Harley Hanging Up The Cans

After an impressive broadcasting career that spans 58 years, almost all of it spent in the Augusta, GA market, Harley Drew announced his retirement, effective this Friday, Sept. 29. Drew has spent the past 15 years as PD of Beasley News-Talk WGAC and Sports-Talk WRDW (ESPN 1630) and the anchor of Augusta’s Morning News on WGAC.

Drew became interested in radio and electronics at the impressionable age of 9 and got a part-time job at WBRO/Waynesboro, GA when he was 14, and he ended up working there fulltime after graduating from high school. After a brief stint in the electrical engineering program at Georgia Tech (which he found boring), Drew moved to Augusta in 1962 to help launch WFNL. Two years later, Drew was hired as PD of heritage Top 40 WBBQ, a position he held until 1989, when he was named National Program Director for Arrow Communications Group, owners of WZNY/Augusta.

When Benchmark Communications acquired WZNY, Harley was upped to GM, a position he held until joining Beasley Broadcast Group in 1995 as Operations Director for WGAC, WGOR and WRDW. “Handsome Harley Drew” is a past recipient of Augusta Magazine‘s “Best Radio Personality” award as well as the Louis Harris Award from the West Augusta Rotary Club. Drew was also a founding board member of the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame and also served as its Vice President. He was inducted into the Hall in 2011. The WGAC website has a nice tribute to Drew, and cordially invites you to tune in Friday when Harley “hangs up the headphones.”