After going to work at WDOD in June, 1965, I became good friends with Earl Winger Jr., co-founder of WDOD, and his Ohio buddy, Norman Thomas. Both men signed on WDOD in April, 1925, Tennessee’s second radio station.

Mr. Winger and I enjoyed lunch a few times at the Home Plate Cafeteria downtown, where he told me many WDOD radio stories. Here again, I wish I'd been able to record them. He sent me several of his pictures and this is one of them. He said it was from WDOD, "known as the attic station, on the 8th floor of the Hotel Patten."

Mr.

Winger said WDOD was broadcast from several locations, but the Hotel Patten and Hamilton National Bank were full service radio studios. Mr. Winger told me WDOD did a lot of live Christian programming. He said for a decade, WDOD broadcast "Radio Revival" with T. Perry Brannon and "Gospel Dynamite" with Dr. Lee Roberson each morning from 8-9 a.m. He said "Radio Revival" was live from the studio and "Gospel Dynamite" was live from Highland Park Baptist Church. He also noted live broadcasts from the First Church of the Nazarene at Main and Willow Streets.

Mr. Winger said WDOD gave the church programs to WAPO after deciding to go up against Luther, but he admitted that didn't work. Mr. Winger said they tried to hire Luther, but he refused to leave WDEF. Mr. Winger said these church programs made payroll and paid a lot of WDOD's bills.

This picture is a quartet’s radio program from the Patten Studio, but Mr. Winger didn't remember the men’s names. Maybe some Chattanoogan.com readers will. Mr. Winger died in June, 1991.

By the way, the 8th floor Patten Hotel studio was later used by other radio stations after WDOD moved up Market Street to the Hamilton National Bank Building. Some of them were WAGC, WOGA and WMOC broadcasting out of those attic studios.