George Wingrove Boosey, a retired public radio programmer and journalist, died May 11 in Fayetteville, Ga., following a long illness. He was 77.
Boosey began his journalism career in his teens, when he worked as a copy boy for the Pulitzer Prize–winning Arkansas Gazette, according to an obituary provided by his family. He reported for the paper from 1965–71 and then joined United Press International, according to his LinkedIn profile.
At UPI, Boosey worked his way up from a reporter position to serving as editor and bureau manager in St. Paul, Minn. That’s where Boosey put his reporting skills to work from 1984–91 as a Minnesota Public Radio political correspondent and managing director of news and information, according to an MPR archive of his reporting.
In 1992, Boosey became managing director of news and programming for Boston’s WBUR. He oversaw the station’s switch to an all-news format, a change that propelled WBUR to become the first public radio station to achieve a #1 rank in a top 10 market. Boosey was also involved in developing WBUR’s nationally distributed programs Here and Now, Only a Game, The Connection, On Point and Inside Out.
“I will always be grateful for the exemplary work he did at WBUR that helped make it one of the best public radio stations in the U.S.,” said former WBUR GM Jane Christo.
Boosey later joined WUNC in Chapel Hill, N.C., as PD and served on the board of directors of the Public Radio Program Directors Association. He was also involved in founding Delaware Public Media, the first and only public radio news service for the state of Delaware. The station launched its broadcast service in August 2012 with Boosey as its first GM. Later, he offered consulting services to public radio stations.
Survivors include his wife of 48 years, Ms. MJ Pearle; son, G. Colin Boosey; daughter-in-law Jess and granddaughter Becca, of Peachtree City, Ga.; and brothers Harry Boosey of Jackson, Tenn., and Fred Boosey of Benton, Ark.
The family plans a private memorial and suggests memorial donations to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Doctors Without Borders and the American Diabetes Association.