Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said he hopes to “use Georgia Public Broadcasting as an economic development tool to a greater extent than we’re currently doing,” with the appointment of former Republican state Sen. Chip Rogers to an executive position at the station, the Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting.
Deal made the comment to WABE-FM, a pubstation not affiliated with the state network.
Rogers, a controversial politician who resigned from the legislature last week, will oversee a new GPB programming initiative promoting economic development and jobs.
When the WABE reporter asked Deal about the station’s editorial independence in the wake of the appointment, the governor replied: “I don’t consider job creation for the citizens of our state to have a political connotation to it. It’s simply doing what’s best for our state.”