“George read the tea leaves well,” says Don Curtis, a longtime friend who is CEO and chairman of 25-station North Carolina radio chain Curtis Media group. “He looked ahead at all the trends and was not afraid at all to take big steps forward, and was always looking to get bigger and grow.”
Beasley, an Army veteran who earned Appalachian State University degrees in education through the G.I. bill, was “inspired by a commitment to provide a voice for the voiceless in his local community,” according to a company release, which cited his “humility, kindness, integrity, work ethic and love of family and friends.” Kraig T.
For a broadcast pioneer, Beasley wasn’t flashy, occasionally giving spare and straightforward industry interviews. In 2008, when Clear Channel Radio, now iHeart, was taking over the business, he predicted his stations wouldn’t lose ground because they focused on different things. “Certainly, if you’re competing directly with them in a format, those stations are going to be favored,” he told Billboard.
In 2017, Curtis bought six of the group’s North Carolina stations for $11.6 million, helping Beasley to reduce its debt. “George was a man of his word,” Curtis says. “He and I did a couple of deals where I sold him a station, and another deal where I bought one, and it took about five minutes to conclude the transaction. He’s sort of a throwback. Our basic values were the same.”
Beasley stepped down as CEO in 2016, although he continued as executive chairman of the board of directors. His daughter, Caroline, who joined the company in 1983, is now CEO.
...too young...
🙏🏽💙
God Speed Mr. Beasley… Thank you for all your contributions to Radio and Broadcasting 🙏