Forty years ago, Greg Davis stood at a crossroads he never expected to face.
A former assistant principal in Flint, Michigan, Davis had built a steady career in education before a chance conversation with a school nurse nudged him in an entirely different direction. The nurse suggested he try his hand at sales — advice that led Davis into television advertising in 1974 and ultimately set him on a path that would reshape media in Columbus and beyond.
In 1986, after a last-minute collapse of a deal to purchase a television station, Davis was presented with an unexpected alternative: two urban-format radio stations in Columbus, Georgia. There was just one problem. He had never set foot inside a radio station. Still, Davis said yes.
That leap of faith launched Davis Broadcasting Inc. (DBI), now one of the longest-running African American–owned radio groups in the United States. What began as a bold risk has grown into a multi-market operation serving generations of listeners across Georgia and the Southeast…