By Hannah Osborne
GAB Hall of Famer John Wetherbee passed away in December 2023 after a valiant battle with cancer.
“His energy never slowed down,” said President of the GAB, Bob Houghton, in a statement following the news of Wetherbee’s passing. “I can tell you that when I called him to tell him he was being inducted into the GAB Hall of Fame, the very first thing he said was, ‘How can I help you?’ And that was so typical of John. There wasn’t a nicer guy in the business.”
Wetherbee’s illustrious 30-year career as a broadcaster was defined by his professionalism, high character and immeasurable integrity.
Nicknamed “Big John,” for his towering six-foot-nine figure, he first started out at a small station in Ohio. Wetherbee’s value as a broadcaster became clear very early on in his career.
“There are people in our business that will work for decades and will never dent the door of a major market,” says Sanders Hickey, broadcaster and longtime friend of Wetherbee. “He had the ability to go on the air, either on radio or television, and prove his ability at such a young age that it was ridiculous.”
It wasn’t until 1989 that he was lured to Atlanta to work as the Program Director for WALR Music Radio 104.7 (now KISS 104.1), WALR, which at the time was owned by Ring Radio, Inc. After the station underwent a format change, Wetherbee moved to WFOX, Fox 97, Atlanta, as Assistant PD, and later moved to The River in Savannah.
“There was something about him that established him as a leader in whatever community he served,” says Hickey.
While working in Atlanta radio, Wetherbee made the decision to become a meteorologist, eventually receiving recognition of the highest certification from the American Meteorological Society (AMS). After on-air positions in Atlanta and Chattanooga television, he joined the WTOC-TV Savannah weather team and quickly became appointed as the Chief Meteorologist of the station.
“He always represented his radio or television station with the utmost integrity,” says Hickey. “John was the meteorologist for all of my radio stations in Georgia and Texas. He never lived in any of the communities that we operated in, but our listeners always thought that he was very much a part of the communities those radio stations served.”
Wetherbee’s career quickly transformed after he became a meteorologist. He provided weather forecasts across the nation and served as a Meteorologist for TV stations in Atlanta, Savannah, and Chattanooga. He performed weather monitoring for the Port of Savannah and assisted Gulf Stream in tracking weather conditions for delivery destinations.
He worked closely with the Georgia Emergency Management Association (GEMA) and the Georgia Meteorological Society (GMS).
In addition to these roles, he was attentive to what assistance he could provide to the Georgia Association of Broadcasters (GAB), looking to help the organization in any way he could.
“John personifies all of what’s right about what we aspire to as broadcasters. His dedication to his profession, his character, his integrity, his tireless service to every community that he served,” says Hickey.
Despite beginning chemotherapy treatment, Wetherbee maintained the same cheery and genuine character that carried him through his work and into the hearts of local communities.
“Big John” Wetherbee is to be inducted to the GAB Hall of Fame this March.
“The first thing he did was go onto the GAB website and look at the list of people who had been inducted over the years. He said, ‘I cannot believe that my name will be associated with theirs,’” Hickey says. “I assured him that his name would be associated with those people because he earned it.”
Wetherbee was a three-time Emmy award winning, nationally syndicated broadcaster. He is a member of the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame, and served on the Board of Directors for Friends of Georgia Radio. He also served as the president of a local AMS chapter and on the AMS Broadcast Meteorology Board.
“John never met a stranger,” says Hickey. “He made great eye contact with his viewer AND his listeners. People felt that John was taking DIRECTLY to them, either via radio or television, and boy, that’s a rare talent.”
The GAB Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at the Emory Conference Center Hotel on March 22, 2024.
