Chattanooga's Oldest Radio Station Goes Silent

Fybush.com photo

1310 AM WDOD, Chattanooga's oldest radio station, has gone silent after 86 years on the air.

According to a story at the chattanoogan.com, the large, valuable WDOD transmitter property along the Tennessee River has been sold to Baylor School for $600,000.

WDOD's last day on the air was Tuesday. It most recently had a sports format. The station had moved to an Air America format in 2005 when longtime station fixture Earl Freudenberg left to join WDYN.

Bernie Barker, station general manager, said, "The equipment at the station was very old and the parts were hard to get. The components had to be made in some cases."

He said Baylor School needed the property for expansion so the deal was signed on Wednesday.

Mr. Barker said the WDOD license was turned back to the FCC.  He said no employees lost their job.

The former station building at the property had not been used except as a transmitter since around 1999 when Bahakel also bought WDEF AM. Bahakel moved the station for WDOD and WDEF AM to the former Chattanooga Hardware on South Broad Street. The two station had most recenlty been simulcasting Fox Sports.

The WDOD call letters remain in the market at co-owned CHR 96.5 FM.