Ralph Oakley to deliver QU’s 159th spring commencement address May 14 at QU Stadium

QUINCY — Ralph Oakley, Class of 1980, will deliver the keynote address during Quincy University’s 159th commencement ceremony at 2 p.m. May 14, at QU Stadium, 20th and Sycamore.

Oakley is the former president and chief executive officer of Quincy Media, Inc., which operated two daily newspapers, two radio stations and television stations in 16 markets. He is a member of the fifth generation of the Oakley family to work for Quincy Media, Inc., which was owned by the Oakley and Lindsay families. Oakley joined the company in the mid 1970s and served as president and CEO beginning in 2009. He held various positions at WGEM in Quincy, WSJV in South Bend, Ind., and WVVA in Bluefield, W.Va. He became vice president and general manager of WGEM in 1988, moved to the Quincy corporate staff and joined the company’s board of directors in 1993.

He retired when the company sold its stations to Gray Media Group and its newspapers to Phillips Media in 2021.

Oakley is a past member of the National Association of Broadcasters board of directors and previously served on its executive committee. He also served on the Television Bureau of Advertising board of directors and the ABC Affiliate board of governors. He is a former chairperson of the NBC Affiliates Association and the Illinois Broadcasters Association.

He was the founding chairperson of the Community Foundation serving West Central Illinois and Northeast Missouri. He is a current member and former chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Quincy University.