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Boro native Mike McDougald named president of GPB
W McDougald headshot
Mike McDougald

Longtime Rome broadcaster and Statesboro native Michael H. McDougald was named recently as chairman of Georgia Public Broadcasting.

      In his new post, McDougald will head the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission. He has served as vice chairman of the organization since 2003 and played a major role in bringing public radio to Rome and Northwest Georgia through acquisitions of 97.7 in Rome and 98.9 in Chatsworth.

     McDougald has been involved in broadcasting since his high school days in Statesboro.

      His professional career includes a stint at WSB radio in Atlanta in the 1950s. He became co-owner of WAAX radio in Gadsden, Ala., in 1960 before moving to Rome in 1977 after purchasing WRGA and WQTU radio stations. He sold the Rome stations a decade ago.

      McDougald is a member of the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame and the Alabama Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. Last year he was inducted as a fellow at the Grady Fellowship in the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

      Earlier this year, McDougald brought new GPB executive director Teya Ryan to Rome, where she revealed that plans are in the works to make the local GPB affiliate station much more actively involved in localized programming.

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