Six broadcasters set for 2023 induction

March 22, 2023/in News /by jordan

Three from Television, Two from Radio, and a Professor of Communications Will be Inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame Thursday, June 8

WCVB-TV’s long-time sports anchor Mike Lynch, the late and beloved Channel 7 videographer Therman Toon, the late WBZ-TV reporter, the gifted storyteller Bill Shields, as well as WBZ Radio’s heralded news reporter and “poet laureate” Carl Stevens, and Spanish music radio station entrepreneur Pat Costa will be inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame on Thursday, June 8, along with Lesley University Communications Professor and former rock and roll DJ Donna L. Halper.

Professor Halper, a former DJ, music director, and radio consultant, will also receive the Hall of Fame Pioneer Award, given, as Hall of Fame Committee Chair Peter Brown explained, “to individuals who have distinguished themselves over decades for lasting contributions made to the broadcast industry and through a leadership role in their particular craft.”

Tickets for the June 8 Hall of Fame luncheon are $90 each, or if purchased by May 18, $80 each. Full tables of eight, nine, and ten are available. The luncheon event will be held at the Marriott Boston Quincy Hotel located at 1000 Marriott Dr. in Quincy.

This year’s MA Broadcasters Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony and Luncheon will be the 15^th such program, and the six 2023 inductees will join a distinguished group of more than 150 past honorees in the Hall of Fame.

Alphabetically by last name, the 2023 inductees are:

Pat Costa is best-known for bringing the popularity of Spanish music radio stations to the

Merrimack Valley and Greater Boston area. Prior to 1990, Spanish music was relegated to a few hours of weekend block programming on various stations in the Lawrence, Lowell, Haverhill area. Today, among five radio stations that he owns, Pat Costa’s Costa-Eagle Radio Ventures station, Power 800 AM/102.9 FM WNNW airs a Spanish-language “tropical music” format and is the number-one Spanish language radio broadcaster in the Boston area. Costa-Eagle is a media partner of the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune. Another Costa-Eagle entity, WUBG 1570 AM, is a Spanish-language station licensed to serve Methuen. The station format is called “LatinX.” In addition to music, Pat Costa stations provide news and public affairs programming to nearly 100,000 Hispanic speaking residents. His stations were instrumental in the success of the Hispanic Week Festivities in the City of Lawrence.

Mike Lynch is a correspondent for WCVB-TV’s award-winning sports department with special focus on his signature “High Five” high school sports series and the Thanksgiving night high school football special, as well as other major sporting events. He was, for 34 years, the principal weeknight sports anchor for Channel 5 and, in all, a member of the WCVB sports team for 37 years. From 1995 through 2008, Mike hosted the weekly sports program “Patriots All Access,” a behind-the-scenes look at New England’s NFL franchise, and served as a broadcast commentator during Patriots pre-season games. He has also done play-by-play coverage for the Boston Celtics, New England Patriots, and college football. For 11 years, he hosted the Boston College weekly football coach’s show “Eagles Preview.” In 1985, Mike initiated “High Five,” a weekly report highlighting the achievements of high school student athletes. For more than 30 years, these unique segments have been lauded by critics and received numerous honors for a continuing commitment to covering high school athletics. Mike was voted Massachusetts “Sportscaster of the Year” by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association in 1985-1991, 1999, 2003, and 2006-2012 for a total of 16 times, the most honors of anyone in the history of the award. In 1987, SportsCenter 5 won the United Press International Award for “Best Sports Reporting” in the country.

Donna Halper, winner of this year’s Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame Pioneer Award, was an original Board member of the MA Broadcasters Hall of Fame. She is a prolific and respected broadcast historian, professor at Lesley University, and much more. A former disc jockey, music director, and radio consultant, she spent more than three decades in broadcasting before becoming a college professor. She came to Lesley in 2008 to develop and teach courses related to the study of communication and media, including Media Analysis, Introduction to Communication, and Introduction to Journalism. Donna’s teaching is informed by her knowledge of popular culture and media history. She is the author of six books and has been widely quoted by reporters seeking information about local and national media trends. In addition to teaching, Donna is the editor of the Lesley Public Post (Lesley’s student newspaper). She is a blogger and a free-lance writer. She has given many guest lectures at libraries, civic organizations, and other universities. And she is known for discovering the classic rock band Rush, who dedicated two albums to her; she can be seen in the 2010 documentary “Beyond the Lighted Stage.” Donna holds multiple degrees from Northeastern University – while an NU student, she was the first female DJ at the school’s radio station – and a PhD in Communication from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Among the books she has written are Invisible Stars: A Social History of Women in American Broadcasting revised and expanded 2^nd edition. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe (2014) and Boston Radio 1920-2010, Mt. Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Press (2011).

Bill Shields, the WBZ-TV, Boston reporter, passed away in February of this year. The following is excerpted from a February 8^th story about him by Boston Globe obituaries editor Bryan Marquard: As an Emmy Award-winning reporter for WBZ-TV, Bill Shields reported from high atop Mount Washington in winter and from the ocean depths off Florida with treasure hunters — and stood in front of cameras during more storms than he’d care to count. For many viewers, though, the most memorable moments of his 41 years on WBZ aired during the past decade, after his first diagnosis with lung cancer, when he encouraged others to seek treatment and survive with the optimism and humor for which he was known. “I don’t call myself a journalist,” he said in an interview last fall with Upstage Lung Cancer, which raises awareness and funding for lung cancer research, after he had been treated for a second cancer diagnosis. “I call myself a storyteller.” Mr. Shields “had an amazing ability to tell personal stories with humanity, dignity, and grace,” Justin Draper, president and general manager of WBZ-TV, said in a statement. “Bill was an incredible journalist and storyteller who also made us laugh along the way. Bill was a legend at WBZ.” … Throughout Mr. Shields’s illness, his wife said, “he wasn’t a complainer. He made it easier for others. He always continued to try to be positive and look on the bright side.” That was true, too, when he was on camera. Mr. Shields brought empathy and compassion to difficult stories, including the delicate task of knocking on the doors of families whose loved ones had died — “the worst thing you have to do as a reporter.” … As a youth he hoped to eventually work in media. “It was something I told my parents about in high school. I wanted to be in the middle of the news,” he said in 2021, during WBZ’s piece about his retirement. “And so it was a dream come true when I got this job,” he added.

Carl Stevens retired from full-time reporting work at WBZ Radio in September, 2019. Here are excerpts from a Boston Globe Sept. 26, 2019 story about Carl written by Globe staffer Travis Andersen: Carl Stevens, the legendary WBZ radio reporter and poet known for his signature voice and calm demeanor during chaotic press scrums, is dialing it back. Stevens, 64, said in a Facebook post Friday that he’s now working part-time at the station he’s called home since 1991. “I start working part time on Monday. Here’s a note that I sent to my colleagues at the station a couple weeks ago,” Stevens wrote. The note began, appropriately enough, with a rhyming couplet: “At the age of sixty-four/I don’t want to do this anymore.” Stevens continued, “Management has kindly granted my request to work part-time. For that, I am grateful. I will feed in one story per day. Maybe more. I don’t really know. Maybe an occasional poem. It’s kind of an experiment of necessity. I got old.” He wrote that he no longer wants to “drive through nor’easters, trudge through blizzards, walk up an icy hill to a three-alarm fire, or transcribe the tears of a grieving father. I’ve had enough icy hills. I’ve had enough tears. I got old.” … He also reflected movingly on the recent deaths of several colleagues, including WBZ radio reporter Lana Jones, who died [in 2018] at the age of 62 and later received a posthumous induction into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Stevens had marked Jones’s passing with one of his beloved poems that he records and posts to social media, garnering a sizable cult following among the local media literati. “I think, with me, there’s been an erosive effect of all the deaths: Lana, Gary, Gil, Mark, Joe, Dave, Sully, Bruds, Darryl, others,” Stevens wrote. “Lana was two months older than me. Gary [LaPierre] and Gil [Santos] were my mentors. It was the three of us in the newsroom when I first started at WBZ. Several months ago, as I was preparing the eulogy for Gary, I was thinking that I needed to stop working. That’s what Gary did when he turned 64. Went radio ‘cold turkey.’ … So, Stevens plans to stick around in a limited capacity. … “I might report for another three months, or maybe twenty years. I really don’t know. As a general assignment reporter, you learn to embrace the reality of uncertainty. … To be a good writer or anchor or editor or reporter or web person, you need passion and intelligence. We have plenty of that in the newsroom now. It bodes well for the future of WBZ.”

Therman Toon was the first Black news photographer in the New England area. He risked his life on several occasions filming the busing of school students in Boston. The following is excerpted from the September 22, 2005 Bay State Banner newspaper: Therman “Noot” Toon passed away at his Dorchester home Monday at the age of 62. Present were his wife Cathy, his daughter Nicole, and his son, Marlon in addition to many other family members and friends. Therman, the youngest son in a family of 11, will be remembered as a pioneering black TV news photographer. He was the first Black TV news photographer in New England. He began his career in 1968 with Channel 7 (then WNAC-TV), covering race riots in Boston that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Therman’s courage and determination ensured safe access for all media in the most strife-torn sections of Boston. Therman’s 37-year career at Channel 7 included coverage of most of the major stories and events that shaped and changed the New England region. His award-winning assignments included coverage of court-ordered school desegregation in Boston; the Delta plane crash at Logan Airport (1972); the Claus Von Bulow trials; Walpole Prison riots (included interviews with Albert DiSalvo “The [alleged] Boston Strangler”); the Red Sox pennant victory ecstasy and World Series despair (1975); the great Chelsea fire (1976); Boston’s bi-centennial celebration and the parade of the tall ships (1976); the blizzard of ’78; the 1980 presidential campaign; NAACP national conventions (New Orleans, Baltimore, Boston); “Louis Farrakhan; Eye of the Storm” (1985); the visit of Queen Elizabeth to Boston (1989); Charles Stuart and the murder case surrounding him (1989); South African Anglican Archbishop Tutu’s visit to Boston (1990); the great art heist (1990); the Charlestown dock fire (1995); the nanny trial (1998); JFK Jr memorial coverage (1999); 9/11 and its aftermath. Therman Toon’s professional and community achievements have been recognized with numerous Boston Press Photographer awards, The Black Achiever Award, and the NATAS “Silver Circle Award” for lifetime achievement. … Therman Toon’s work with young, aspiring journalists is also part of his legacy. He used a building he owned in Dudley Station to establish a practice studio where young people could become familiar with photographic equipment in a news studio. He spent countless hours counseling and critiquing their work.

Nine broadcasters inducted into MA Broadcasters Hall of Fame

June 29, 2022/in News /by jordan

Nine broadcasters inducted into MA Broadcasters Hall of Fame

On September 22, 2022 nine prestigous radio and television broadacsters were inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame during a luncheon induction at the Boston Marriott Quincy Hotel.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame by emcee Jordan Rich and Hall of Fame Committee Chairman Peter Brown on behalf of the association were:

Mike Baxendale, the long-time morning co-host on Springfield’s Rock 102, WAQY; WCRB Classical 99.5 Boston morning program host of more than 20 years, Laura Carlo; Eric Jackson of Boston’s WGBH 89.7 Radio, widely considered the “Dean of Boston Jazz Radio;” pioneering broadcast executive Paul Kelley; ESPN’s award-winning former Boston Red Sox TV play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough; John O’Brien, the popular iHeart Radio podcaster and former Rock 102, WAQY morning co-host; Nancy Quill, who for 38 years with WMJX, Boston, Magic 106.7, was among the top-rated mid-day radio ratings leaders; Jorge Quiroga, the award-winning WCVB-TV, Channel 5, Boston journalist who reported news for more than four decades at the station; and Gerald Walsh, the former President and General Manager of Boston’s WLVI, Channel 56, as well as WFXT, Channel 25, and one-time President of Boston Celtics Broadcasting.

During the lucnehon, the association announced that its 2023 Hall of Fame ceremony would take place on June 8 with nominations being sought through October 2022. Those wishing to nominate someone for the Hall of Fame can use the nomination form on the HOF website.

A full video of the luncheon (coming soon) along with more than 600 pictures are also available on our 2022 inductee page.

2022 Hall of Fame inductees

Michael Baxendale and John O’Brien

Michael Baxendale and John O’Brien spent twenty five years on WAQY Rock 102 as “the dominant radio personalities in the Springfield market,” according to The Reminder newspaper of Western Massachusetts. “While [their] show may be known for its outrageous humor and commentary,” the newspaper wrote, “it [was] also a venue for local political discussion. Area mayors, city councilors, state representatives and others [were] regular part[s] of the show.” Bax and O’Brien were also known for their tireless charitable work. As an example, for more than two decades they hosted and broadcast continuously the annual Mayflower Marathon, a 57-hour on-air food and fund drive that takes place each year on the weekend before Thanksgiving to benefit the Open Pantry food bank of Springfield.

Laura Carlo

Laura Carlo has been WCRB’s Morning Program host for more than two decades. Under the station’s original ownership she also hosted the morning show for the World Classical Network, syndicated in 16 US cities, making her the most listened-to stand-alone female music announcer in America, according to Arbitron. She has been both a part-time Music Host and News Anchor on New York’s WQXR and in Boston, Weekend News Anchor on WBZ Radio and Weekend News Writer/News Producer for WCVB-TV 5; Afternoon News Anchor for Channel 27 (Worcester); and News Director/Morning Anchor on Fall River’s WALE Radio. In addition, she has written, produced and hosted numerous programs for WCRB including “ArtsAlive!” “Laura’s Book Nook,” “CEO Spotlight,” and “Baroque in Boston.” She is a pianist and channels Chopin daily.

Eric Jackson

Eric Jackson was widely considered the “Dean of Boston Jazz Radio.” He began his broadcast career in 1969 as a Boston University student, hosting three programs offering jazz, rhythm-and-blues and what he calls “mixed music” on BU’s closed-circuit AM station, WTBU. Continuing his work in college radio, he went on to host WBUR’s The Grotto (1970) and at Harvard’s WHRB Going East (1971) before moving to the commercial airwaves and a Sunday afternoon jazz program on Boston’s WILD (1972). Jackson hosted a contemporary mixed-music show for WBCN Boston where he also produced and hosted Third World Report, a weekly public affairs forum. In 1975 while still at WBCN, Jackson wrote and narrated Essays in Black Music, a 35-part chronology of African American musical history that aired weekly on WGBH Radio, Boston. Jackson became a regular part of the WGBH lineup in 1977 with Artists in the Night, an overnight jazz music showcase. Eric in the Evening debuted in 1981 and with it, his emergence as one of public broadcasting’s most popular on-air personalities. In 2006, Jackson received the National Jazz Journalists Association’s Willis Conover-Marian McPartland Award for Excellence in Jazz Broadcasting. He was awarded Jazzweek’s Major Market Programmer of the Year in 2008. In 2012, Jackson received the 2012 Duke Dubois Humanitarian Award. Over the years, Jackson has hosted more than 3000 interviews with music greats ranging from Wynton Marsalis to Ornette Coleman to Dizzy Gillespie. He is currently a member of the Northeastern University faculty where he teaches The African American Experience Through Music. WGBH celebrated Eric Jackson’s more than 40 years of employment with “Eric Jackson Week” activities in April, 2018.

Paul Kelley – Pioneer Award
Retired radio executive Paul Kelley, best-known for championing expanded professional and college sports broadcasts throughout New England will receive the 2022 Pioneer Award, given, as Hall of Fame Committee Chair Peter Brown explained, “to an individual who has distinguished himself/herself over decades for lasting contributions made to the broadcast industry and through a leadership role in his or her particular craft.” Kelley worked in local and national sales management for several top stations before branching out in his own business Kelley Communications. He launched the first 24-hour all sports talk radio station in the country with WITS in the 1970s, and he doubled the Red Sox Radio Network from 40 to 80 stations when he acquired the media rights of the Red Sox. Only the Cincinnati Reds at the time had more (85). In expanding the Red Sox network in 1975, Paul included FM stations WPLM FM for extra coverage to the south and WWEL FM (now KISS) for added coverage to the north.

Kelley supported the popular “Music America with Ron Della Chiesa” show, which still airs weekly on WPLM Radio, Plymouth. During his nearly five-decade career, he also produced dozens of radio features including golf and ski tips and coverage of local high school and college sports teams. Kelley is now in his 90s and is proud of a career that impacted so many so positively in the region’s radio market.

This is the fourth year that the Pioneer Award has been presented. “The Award,” Committee Chair Brown said, “was established to recognize individuals who do not appear on-air, but their role helped influence and inspire the Massachusetts broadcast community to reach a pinnacle of excellence.”

Sean McDonough

Sean McDonough, the popular former Boston Red Sox TV play-by-play announcer and commentator, who is still heard throughout New England as a commentator on the Red Sox Radio Network, recently re-signed as a play-by-play several-sport commentator with ESPN, extending the veteran broadcaster’s tenure with the network well beyond three decades. McDonough’s broadcast work includes a College Football Playoff (CFP) Semifinal on ESPN and the CFP National Championship on ESPN Radio, capping each college football season in which he calls weekly marquee regular season games on ESPN or ABC. McDonough’s voice extends beyond ESPN’s college football coverage, calling signature men’s college basketball games concluding the basketball season with the NCAA Men’s Final Four for ESPN International. The Masters’ Par 3 competition, the PGA Championship, select Major League Baseball games and additional golf events are on his annual slate. McDonough joined ESPN in 1988, establishing himself as a national voice just four years after graduating cum laude from Syracuse. In his renowned tenure, the Boston native has been behind the ESPN microphone for a bevy of marquee events, including Monday Night Football, The Open Championship, the US Open, and multiple NCAA Championships. During a portion of his early career, McDonough worked for both ESPN and CBS. As CBS’s lead Major League Baseball broadcast voice in 1992 and 1993, he called the World Series, National League Championship Series and the All-Star Game. McDonough’s other CBS assignments included a diverse array of sports – men’s and women’s college basketball, NFL, college football, golf, U.S. Open Tennis and the Olympic Winter Games. McDonough was the television play-by-play announcer for the Boston Red Sox from 1988-2004. McDonough’s golf tournament –The Sean McDonough Celebrity Golf Classic – has raised nearly four million dollars over 10 years, with the proceeds distributed to 129 children’s charities throughout Massachusetts.

Nancy Quill

Having been on the radio for 38 years, Nancy Quill was regarded as “the most listened to woman in the city of Boston.” Hired at only 22 on a then-brand-new station called Magic 106.7, WMJX, she had consistent number one ratings in her 10 AM to 3 PM time slot during her Magic 106 tenure, Nancy told a recent interviewer that being number one was “great, but staying number one [was] hard work. I [had] to be on my game every day. I’ve got to do the best that I can to relate to people…to be real. I want[ed] them to know that I care, that I’m there for them.” A graduate of the University of Lowell with a degree in music education, Quill is an accomplished singer, songwriter and musician. Radio is in her blood: she is the daughter of the late Doris and Joe Quill, owner and general manager of WRLM in Taunton, Massachusetts. Nancy was with the station from when WMJX signed on in 1982. “More than a million people listen to Nancy every week,” the station once boasted. “She has the longest-running show of any woman on the radio in any top-ten market in America.” Quill has also worked as a freelance voice artist and provides the voiceover for clients around the world. As a voice talent, she has provided voiceovers for leading service providers including EMantras, Benztown, Blue Coat Technologies, Hi-Energy Productions, and Voice Talent Online.

Jorge Quiroga

Jorge Quiroga, an award-winning journalist at WCVB-TV, Channel 5 in Boston, reported countless stories for 45 years for the station’s award-winning newscasts. An inductee in the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) Boston/New England Chapter, Quiroga covered nearly every major national and local story of importance to New Englanders including the Blizzard of ’78, the Claus von Bülow trial (then, the “crime of the century”), the September 11 attack on America, the Sandy Hook school shootings, and the Boston Marathon bombing. He joined WCVB in 1974 as the first producer/host of Aqui, a Hispanic public affairs program he created.

Gerald Walsh

Rising through the ranks in television sales, Gerry Walsh became President and General Manager of WLVI, Channel 56, Boston, and served in that position from 1980 to 1989. At WLVI (then with the call letters WKBG), he introduced the city’s first commercial station 10 o’clock news. As President of Boston Celtics Broadcasting from 1989 to 1996, he served as general manager of WFXT-TV, Boston’s Fox network affiliate, Channel 25. After the Boston Celtics acquired WEEI Radio, he created and developed the first all sports talk radio station which included broadcasting Boston Celtics basketball. Soon after, WEEI became one of the most popular sports talk stations in the country. His professional career includes positions as account executive at WHDH-Radio and WLVI-television, local, national and general sales manager before becoming president and general manager at WLVI and then president, general manager, WFXT-Fox 25, Boston to his retirement. As a broadcast executive and into his retirement, his charitable work is notable as a Board of Trustees member of: Carney Hospital, Boston, the Red Auerbach Fund, the Genesis Fund, Catholic Charities of Boston, and the South Boston Neighborhood House. He served as a member of the National Academy television Arts/Sciences Boston/New England Chapter (president 1985-1986), the Northeast Broadcasters Association (president 1984-1985), and the Ad Club of Boston (trustee 1986-1987).

Tickets for Sept. 22, 2022 luncheon on sale now

July 14, 2021/in Events, News /by jordan

Our Status has Changed; Our Mission Remains the Same

January 22, 2020/in News /by Conor McDonough

The Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame Board of Directors voted unanimously in 2019 to dissolve its nonprofit 501(c)(3) status and to accept an invitation from the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association (www.massbroadcasters.org) to become, as of January 1, 2020, the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame Committee. The mission of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame remains the same – to honor the industry’s most noteworthy members from Massachusetts, commemorate their achievements and contributions to broadcasting and to preserve their work for future generations. The Hall of Fame Committee will continue to conduct a nomination and selection process each year to induct individuals who have made major contributions to Massachusetts broadcasting. An Induction and Awards Luncheon will be held annually to honor the inductees.

Introducing the Hall of Fame Class of 2019

June 27, 2019/0 Comments/in Events, News /by Conor McDonough

To purchase tickets for our September 27th Induction and Awards Luncheon, please contact Lynne Osborn at lynne1203@me.com, or call 617-763-0109

Nine major figures in radio and television will be inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame at its annual Induction and Awards Luncheon on Friday, September 27, at the Boston Marriott Quincy Hotel. They are: Marjorie Arons-Barron, the retired long-time former WCVB-TV, Boston, Director of Editorials; WCVB’s founding President and General Manager, the late Robert Bennett; WBZ-TV Boston meteorologist Barry Burbank; Boston TV38’s former “Movie Loft” host Dana Hersey; Boston 7News former political reporter/commentator Andy Hiller; WBZ Boston Radio sports reporter Jonny Miller; Lisa Mullins, the voice of All Things Considered on NPR’s Boston affiliate, WBUR Radio; Springfield’s WWLP-TV retired General Manager Bill Pepin; and Richard Chase, retired from WBZ-TV after 40 years as a news photographer. Chase will be honored with the Hall of Fame’s Pioneer Award, which is presented to individuals or organizations who fundamentally contributed to broadcasting.

Hall of Fame Presidentand former WBZ-TV News Director Peter Brown commented, “Our class of 2019 represents some of the true treasures of broadcasting. This group of outstanding professionals has been recognized for their enduring commitment and deep dedication to their craft. Their body of work is a testament to their talents and their passions for bringing to their audiences the very best in news, information and entertainment. They are the leaders who set forth the path that future generations will follow. Let us welcome them as they join more than 150 others who can proudly state they have been inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters of Fame.”

Marjorie Arons-Barron

The long-time former Editorial Director at WCVB-TV, Channel 5, Boston’s ABC affiliate, Marjorie Arons-Barron has been an award-winning journalist for nearly three decades. For 20 years, she produced and often hosted WCVB’s Five on Five, at one time the nation’s longest running, locally produced public affairs discussion program. Prior to working at Channel 5, she was an associate producer of PBS Television’s The Advocates, a national political affairs writer for The Boston Phoenix, a reporter for WGBH-TV’s Ten O’Clock News and political editor of The Newton Times. Arons-Barron has won many awards, including three New England Emmy Awards and, for five consecutive years, the National Award for Excellence in Television Editorials from the National Broadcast Editorial Association. She has also been honored by, among others, United Press International, Associated Press, the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association, the Massachusetts National Guard, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the YWCA, and the Big Sisters Association of Greater Boston.

Robert Bennett

Adapted from The New York Times, Dec. 4, 2016(on Mr. Bennett’s passing) – In 1972, the Federal Communications Commission, for the first time in its history, awarded a television license to a new group of operators in Boston, and Bob Bennett, among a field of elite candidates, was selected to lead the group. He emerged as that station’s principal architect, builder, manager, and owner. WCVB-TV, from the start, was conceived as a model of what local television broadcasting could be in America. It produced more than 60 hours of locally produced programming at a time when most stations were content simply to run local news and occasional documentaries. … WCVB-TV, which received the prestigious Peabody Award as America’s finest television station, was sold in 1981 to Metromedia for $220 million, eclipsing the highest price ever paid for a television station in the country. It became the flagship station for the Metromedia broadcasting group [and Mr. Bennett headed that company’s station group, then the largest in the nation]. … In 1985, he arranged and directed the sale of WCVB-TV to the Hearst Corporation for $450 million, which was then cited as the new high-water mark for any television station sale in the U.S.

Barry Burbank

Veteran meteorologist Barry Burbank is the region’s longest-tenured broadcast meteorologist, having begun with WBZ-TV on March 3, 1978. He began his on air career in February 1976 as the weeknight forecaster at WCSH-TV 6 in Portland, Maine. He was Maine’s first professional television meteorologist. Burbank has led a distinguished career, receiving numerous accolades for his work. He received the 2006 Award for Outstanding Service by a Broadcast Meteorologist, a national honor presented by the American Meteorological Society. He was also chosen to become a member of the Boston/New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ Silver Circle in 2005. This honor is given to distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to television over the course of at least 25 years.

Dana Hersey

The Movie Loft and Ask the Manager are two iconic programs formerly on TV 38 that remind us of Dana Hersey. With his deep, resonant theatrical voice, Hersey expertly hosted The Movie Loft in the late 70s and 80s, making it a Boston area household name. His encyclopedic knowledge of movies made his introductions to the films of The Movie Loft a preview you did not want to miss. The Movie Loft actually helped pioneer a new type of television broadcasting by introducing the hosted movie format, as well as airing only “unedited” movies. That was quite an eye- and ear-opener for someone who was watching shows like Gilligan’s Island, Leave it to Beaver, and Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Hersey also asked the questions on Ask the Manager with then Channel 38 General Manager Dan Berkery. On radio, Hersey was an announcer with WLYN-AM in Lynn and more recently co-hosted the popular morning show on North Shore 104.9 FM, Boston.

Andy Hiller

Andy Hiller is widely regarded as the most provocative political reporter in New England. He spent 15 years as a political reporter for WBZ-TV, Boston’s Channel 4, before moving in 1993 to what is today, WHDH-TV, 7NEWS in Boston. He is well known for his often-acerbic analysis of political events, as well as his regular segment entitled, “The Hiller Instinct.” Throughout the years, Hiller covered virtually every major political campaign in Massachusetts since 1977. His reporting career began at Iowa’s Davenport Times-Democrat in 1971. From 1972-1977, he was a political editor in Atlanta for WAGA-TV, where he covered Governor, then President, Jimmy Carter. For his distinct political reporting, Hiller won an Emmy award, and has been named “Best TV Reporter” several times by Boston Magazine. Hiller earned a Master’s degree in public administration from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He received his B.A. from Beloit College.

Jonny Miller

Adapted from the August 25, 2018 Boston Globe, by Dan Shaughnessy… If you follow the Red Sox, you’ve heard the voice of the man who’s always asking the tough questions. The man’s name is Jonny Miller, and he is a Boston sports media institution, a Red Sox historian, a philanthropist, soon to be a septuagenarian, and probably the hardest-working guy in our business. Jonny was born with cerebral palsy … grew up in Newton, went to his first Red Sox opener in 1958, graduated from Boston University in 1972, and immediately went to work for WBZ radio, asking questions and gathering sound for the station. … “I’m not afraid to ask tough questions,’’ he says. “He never shies away from anything,’’ says Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley “As a player, you know that’s the toughest question you’re going to get, and it’s always the first one.’’… Jonny also covered the Celtics (home and away) in the old days. … A medical marvel, he never gains weight even though he seems to exist on a diet of Cokes, cookies, doughnuts, turkey subs, pizza rolls, and ice cream. He was a recreational jogger until back surgery slowed him in 2005. It’s painful for him to stand for long periods but he never complains and rarely takes a seat in the Sox clubhouse … Before and after games at Fenway, Jonny gets to ask the first question. He is Helen Thomas with a white polo instead of a red dress.

Lisa Mullins

Lisa Mullins is known for her hard-hitting interview style and her wide knowledge of international affairs. She is the voice of All Things Considered on Boston’s NPR affiliate, WBUR Radio. Mullins is also guest anchor of the WBUR and NPR midday show Here & Now. From 1998 through 2012, Mullins was chief anchor of the daily international news program, “The World,” co-produced by the BBC, WGBH and PRI. Her foreign reporting has taken her to Turkey, Morocco, Egypt, Cuba, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Hong Kong, South and North Korea and elsewhere. Between 1996 and 2014, Mullins wrote, produced and narrated programs and documentaries for New England Public Radio. She also hosted a PBS-TV series called “Thinking Big.” Early in her career, Mullins anchored WBUR’s Morning Edition. Even earlier, she was news director at WEIM in Fitchburg. In 2010, she was awarded a fellowship at Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation. Mullins has also received the bronze award for “Best Network Anchor” in the New York Festival’s international radio competition, and Boston Magazinehas honored her with its “Best Radio Voice” award. She was also awarded an honorary doctorate of journalism degree by her alma materSimmons College.

Bill Pepin

Capping a broadcasting career that spans five decades, William M. Pepin retired last year as Vice President and General Manager of WWLP-TV, 22News. Pepin began his broadcasting career while still in high school, working for a WREB-AM Radio in Holyoke. He joined WWLP in 1969 working in production, on-air as a weathercaster, and in management. In 1978, Pepin moved to Salt Lake City, Utah to serve as Vice President and General Manager of WWLP’s sister station KSTU, becoming the youngest television GM in the country. Pepin returned to Massachusetts and WWLP in 1981, assuming the position of General Manager. Under his leadership of more than 35 years, WWLP was recognized repeatedly as an innovator in the market. Being actively involved in his local and broadcast communities has been a staple of Pepin’s career. He has been or is currently a board member of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the Western Mass. Economic Development Council, the MA Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and more, including serving as Chairman of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association (MBA) from 2007 to 2009. Pepin was named the 2017 “Broadcaster of the Year” by the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association, the MBA’s highest honor.

The 2019 Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame Pioneer Award-Winner

Richard Chase

When Richard Chase was asked what he liked about being a TV photographer, Chase answered, “It’s loving what you do, caring about people, and enjoying photography.” In 1970, Richard Chase traded his newspaper camera for a TV one and spent a total of four decades at WBZ-TV before retiring in May 2008. Through much of the time with WBZ, Chase worked the morning shift and covered, among many major stories, the day-to-day drama of Boston’s 1970s turbulent school desegregation. “What bothered me the most about that story,” he told an interviewer on his retirement, “were the kids getting off buses – young children – with glass in their hair and crying.” Chase also remembers the more joyous stories over the years, such as the Olympics and championship seasons with the Bruins, Celtics, and Patriots. Richard Chase is the Hall of Fame Board of Directors’ choice for its 2019 Pioneer Award.

Victoria Block, Ernie Boch, Sara Edwards, Listo Fisher, Ray Hershel, Karen Holmes Ward, Lana Jones, Harvey Leonard, Russell Morash, and Maxanne Sartori To Be Inducted Into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame

June 25, 2018/0 Comments/in News /by Burt Peretsky

Ernie Boch Will be Honored Posthumously With the Organization’s “Pioneer Award” at Hall of Fame’s Induction and Awards Luncheon, Thursday, September 20, 2018

Ten major figures in radio and television will be inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame at its annual Induction and Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 20, at the Boston Marriott Quincy Hotel. Alphabetically by last name, they are: former longtime WHDH-TV, 7NEWS journalist Victoria Block, legendary advertiser in the automotive industry Ernie Boch who will be honored posthumously with the organization’s special Pioneer Award, three-time Emmy award-winner and former co-host of Evening Magazine Sara Edwards, retired Boston radio news veteran Listo Fisher, the “dean” of Western Massachusetts television journalism Ray Hershel, WCVB-TV Director of Public Affairs and Community Services and host/executive producer of CityLine Karen Holmes Ward, the late WBZ Radio news reporter/anchor Lana Jones, WCVB-TV’s Chief Meteorologist Harvey Leonard, This Old House Executive Producer/Director Russell Morash, and one of the early WBCN Radio deejays Maxanne Sartori.

Hall of Fame President Peter Brown commented, “The Board members of the Hall of Fame are very pleased to welcome such a passionate and gifted group to our 2018 Inductee Class. The selection process is such a challenging one each year, because of the depth and breadth of the talented professionals who are nominated. This year’s group stands out for its leadership, innovation, inspiration and dedication. Each new member of the Hall of Fame, in her or his own way, has touched generations of audiences across our Commonwealth, keeping them informed and entertained. We are honored to recognize them for their outstanding achievements in broadcasting.”

Victoria Block, a member of the WHDH-TV, 7NEWS staff for more than two decades and a two-time Emmy Award-winner, was a general assignment reporter who covered topics ranging from education to crime to politics. Block’s reporting took her to Detroit to cover the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding story, to Israel to cover the murder of Yitzhak Rabin, to L.A. for the OJ trial, to New York City for 9/11, and to Rome when Cardinal Law resigned at the height of the sexual abuse scandal. Before jumping into TV, Block worked in radio for eight years. She was a general assignment reporter and anchor at WHDH Radio, Boston. She has also worked as a reporter and anchor at WJAR-AM Radio and WEAN-AM Radio, in Providence.

The late Ernie Boch was, as the Boston Herald once described him, “the windshield-smashing, price-slashing, llama-pasturing sultan of Bay State auto sales.” His groundbreaking TV commercials hit the airwaves in 1964. From jumping out of trunks and smashing windshields to “Come on Down,” Ernie Boch led the way for the self-promoting owner/operator. Ernie worked until his passing in 2003. Today, his legacy lives on. Mr. Boch will be honored with the Hall of Fame’s “Pioneer Award,” which is presented to individuals or organizations who fundamentally contributed to broadcasting.

Three-time Emmy Award-winner Sara Edwards is best-known locally for her work with Barry Nolan as co-host of Evening Magazine on WBZ-TV, Channel 4, from 1981-1990. She then joined cross-town WHDH-TV, Channel 7, as an entertainment reporter from 1991-2003. While based there she also served as a film critic and entertainment reporter for NBC News serving that network’s affiliates across the United States. The last four years of her career in Boston reunited her with Barry Nolan on the Comcast Network entertainment show “Backstage with Barry Nolan.”

Listo Fisher is an award-winning newscaster who has worked as a host, anchor, and announcer at WCRB, WRKO, WHDH and WBZ, all Boston radio stations, as well as at stations in Ohio, Indiana, New York and Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa.

Ray Hershel is the dean of Western Massachusetts television journalists. He’s been a broadcast journalist at the same station in Springfield for the last 50 years and just retired as a full-time TV reporter for Western Mass News, WGGB abc40, CBS 3, & Fox 6 in Springfield, on April 27, 2018.

Karen Holmes Ward is the Director of Public Affairs and Community Service for WCVB Channel 5 in Boston, as well as host and executive producer of CityLine, WCVB’s award-winning weekly magazine program which addresses the accomplishments, concerns and issues facing people of color living in Boston and its suburbs. Karen has a 40-year career in broadcasting including early stints as a writer at WEEI News Radio, News Director at WILD-Radio and reporter at WGBH-TV.

The late Lana Jones was a long-time reporter for WBZ NewsRadio 1030 in Boston and was part of WBZ’s award-winning coverage of the Catholic priest sexual abuse scandal. She passed away suddenly earlier this year. After jobs as a radio announcer in Toledo and in her small Ohio hometown, Ms. Jones worked as a radio announcer in Worcester and elsewhere in Boston, and then made her mark at WBZ, where, the Boston Globe said, “her smooth, confident voice delivered a broad spectrum of breaking news for almost 30 years.”

Harvey Leonard is WCVB-TV’s chief meteorologist and forecasts for NewsCenter 5’s early evening and late newscasts, as well as for the station’s website. Leonard served as chief meteorologist for WHDH-TV from May 1977 to April 2002 and has worked as a meteorologist in New England for more than 40 years. He also served as chief meteorologist at WPRI-TV in Providence, RI.

Russell Morash has been called the father of “how-to” and “know-how” television. As the founder of This Old House in 1979, he introduced the premier home improvement television series to America. Today he still serves as executive producer and director of The New Yankee Workshop, now in its 18th season. Prior to tackling home renovation, in 1963 Russ teamed up with a budding cookbook author with an unmistakable accent and a marvelous sense of humor to create The French Chef with Julia Child. For the next 30 years Russ and Julia created a number of cooking classics for television, which continue to represent the gold standard of that genre. In 1975, Russ teamed with Jim Crockett to begin Crockett’s Victory Garden, later The Victory Garden, a televised gardening adventure which continued for 30 years until Russ hung up his trowel in 2003. The WGBH program continues to be seen on PBS.

Maxanne Sartori was hired for the afternoon shift as a WBCN Radio deejay on Friday the 13th of November, 1970, and by the time she left the station, on April Fool’s Day 1977, she had become what the Music Museum of New England called, “WBCN’s most powerful and distinctive personality.” Maxanne championed Boston artists like The J. Geils Band, The Cars and Billy Squier, and Aerosmith. The Museum’s dedication to her continues, “Maxanne will always be remembered for her association with a young Bruce Springsteen, who dropped in on the afternoon show with a truncated version of the E Street Band for a pair of famously bootlegged and beloved unplugged performances in January ’73 and April ’74. Indeed, the unique and hilarious performance of ‘Rosalita’ from the latter visit is easily one of the most memorable nine-minutes in WBCN’s entire history.”

The public is invited to attend the Hall of Fame induction event, and tickets at $90 each are available for purchase now by visiting the Hall of Fame website at: massbroadcastershof.org/buy-tickets.

March is the month when recommendations for Hall of Fame induction are encouraged!!!

February 28, 2018/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Burt Peretsky

Interested broadcasters and members of the public are encouraged during March of each year to make their suggestions as to who should be inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame’s Induction Committee meets every April to consider those suggestions for inductees who will be honored in the fall at the organization’s Induction and Awards Luncheon.

To make your inductee suggestions, go to the massbroadcastersHOF.org website, and click on “Recommend an Inductee.”
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Who’s Who in Mass Broadcasting to be at Induction Ceremonies, Thu, 9-28

September 25, 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Burt Peretsky

Media Contact: Burt Peretsky (781) 828-4714 executivedirector@massbroadcastersHOF.org

www.massbroadcastersHOF.org

A Veritable “Who’s Who” from Local Radio and TV Will Attend the Massachusetts Broadcasters

Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Luncheon, Thursday, September 28, at Quincy Marriott Hotel

Nine Individuals To Be Inducted

Hall of Fame to Honor: News7’s Byron Barnett, Retired Channel 38 General Manager Dan Berkery, KISS 108 Radio Personality and Co-Host of TV’s “Dining Playbook” Billy Costa, Western Mass News Primary TV Anchor Dave Madsen, WBZ Radio “NightSide” host Dan Rea, Boston Red Sox TV Color Analyst Jerry Remy, Former Chairman and CEO of Radio Powerhouse Greater Media, Inc. Peter Smyth, Recently Retired WBZ Radio News Anchor Diane Stern, AND Cramer Productions Founder and Chairman, the Late Tom Martin.

Nine distinguished individuals will be inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame at its 11^th annual Induction and Awards Luncheon at the Boston Marriott Quincy Hotel on Thursday, Sept. 28. Each will be “presented” by prominent broadcasting figures, as nearly two dozen past inductees and more than 300 other guests look on.

Slated for induction, and their presenters, are (alphabetically by inductees’ last names):

WHDH-TV 7NEWS reporter Byron Barnett, to be presented by three-time Emmy Award-winning journalist and News7 reporter Jonathan Hall,
Retired TV38 General Manager and co-founder of New England Sports Network (NESN) Dan Berkery, to be presented by the recently named play-by-play voice of ESPN’s Monday Night Football, Sean McDonough,
KISS 108 Radio Personality and Host of TV’s “Dining Playbook” and “High School Quiz Show“ Billy Costa, to be presented by KISS 108 “Matty in the Morning” show host Matt Siegel,
Western Mass News Primary TV Anchor Dave Madsen, to be presented by John Hesslein, a Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame Board member and Vice President and General Manager of Western Massachusetts’ television stations WSHM, WGGB, and WFSB, better known as CBS 3, ABC40, and FOX 6,
Cramer Productions Founder and Chairman Tom Martin, who passed away on July 27 of this year. Martin’s presenter is 2010 Hall of Fame inductee S. James Coppersmith, who served WCVB-TV, Channel 5 as Vice President and General Manager from 1982 to 1989 and as President and GM from 1990 to 1994. Mr. Martin will receive the Hall of Fame’s “Pioneer Award,” which is presented to individuals or organizations fundamental to the industry but not readily recognized as broadcasters, per se,
WBZ Radio “NightSide” host Dan Rea, to be presented by WBZ Radio’s Peter Casey, the veteran director of news & programming for the station,
Boston Red Sox TV Color Analyst Jerry Remy, who will be present and introduced by NESN President Sean McGrail,
Former Chairman and CEO of Radio Powerhouse Greater Media, Inc. Peter Smyth, who will be introduced by Loren Owens, who with his WROR Radio partner Wally Brine was a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, and
Recently Retired WBZ Radio News Anchor Diane Stern, who will be introduced by her husband, the former long-time WCVB-TV NewsCenter 5 executive Neil Ungerleider, who recently retired as the station’s Digital & Multimedia Manager.

Looking on among the (to date) more than 325 guests, will be the following past Hall of Fame inductees (others may be added before the event):

Bob Lobel
Hall of Fame Board member Phil Weiner
Natalie Jacobson
Former Hall of Fame Board member Paul LaCamera
Tom McAuliffe Sr.
Ken Meyer
Hall of Fame Board member Jim Boyd
Ken Carter
Ron Della Chiesa
David Mugar
Hall of Fame Board member Mike Addams
Former Hall of Fame Board member Dick Flavin
Dave O’Gara
Don Batting
Hall of Fame Board member Ed Perry
Bob Copeland
Tommy Heinsohn
Charlie Ballantine
Nat Whittemore

In addition, most of the Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors will be present, a group that includes general managers and other key executives of Bay State radio and television stations.

Hall of Fame President Peter Brown, Principal of Peter Brown Communications, called this year’s inductees “as impressive a group of broadcasters as there is anywhere and a collective credit to the radio and television industry of the Bay State.” Former long-time WBZ Radio host Jordan Rich, a Hall of Fame Board member, will emcee the luncheon. Tickets for the luncheon are $75 each and may be purchased via the Hall of Fame’s website, www.massbroadcastersHOF.org.

The Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame conducts a nomination and selection process each year to induct individuals who have made major contributions to Massachusetts broadcasting and broadcasting in general. A permanent Hall of Fame exhibit with plaques representing all past inductees is on display opposite the Akillian Gallery on the Canton campus of Massasoit Community College.

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June 12, 2017/0 Comments/in Events, News /by Burt Peretsky

Nine Individuals to Be Inducted Into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame at Induction and Awards Luncheon, Thursday, September 28, at Quincy Marriott Hotel

Hall of Fame to Honor: 7News’ Byron Barnett, Channel 38 General Manager (retired) Dan Berkery, KISS 108 Radio Personality and Co-Host of TV’s “Dining Playbook” Billy Costa, Western Mass News TV Anchor Dave Madsen, Founder and Chairman of Cramer Tom Martin, WBZ Radio “NightSide” host Dan Rea, Boston Red Sox TV Analyst Jerry Remy, Former Chairman and CEO of Greater Media, Inc. Peter Smyth, and WBZ Radio News Anchor (retired) Diane Stern

Nine distinguished individuals will be inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame at its 11^th annual Induction and Awards Luncheon on Thursday, Sept. 28 at the Boston Marriott Hotel in Quincy.

Slated for induction are (alphabetically) 7NEWS’ Byron Barnett, retired Channel 38 General Manager Dan Berkery, KISS 108 radio personality and host of TV’s “Dining Playbook” Billy Costa, Western Mass News TV Anchor Dave Madsen, Cramer Productions Founder and Chairman Tom Martin, WBZ Radio “NightSide” host Dan Rea, Boston Red Sox TV analyst Jerry Remy, Former Chairman and CEO of Greater Media, Inc. Peter Smyth, and recently retired WBZ Radio News Anchor Diane Stern. Martin will receive the Hall of Fame’s “Pioneer Award,” which is presented to individuals or organizations for their pioneering contribution to broadcasting.

Hall of Fame President Peter Brown, Principal of Peter Brown Communications, called this year’s inductees “an extraordinary group of broadcasters with impressive credentials. Each person stands alone for his or her outstanding contributions, and together they represent some of the very best in the radio and television industry across the state.” Former long-time WBZ Radio host Jordan Rich, a Hall of Fame Board member, will emcee the luncheon. Tickets for the luncheon are $75 each and may be purchased via the Hall of Fame’s website, www.massbroadcastersHOF.org.

The Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame honors the industry’s most noteworthy members from Massachusetts, commemorates their achievements and contributions to broadcasting, and preserves their work for future generations. The Hall of Fame conducts a nomination and selection process in March and April of each year to induct individuals who have made major contributions to Massachusetts broadcasting and broadcasting in general. A permanent Hall of Fame exhibit with plaques representing all past inductees is on display opposite the Akillian Gallery on the Canton campus of Massasoit Community College.

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Following are brief biographical sketches of the 2017 Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame inductees…

Byron Barnett, host of the long running WHDH-TV public affairs show Urban Update, joined Boston’s 7NEWS in 1983. From crime stories to human interest features to political campaigns, Barnett has covered an incredibly wide range of major stories of local, national and international interest. Among the blockbuster stories Barnett has covered are: the 1984 riots in Lawrence, the release of American hostages from a hijacked TWA flight in Lebanon in 1985, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster that killed New Hampshire school teacher Christa McAuliffe and six other astronauts in 1986, the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, and the death penalty trial of bomber Timothy McVeigh. He has also covered every Presidential campaign since Reagan vs Mondale in 1984, including the historic campaigns of the nation’s first African-American President Barack Obama and the nation’s first female major party Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton. An Emmy Award-winner, Barnett has won many other awards including a Sigma Delta Chi Award, the National Association of Black Journalists’ Region One Journalist of The Year Award, YMCA Black Achievers Award, and several community service awards.

Dan Berkery was General Manager of Boston’s WSBK-TV, Channel 38, from 1981 to 1994. He also was a significant player in revolutionizing the Boston sports media landscape as the co-founder of the New England Sports Network (NESN),the first regional sports network launch in the industry. During Berkery’s tenure at TV38, the station was the home for the Boston Red Sox, The Boston Bruins, and later the Boston Celtics, airing more than 150 live sporting events a year. Berkery launched many successful careers, including in 1985, hiring a young broadcaster out of Syracuse University, Sean McDonough, as the Bruins between-period host. McDonough later went on to a three-decade-plus sports broadcasting career and, among other achievements, was the youngest person to ever call a baseball World Series game. As General Manager of a major-market, independent television station, Berkery was a visionary and well respected by almost every national program syndicator, purchasing such shows as Seinfeld, Cheers, M*A*S*H, Family Ties, and many others. Berkery may be best known locally as the host of “Ask the Manager,” where he engaged energetically and candidly with viewers on the behind-the-scenes business of commercial television.

Billy Costa is a television Emmy Award-winner and popular radio personality with KISS 108-FM in Boston. He serves as co-host of The Matty in the Morning Show and hosts the KISS Top 30 Countdown. He is also the host of High School Quiz Show on WGBH-TV. He and co-host Jenny Johnson currently star on Dining Playbook, a 30-minute show on the New England Sports Network (NESN) that combines two of New England’s favorite pastimes … food and sports. Dining Playbook is a fan’s playbook to the New England dining and lifestyle scene. Costa previously created and hosted TV Diner on NECN and has been a part of food television for 20 years. Costa’s pro bono work for local charities is exceptional. He regularly supports The Genesis Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Landmark School, North Shore Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Angel Flight, the Walker School, and South Shore Hospital.

The year 2017 marks Dave Madsen‘s 47^th year in broadcasting and 25^th anniversary with Western Mass News, broadcast on CBS 3, ABC40, and FOX 6 in Springfield. Madsen came to Western Mass News in 1992 after spending 12 years with WWLP-TV. He began his broadcasting career in 1970 with WMAS in Springfield. Later that year he began a nine-year association with WHMP Radio in Northampton. Madsen serves as anchor of Western Mass News’ 5, 5:30, 6, 10 and 11 p.m. newscasts. He was born and raised in Southampton, attending schools there and Easthampton High School. He attended the University of Massachusetts in Amherst where he majored in Communications studies. From 2000 to 2014, he was an adjunct professor at UMass, developing and teaching a television news reporting course in the Journalism department. Madsen is very active in the community as a longtime member of the Jimmy Fund Council of Western Massachusetts, having served as its president and current vice president. He also chaired Western Massachusetts’ most successful golf tournament, the Jimmy Fund – Jeffrey Vinick Classic, and has served as that tournament’s emcee since 1987. He emcees a number of other charity golf tournaments, including Brightside, and the Dawn to Dusk Golf Marathon. He’s involved with Baystate Health’s Rays of Hope Walk, serving as emcee for a number of its events. In 2011, Madsen was inducted into the New England Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Science’s Silver Circle for his accomplishments in broadcasting and his work in the community. He’s won a wide array of community service awards, and TV viewers have honored him with the Valley Advocate’s “Best of Valley” award for nine straight years and 12 out of the last 13 years. Madsen was also voted the Favorite Local TV Personality in the Springfield Republican‘s “Reader’s Raves” poll for four consecutive years.

A Boston College and USA Olympics Team hockey star, Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame 2017 Pioneer Award-winner Tom Martin spent five years as a CPA at Arthur Anderson and was subsequently hired by Cramer Electronics in 1966 as a corporate controller, later shifting gears to become national sales manager in the multi-national company. When in 1979 the company was acquired by Arrow Electronics, Tom took out a loan to purchase the firm’s budding audio/video equipment sales division and, retaining the Cramer name, called the new venture, beginning in 1982, Cramer Productions. He noticed that many companies were still using slides and overheads when they could be taking advantage of then-new video production technology. Now, Cramer operates out of a 70,000 square foot former warehouse in Norwood, MA, modified to be a state-of-the-art studio for their brand experience agency. Powered by their team of 150 people, Cramer produces meetings and events, experiential marketing, and video for global brands. Martin considers it an essential part of Cramer’s mission to contribute to nonprofit and charitable causes. Over the years, Cramer’s team has helped organizations such as Mother Caroline Academy & Education Center, The Francis Ouimet Society, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, and Catholic Charities, to name a few. Over the years, Martin helped Cramer earn a reputation for producing great sports programs, including the critically acclaimed Boston Red Sox: 100 Years of Baseball History, the Emmy Award-winning documentary, Story of Golf, The Banner Years (a Boston Garden retrospective), Home Run Heroes (a tribute to legendary Red Sox players), Ray Bourque: The First 20 Years, and a 50-year retrospective of New England’s famous Beanpot HockeyTournament.

Dan Rea, a veteran Boston television journalist, is the host of NightSide on WBZ NewsRadio 1030 every weeknight from 8 pm to midnight. In November of 2010, Rea was honored with the prestigious Yankee Quill Award by the Academy of New England Journalists and the New England Society of Newspaper Editors. This distinguished award is considered to be the highest individual honor awarded by fellow journalists in New England. NightSide focuses on a wide variety of issues, political, economic and social. Rea is a native Bostonian, educated at the Boston Latin School, Boston State College and Boston University School of Law. Rea spent 31 years as an on-air television reporter at WBZ Radio’s sister television station, WBZ-TV, the CBS affiliate in Boston. He considers his most important work in television a 15-year crusade that helped gain freedom for Joe Salvati, a Boston man wrongfully convicted for a 1965 murder. Rea exposed corruption within the Boston office of the FBI, whose agents conspired with a disgraced federal informant to wrongfully, intentionally, and maliciously convict Salvati and three other innocent men. The men and their families were awarded more than $101 million by Federal District Court Judge Nancy Gertner on July 26, 2007, a day during which Rea concluded his career at WBZ-TV with a series of day-long on-air reports. Rea has been awarded Honorary Doctorate Degrees from UMass Boston, Endicott College and the Massachusetts School of Law.

Jerry Remy has been the New England Sports Network (NESN) Boston Red Sox color analyst since 1988, when he was first teamed with veteran play-by-play announcer Ned Martin. For 15 years, Remy worked with play-by-play announcer, Don Orsillo, and since the beginning of this season with Dave O’Brien. Voted “Massachusetts Favorite TV Announcer” by Sports Illustrated in 2004, Remy has been honored with four Emmy Awards and was named the “Massachusetts Sportscaster of the Year” by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association in 2004. Remy is a former Major League second baseman. In 1971, he was drafted in the eighth round by the California Angels. He played three seasons for the Angels starting in 1975 before being traded to the Red Sox. He played second base for the Sox from 1978 to 1985. A knee injury forced his retirement during spring training of 1986. Remy had his best year in 1978 when he batted .278, scored 87 runs, stole 30 bases and was selected to the American League All Star Team. He finished his career with a .275 average, 208 stolen bases and a .981 fielding percentage. Small traditions followed by Remy include always greeting Spanish-speaking viewers with “Buenas noches, amigos” or another appropriate greeting upon the announcement of the SAP simulcast, and by bringing a doll of Wally the Green Monster (the Sox’ mascot) and his white Adirondack chair to the announcer’s booth of every ballpark the Red Sox visit. Remy loves to regale viewers with tales of his frequent vacations in Aruba and is affectionately known as the “RemDawg.”

Peter Smyth is recognized as a visionary and thought leader in the radio broadcasting industry. He most recently served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Greater Media, Inc., one of the nation’s leading broadcasting companies. In this role, Smyth oversaw the operational efforts of 21 AM and FM radio stations in Boston, Charlotte, Detroit, Philadelphia and New Jersey; a group of weekly newspapers in central New Jersey; and several telecommunications towers throughout the United States. Over the past three decades, Smyth served in a variety of capacities within Greater Media, including General Manager of WMJX-FM in Boston, Vice President of the Radio Group, and Chief Operating Officer of Greater Media, Inc. He began his career in broadcasting in 1977 as an account executive with WROR-FM in Boston and was quickly promoted to General Sales Manager, a position he held for the next five years. In 1983, RKO General, the parent company of WOR, recruited him to serve as general sales manager of its New York stations, where he directed the company’s sales operations until his departure in 1986 to work at Greater Media. Smyth helped to revolutionize the broadcasting industry by advocating for and adopting new technologies such as HD Radio and internet streaming, and by developing and incorporating innovative content to improve media communications and meet the emerging demands of the industry and its advertisers. He was named a “Giant of American Broadcasting” by the Library of American Broadcasting in 2014. Radio Ink Magazine, a leading broadcast industry publication, in 2005 and 2011, selected Smyth as “America’s Best Broadcaster.” In addition, he has been recognized as one of Radio Ink’s “40 Most Powerful People in Radio,” ranking among the top ten. In 2007, the publication named him “Radio Executive of the Year.” An active philanthropist, Smyth currently serves on the Board of Directors of New England Baptist Hospital and the One Hundred Club of Massachusetts, an organization dedicated to enhancing the welfare and safety of the families of public safety officers and firefighters. He is a past member of the Board of Trustees of Emerson College and the United Way of Massachusetts. Additionally, he is a member of the Advisory Board for US Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. In 2007, he received the “Humanitarian of the Year” Award from the Hundred Club of Massachusetts and the Golden Mike Award from the Broadcasters Foundation of America for exemplary service in the radio Industry.

Diane Stern anchored the news at WBZ NewsRadio from 1983 to 2016. During her more than three decades there, Stern brought listeners the news of some of the region’s most historic stories. From Presidential elections and the New Hampshire primaries, to the Gulf Wars, to the 9-11 attacks, the capture of James “Whitey” Bulger, and the Boston Marathon bombings—Stern was one of New England’s “go-to” journalists when people needed straightforward, unbiased reporting. Stern also specialized in covering stories involving the vast changes in the medical world. She focused on the research and development of new treatments for diseases as well as new technologies that made the jobs of healthcare providers easier. Recently, Stern won the 2017 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award for Best Newscast. Prior to joining WBZ News Radio, she worked as a morning anchor at WEEI Radio in Boston from 1978 to 1983, WITS and WMEX Radio in Boston from 1976 to 1978, and WMLO Radio in Danvers, Massachusetts from 1975 to 1976. Stern has also been honored with several Associated Press awards for her work in radio, was a finalist in the New York Radio Festival Awards and won for Best Newscaster in the March of Dimes Achievement in Radio Awards of 2000. One of the highlights of her career was covering the New England Blizzard of 1978 for WMEX Radio when the broadcasts were conducted by phone in candlelit studios. Stern also conducted a live interview with President Clinton in 1995. Stern is a Board of Trustees member of and an ESL tutor at the Immigrant Learning Center in Malden; she has volunteered for My Brother’s Table in Lynn; and she emcees events for charitable groups including The Arthritis Foundation, the Preeclampsia Foundation, the Salem Literary Festival (Salem Lit Fest), and the Alzheimer’s Association, MA/NH Chapter.

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The Hall of Fame’s 2017 Slate of Inductees to be Announced Soon

May 8, 2017/0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Burt Peretsky

The “Class of 2017” — the outstanding broadcasters who will be inducted on Thursday, September 28, 2017, into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame will be announced shortly, and our website form to buy tickets for the Induction and Awards Luncheon will be created soon. As they say in broadcasting, “STAY TUNED!”

-O-