His work: Anchor and Consumer Watch reporter for WTVC-TV, Chattanooga 's ABC affiliate. He's been in broadcasting for 36 years.

How he got into the business: "I originally wanted to be an actor. I was fascinated by television, and there were no African Americans on TV when I was growing up, at least not in leading roles. So I geared up for it by taking speech and teacher, I did well in English, and I joined the radio and TV broadcasting clubs in high school." It was soon suggested to him that he might enjoy a more successful career in news than in acting. "I'm glad for that; otherwise I'd be in Hollywood right now waiting on tables and a big break that's never going to come."

On career role models: "I didn't have any idols when I first got into the business. I wish I could have had some, but there were almost no African Americans on TV at that time, much less doing news. Max Robinson came along after I'd been in the business for about 10 years, but there were always Walter Cronkite, Douglas Edwards, Edward R. Murrow, Chet Huntley, and David Brinkley, who were all very professional and stately. I suppose I borrowed a little bit from each of them, but it's kind of fun charting your own destiny and making a name for yourself and not necessarily following someone else. I have a tendency to be down to earth, and I try to give the news in such a way that it sounds like a regular conversation at the back fence or down at the barber shop."

His first job: Working at a newly-established TV station in Kingsport, his hometown, while still in high school. Then it was on to the newly-developed communications co-op program at the University of Tennessee. "We'd call it an internship now, and I was the first African American in that program at UT. I spent my time working at WTVC in Chattanooga . That was when I met people like Don Welch and Miss Marcia for the first time."

After college: He joined the staff of WATE in Knoxville, where he anchored the first noon and weekend newscasts there, and he was the first African American to co-anchor a newscast. "That was in 1979. Knoxville was full of 'firsts' for me, and I had the most fun I've had in television in Knoxville ."

One of this favorite projects: "Six on the Road started with me and a cameraman taking a ride through the countryside talking to people. We'd go to a courthouse and put a camera on a tripod by our marked news car, and my theory was that if you did that, within 15 minutes the most colorful character in town would show up and start talking to you. Somebody would always come by and often take us to the barber shop where the men were sitting around solving the world's problems or to the beauty shop for all the latest gossip. We went all over East Tennessee and Eastern Kentucky . It was extremely successful and a lot of fun."

On PM Magazine: Once he began anchoring the station's 6 and 11 p.m. broadcasts, "that was as far as you could go in news. A little later it was thought that I had the personality for a new show the station was thinking about buying, and I got to do PM Magazine." He was the first African American male in the country to host the syndicated human interest magazine show. "We covered the 1982 World's Fair, went on cruises and to vacation spots.We had so much fun on that show that it was like a three-year vacation in the middle of my career. I've told the station here that if they ever bring PM Magazine back, they'll have to buy it or let me go, because if I have the chance to do that show again before I retire, that's where I'll be."

Consumer reporting: He began doing it 20 years ago while working in Columbus, Ohio . "I can feel the frustration people have when someone doesn't do what you've paid them to do. It's like throwing money into the wind. But I don't like to think of Consumer Watch as the big, bad TV camera forcing someone to do something. I just want them to do the right thing. And that is not to say that the consumer is always right. There have been some who try to use Calvin and what Calvin does to get back at someone. Usually, though, you can spot those right off the bat, and I would be remiss as a journalist if I didn't get both sides of the story. The stories we put on the air are stories I want people to learn something from: 'This is how we got the problem solved for these people. You can do the same thing.' WTVC estimates that Calvin's consumer reports have helped local residents save or collect refunds of more than $5 million.

The biggest consumer fraud ever to hit Chattanooga : "The phony lottery check scam. It's like a plague that has settled over the area." Targeted at senior citizens and low-income households, the scam seeks to convince potential victims that they're the winner of a lottery in a foreign country. They're told that they will receive a check to cover the taxes and/or fees connected to the prize, which they are to deposit and then write and send in a personal check from their bank account for the same amount. "The check they get looks real. It has routing numbers on it and everything. But it isn't good, and you don't find that out until you've already sent the scam artists your money and the phony check comes back and you're stuck having to honor it. There have been instances where people have had to borrow money to pay back the bank. The scam artists count on the fact that they can push the greed button and talk people into anything. They try to appear as legitimate as they can, and it takes a strong person not to deposit that check, but it's just a bogus practice to get money from you."

On his leisure time: Referring to himself as a nature person, Calvin describes a perfect afternoon as "going to the Smokies, getting away from the crowd, and seeing nature in its own environment. I've picked the best place in the world to live. There are the mountains and lakes for hiking and big cities close by for night life." He's also a science fiction movie buff.

On sci-fi: "I like the old black-and-white movies from the 1950s that scared me when I was growing up. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, It Came From Outer Space - they were low-budget and had cheesy special effects, but they were the movies that scared me when I was little. The monsters were so real to me that they kept me up at night." Another of his favorites is Them, starring a pre- Gunsmoke James Arness. "I can hear in my head the sound those giant ants made. I didn't sleep for two or three nights when I first saw that movie." He's also a fan of the original Star Trek series and The Twilight Zone, naming as one of his favorite episodes "Terror at 30,000 Feet," starring William Shatner.

On sports: "Professional sports is not news unless athletes break the law. Professional sports is entertainment. Always has been, always will be. College is totally different. I put more faith in college athletes. They're playing for the tradition of the game, their school, their room and board. The sad thing is that the lure of making millions in professional athletics breeds babies who don't go on to finish school and avail themselves of the education offered to them. That may explain why many of them are in trouble."

On education: "I'm really big on everybody availing themselves of higher education. It's there, it's available, and a degree is what helps you get through the rest of your life. It will always go with you."