Trivia

David has a younger brother (Hon. Brennan James Callan, Col.) who is a filmmaker, actor, writer, producer, editor, aerial videographer. David's mother (Virginia Rae Callan) is an actress, executive producer, and Certified Professional Secretary. David's father (Francis Joseph Callan) is an actor as well as David's younger sister, Ruth Reesor. They are all distantly related to actor/writer/producer James Wolford Hardin and actress Jane Wyatt. He had two older brothers that had worked at WLKY TV before he got there and that influenced him to seek employment at the station. Another cousin is actress Judy Crippin.

Over the decades, David has supported the Junior Achievement (JA) organization in their efforts to educate students and encourage them to learn about the TV profession. He helped to build the JA faculties (TV News Set) were students are trained in Louisville so that students had a quality and realistic understanding of how news stations function.

Some of David's employees have branched out into the movie industry and then they later ask to mentored on other topics. He does his best to share his skills and abilities.

For example, when WDRB became the first station in Kentucky to have high definition (720), he thoroughly researched what was necessary to update/replace/convert equipment, trucks, switchers, computers, and even cables. Updating from analog to digital signals and transmitters all demanded he fully comprehend each step of operations for various types of technologies.

When existing or new customers seek to have commercials or shows on the station, he ensures that their productions are compatible with the current technologies in the station. His decades of being in the industry means he has the ability to efficiently help customers accomplish their goals.

He loves big dogs.

He likes MG and has owned at least one since the early 1970s.

David's TV career began in the early 1970s at WLKY TV Channel 32 in Louisville, KY which is the same exact station as (national broadcaster) Diane Sawyer. He began as a "go-for" and then worked on masterboard control, and over the 29-years at the station, he learned how to operate all of their evolving equipment from analog to digital equipment. Many upgrades took place over the decades and his training served him well there. Eventually, he learned of a chance to work at WDRB (Fox 41), also in Louisville and he became the Operations Manager which is the second highest position at that station. It has him also managing aspects of their secondary stations WMYO and WFTE. He has been at WDRB since 2002.

He attended Ballard High School and graduated in 1976.

David is an Eagle Scout. In his youth (1974) and as an adult (1988), he went backpacking in Cimarron, New Mexico at the Philmont Scout Ranch. In 1987, he went to the Boy Scouts high adventure sailing facilities in Florida.

In the early 1980s, he was employed by Mr. Gatti's Pizza to produce videos for groups that came into the restaurant to patronize the restaurant and watch their events. He helped his cousin's store become the nation's most productive Mr. Gatti's Pizza due to the vast numbers of crowds attending the restaurant. That restaurant was in the east end of Louisville, KY.

David has produced "Thunder Over Louisville" TV coverage on many different years. It shifts between various stations covering the world's largest annual explosion of fireworks with the Top 5 national airshows. One year, he had 22-cameras that were on both sides of the Ohio River all routed to the same switcher truck. Some were connected with (military grade) fiber optic lines while others were microwave transmitted.

David holds the title of "Kentucky Colonel" from the Honorable Order of the Kentucky Colonels.

David is a descendant of the Goose (German spelling "Ganz," "Gantz," and "Gans") family. Her cousin (Jockey) Roscoe Tarleton Goose "The Golden Goose," won the 1913 Kentucky Derby in the same year Roscoe's younger brother, (Jockey) Carl Seay Goose "Ganz" won the Kentucky Oaks Race. Their cousin, Meriwether Lewis Clark, Jr. was the Founder and President of the Louisville Jockey Club (now known as Churchill Downs--he started the Kentucky Derby in 1875 and it is the oldest sporting event continuously run in the world). Clark is the grandson of General William Clark (of "Lewis & Clark" fame--"Corps of Discovery.") They have many other famous cousins.

A distant cousin on his mom's side of the family is Actress Jane Wyatt. David Francis Callan is related to General George Rogers Clark (founder of Louisville, Kentucky; Revolutionary War Hero), General William Clark (of "Lewis & Clark" fame--Corps of Discovery, Governor of Missouri), and General Jonathon Clark (Revolutionary War Hero). Jane Wyatt's great-great-great-grandmother, Lucy Croghan, was the sister of General George Rogers Clark, who died at Lucy Croghan's plantation house "Locust Grove" in Louisville, KY.

The Callan family has at least 18 Kentucky Counties named for their cousins. Some of the family began arriving in 1774, when the Commonwealth of Kentucky was still part of the Commonwealth of Virginia. There are many cities, streams, post offices, rivers, streets, and other unique things named after the various cousins.

David's TV career began in the early 1970s when traditional film was used in the cameras and it had to be chemically processed/developed before it could be aired. Early analog video systems became part of his skill-set. As newer inventions entered TV stations, he was one of the first to learn those skills as it added to his excitement and passion for the industry. Ever-increasing his skills also meant advancement and job security. He worked at WLKY TV 32 for over 29-years. This is the same TV station as national broadcaster Diane Sawyer. In 2018, David continues to work in the Louisville, KY TV market, but now for Ch. 34/41/58.

His son, Michael Francis Callan, also works in TV productions. Michael Francis Callan operates scoreboard systems for TV broadcasts and for use in major sports venues.

His son, Michael Francis Callan, a Mechanical Engineer, also is involved in the entertainment industry running scoreboard systems for major sporting events. These systems are integrating the live scores from the stadium scoreboard systems and into the TV broadcasting systems too. Michael having been around TV stations most of his life, it made sense that he got involved in entertainment just like his father. Mike goes around the nation as a freelance graphics coordinator.