Written By: Hailey Johnson
The Georgia Association of Broadcasters had the privilege to sit down with Mike Oates, former General Manager of WRDW TV, to talk about his recent retirement from an incredible 34-year career.
Although Oates spent his career in the TV realm of broadcasting, that isn’t where he thought he would end up. Oates studied at the University of South Carolina and aspired to be a disc jockey. He began this dream of his in 1975 at his hometown radio station.
“I got the broadcasting bug and never saw myself doing anything else,” said Oates. “Somewhere along the line, I got the knock in the head that I’m not going to be anyone big, so if I was ever going to stay in the business and have any kind of career and family, it was not going to be spinning records.”
While working as a disc jockey at his hometown radio station, he had met Jimmy Collins, who worked at a nearby station. Collins ran sales and after meeting Oates, convinced him to leave the disc jockey gig and join sales himself. Oates knew nothing about sales but quickly learned and realized it was something he loved.
After learning about sales, in 1990 Oates moved to Augusta, Georgia, where he would begin his career at WRDW TV. Starting out, Oates served as an Account Executive and sold for nearly 10 years. He then moved his way up and became the National Sales Manager for a few more years. Then Oates was promoted to General Sales Manager for four years and in 2017, Oates was given the position as General Manager.
“Jimmy Collins is the guy that put me on the path to where I am now. I still speak to him often, and I still thank him, and I tell him I love him every time. I am truly appreciative of Jimmy Collins.”
Oates explained how over the 34 years of his career, he has seen how the industry has evolved. Specifically how jobs in the industry have changed. Without the technology we have today, newsrooms use to be filled with over 120 employees to get specific jobs done. Today, with the help of modern day technology, many jobs that were once needed to be taken care of by an employee, can now be handled by a click of a button.
“The digital side of things has changed drastically. Everything use to be on film or three-quarter inch tape. We didn’t have electronic transfer back then. We had to physically pick up a tape that would then get loaded into the system.”
Oates explained how the business never stopped changing and growing.
While most don’t have the privilege to work their entire career at one station, Oates was fortunate enough to say that he has and along the way, he created wonderful relationships with those around him.
“Being surrounded by great co-workers played a huge role in my career. I owe my entire career to having been around good and talented people. The business has too many layers and departments to do alone.”
Greg Connor was given the position to take over as the next General Manager at WRDW TV following Oates. Connor has 20 years of experience in the broadcasting industry, recently as the General Manager at WACH in Columbia, South Carolina.
“He’s a good person,” said Oates. “We spent several months preparing the team for the transition. Greg will be doing things different, but I expect him to take whatever I had and build it, make it even better.”
After retiring, Oates and his wife, Penny, decided to leave Augusta and move to Pensacola, Florida. Oates expressed he is excited to ride his bicycle and keep in touch with the broadcasting industry.
The GAB is thankful to Oates’s dedication to the broadcasting industry and wishes him a happy and relaxing retirement.
