Congratulations to Jim Powell who was recently inducted into the 2020 Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. The 2020 season will mark Powell’s 27th as a Major League Baseball broadcaster and his 12th year as the voice of the Atlanta Braves. Powell, who graduated from Roswell High School, spent 13 seasons as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers broadcast team, teaming up with Hall of Famer Bob Uecker longer than any other broadcaster in Uecker’s illustrious career.
Powell joined the Brewers in 1996 and was named the 1998 NSMA (National Sports Media Association) Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year. In addition to his radio duties, he spent time as a member of the Brewers television team during the 1999 and 2000 seasons.
When Powell moved back to Atlanta from Milwaukee 11 years ago, he became an active ALTA member and helped captain two mixed doubles teams to a city championship.
Powell began his Major League broadcasting career with the Minnesota Twins in a reserve role in 1993 and 1994. Prior to this, he accumulated extensive experience at the minor-league level, serving as play-by-play announcer for the Charlotte Knights (1990-91, 1995) and the Columbia Mets (1987-89, 1993-94).
While in high school, Powell started his broadcasting career with an internship in the newsroom and sports office at WGST-AM. The Atlanta native attended the University of Georgia as a National Merit Scholar and later worked at WRFC and WUOG in Athens. That led to positions in Columbia, South Carolina, with WOLO-TV and then WVOC radio. While in Columbia, he worked extensively for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and was an integral contributor to football, basketball, and baseball broadcasts. Powell was named the NSMA South Carolina Sportscaster of the Year in 1990, 1991, and 1995.
In 1991, Powell was hired by WSB-AM to work weekends, where he covered the Braves, Georgia Bulldogs, and Atlanta Falcons for two years. He also worked for CBS Radio, including calling the Sun Bowl, and called numerous college football games on television for Host Communications.
Powell is married to Net News Editor Emmy Powell; they have three daughters. He is an active member of his community, supporting numerous charities such as the Rally Foundation, the Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Fund, Jungle Kids for Christ, the Dunamis Foundation, Camp Kudzu, UGA Miracle, Make a Miracle, and local youth athletic programs.
