A native North Carolinian, James G. Babb was born January 1, 1932. He graduated from Belmont Abbey College in 1959 with a degree in business and later achieved success in the communications industry. He filled a variety of management positions, culminating in his 1988 appointment as president of Jefferson-Pilot Corporation in Greensboro, North Carolina. From 1991 to 1996, Babb served as chairman and president of Outlet Communications, Inc., headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island. Subsequently, Babb returned to Charlotte as the executive vice president for television and cable at Bahakel Communications.
During his career, Babb achieved both national and local success. He was president of the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters and chairman of the Television Board and served on the CBS Television Network Affiliates Advisory Board. Babb also received an Emmy Award for lifetime achievement from the National Academy of Television and Arts and contributed to his local community as a trustee for the Arts and Sciences Council of Charlotte and the YMCA of Central Carolinas. Babb also served as a member of the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina and the Board of Trustees at Belmont Abbey College.
In 2003, Babb, now President of Babb Communications, was inducted into the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame