WTOC anchor Doug Weathers inducted into Georgia Association of Broadcasters' Hall of Fame

Broadcast news legend Doug Weathers was inducted into the Georgia Association of Broadcasters on Jan. 26 in Athens, Ga.

During his 42-year long career, Weathers shaped WTOC-TV and the face of Savannah broadcast news. A native to Florida, Weathers was stationed at the Savannah Air Force base after leaving the Korean War in 1954.

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While working part-time at a service station, he met Kyle Goodman, who was the chief engineer at WTOC-TV at the time. Goodman asked him how he felt about the station, which had begun airing only eight days earlier. Weathers mentioned that it took too much time for the station to get back on the air when their film broke.

Goodman told Weathers that the station needed help with film splicing and Weathers told him that he had experience in film editing. Just like that, history was made.

The next afternoon, Weathers visited the station and asked for the job. He was hired and made 90 cents per hour for 40 hours a week.

Because film splicing was a short task, Weathers helped with janitorial duties for the remainder of his shifts. During this free time, Weathers learned about the ins and outs of the TV station.

“I started learning everything I could because all of us were brand new in television,” Weathers said. “Nobody knew much about it because [it] hadn’t been around... The more I learned, the better off I was.”

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As he adopted new skills, Weathers began writing and covering news stories for the broadcast. When given the opportunity to anchor for the station, Weathers took it.

He was then promoted to news director and presenter in 1962. Ten years later, Weathers left WTOC-TV to anchor for WJCL and boosted the station’s ratings to first place.

In 1979, he returned to WTOC-TV and worked for the station until his retirement in 2001.

Since its establishment in 1984, the Georgia Association of Broadcasters has strived to honor broadcasters with at least 20 years of broadcasting experience in Georgia, a dedication to their community, and accolades for their work. The group has honored 100 inductees over the past 38 years.

Larry Silberman, the current manager of the WTOC-TV station, nominated Weathers for the Hall of Fame when he saw that Weathers was not yet an honoree.

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“I was the 100th person from radio and television to be put in the Hall of Fame in the state of Georgia,” said Weathers.

Weathers is proud of the honor and grateful that he was able to impact so many people in the Savannah community.

“... I felt it an honor to help people,” he said. “I had a great crew working with me at WTOC… Being in the hall of fame [is] a great honor, and I really appreciate Silberman nominating me.”

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: WTOC Doug Weathers inducted into GA Broadcasters Hall of Fame 2022