Denis O’Hayer joined WABE in January, 2009 as host of All Things Considered and Marketplace. Prior to that, Denis covered local affairs, politics and government for 11 years as a political reporter and public affairs program host for WXIA/11Alive. In 2015, he was named to the Atlanta Press Club Hall of Fame. The Georgia Association of Broadcasters selected him as its Broadcaster of the Year in 2014.
Although he has been with WABE since 2009, Denis has a much longer history with Public Broadcasting Atlanta. He started as a pledge drive volunteer and host at PBA-30 in 1978. Eventually, he began hosting PBA-30 specials on subjects ranging from the environment to the conflict in the Middle East. In 1988, he began hosting a new show, The Layman’s Lawyer, a look at how the law affects everyday life. It ran until 2004. During that time, he also produced and hosted Atlanta This Week, a reporters’ roundtable, which ran from 1996 to 2001. In 2012, he and Rose Scott, along with the PBA-30 team, won a regional Edward R. Murrow award for “How to Stop the Candy Shop,” a TV special on the fight against child sex trafficking in Atlanta.
O’Hayer began his career in radio in Connecticut in 1976 at WGCH-AM (Greenwich) followed by WELI-AM (New Haven). In 1978, his career led him to Atlanta where he accepted a position with WGST-AM/FM. O’Hayer worked at the station for more than 19 years in a variety of roles. He hosted several news and public affairs programs; Counterpoint with Tom Houck and Dick Williams; Cover Your Assets, a consumer-oriented show; Lawn & Garden; The Home Show; and The Law Show. From 1991 to 1997, O’Hayer hosted Sixty at Six, a daily, one-hour news and interview program. His broadcast career also includes on-air work with CNN’s Southeast Bureau and Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Denis has long been involved in the Atlanta community. His work includes service on the boards of Families First and the Atlanta Press Club, where he served as President, and continues to work on the Debate Committee.
Denis graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont, with a degree in Spanish. He and his wife Lisa live in Atlanta.