I was walking by the new history books yesterday, and wow, what a gem!  The reason WOC: Davenport’s AM-FM-TV probably slipped under the publishing radar is, though incredibly relevant to its local audience, the lack of a national following.   I would think this would have at least warranted a half page writeup to herald its arrival.

Coopman has written/contributed to a  couple books on our hallowed QC media icons, so the arrival of  a new one is certainly like seeing an old friend after many years.

As you would imagine, the work’s value lies in the wealth of vintage photographs, from the eccentric BJ Palmer to the separated radio and television enterprises of the present-day — and the tons of archaic equipment that bridged those eras.  We rely on Coopman to furnish us with color commentary and background detail about the sharp minds that contributed to station growth without necessarily walking in front of a camera or microphone.

See the REAL veterans of the late night wars as they blossom from fresh-faced youngsters right out of journalism school to Quad Cities institutions.  That kid they called “Dutch” from Dixon..did he ever amount to anything?