Ray Moore, an Atlanta newsman for twenty-three years, passed away this morning—one week shy of his 91st birthday. In 1951, he joined WSB Radio and then WSB-TV the following year. Moore resigned as news director of WSB, in 1969, and joined WAGA-TV (Channel 5) until he retired from broadcasting entirely in 1974. He was the face of local news for many Georgians during the tumultuous period of the 1950s and 60s, and during his tenure he produced a number of documentaries on penal reform, school desegregation, hunger, religion, and urban development.
Moore covered many pivotal moments in U.S. and Georgia history—and he was often a part of that history. Moore remembers interviewing Martin Luther King, Jr., after Kennedy's assassination. Later, after King's own assassination, Moore provided the tip that located James Earl Ray's abandoned white Mustang. Moore also covered the desegregation of UGA in 1961. In this clip, Moore describes being surrounded by an angry mob that developed around Charlayne Hunter's residence at Myers Hall.
Earlier this year, Moore was interviewed by Bob Short as part of the Russell Library's Reflections on Georgia Politics oral history series. He talked about the early days of television broadcasting—including the potential pitfalls of live commercial advertisements that were the norm during these years. In this clip, he describes the "Great Hotdog Incident."
Moore covered many pivotal moments in U.S. and Georgia history—and he was often a part of that history. Moore remembers interviewing Martin Luther King, Jr., after Kennedy's assassination. Later, after King's own assassination, Moore provided the tip that located James Earl Ray's abandoned white Mustang. Moore also covered the desegregation of UGA in 1961. In this clip, Moore describes being surrounded by an angry mob that developed around Charlayne Hunter's residence at Myers Hall.
Post by Callie Holmes, Media and Oral History Archivist, Russell Library
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