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Year of birth: 1918  Curtain Call - Elmo Ellis (1918 – 2005)
He was one of the primary innovators of AM talk radio, developing such concepts as round-the-clock local news, traffic reports and call-in shows. But Elmo Ellis wasn’t fond of what AM radio had become: “We did talk radio, not hate radio,” he was quoted in a book about WSB Radio.
Ellis, 86, succumbed to cancer in June at his suburban Atlanta home. He is remembered not just for his contributions to the medium, but for his courage in providing a voice of moderation during the tumultuous civil rights era. What the legendary former Atlanta Journal-Constitution editor Ralph McGill was to print, Ellis was to radio, and he stands among the titans credited with making Atlanta the capital of the “New South.”
“I think looking back on his career he was most proud that he was able to use the broad reach of radio to promote a better society,” says his daughter, Janet Beerman. “He was very dedicated to Atlanta and was determined to do what he could to make the people of the city accept integration.”
Ellis saw radio as a servant, not provocateur. He viewed WSB as a community center, not just for one particular political viewpoint. “He felt radio today lacked a conscience,” Beerman says.
That’s not something Ellis could ever be accused of. He authored a series of editorials favoring civil rights during the 1960s, a stance that led to some death threats. While he had his foes, Ellis always had many more fans though his 40-year career at WSB.
His radio career got started as a child, when he and his brother would stage imaginary broadcasts in their backyard. Ellis came to WSB-AM in 1940, serving as the station’s first director of publicity and promotions. He served four years in the Air Force during World War II, and when he returned he helped launch WSB’s television station. He returned to radio in 1952, a time when many were predicting that medium’s demise due to television.
But Ellis was able to keep radio relevant in Atlanta, bolstering the station’s news department with more reporters and shows such as “Night Beat,” a forum for local newsmakers and personalities. There were plenty of giveaways and theme days, as Ellis always sought to maintain a balance between information and entertainment.
In doing so, he was always very hands-on, handpicking the station’s music library (though liberal in his politics, Ellis was personally conservative, refusing to air any Elvis Presley songs).
Ellis retired in 1982, but he remained active, offering commentaries on rival WGST-AM. “He saw himself as a servant of the people,” Beerman says. “It’s something he really believed, and it’s something that I’m really proud of.” - Christian Boone
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