Tennessee State Payphone Locator, 2009 Data

In November of 2009 the State of Tennessee issued RFP 31701-03021, a “Request For Proposals for Payphone Service”.

The RFP included a gem that I missed: a list of all known Tennessee State-managed payphone locations with numbers and revenues for the previous year. 233 entries comprise this list of payphones located at places like state parks, welcome centers, prisons, and government buildings.

The list’s revenue figures show that most of the top-grossing payphones are found at Interstate rest areas and at tourist welcome centers.

The State’s most profitable payphone by far was (731) 658-9813, at the Western Mental Health Institute in Bolivar. You have to wonder what went on with that particular phone. Grossing over $4800 in 2008 the Western Mental Health payphone earned far more than the other 9 payphones located at that same Institute, and considerably more than the State’s 2nd-place performer, (901) 523-8534 at the Memphis Interstate 40 Welcome Center.

The loneliest Tennessee State payphone? (931) 858-1311, at Edgar Evins State Park. Raking in a whopping $5.10 the Evins Park payphone is among 37 Tennessee State payphones earning less than $10 in all of 2008.

Single-digit annual revenues may seem dismal but they should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with public telephones of today. There is no money to be made from coin or credit-card calls. It is past time for states and local governments to follow Tennessee’s example and recognize that public telephones are a public utility, not a profit center.

In its RFP Tennessee demonstrates an unconventional attitude about public telephones, prioritizing public safety and welfare over profitability:

“The State seeks a stable contract for payphone services that will last beyond the changing industry and the falling revenues.” “Safety and visitor accommodation needs dictate pay phone presence at many State locations that are no longer profitable. Payphones will not be removed based on profitability.”

Tennessee awarded the payphone contract to Coin Phone Management Company, a Louisville, Kentucky firm which operates payphones, ATMs, and Air Vacs in most of the 50 U.S. states.

It appears that the $5.10-earning Evins Park payphone is still in service — meaning that I dialed the number and heard a ringing sound. This may or may not indicate that the phone itself is in service or that it emits an audible ringing sound.

A majority of these phones rang when I called them, but no one ever answered. Folks these days are probably too busy yabbing into their cell phones to notice the sound of a ringing payphone.

I stuffed the information into a database and made a few web pages out of it. You can sort the list by payphone number, location, city, and revenue. Each payphone number links to a detail page and a Skype-ready link so you can try calling the phone numbers.

A picture of one payphone on this list might be lurking over at PayphonePictures.com. (931) 552-9646 is a payphone located at 1700 Interstate 24 near Clarksville. Is that one of the two payphones seen in this photo?.