Leaders of the Carolinas 2017 (Talibah B) carolina mag talibah | Page 26

Bobby Nichols, C.E.O. of WIIZ Radio,
97.9 FM, “THE WIZ,” the BIG station,
has an extensive background in radio.
Born in Calhoun County, South Carolina,
Nichols grew up with radio in his blood,
having seen two brothers make their
mark in the medium. He started by
doing discos while a young college
student at South Carolina State in
Orangeburg, where he received both
undergraduate and graduate degrees.
After graduating with a B.S. in Social
Studies, he tried his hand at teaching
but found out early that this was not the career for him because he still felt
the lure of radio. He began at WDIX AM and FM of Orangeburg with a five
minute show every Sunday afternoon. After establishing himself as an up-
and-coming air personality, he was offered the opportunity to extend the
show to an hour each afternoon. From there, his popularity grew, and he
made his mark at several stations, including WQIZ in St. George and WJBW
in Hampton. After a brief stint at WSOL in Santee, he moved on to WBAW in
Barnwell, where he had a popular afternoon show for thirteen years. At this
time, as Nichols said, “An opportunity that I could not pass up presented
itself, and THE WIZ was born.” THE WIZ, a Nicwild Communications station,
is a 50,000 watt urban station that broadcasts 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. It covers more than 15 counties in Georgia, including Richmond
(Augusta), and more than 14 counties in South Carolina. In addition to his
responsibilities as C.E.O. and station manager, Nichols can be heard Monday
through Friday afternoons from 3-7 with The Bobby Nichols Afternoon
Th’owdown. Nichols is a member of many organizations, including NABOB,
the Georgia Association of Broadcasters, the South Broadcasters Association,
and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He serves on several broadcast panels
and has been quoted in such national industry trades as Billboard, Billboard
Monitor, Impact, and Urban Network. He has been listed in several
publications, including Outstanding Young Men of America and America’s
Registry of Outstanding Professionals. He has been honored on several
occasions, having been named the CSRA Business League of Augusta’s “Male
Minority Business Owner of the Year” and the Big Seven Association’s
“Business Leader of the Year.” Nichols is married to Dr. M. Theresa Nichols,
and they have one daughter, Yvette Rochelle, of Atlanta.