One of the nation’s most respected communications law practitioners got his start in the industry, as did many other radio professionals, by spending more time at his St. Louis University college radio station than in classes.
Between college and his first job as a FCC lawyer, John F. Garziglia’s love for radio translated to on-air roles at stations in St. Louis and in Washington, D.C., where he also
served as a program director.
This provided a foundation for helping broadcasters with legal advice and acting as a
conduit between the FCC and the AM and FM stations it regulates. Now, Garziglia is days away from retirement.
After nearly 40 years of counseling radio and television broadcast industry clients, Garziglia will retire at the end of December.
He is currently an attorney at Womble Bond Dickinson, and the law firm headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., will continue to actively represent the interests of broadcast clients following Garziglia’s departure.
WBD recently hired Reid Avett to help take on much of those client needs, joining in November from Duane Morris.
“It has been an honor to represent clients in an industry I’m so passionate about,” Garziglia said in prepared comments. “I sincerely hope that I have left the broadcasting world in a better place than I found it. However, I am confident that Womble Bond Dickinson and our clients are in good hands with Reid and our Communications, Technology and Media team.”
Garziglia began representing broadcast clients in private practice in 1984, and in 2019 was named by Radio + Television Business Report readers as one of The Top 10 Attorneys.
Garziglia’s focus in recent years has been AM radio “revitalization,” representing clients ranging from large broadcasting corporations to state broadcasters’ associations to small, local radio stations. As part of this practice, Garziglia led the broadcasting industry’s efforts at the FCC to enable numerous AM stations to acquire and be awarded FM translators.
Marty Stern, leader of Womble Bond Dickinson’s Communications, Technology & Media Team, thanked Garziglia “for his outstanding work and relentless advocacy for the radio industry,” and congratulated him “on a well-earned retirement.”
Garziglia spent his entire 36-year career in private practice with Womble Bond Dickinson and its predecessor firms.
