These voices on Columbus radio stations for nearly 50 years will be honored statewide
Two men with voices familiar to Columbus radio listeners for nearly 50 years on local stations will be inducted Wednesday into the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
State Sen. Ed Harbison, most recently a WAGH talk show host, and Columbus State University basketball and baseball play-by-play announcer Scott Miller are in the GAB’s Class of 2022, which also includes retired WTOC (Savannah) news anchor Doug Weathers and WRJY (Brunswick) general manager and morning show host Joe Willie Sousa.
The ceremony is scheduled to be conducted in the University of Georgia special collections library.
“It’s a high honor for me,” Harbison, 80, told the Ledger-Enquirer. “It’s always wonderful to be recognized by people in your field.”
“Even though I talk for a living, I had very few words at that time,” Miller, 67, told the L-E about how he reacted to the news. “I was just very humbled and honored.”
Harbison and Miller will be approximately 100 members of the GAB Hall of Fame, established in 1984.
“Both of these guys are strong representatives of our industry,” GAB president Bob Houghton told the L-E. “… They fit the perfect description.”
To be considered for induction, according to the GAB website, broadcasters must have “a solid record of achievement, including rating dominance and local/national awards, and a history of dedication to the communities they serve” during a broadcasting career of at least 20 years with a tie to Georgia, such as attending school, residing or working in the state.
Ed Harbison’s broadcasting career
Harbison was 17 when he began his broadcasting career at WRMA (Montgomery) in 1959 by reading football game results on the “Teentime” show.
After returning home from serving four years in the U.S. Marines and receiving a Purple Heart during the Vietnam War, Harbison enrolled in the Career Academy School of Broadcasting in Atlanta. He trained at WQXI, covering local events and interviewing a variety of newsmakers on the political spectrum, from Lester Maddox to Jane Fonda.
In 1972, Harbison arrived in Columbus as news and public affairs director for WOKS and WFXE. He won awards from the National Association of Black Journalists and United Press International for excellence in broadcast journalism.
Harbison broadcast high school football games with Cliff Rutledge and Columbus College basketball games with Jimmy Griggs.
Borden Black hired Harbison as an anchor for WLTZ-TV in 1982, when he became the first Black newscaster to host an evening program in Columbus. He helped the newscast win an Associated Press award during his two years there.
Harbison returned to radio as assistant station manager and news director at WAGH, where he hosted talk shows with Gloria Strode and Edgar Champagne.
For him, Harbison said, the joy of broadcasting emanates from the “chance to communicate with people. If you really care about what you’re doing, I think you feel satisfied that you are doing a worthwhile job that’s a worthwhile service. It’s just the feeling of exhilaration of bringing the news, but you’ve got to maintain the facts of the story, as opposed to putting too much of yourself and your opinion into it.”
Scott Miller’s broadcasting career
At age 10, when Miller moved with his family from Waynesboro to Atlanta, he finally could clearly hear sportscasts of Georgia teams without turning the radio dial up and down to find a distant ballgame. Listening to icons Skip Carary, Milo Hamilton and Larry Munson, Miller fell in love with sportscasting.
After graduating from the Columbia School of Broadcasting, Miller started his broadcasting career in 1973 at WPPL in Blue Ridge. Following stints at radio stations in Atlanta, Marietta, Warner Robins, Monroe and Athens, he came to Columbus in 1976 as the morning show host for WCGQ.
A year later, Miller became the play-by-play announcer for Columbus College, now Columbus State University. As the “Voice of the Cougars,” he has called more than 2,000 games, including CSU’s 2002 Division II College World Series championship.
Miller also has done play-by-play for the Columbus Astros minor league baseball team, local high school football and baseball teams and NCAA Division III football national championship games.
He was studio host for the Troy University Football Radio Network. In 1980, he called play-by-play for Auburn University football games on the Video Sports Network.
Miller became program and sports director at WDAK in 1999. He was a morning show host there for 21 years — and was a national finalist for several broadcasting awards from Radio & Records magazine — before losing that job amid iHeartRadio layoffs.
The GAB previously honored Miller with awards for Broadcaster of the Year (2019) and Best Play-By-Play Broadcast (multiple times). In 2018, the Georgia Senate passed a resolution recognizing his contributions to the state and broadcasting.
Miller also has been inducted into the Columbus State University Athletics Hall of Fame (2014) and the Chattahoochee Valley Sports Hall of Fame (2018).
While describing the scene of tense moments during CSU basketball or baseball games, Miller often urges his listeners to find their “lucky spot” to give the Cougars good luck.
“My professional lucky spot is sitting courtside or in the press box with a microphone in front of me and doing play-by-play,” Miller said. “My personal lucky spot is just spending time with family and friends.”
GAB scholarship
Another person with a Columbus connection is scheduled to be honored at Wednesday’s ceremony. Logan Swain, a student in the CSU Communication Department, was selected to receive a $1,500 scholarship from the GAB.
