Grady Fellowship Profile: David Chandley

Congratulations to David Chandley, one of the honorees to be inducted into the Grady College Fellowship during Grady Salutes on April 25, 2025.

Upon graduating from the University of Georgia in 1984, Chandley worked in stations all across Georgia in Albany, Macon and Columbus. As an AMS certified meteorologist, he worked at WSB-TV covering weather for over 25 years. In 2015, Chandley moved to FOX 5 Atlanta to assume the role of chief meteorologist, where he still remains today.

Throughout his career, Chandley has earned a number of awards recognizing his expertise in meteorology. He received the Distinguished Achievement in Broadcasting and Cable Award presented by Di Gamma Kappa in 2016. Additionally, David has received 11 Southeast Emmy Awards and 13 Associated Press Best Weather Reporting Awards.

Following are excerpts from an interview with Chandley.

HOW DID YOUR TIME AT GRADY COLLEGE SHAPE WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?

Chandley: I chose the University of Georgia for the journalism school, because I always knew that I wanted to work in this industry. It all goes back to wanting to be the messenger. I was fascinated by what people back in the 1970s were doing on TV news because they had the information first. I spent a couple years there at Grady, and it was just wonderful. You got to do so many things back then. We worked in film, radio, broadcast, we did television and the early days of videotape. It really allowed me to start off ready to go into the real workplace.

HOW HAS MENTORSHIP HELPED YOU THROUGHOUT YOUR CAREER?

Chandley: As I got into the business, it wasn’t just one person that became the mentor. It was people that you were working with. I gravitated toward people that had been doing it for a number of years prior to me. I took their suggestions. I would watch and try to emulate not necessarily their style, but the way they did it. I had several mentors along the way, but I can’t just point to one person that pulled me along, and I think that’s how you grow. You take the best of people that you see.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR TODAY’S GRADY COLLEGE STUDENTS?

Chandley: Do more than just one thing. If you’re going to shoot weather, learn how to shoot and learn how to edit. If you’re going into the news, learn how to produce and learn more about production. Don’t just pigeonhole yourself in one area, because when you have the knowledge of how things get put together, you’re a better team player. You have an idea of what other people are bringing to the overall product.

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOUR 20-YEAR-OLD SELF?

Chandley: It’s okay to say no, but you have to be confident in whatever it is you’re saying no to. You still have to set up some boundaries of being able to say no if it impedes on other things going on in your life. If you say no all the time then you’re not going to get ahead.

WHAT EXPERIENCE AT GRADY COLLEGE DO YOU THINK MOST PREPARED YOU FOR YOUR CAREER?

Chandley: The opportunity to do a variety of things when I was coming up in school. Learning the different aspects of the business, I got that experience in class. We were in front of the camera. We did radio, film and writing. It was kind of all encompassing. It gave you a taste of all of that. Even those (skills) I don’t use now, it was nice to have that in the tool belt.

The 2025 Fellowship Inductees will be recognized along with the 2025 Alumni Award recipients during the annual Grady Salutes event. This year’s Grady Salutes will be a luncheon on Friday, April 25. Details about sponsorship information and reservations can be found on our Grady Salutes registration page.

Editor: Lily Alarcon, lia52467@uga.edu