J. Edward Wilson

J. Edward Wilson was born November 11, 1933 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Talk Radio
Ed Wilson is a well-known radio personality in Columbus, Georgia, noted for his hard-hitting broadcast editorials on AM radio station WDAK's What's Your Answer program in the 1960s, a pioneer of talk radio. In the 1980s, Wilson hosted Talkline, a show that continued into the 1990s hosted by Doug Kellett on Columbus radio station WRCG.

J. Edward Wilson WDAK editorial from the 1960s: Wilson Editorial

Thursday Newspaper


J. Edward Wilson was publisher and editor in 1973 and 1974 of the short-lived Columbus newspaper Thursday (newspaper).

In July 1973, Thursday Newspaper was announced for Columbus, Georgia, founded and funded by John Amos, who also founded the AFLAC Insurance Company. For editor-publisher, Amos selected Wilson, known for his hard-hitting broadcast editorials on WDAK radio. The first weekly 48 page edition of Thursday was published on September 20, 1973, the front page headline reading:

"Thursday New Day For City: Long Standing Newspaper Monopoly Broken By Competitive Publication."

Wilson wrote in his editorial "I have never heard of a city where the public attitude is as favorable for the publication of a new newspaper as it is in this city right now."

Assistant For Mayors
Wilson later served as assistant for Columbus mayors Bobby G. Peters and Robert Poydasheff.

Poydasheff retained Mayor Bobby Peters' entire staff, including Wilson. When Jim Wetherington was elected mayor of Columbus in 2006 Wilson, who had worked in the mayor's office for 12 years, retired rather than taking another job with the city.

Later Years
Wilson has four children, Ernest, Cheryl, Paul and Kent.

J. Edward Wilson is currently Adjunct Minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Columbus, P.O. Box 698 Fortson, Georgia. 31808-0698.