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Published by , 2016-09-10 09:22:46

BBAHOFasof91016

BBAHOFasof91016

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank you for attending the
20th Annual Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Special thanks to our members and sponsors for their continued support. This allows us
to recognize and celebrate individuals who have blazed new trails in our industry as well as
to preserve our rich history through our archive project.
We welcome all broadcasters and broadcast enthusiasts to join the BBA so that we can continue
to pursue our mission of collecting artifacts that preserve Western New York Broadcasting History.
We’ve had an incredible year on many fronts!
• We launched our first-ever BBA Mentoring Program in January. The initiative was aimed
at providing several selected students with the opportunity to participate in a six-month
initiative aimed at connecting them with experts in the field in which they are interested in
pursuing a career. Our mentees have secured jobs and internships as a result of the program.
• Our BBA Cares Community Service Initiative continued this past year. BBA board
member Jim Safee donated his time and expertise to produce several outstanding PSA videos
at no cost to help various nonprofit organizations in our community, including Cantalician
Center and Family Help Center.
• The BBA partnered with the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission and the Buffalo History
Museum to present Behind the Screen, featuring nationally acclaimed actor and Cheektowaga
native William Fichtner.
• The BBA Peer 2 Peer Speakers Tour continued with rising stars from the local broadcasting
industry speaking at area high schools and colleges.
• We expanded our social media outreach thanks to efforts of BBA Student Ambassador
board member Carl Lam.
• Former board member George Apfel Thomas did a great job maintaining our extensive database.
• Our Roaring 20th Anniversary Celebration was a big success at The Twentieth Century Club
of Buffalo in April.

• More than 100 radio and television executives attended our second annual BBA Advertiser
Roundtable Breakfast featuring media directors from the top advertising agencies in June at
The Twentieth Century Club.
• The annual BBA Media Night Out received rave reviews at Acqua in July.
• The BBA Hall of Fame Luncheon Series, featuring former ABC-TV Network President
and 2008 inductee Phil Beuth, drew rave reviews from all who attended the event in August
at Chef ’s Restaurant.
• Dave Gillen continues to work closely with the Music Hall of Fame and the Sports Hall of
Fame organizations to oversee the proposed Buffalo-Niagara Hall of Fame Project.
• We are in the process of working on the 2017 BBA Commemorative Calendar for our
current and new members.
• Dave May, Lois Ringle, Steve Jager, Herb Flemming and Don Yearke have done an outstanding
job coordinating and cataloging the archives at the BBA Resource Center, located at the
Family Help Center.
• Moving into the remainder of 2016, mark your calendar for the BBA’s 2nd Annual Laugh
Out Loud fundraising night at Rob’s Comedy Playhouse on Friday, November 6th. The event
will feature WNY’s best broadcast comedians. Details are available at www.buffalobroadcasters.com.
• We’ll round out the year with our annual BBA Holiday Luncheon & Meeting on Tuesday,
December 13th, at Chef ’s. Stay tuned for details.
As I prepare to conclude my second of a two-year commitment as President, I would like to
express my sincere appreciation to the BBA Board of Directors for their tireless dedication
and commitment in supporting the organization’s mission of preserving the past and
embracing the future of the Western New York broadcast industry. It’s been an honor to serve
with you.
Thank you for attending tonight’s event and for your continued support. Enjoy the program!
With appreciation and gratitude,

Heidi Raphael

2016 President/Buffalo Broadcasters Association
Vice President of Corporate Communication/Greater Media, Inc.

Join the BBA Today! www.buffalobroadcasters.com

2016 BUFFALO BROADCASTERS
HALL OF FAME CHAIRPERSON

TRACY LEBLANC

Director of Marketing and Development
Lake Shore Behavioral Health, Inc.
Tracy LeBlanc is the Director of Marketing and
Development at Lake Shore Behavioral Health, Inc.
She is the proud daughter of Hall of Fame member,
Bill McKibben and has a long history of involvement
with Buffalo broadcasting community through her
while working with the Friendship Festival,
Erie County Fair and McKibben Communications.

MASTER OF CEREMONY

JOHN DISCIULLO

2008 Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame Inductee
Promotion and Production Director
WBBZ-TV
John Disciullo is the Promotion and Production
Director at WBBZ-TV. In addition, he serves as the
official host of the hit game show, Bragging Rights
on the station. The 35 year media industry veteran
was officially inducted into Buffalo Broadcasters
Hall of Fame in 2008.

SPECIAL GUEST PERFORMER

KEN KAUFMAN

Legendary award winning jingle producer
and musician
Nothing pulls a promotional campaign together
more effectively than a custom produced jingle
and nobody does it better than the legendary Ken
Kaufman! Considered to be the most listened to
composer in Western New York, his work can be
heard in countless radio and television commercials.
In addition, Kaufman can be found playing the
organ during hockey season at the Buffalo Sabres
home games.

BUFFALO BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION

20TH ANNUAL HALL OF FAME AWARDS CELEBRATION
SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

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HPREESIIDDIENRTSAPREHPAOERLT

2016 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES AWARDS

LARRY NORTON / Hall of Fame Radio Award
STEVE ZAPPIA / Al Anscombe Award

WBTA FM & AM / 75th Anniversary Tribute
TOM DONAHUE / Behind the Scenes Award
NOLAN JOHANNES / Broadcasters Memorial Award

MEMORIAL TRIBUTE
STEPHANIE APONTE / Tim Russert Medal of Merit

BBA MENTORING PROGRAM PRESENTATION

SUSAN HUNT / Buffalo Bob Smith Award
DON PAUL / Hall of Fame TV Award

CLOSING REMARKS
Special thanks to the Buffalo Dolls for performing at this evening’s event
We ask that all Hall of Fame honorees and BBA members come to the stage for a photo at
the close of the program. All guests are invited to the After Glow party here in the studio.
DVDs of this event and past celebrations are available.
Contact Herb Flemming at [email protected] or 716.873.2233.

BUFFALO BROADCASTERS MISSION STATEMENT

The Buffalo Broadcast Pioneers/Buffalo Broadcasters was founded as a 501 C-3
non-profit organization in 1996.

Our mission is:

• To collect and preserve artifacts which highlight the incredible history of
broadcasting in Western New York.

• To recognize and honor individuals from the past and present that have worked
and contributed to radio and television through an annual Hall of Fame celebration.

• To create a resource center that will display the memorabilia of broadcasting
and tell the story of our people to ensure that our rich history is preserved.

• To mentor, support, guide and encourage the next generation of broadcasters.

www.buffalobroadcasters.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHAIRMAN DIRECTORS Stephen Marth
Dave Gillen Ed Buttaccio Time Warner Cable News
WGRZ-TV Time Warner Cable News Steve Monaco
Paul Chiaravalloti, Esq. Mercy Flight
PRESIDENT Attorney at Law Katie Morse
Heidi Raphael WKBW-TV
Greater Media, Inc. Pat Feldballe John Robshaw
Pat Feldballe Productions Robshaw & Associates
VICE PRESIDENT Terry Fisher Jim Safee
Steve Reszka Full Circle Studios DGI Video
Reszka & Associates Annemarie Franczyk Nancy Sanders
Buffalo State College WIVB-TV
SECRETARY/ Gregory Garrett Avery Schneider
TREASURER BBA Student Ambassador WBFO-FM
Herb Flemming Board Member Don Yearke
Flemming Mike Igoe WIVB-TV (ret.)
Communications SUNY Fredonia
Carl Lam CHAIRMAN
Board Member EMERITUS
Don Angelo

Join the conversation on social media tonight with #BBAHOF16

MEMORABILIA DONATIONS TO THE
BBA HISTORICAL ARCHIVES ARE WELCOME

Throughout a lifetime of work in the media we all accumulate personal memorabilia
and collectible items that can have valuable historical significance relating to our
careers and the history of broadcasting in Buffalo. Your Buffalo Broadcasters
Association (BBA), now in its 20th year, maintains a large and secure archive
resource center located at the Family Help Center at 60 Dingens Street in Buffalo,
New York. Our curators, Dave May, Lois Ringle and Steve Jager spend many hours
each week sorting, categorizing, inspecting, cleaning, filing, inputting and storing
thousands of historical artifacts dating back to 1922. From photographs, recordings,
tapes, film, vinyl disks, videos, posters and station promotion items to TV & Radio
broadcast equipment including vintage radios and TV sets from the 30’s, 40’s and
50’s. As published in the BBA mission statement, these historical possessions are
being protected, identified and preserved for the coming day when the BBA
completes its plan to open a museum to honor our rich history and the stories
about our great Buffalo people who participated during its golden age in making
Buffalo one of the 10 media markets in America.
The Buffalo Broadcasters Association is a legal non-profit 501-C3 organization and
is dedicated to the preservation of the history of Broadcasting in Buffalo. The BBA
is happy to provide you with a receipt that includes a description of the personal
items you wish to donate which can be used as a tax deduction. If you have any
questions or concerns, please contact Herb Flemming at [email protected].

Join the BBA Today! www.buffalobroadcasters.com





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congratulates
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Broadcasting
Hall of Fame

Time Warner Cable News,
Your only 24/7 local
news channel.

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LARRY NORTON

HALL OF FAME RADIO AWARD

Many in Western New York might remember where they were when they heard that Buffalo legend
Larry Norton would retire from local radio, where he reigned for more than four decades.
The legendary WGRF-FM personality stepped away from the mic on Dec. 4 last year, leaving 97
Rock after 31 event-filled years where stamina was a hallmark.
The late great Casey Kasem recognized Norton’s efforts on his nationally syndicated radio show.
Norton’s first stunt was setting the Guinness World Record for the longest radio broadcast, 20 days
and 4 hours in 1981. After that, the Marathon Man rode on the Ferris wheel while broadcasting at
Darien Lake for 40 days; he also sat on billboards, filled trucks with food for the needy, and even
immersed himself in ice, all to support local charities. He notably stayed on the air for 10 days in
1983 to convince international recording artists The Police to play a concert in Buffalo. The strategy
worked, and he got to emcee the show.
Perhaps Norton’s most significant display of endurance was his annual radiothon in support of the
local Make-A-Wish chapter, the organization that grants wishes of children with life-threatening
medical conditions. Norton’s final radiothon brought his 22-year total to more than $3 million.
His work for Make-A-Wish, the Food Bank of WNY and others won him many awards and
accolades, including the belief that he has raised more money for local charities than any other DJ
in Buffalo history.
Norton’s interest in radio began when he was a student at Amherst High School and continued at
Buffalo State College in 1975, when he got his first paid job working weekends and overnights at
the former WYSL-AM and WPHD-FM; he later moved to 7 to midnight on WPHD before
crossing over to 97 Rock and doing mornings with the Bearman in 1981. 97 Rock went off the air
in 1985 but returned three years later with many of the original crew like Carl Russo. Norton could be
heard on the morning show from 1988 until his recent retirement. Many of those 27 years were
spent working with friends and colleagues like Rob Lederman and Chris Klein.
Norton retired to spend more time and perform charity work with Barbara, his wife of 37 years;
however, he can still be heard on some promos and commercials on 97 Rock as well as on Buffalo’s
Catholic radio station, 101.7 WLOF-FM.







Where members of the
Buffalo Broadcasters

Hall of Fame
meet to eat!

Congratulations
to all the honorees!

291 Seneca St.

at Chicago in downtown Buffalo

716-856-9187

www.ilovechefs.com



STEVE ZAPPIA

AL ANSCOMBE AWARD

Steve Zappia was born on August 16, 1930. His broadcast career began as a disc jockey
and station manager for Armed Forces Radio when he was based in Casablanca,
Morocco during the Korean War. After the war, Steve returned to the States and eventually
settled in his hometown of Buffalo, NY. Zappia had a radio show in Buffalo on WHLD
radio. In 1958, Steve helped to get the old Churchill Tabernacle building ready for air,
which became home to WKBW- TV.
Zappia began as a cameraman in 1958. He rose from cameraman, to producer, to director,
and eventually to Executive Producer and Head of Operations over his thirty-three-year career
at WKBW. Steve worked with all the WKBW luminaries, such as Irv Weinstein, Rick Azar,
Tom Jolls, Nolan Johannes… and the list goes on. Perhaps the most notable is Steve’s
life-long friendship with Dave Thomas (Roberts). They remain the closest of friends to
this day. In 1962, Steve and Dave were part of the team which created and put Rocketship
7 on the air: Thomas as host and Zappia as his Producer and Director for more than
seventeen years. Of all the things in which Zappia was involved, his biggest contribution was
to the Variety Club and the production of the telethon in 1961 to his last one was he
retired in 1996. Steve executive produced and directed the Variety Club Telethon for
more than thirty years. In the mid-1990’s, Children’s Hospital of Western New York and
the Variety Club honored Zappia’s devotion and contribution by naming the children’s
playroom at the hospital in his honor.
To this day, when people in and out of the media see Steve Zappia they comment on how
he was a pioneer in Buffalo broadcasting. Some individuals in the media thank him for
his mentorship and for giving them their breaks. They fondly remember the heyday of
media in Buffalo. WKBW-TV was a juggernaut, and Steve was a major contributor to its
dominance and success. He is honored to be associated with such contributions which
have added to the cultural significance on the Buffalo broadcasting landscape.

WBTA Radio in Batavia Celebrates Milestone 75th Anniversary

WBTA Radio, Genesee County’s only locally owned commercial radio station, went on the air at 7 AM, Thursday,
February 6, 1941. It has been licensed as WBTA-AM since its inception.
The first voice on the air was that of the genial Jerry Flynn, who opened the program “Rise and Shine,” according
to an article published in the Daily News. Flynn later became better known as a sports announcer. The station’s
studios and offices were located on the second floor of 90 Main St. in Batavia, New York, where they remained
until 1957.
The WBTA studios moved several times over the years. Its next location was 22 Seaver Place, now the J.C. Penney
& Co. loading dock. For several years, the station occupied the second floor and later the first floor of 413 Main St.
at the corner of Harvester Avenue. The station moved to 113 Main St. in 2004, when it was purchased by its
present owner, HPL Communications, Inc., owned by Daniel and Deborah Fischer.
As the studios and offices moved, the station’s transmission and tower site has remained on Creek Road in the Town
of Batavia. In the early years, an engineer was required to be at the transmission site whenever the station was on
the air. Technical improvements in the late 1950’s allowed the station to be remote controlled from the studio.
The station was originally owned by three Batavia residents: Joseph Ryan of Union Street, Edward P. Atwitter of
East Main Street, and Edmund R. Gamble of Vernon Avenue. Gamble also served as the general manager. After
the outbreak of World War II, several members of the station’s staff left for military service, including Gamble.
The next local owner of WBTA was William F. Brown. Brown was best known for his regular editorials on local
issues. He won 16 Best Editorial awards from the New York State Broadcasters Association. Brown expanded the
station’s news coverage, which was apparent in the 1971 coverage of the Attica prison revolt.
In February 2004 the Fischers formed HPL Communications, purchased WBTA and moved to Genesee County.
New digital studios were built and WBTA moved to its present location at the corner of Main and Center Street,
which became the name of the station’s morning talk show, “Main & Center.”
From 1977 to 2000, WBTA operated an FM station that was licensed to Attica, NY. The station was sold and
became WLOF, which beams Catholic programming into the Buffalo area.
Under HPL, the station launched another FM station in 2014. It is licensed under the Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) translator rules and allows WBTA to broadcast in stereo at 100.1 MHz. The station also
streams 100% of its programming on the internet at WBTAi.com and via mobile devices with custom apps for
Android and iPhone systems.
“We are proud of WBTA’s legacy of service to Batavia and Genesee County,” said Fischer. “As a licensee of a broadcast
station, we pledge to the FCC to “serve the public interest, convenience and necessity as a public trustee. WBTA is
known in the industry as a ‘heritage’ station. Our listeners have grown up with us.”
Over the years, WBTA has reported individual milestones: births, anniversaries and obituaries. In times of war,
the station has reported on the service of local men and women in uniform.
In addition, WBTA has broadcast hundreds of local sporting events and followed area high school teams to regional
and state championships. The station has been the broadcast voice of Batavia’s professional baseball team. Through
affiliations with national news organizations such as ABC Radio, WBTA has provided coverage of the most notable
events of the 20th and 21st centuries, including the Pearl Harbor attack; the assassinations in the 1960’s; wars in
Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East; the manned moon landing; and the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
“Radio broadcasting has certainly undergone significant changes over the past 75 years and will continue to change
and evolve over the next 75 years,” Fischer said, “but I believe its basic commitment to serving the public interest
will never change.”









TOM DONAHUE

BEHIND THE SCENES AWARD

Though he is known as Tom Donahue in the industry and to thousands of listeners, it is
Tom McCray who is being inducted into the 2016 Hall of Fame for his lengthy and award-
winning career in broadcasting.
McCray entered the field in 1972 upon graduating from Utica College and since then has
worked just about every shift possible at several Buffalo radio stations, including WKBW,
WYSL, WUSJ, WGR, WNUC and WHTT Oldies 104. He has been morning host on
Timeless WECK Radio since March 2008.
McCray’s radio work has earned him several awards from the New York State Broadcasters
Association and in 1996 a first place award in audio production from the Broadcast
Education Association. He earned a master’s degree in Communication from SUNY
at Buffalo in 1986.
He also has had an extensive career as a writer, producer and performer of local, regional
and national radio and television ads. McCray’s distinctive voice has been used by such
diverse industries as grocery store chains, lottery programs, banks, medical organizations
and the travel and tourism industry. Locally, he was the voice of Tops Markets for 16
years and, since March 2009, has been so for Mavis Discount Tires.
McCray has had a parallel career in academia, influencing the next generation of
broadcasters as an Associate Professor of Broadcast Communication at SUNY Buffalo
State. His former students from his 35-year career include former VH-1 President Tom
Calderone; WGRZ-TV reporters Claudine Ewing and Dave McKinley; WBEN 930
morning anchor Susan Rose; and show hosts Howard Simon and Chris “Bulldog” Parker
of WGR-550. He retired in 2015.
McCray has been married to his wife Barbara for 41 years. They have two children, Kimberly
and Robert, and four grandchildren, Gavin, Emma, Kylie and Sophie. McCray and his
wife reside in Williamsville.



NOLAN JOHANNES

BROADCASTERS MEMORIAL AWARD

Nolan Johannes was the king of morning television in Buffalo in the 1960s and 1970s
as host of WKBW-TV’s popular Dialing for Dollars.
The entertainment program was a hit with viewers when it premiered in 1964, with Liz
Dribben as co-host and Jimmy and Johnny keeping the beat on drums and accordian.
Dave Thomas joined the team when Dribben left for New York and CBS.
Dialing for Dollars provided viewers with 14 years of talk, appearances by big-name
stars performing in the city, cooking segments, fashion shows and call-in contests, back
when people actually dialed phones. It was an effective mix that led to the creation of
AM Buffalo in 1978, which continues today.
Johannes left Buffalo in 1982 for the anchor desk at WNEP-TV Newswatch 16 in
Scranton, Pa., where he was described as “enduring and implacable.” One former
co-worker said Johannes’ 14 years of broadcasts there were “like having a friend come
into your house every night to bring you the news.” Another said he was “calm,
reassuring and made the impression to viewers that they mattered.”
Johannes passed away at age 81 in September 2015.



HELP KEEP THE MEMORIES ALIVE BY JOINING THE

PHIL BEUTH DONORS LEGACY CLUB

ABC Network Executive, legendary WKBW-TV President and BBA Advisory
Board Leader Phil Beuth has created a special donors club to ensure that the
BBA’s work to establish a broadcast museum for Buffalo becomes a reality.
He urges your support and challenges all BBA members and friends to match
his $25,000 donation in support of broadcast history in Buffalo, New York.
The BBA is a 501 (c) (3) organization. Please remember the BBA in your annual year
end giving. For more information, contact us at [email protected].

PHIL BEUTH DONORS LEGACY CLUB MEMBERS

Don Angelo Lauren Hall Mark Nadrowski
Phil Beuth Allie Hartwick Jim Santella
Herb Flemming Tom Jolls Mark Scott
Dave Gillen Bill McKibben Nick Urbanski
Robert Mycek Irv Weinstein

Join the conversation on social media tonight with #BBAHOF16







2016 TIM RUSSERT MEDIAL OF MERIT RECIPIENT

PRESENTED BY:

STEPHANIE APONTE
CANISIUS COLLEGE

2016 Stephanie Aponte 2011 Lauren Adams
(Canisius College) (St. Bonaventure)

2015 Dan Schrack 2010 Amanda Ciavarri
(Niagara County Community College) (St. Bonaventure)

2014 Carl Lam 2009 Cassandra Eldred
(SUNY Fredonia) (Canisius College)

2013 Danny Bush, Jr. 2008 Amanda Hartman
(St. Bonaventure) (Brockport State College)

2012 Shannon Sheppard
(St Bonaventure)



THE 2016 BUFFALO BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION
STUDENT MENTORING PROGRAM

We are proud to recognize the inaugural class of the BBA’s Brand New Student
Mentoring Program!

Officially unveiled in January of 2016, the students selected for the program
participated in and completed an intensive six month mentoring initiative aimed
at providing them with the opportunity to gain valuable insight from outstanding
media professionals working in the Western New York broadcasting community.

Special thanks to everyone who volunteered to serve as mentors in the program!

2016 MENTEES:

GREGORY GARRETT

2016 Graduate/Erie Community College
Incoming Junior at Buffalo State College
As a result of the BBA Mentoring Program,
Gregory is now a TWCN Intern and the new
BBA Board Student Ambassador

JACKIE ROBERTS

2016 Graduate/St. Bonaventure University
Upon completing the BBA Mentoring Program,
Jackie began working as a Multimedia Journalist
at Time Warner Cable News

JOSEPH STOJEK

Graduate - Class of 2016 - Erie Community College
Incoming Junior at Medaille College
As a result of his participation in the BBA’s
mentoring initiative, Joseph is now serving on
the public relations team of the USS Little Rock LCS 9
Official Commissioning scheduled to take place in
Buffalo in 2017.

Congratulations to Gregory, Jackie and Joseph!

TM

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SUSAN HUNT

BUFFALO BOB SMITH AWARD

Susan Hunt has spent much of her career traversing the globe as a host, producer and director.
She has worked for the major networks including FOX, HGTV, PBS, DISCOVERY,
TRAVEL, ABC, ESPN, HBO and THE GOLF CHANNEL giving life to a body of lifestyle,
sports, travel, science and medical programming.
Susan made a lot of firsts for women. She was the first female reporter in an NFL and NHL
locker room, the first woman to do play-by-play for women’s tennis and the first female voice
of ABC Wide World of Sports. She created and hosted the first women’s sports program,
LPGA Magazine, on ESPN and years later launched and co-hosted GolfChix Radio on
Sirius/XM.  
But her media career began in her hometown of Buffalo in sales at WGR Radio and
traffic coordinator at WYSL. She landed her first on-air job as morning news anchor
at WFXZ-FM before returning to WGR-AM as morning news co-anchor/sports reporter.
WGRZ-TV took notice and hired her as feature reporter and anchor during Sabres telecasts.
 
Perhaps best remembered by Western New York audiences as co-host of PM Magazine.
She was also Sandy Beach’s morning news anchor on WHTT-FM. 
After a year and a half on the FOX Network series Beyond Tomorrow, Susan’s national career
took off. This series led to her association with the Discovery Channel as host of many
travel shows. Susan also fronted the international Travel Channel series, Tennis World.
Susan has enjoyed a 20-year relationship with the Los Angeles based reality television production
company Pie Town Productions her roles included been Director of the HGTV hit series
House Hunters, House Hunters Renovation and currently Tiny House Hunters.
In front of the camera or behind it, whether lifestyle or sports programming, Susan continues
to deliver a strong sense of “what’s next” with authenticity and passion.







DON PAUL

HALL OF FAME TELEVISION AWARD

After an award-winning, 40-year career studying and forecasting the weather, Broadcast
meteorologist Don Paul retired from the airwaves in March.
Meteorology took Paul to Maine, Kansas, Florida and Michigan before he landed in Buffalo
in 1984. Here he had stints at WJYE-FM, WBEN-AM and WGRZ-TV but was a mainstay
for a total of 28 years at WIVB-TV. His professional life included time as science writer,
radio features reporter and producer for the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s Office
of Public Affairs, concentrating on environmental science, public health, and regulatory changes.
He remains the only Buffalo meteorologist to receive the Distinguished Scientist Award
from the Western New York Science Congress, which previously awarded Nobel Laureate
Dr. Herbert Hauptman, Buffalo Zoo President/CEO Dr. Donna Fernandez, and pacemaker
inventor Wilson Greatbatch.
A professional member of the American Meteorological Society, Paul served on the organization’s
committee to formulate a policy statement on the appropriate use of “live” nomenclature
in broadcast display of weather radar. He also was a member of the society’s Board of
Broadcast Meteorology and received the society’s Seal of Approval for Broadcast Weathercasting.
Paul’s interest in continuing education included taking National Weather Service courses
in Doppler radar interpretation, satellite meteorology, severe weather forecasting, flooding
events, heavy precipitation, and winter weather forecasting techniques.
Popular with viewers in Buffalo, Paul won Artvoice’s Best Local Television Personality
poll multiple years.
He holds a bachelor’s in meteorology with a minor in political science from Rutgers University,
where he also completed the Army ROTC program. He served as first lieutenant at the U.S.
Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga., and retired from the U.S. Army Reserve with
the rank of captain.

Share your photos on social media tonight with #BBAHOF16




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