He will step down as head of Raycom’s ABC-NBC affiliate in Albany, Ga., at the end of this year. The station’s general sales manager, Bruce Austin, will succeed him.
DMA 154: ALBANY, GA
WALB GM Jim Wilcox Announces Retirement
Raycom Media said today that Jim Wilcox, vice president and general manager of WALB, its ABC-NBC affiliate in Albany, Ga. (DMA 154), will retire at the end of 2018, marking 26 years at the station. He will be succeeded by WALB General Sales Manager Bruce Austin in January 2019.
Wilcox has spent most of his 43 years as a broadcaster in his home state of Georgia. He launched his career working in sales and management positions at WLTZ Columbus, WTVM Columbus and WGXA Macon.
In 1987, he moved to WSPA Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., as national sales manager and then general sales manager. Wilcox returned to Georgia in 1993 to become general sales manager at WALB and has served as VP-GM for the last 21 years.
“All local television stations provide information and entertainment. The best of them record and reflect the values of the people they serve,” said Wilcox. He continued, “It has been an honor and a privilege to have led the WALB team on that mission.”
The Georgia Association of Broadcasters named Wilcox Broadcaster of the Year in 2015 and inducted him into the Hall of Fame in 2016. Other honors include the 2005 Trailblazer Award from the 100 Black Men of Albany and the 1999 Dream Award from the Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Celebration Committee.
“Service to the community and a focus on quality, results and impact are core to who Jim is and how he has led WALB in serving South Georgia for 26 years,” said Raycom Media EVP of Content & Operations Susana Schuler. “His impact shows across Raycom Media with the many talented employees that Jim and his team have groomed and grown from WALB to all parts of the country in key leadership positions. I am proud to have had the chance to work with Jim over the years.”
BRAND CONNECTIONS
Under Wilcox’s leadership, WALB has been named Station of the Year eight of the last 11 years and Community Service Station of the Year nine of the last 11 years by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters.
Wilcox has always been an active member of local and industry organizations, including the National Association of Broadcasters’ 100 Plus Board and the Georgia Association of Broadcasters’ Board of Directors.
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