Lee Dorman holds both a bachelor of science degree and master of arts degree in history. Growing up in Nashville, watching its television, and listening to its radio, Dorman has first-hand knowledge of Nashville's broadcast community that lends authenticity and color to this book.

Table of Contents

Foreword 6

Acknowledgments 7

Introduction 8

1 Nashville Radio: The Early Years 9

2 Radio's Big Three: WSM, WLAC, WSIX 21

3 Nashville Gets New Radio Stations 29

4 The Rock and Roll Radio Wars 39

5 The Rise of FM Radio 59

6 Television Comes to Nashville 71

7 The Big Three Get Bigger 95

8 Nashville Television Grows Up 111

9 Yesterday and Today 123

Editorial Reviews

Title: Local Radio and TV Memories
Author: Rick Johnson
Publisher: WGNS Talk Radio
Date: 5/2/09

If you wondered whether or not Miss Norma could actually see you and other do-bees in her "Magic Window", you will love Lee Dorman's new pictorial history book Nashville Broadcasting. It is published by Arcadia Publishing, the company that has two great ones about Murfreesboro and another on Middle Tennessee State University. Dorman's new book includes early WGNS as well as other Nashville broadcasting memories. Dorman and WGNS' Bart Walker go back to elementary school days. They lived a few miles apart and both built small AM radio stations. During the book signing, Lee's younger brother Michael said, "I remember strapping a portable radio onto my bike and seeing how far the station would go." The book tells about Ruffin Reddy, the Five O'Clock Hop, Dr. Lucifer and so much more.

A check at area bookstores revealed it is not on the shelves here, but all agreed to order one. The publisher's website is www.ArcadiaPublishing.com

Title: Radio veteran spotlights broadcasting's rise in Music City in new book
Author: Ron Wynn
Publisher: The City Paper
Date: 4/1/09

Broadcaster and author Lee Dorman's love for local radio covers some 48 years, dating back to his days as a rock 'n' roll DJ and later a general manager with stints at WKDA and WLAC.

Now the general manager of WQKR-1270 AM in Portland, Tenn., Dorman has written a new volume Nashville Broadcasting (Arcadia), which covers earlier, bygone eras in Music City radio and television.

Dorman, who'll sign copies of his book Thursday night at Davis-Kidd Booksellers, examines the evolution of Nashville radio and television broadcasting from its inception to the'50s, '60s and '70s, when such names as Coyote McCloud, Gerry House (who is still active and popular today), Noel Ball, Larry Munson, Bill Jay and Jud Collins became household names.

The holder of a bachelor's and master's degree in history, Dorman is particularly interested in communicating the flavor and appeal of great Nashville radio and television personalities.

"I wanted to give people who weren't around during those days a sense of just how important radio and television broadcasters were to the community and their fans," Dorman said. "Things were completely different then in terms of focus, style and presentation. All the people featured in the book reached out to the audience, and were very distinctive types.

"It wasn't a case of corporations creating a basic sound that would work in any market — something that's resulted from all the consolidation and deregulation of the past couple of decades. That's why I chose the mid-'70s as both a turning point and appropriate place to end, because that's when the broadcasting industry began to change dramatically."

Dorman begins with the arrival of the city's first radio station in 1922, an outlet built by 16-year-old high school student John "Jack" Dewitt, who three years later helped start one of America's premier stations WSM. By 1950, Dewitt and WSM helped put the city's first television station on the air.

Dorman fondly recalls such area institutions as Ruffin' Reddy and Five O'Clock Hop, plus the role Nashville played in launching the careers of Dinah Shore, Oprah Winfrey, Pat Sajak and Pat Boone.

The book contains 214 photographs, many of them extremely rare, candid and informal, and Dorman admits he was pleasantly surprised at both the availability of material and willingness of people to share it with him.

"Had I known there would be so many wonderful photographs and such access, I might have tried to do separate books on radio and television, because we really had more than enough for two volumes," Dorman said.

While acknowledging times have greatly changed in the broadcasting world not only locally but across the nation, Dorman sees his current station as emblematic of the sensibility that was once the norm.

"We're really a community station — kind of the voice of the people in Portland," Dorman said. "We service Sumner and Robertson County, plus parts of south central Kentucky, and offer local news every hour. There are also a lot of community events that we offer, and other services such as UT football and basketball and Titans games that our audience enjoys, plus specialty shows that reach an audience that's often neglected or overlooked in today's marketplace. In a sense it's like going back to my roots in broadcasting."

From the Publisher