Chattanooga Pulse

Last week, talk-radio listeners in Chattanooga woke up to a familiar voice: Max Hackett. The 30-year broadcast veteran returned to the format he loves, taking on the morning reins at News Talk 95.3 WPLZ.

His news credentials are impeccable.  He was awarded the prestigious Thomas Jefferson award from the editors of Newsweek for excellence in television news while he was in the U.S. Navy, the highest honor given to a military broadcaster.  He has also won five awards from the Tennessee Press Association for his work as a print journalist.

What many people may not know is that Max comes from a family with a long history in Chattanooga. His great-grandfather, William Hackett, was chief of police in the city in the 1920s.  His grandmother, Dorothy Hackett Ward, was head of the speech and theatre department at the University of Chattanooga for decades and is celebrated by the Dorothy Hackett Ward Theatre there.  His father served as a Hamilton County sheriff’s deputy before becoming a United States deputy marshal working out of the Solomon Building downtown during the civil-rights era.

We sat down with Max to find out what’s on his mind about radio, politics and the city he calls home.

The Pulse: What’s changed in Chattanooga media since you were last on the air?

Hackett: Well, to be honest, not a lot. I suppose there is more automation and fewer real people from Chattanooga on the air. There seems to be less local flavor in all kinds of radio, but that was a trend long ago.

The Pulse: What do you think are the three biggest issues facing the city right now?

Hackett: The city is really growing in an incredible way. I remember living downtown in the late ’70s and walking the streets of a dead town.  The Krystal on Cherry Street was the only business open after 9 p.m. So we have made amazing progress through the public/private partnership process, which was really quite visionary. What we have failed to deal with still are the quality of our schools, the poor racial relations we have, and the unnecessary separation of Hamilton County and Chattanooga city government, which leads to a tremendous waste of tax money and duplication of services.

The Pulse: What can regular people do to bring about real change in government?

Hackett: Well, first they can actually speak with their representatives about their concerns instead or just complaining at the water cooler. Plus, I have found that decisions are made at the committee level, not at the actual council or commission meetings, so if you really want to see what is going on, find the time to get to those meetings.

The Pulse:  What are the positive things about Chattanooga?

Hackett: There are too many to name. What a beautiful setting! We have the potential, with River Rocks and other like-minded initiatives, to become the Boulder, Colorado, of the South. We are a transportation hub, we have the Electric Power Board’s new gigabyte Internet service, we are located conveniently between Nashville and Atlanta and Knoxville and Birmingham. We have extraordinary history. And we have a very active and interested population who are committed to moving the community forward.

The Pulse: What do you see as your purpose as a talk radio host?

Hackett: To create a comfortable atmosphere for guests and callers to express themselves…and to have some fun. We have a great station, with a traffic system that covers the roadways with 62 cameras, giant screen weather radar that allows us to tell you when severe weather will hit your neighborhood or commute, a fantastic news department, plus national news from Fox Radio with the availability of Fox correspondents for telephone interviews when the story merits it. I want to take advantage of all of those elements and hand the bullhorn to the listeners to have their say and bring their own insights and ideas to the discussion. And have some fun.