2009 Career Achievement
Mike McDougald
Michael McDougald is a native Georgian and was born 1931 in Statesboro. During his sophomore year in high school in 1946, Radio Station WWNS in Statesboro was built, and within a few weeks he had a part-time job which he kept during his final two years of high school. He attended Emory University in Atlanta, graduating in 1952 from (then) Emory School of Journalism with a BA degree majoring in Radio & Television. Upon entering Emory in 1948, his professors and mentors (Marcus Bartlett and Elmo Ellis) offered him a job at WSB Radio. MsDougald entered the United States Army during the Korean War and graduated from the Counter-Intelligence Corps School in Baltimore, Maryland, as a ‘Counter-Intelligence Special Agent’ with top secret clearance. Upon his return home from the service, Mike entered at the graduate level in the University of Georgia’s Henry W. Grady School of Journalism working toward a Master’s Degree and assisting in the development of the Peabody Award system at the University. He also worked at WRFC in Athens. During this time, Elmo Ellis urged him to return to his (pre-war) job at WSB in Atlanta (thus leaving his degree incomplete). Mike was at WSB when they built White Columns on Peachtree and became the first person every to broadcast from there. For several years, he was the ‘morning wake-up’ personality on WSB. McDougald has been involved in ownership of WCHK, Canton and WRGA/WQTU, Rome as well as stations in other states. His stations won two Marconi awards from the NAB for Radio Station of The Year and Radio Personality of The Year. Mike was awarded a Crystal award by the NAB, and seven GAB Station of the Year awards. He is a Past President of the GAB and past Board Member of the GAB. He has served two terms as Vice Chairman of the Georgia Public Telecommunications Commission, is Chairman of the Foundation for Public Broadcasting of Georgia, Inc. In 2008, Mike was inducted as a Grady fellow by the UGA Grady College of Journalism Communications. McDougald also serves on many community and charitable boards in Floyd County and is a frequent contributor of articles and stories for both newspapers and magazines widely distributed throughout the south, a frequent public speaker and lecturer. He is currently Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Advertising Dynamics, Inc., a full service advertising and marketing agency founded by his wife Leeta in 1977. They reside in Rome.
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