Ed Moore III

Posted by WLJS News Jacksonville on 12/11/2013 at 10:39 P.M.

Jacksonville, Alabama (WLJS) --- According to a statement issued Wednesday night from the publicist of WLJS broadcaster Ed Moore III, the 21-year-old will leave the northeast Alabama station in January after three years on the air to pursue civil and human rights endeavors.

Moore, who has interviewed over 300 people during the course of his radio career, will host a farewell broadcast on December 20 at 8:30 P.M. Central / 9:30 P.M. Eastern before officially leaving the station in January.

"Ed Moore III is happy to announce that after three years at WLJS 91.9 FM, he will vacate his position as news anchor on January 1, 2014 to become the president of a Jacksonville State University based human and civil rights group called the Justice and Civil Rights Initiative," said Pamela Horton.

"The JCRI will assist in the progression of civil, social, and cultural understanding for all people, while providing advocacy to address and investigate acts of civil or human wrongdoing."

Moore also released the following statement through Horton:

"God has blessed me with three wonderful years at WLJS 91.9 FM in Jacksonville, Alabama. I will be eternally grateful for my time spent with this station. They have done a lot for me. At this juncture, my life has been called in a different direction in providing help to those in the community whose rights have been infringed upon regarding social, civil and criminal issues.

"It has been nothing short of an honor to have served you, the public, in some of our world's most critical newsworthy hours. I am grateful to have interviewed some of the most amazing people on some of the heaviest, sometimes difficult, but most needed topics of discussion. Your love and support have carried me through this great journey of mine in the world of media. Each and every one of you, in your very own special way, have helped me lift my wings and fly. I give you nothing but my thanks and gratitude. God bless you all."

Curtis Holman, WLJS' Director of Programming confirmed Moore's departure.

"We can confirm that Ed will be ending his time with WLJS. He let me know of his decision a few weeks back [and] we wish him well in whatever he decides to undertake next."

Moore spoke his first words on the WLJS microphone as a practice daytime broadcaster in January of 2011 at the age of 18, working Thursday afternoons until April 2011 when WLJS gave him his very own talk show, Late Nite With Ed Moore III, which premiered on September 9, 2011.

It was Late Nite With Ed Moore III that brought some of the highest listenership in the station's history to discussions surrounding the biggest stories of the decade, including the death of Whitney Houston, whom he ended up dedicating the final Late Nite With Ed Moore III show to. He has also hosted specials on the Trayvon Martin case, the hazing death of Florida A&M University band student Robert Champion, the Sandy Hook school shooting and the execution of Troy Davis, who was a Georgia black man sentenced to death for the killing of a white police officer.

On the very first Late Nite With Ed Moore III, Moore addressed the issue of HIV/AIDS with former AIDS Prevention Specialist, Dr. Tommie L. Watkins Jr., of AIDS Alabama. Moore said his reasons for making the first show about the deadly disease was because of the AIDS related death of his 28-year-old friend in April of that year, whom he never publicly identified.

Moore's prominence began locally, generally only having listeners from the Jacksonville area. Then, through social media, press releases and the station's online listening link, interest in his work spread across the southeast, then in pockets around the nation, and eventually, in other parts of the world.

According to past news reports, Moore's programs have also been heard in parts of Iraq and South Africa, with his news stories also gaining the attention of citizens from Canada, Japan and Malaysia.

"The first time I found out someone in another country was listening to Late Nite With Ed Moore III was the night of our "Racism In America" show on September 23, 2011, said Moore. "One of the guests from that program, Radriequa Finley, said somebody in Iraq was listening to her. At first, I did not think much of it because of the war at that time. It did not surprise me that somebody in that part of the world was tuning in.

"Then, on the night of our show on male empowerment in September 2012, "The Male Race: Their Struggles, Their Strides & Desires To Improve," we were told someone in South Africa heard the program via the web. Now, that blew me away."

One of the most tear jerking moments from the talk show took place on its season three premiere on September 7, 2012, "A Tribute To 9/11." Pearl Williams, an Alabama mother who lost her son, 40-year-old Maj. Dewayne Williams, at the Pentagon during the September 11th attacks, spoke on the special of healing and how to help others deal with tragedy in the wake of the 11th anniversary of the attacks.

After the show's season three premiere, the show began to outgrow its local roots, expanding its listenership nationwide through online listeners, prompting Moore to put together a support staff of media professionals and consultants for the program.

During its third season, Moore hosted a series on race throughout the month of October, declaring it "Race Relations Awareness Month." The three largest racial groups in the United States, Whites, African-Americans and Latinos, each had a night set aside to discuss issues within their own communities pertaining to race, as well as how to progress in those issues.

On January 20, 2012, Moore's powerhouse talk show took what the public has called a "historic" and "controversial" turn for northeast Alabama on its season two premiere special, "Hazing In America." On this program, an array of college and university executives, politicians and community leaders tackled the issue of hazing two months following the beating death of Florida A&M University band student Robert Champion on November 19, 2011.

It was the first time in the station's 38-year history that hazing was discussed on a live broadcast. The broadcast also took place after the launch of another hazing investigation involving Jacksonville State University's Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, which Moore covered for over a year.

"The weeks leading up to our hazing show was an anxious blur," said Moore. "Everyone involved in the making of that program --- I must give them several rounds of applause. Believe me, it was not easy. About two days before the show aired, as a precaution, we requested a police officer to be outside the studio during the program. Trying to plan something that heavy, that sensitive of a collegiate based issue ---- on top of it having never been done before --- to this day, I cannot actually believe we pulled that off, but I am glad we did it."

In August of 2012, Moore created the successful WLJS News brand after being promoted to news director and becoming the first black news representative at the station since 2000. Moore ended his talk show on November 30, 2012 in order to focus on his duties as the station's anchor. Earlier this year, on January 27, he hosted his first broadcast since the talk show's departure titled The State of Violence: A Call To Action.

The show included politicians, ministers, counselors and social workers, airing in the middle of the heated debate on guns and a violent American culture following the mass killing of 20 children and 6 adults several weeks earlier at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

While over WLJS News, some of Moore's biggest stories have been geared towards taking pain and turning it into triumph by speaking to those whose personal stories, although heartbreaking to say the least, ended up helping the lives of countless others.

One example is that of Jacksonville State University Student Government Association President Jade Wagner, who in September, sat down with Moore in an exclusive interview to reveal to the entire student body that she was raped the year before. In hopes of doing so, Wagner hoped it could begin a healing process for countless other women who have also been raped.

In September, an Anniston, Alabama police chief also opened up to Moore about the healing process his department had undergone since the 2011 shooting death of one of their officers.

In another sucessful story earlier this month, a world renowned Alabama photographer, 31-year-old Landon Brooks, opened up to Moore on his battle with depression in hopes to help others overcome thier internal challanges.

In 2012, Late Nite With Ed Moore III was awarded the WLJS People's Choice Award for its excellence in media professionalism and diverse listenership. Moore was also awarded the 2012 WLJS Broadcaster of the Year Award and the 2013 WLJS Community Service Award.