C.P. Persons, Jr. (1912-1993) was born in Atlanta, GA, attended public schools in Tuscaloosa, AL and graduated from Prep School at Columbia Military Academy. He graduated in 1934 from the University of Alabama. Upon graduation he was affiliated with the General Electric Company and in 1938 he entered broadcasting as a local radio salesman with WAPI in Birmingham.

He later became Local Sales Manager and served in that capacity until joining the United States Navy. He was commissioned a Lieutenant Jay Gee at Quonset Point, Rhode Island in 1942. He was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant Commander in December of 1946 and immediately returned to broadcasting with WAPI in Birmingham. He was appointed National Sales Manager in 1947 and moved into television with WAPI-TV in 1949 as their National Sales Manager. In 1952, he was appointed Operations Manager for WAPI-TV.

In 1955 Mr. Persons became associated with Mr. Kenneth R. Giddens fo WKRG Radio in Mobile, Alabama to establish WKRG-TV Channel 5. In September of 1955, he was appointed Vice President and General Manager, and in 1980, became President and General Manager of WKRG-TV.

In Mobile, Mr. Persons served on the Board of Directors of the Better Business Bureau, the Mobile Opera Guild , Downtown Unlimited, the Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Rotary Club, the Mobile Sales and Marketing Club and Delta Sigma Chi Journalism Society. In 1976, he received the Silver Medal Award form the Mobile Chapter of American Advertising Federation.

Industry Service

· Alabama Broadcaster of the Year 1985

· President of Alabama Broadcasters Association in 1975

· Board of Director for Alabama Broadcasters

· Board of Directors of the Television Bureau of Advertising for Three Year Term in 1976

· CBS Television Network Affiliates Board 1978

C.P. was married to the former Mildred Walker of Birmingham, Alabama in 1972. He gained an instant family through Mildred’s children. Mildred had two children Mollie Walker Cox and Cullom Walker II and three grandchildren, Shelby Hughes, Cullom Walker III and Martha Walker Thames.