Gailey producing film on local talk show host
Chattanooga talk radio show host Jeff Styles has Dr. Elizabeth Gailey to thank for immortalizing him in film.
Dr. Gailey is on a sabbatical (a research study leave) in the spring 2009 semester to work on a documentary film about Styles. Styles is the host of the weekday radio program “F.r.e.d. the Show,” which airs locally on Talk 102.3 FM. Styles tells his listeners that F.r.e.d. stands for Free Radio Everyday.
Dr. Gailey describes the show as “politically liberal,” which she explained is not only unusual in the South, but in the United States in general. Dr. Gailey also said the local topic orientation of the show is another reason she was interested in filming a documentary about Styles.
“As a media studies professor interested in the role of the mass media in participatory democracy and social change, I find the program intriguing,” Dr. Gailey said. “Why and how is a liberal talk show able to succeed in a bastion of Republican conservatism?”
Dr. Gailey said she is still filming the documentary but hopes to begin editing soon. She the most difficult obstacle in doing the project has been trying to convince people to talk openly on camera. Also, Dr. Gailey said she also has had to work around Styles’ busy schedule.
These obstacles have effected when the film will be finished, Dr. Gailey said. “My original goal was to have the project finished by the end of this year, but at this point, it’s difficult to predict,” Dr. Gailey said
While some might think that a semester away from teaching is relaxing, Dr. Gailey said she is busier than when she was in the classroom as a Communication Department faculty member. “Creating reality out of nothing, which pretty much sums up film making, is more stressful than teaching,” she said.
Dr. Gailey will return to the classroom in August. “I’m looking forward to returning to teaching,” she said. “I also miss being around students, who tend to be a source of inspiration and intellectual stimulation for me.”
