Respect, tradition, credibility. These are the words that describe a Middle Tennessee favorite for over thirty years.
Teddy Bart came to Nashville as a singer/songwriter. Performing in Printer's Alley by night, and writing songs by day, his songs have been recorded by such artists as Brenda Lee, Johnny Mathis, and Al Hirt.
Since childhood, however, his dream had been to become a talk show host. An introduction to the WSM program director led to a decade of various apprenticeship duties with the station. Eventually, Bart persuaded WSM radio officials to launch its first call-in talk show. That led to his being named host of WSM television's award-winning "Noon Show" and WSM radio's "Waking Crew". Eleven years later, television news anchoring beckoned when Bart accepted an offer from Channel 2. After several years he returned to his first love by initiating "Teddy Bart's Round Table", now celebrating 20 years of broadcasting. Shortly afterward, Bart created his most innovative broadcast production, "Beyond Reason".
After a fling with radio station ownership, he and his on-air and business partner, Karlen Evins, folded "The Round Table" into a not-for-profit structure called The Public Forum, allowing television viewership of "The Round Table" and other programming via education access channels across Tennessee.
In addition to broadcasting, Bart has written a weekly newspaper column, and published a novel and a work of non-fiction. He has been voted Nashville's Best Talk Show Host five times and is listed among Nashville's Top 100 Most Influential People. In 2003, the Nashville Achievement in Radio Awards awarded Bart their Lifetime Achievement award.
When not on the air, Teddy is reading or walking and planning his next show. |
What do you get inside a package containing a degree in Communications from the University of Tennessee and a Masters in Divinity from Vanderbilt? Add a spice of wit, intelligence and beauty, and you have Karlen Evins.
As co-moderator of "Teddy Bart's Round Table", Karlen has evolved into a broadcast journalist whose pointed questions and keen observations challenge the conventional systems that govern our lives. Karlen's intent is to open minds to fresh ideas, untried possibilities, innovative concepts, and new ways to dream.
Karlen's broadcast career began modestly in 1987. Teddy Bart had created a novel talk program about the paranormal called "Beyond Reason". Karlen discovered the show in its first week and asked for a production role. Starting as an intern, promoted to producer, one day, when the guest failed to show up, Teddy asked Karlen to ad lib with him. She has co-hosted and co-loved the program since that magical moment. Its return is her everlasting wish.
Karlen's professional genetic map would not be complete without the inclusion and manifestation of an entrepreneurial gene. She is President of The Public Forum, the outgrowth of Karlen's dream of building a statewide network of public access television channels broadcasting a daily think tank of information, opinion and discourse relevant to contemporary public policy issues. Karlen's civic passion is to provide greater public access to Tennessee government utilizing the interactive media options available today.
When not on the air, Karlen works with Nashville's homeless, aids with literacy programs, and rescuing stray animals...two of whom, Ike and Minsky, reside with her in Nashville, TN. |
