Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, Named CQ Columnist


Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, Named CQ Contributing Editor
Succeeds Fred Maia, W5YI (Silent Key)

     (Hicksville, NY) April 17, 2012 -- Retired FCC amateur radio enforcement chief Riley Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, has been named a CQ magazine contributing editor, it was announced today by CQ Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU. Hollingsworth will succeed "Washington Readout" editor Fred Maia, W5YI, who recently became a Silent Key.

Hollingsworth, a ham since 1960 and a longtime FCC attorney, became a household name in amateur radio in 1998 when he was named Special Counsel for Amateur Radio in the Commission's newly-created Enforcement Bureau. His highly-visible enforcement actions were cheered by a vast majority of the amateur community after more than a decade during which FCC enforcement on the ham bands was virtually non-existent. Hollingsworth retired from the FCC in 2008, but has continued to be in demand as a speaker at hamfests and radio club meetings.

His new monthly column - to be titled "Riley's Ramblings" - will incorporate "Washington Readout's" coverage of legislative and administrative actions that affect amateur radio, as well as additional topics of importance and/or interest to CQ's readers, all related in the distinctive common-sense style that has made Riley a sought-after speaker. His first column will appear in the July, 2012, issue of CQ, and will explain why ongoing FCC enforcement actions since his retirement have been somewhat "under the radar."

"We are pleased and honored to have Riley joining our staff," said Moseson. "His stature in the amateur radio community is second-to-none, and his ability to explain sometimes-arcane legal and regulatory language in plain English fits right in with CQ's long-standing dedication to providing practical, useful information for our readers to help them get the most enjoyment possible out of the amateur radio hobby. I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship."

"I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to CQ and to amateur radio generally," noted Hollingsworth. "As a 13-year-old Novice in South Carolina nervously making my first contact with an overheated Johnson Challenger and a barely effective vertical, not in my wildest imagination did I think I would be writing for a ham radio magazine someday. I am very appreciative of this offer and I hope I can be a valuable asset to the magazine."

Hollingsworth holds a Master’s degree from the University of South Carolina, and a law degree from Wake Forest University. He lives in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Pat.