Former WYFF general manager Doug Smith dies at 97

WYFF-TV general manager Doug Smith died June 14 at the age of 97.

Smith retired from WYFF in 1990 after 34 years in broadcasting. He held the longest-tenured general manager position in WYFF's history for 23 years.

“Doug Smith played a crucial role in the early days of broadcasting in Greenville and the entire state of South Carolina,” WYFF 4 President and General Manager John Humphries said in an emailed statement. “His leadership, both at WYFF 4 and as President of the South Carolina Broadcasters Association helped to shape local broadcasting. He is truly a legend in our industry and will be greatly missed by the entire WYFF 4 family.”

Smith began at formerly WFBC-TV in 1956 as an account executive before being promoted to national and local sales manager. Smith was named vice president and general manager in 1967. He led the station when the call letters changed from WFBC to WYFF. The new letters stand for 'Your Friend Four', which Smith created.

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Smith held positions at Multimedia Broadcasting and Pulitzer Broadcasting Company. Smith served as president of the South Carolina Broadcasters Association from 1975 to 1976. He was inducted into the hall of fame in 2008.

Smith was involved in the Miss South Carolina Pageant for several years and served as chairman of the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce.

Smith had also received the Order of the Palmetto, the state's highest civilian honor, in 1990.

Tamia Boyd is a Michigan native who covers breaking news in Greenville. Email her at tboyd@gannett.com, and follow her on Twitter @tamiamb. 

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Retired WYFF general manager dies at age 97