By Hannah Osborne
On Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023, Atlanta radio legend Scott Slade was honored as an inductee at the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame ceremony.
When Slade was told he was selected for the honor, his first thoughts were of those who came before him, that he would be joining in the Hall of Fame.
“All of the memories of these wonderful journalists who I grew up admiring and who I call my mentors by example, to be able to join their company, that was particularly pointed for me,” says Slade. “The kind of guidance they gave me just by their examples of diligence and hard work and attention to their craft, whether they know it or not they had a huge influence on me. To be able to be asked to join them in this Hall of Fame is just an amazing honor.”
First appearing on Georgia airwaves in 1970, Slade has served as a steadfast in broadcasting for 53 years.
Slade’s fate in radio was decided in the tender years of elementary school, when in the second-grade he took a vision screening revealing his poor eyesight.
“I thought that was how everybody saw the world, as a big blur, so about that time I said well, there goes my career as a Navy Fighter Pilot,” says Slade.
By 9 years old, Slade had refocused his future towards the media. Using old cardboard boxes and his father’s old equipment, Slade would pretend to direct show and read reports.
“It was just one of those things where I just had to wait for my voice to change. So I got my first [on-air] job when I was 15, and I’ve been going strong ever since,” says Slade.
Although the broadcaster would not serve as a Navy Fighter Pilot, he would fulfill these childhood dreams when becoming a licensed commercial airplane and helicopter pilot and serving as Helicopter Traffic Reporter for WSB.
He would become most recognizable for his role as host of Atlanta’s Morning News at WSB Radio, some Atlantans describing Slade’s voice as the soundtrack of their morning commute.
“It’s the media capital of the southeast. To me there’s no question about it. It’s also the crossroads of the south, and so many historic things happen here and continue to happen here,” says Slade of working in Atlanta. “You have all of this news just waiting to be reported under your feet every day. It makes Atlanta, to me, one of the best media markets in the country.”
While there have been so many noteworthy occasions that Slade has reported on, the events that transpired on 9/11 stand out in Slade’s memory.
“It gave us a chance to put our arms around our listeners and say, ‘This is what is going on, this is what we know,’ and in this case knowledge is power,” said Slade. “To be able to reassure people and let them know what was being done about it, it was a huge thing.”
Slade’s motivation to get through these moments himself was remembering that his job, his responsibility, was to relay this knowledge to the public, acting as a conduit for the authorities.
“It’s like my old journalism professor, George Grieff, at Georgia State University would preach over and over again: the three main things about doing this job correctly are – accuracy, accuracy and accuracy. That’s the mindset you have to have,” says Slade.
A broadcaster’s responsibility to their community lies not only in reporting relevant, accurate news, but in “lifting” the community in return.
As a staff, the WSB Radio team were asked to devise a public service project to benefit a local cause, Slade’s suggestion: the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA).
“I knew one thing,” said Slade. “That once I visited the Cancer Center at CHOA for the first time, I said, ‘Wow, this is incredible. If we tell our listeners these stories of these terrific, brave kids and their genius caregivers, and compassionate families. If we tell these stories, our listeners will know what to do.’ And they have. In more ways than I can even count.”
The WSB Care-a-Thon, benefitting the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of CHOA has raised millions of dollars since its creation in 2000. The 23rd annual WSB Care-a-Thon took place on July 27 and 28, 2023, raising more than $1.9 million.
Slade’s final day as host of Atlanta’s Morning News was Friday, Feb. 3, 2023. In his final broadcast as host, Slade urged listeners to continue to support local news.
Although his alarm is no longer set for 1:30 a.m. to host the morning news on WSB Radio, Slade has continued to work with the station on a limited basis and will continue to do so until he is ready.
Slade’s long-time commitment to Georgia radio has been recognized locally and nationally. The National Association of Broadcasters awarded Slade with two Marconi Awards, as Best Radio Personality in America in both major and large markets. Atlanta’s Morning News with Scott Slade has received an Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Radio Newscast in the nation, among other local and national award recognitions. Slade is a member of the Georgia Association of Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame and has most recently been inducted into the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame.
