Chris Shupe

Chris Shupe began work at WUGA as a part time weekend announcer in 2010. At the time Shupe was focused on maintaining a thriving career in Real Estate, as well as balancing his time as a local entertainer. Shupe may be best known as The Athens King, a tribute to Elvis Presley, which often included an 8 piece show band! In 2012, Shupe joined WUGA full time as the station’s Morning Edition Host and Assistant Operations Director, and after 2 years of serving in that role Shupe was hired as Program Director for the station. As PD, Shupe spearheaded a return to more involvement in national conferences and continuing education opportunities through industry professional organizations like the Public Radio Program Director's Association, Public Media Development and Marketing Association, Morning Edition Grad School, the NAB, and the Public Media Journalists Association. This involvement led Shupe to undertake a comprehensive market study in 2015, the first such examination of local audience trends in more than 15 years.Other highlights of the last decade include, his involvement in a complete overhaul of the stations website and the creation of the WUGA app. As a content creator, Shupe is responsible for such notable programs as Sound of Athens, New South Showcase, Classic City Science, The Guest List, The Georgia Health Report, Nothing Funny About Money, The Other Side of The G and the revamping of the stations flagship local news program, Athens News Matters. Shupe’s individual contribution to local content has been recognized by both state and national media organizations including 8 First Place Gabby Awards & 5 Merit Awards from the Georgia Association of Broadcasters, 2 First Place awards from the Georgia Associated Press Media Editors group, 1 First place award from the Public Media Journalists Association and even a Telly Award and an Emmy nomination for his voice over work on a local documentary chronicling the career of WUGA pioneer Rob Holmes.