Gold & Silver Circle - NATAS Mid-America Emmys®

GOLD CIRCLE

The Gold Circle recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to television for fifty years or more. The broadcast pioneers who are nominated for this distinguished group can have had significant careers in different aspects of the industry – engineering, management, on-air, technical, production, administration or talent.

Gold Circle nominees can often trace their careers back to the early days of television in our area and are true pioneers in the television arts and sciences. As with the Silver Circle, the Mid-America Board of Governors solicits nominations of those who deserve this highest honor.

The nominated individual's contributions can be in service to the industry, to NATAS, to the community or to people training for a career in the field and nominees are accepted from performing, creative, technical or administrative roles within the industry or from areas directly related to television such as commercial productions, journalism or education. Neither nominators nor nominees need to be members of NATAS and retirees are eligible for this honor.

Gold Circle Honorees

SILVER CIRCLE

Silver Circle recognizes television professionals who have served the industry with distinction for 25 years or more. The nominated individual's contributions can be in service to the industry, to NATAS, to the community or to people training for a career in the field and nominees are accepted from performing, creative, technical or administrative roles within the industry or from areas directly related to television such as commercial productions, journalism or education.

Not everyone who has worked in television for 25 year is deserving of this honor. This is for those professionals who through their work have made a difference to the industry and the community. Nominees can come from different aspects of the industry – engineering, management, on-air, technical, talent, educators.

Nominations are usually made confidentially. Neither nominators nor nominees need to be members of NATAS.

Silver Circle Honorees

2004 Honorees

Irv Davis
Dick Preston

2002 Honorees

John Auble
Mary Cannon
Michael Hardgrove
Robin Smith
Al Wiman

2001 Honorees

Bob Bell
Betsy Bruce
Paul Campbell
Joey Ford
Charles Guggenheim
Susan Heinket Bayer
Kathi McDonald
Phill Rock

1999 Honorees

Edward Fergus
Dick Ford
Barbara Regnell
Cliff St. James
Nancy St. James
Sid Savan
Diane Allen
George Burbach
Russ Carter
Dick Keefe
Pat Williamson
Clint Crandall

1997 Honorees

Wilber Allmeyer
Howard Demere
Don Burnes
Harry Gibbs
Bob Hooss
Frank Eschen
Jack Buck
Jim Bolen
Charlotte Peters
Diane White
Jack Murdoch
Andy Werner
Julius Hunter
Ellen Wallach
Stan Kann
Leo Tevlin
Marty Bronson

1996 Honorees

Lee Cavanagh
Charles Bohn
Bruce Hayward
Dr. John Rider
Harold Koplar
Fran Hunt
Larry Ward
Bob Chase
Wilson Dalzall
Russ David
Bill Fields
Dean Keune
Dottye Bennett David
Don Marsh
Thom Lewis
Joe Garagiola
Jim Marlowe
Keith Gunther
Bonnie Dewes

Gold Circle Honoree

Steve Barnes

Steve Barnes’s career in journalism began while he was in high school and continued in his college days, stringing for the Associated Press and United Press International and contributing articles to local newspapers and trade publications. In January 1968 he became a copyboy at the Little Rock CBS television affiliate, and soon was promoted to reporter and, eventually, substitute anchor.

Barnes shifted to the city’s ABC affiliate in 1972, again as a reporter and anchor. Fourteen years later he joined the Little Rock NBC affiliate as an editor and anchor. In 1987 he was recruited to the Arkansas Educational Television Network (now Arkansas PBS) to host its “Arkansas Week” broadcast and other public affairs programs, all the while continuing his work at the NBC station. Double-duty, as it were.

In the same period Barnes became a full-time free-lance, resuming his work in print journalism by working frequently for the Reuters news agency, the New York Times, Time and People magazines, and filing regularly to Mutual and NBC radio networks, and to the former MacNeil-Lehrer Report of PBS. His long-form print reporting has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, The Progressive and other regional publications.

Barnes has covered essentially all the major Arkansas news events of the past half-century, while focusing mainly on politics and policy. He has covered every Arkansas governor since Orval Faubus and every session of the Arkansas General Assembly, every member of the Arkansas congressional delegation since the mid-1960s, and the six presidential campaigns of four Arkansas politicians. He is said to prefer the company of his wife, Amy Oliver Barnes, their children Jennifer and Blair, and grandchildren Taylor, Lauren and Carson.

Numerous journalism awards have come Barnes’s way but, as he once told a colleague, “that’s not why we do what we do.

Gold Circle Honoree

Stephen Narisi

Stephen Narisi is a well-seasoned, well-traveled newsman who was mentored by a generation of broadcast journalists who believed in “getting the story right” and “getting it first.” He was taught that journalism comes with privileges and responsibilities wrapped in a mantle of integrity and credibility.

Stephen began his career at KFPW-TV in Fort Smith, Arkansas where he was the film processor and production assistant before becoming a reporter and nightly newscast producer.

From his hometown, he moved to KARK-TV in Little Rock as a political reporter. Stephen’s beat was the statehouse, which at the time was governed by a young politician named Bill Clinton. He also reported on breaking news stories like the Cuban Refugee riot at Ft. Chaffee and the Titan II missile explosion that almost wiped-out central Arkansas.

Since those early days, Stephen has helped write the first draft of history for some of the biggest stories in the country and world.

As a staff producer with NBC News, he covered the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion and the Jesse Jackson presidential campaign. As a freelancer working with ABC News and top ten television stations in Dallas and New York City, he covered the Oklahoma City bombing, earthquakes in Turkey, Jihad terrorist’s cells in the Philippines, and the 2003 Iraq War. He also has worked for other broadcast networks, both domestic and foreign, reporting on national elections and Democrat and Republican conventions.

Stephen’s experience in broadcast journalism segued into documentary production before he moved on to other cable and broadcast networks. He was the Supervising Producer for the original America’s Most Wanted with John Walsh on Fox.

He’s a multiple Emmy^® Award winner whose fondest memories are from his Little Rock days, working with talented colleagues and competitors in one of the best news markets in the country.

Stephen is currently the Exemplary Executive in Residence at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville teaching the next generation of journalists.

Gold Circle Honoree

Craig O'Neill

Randy Hankins’ radio career began September 3, 1969, at radio station KBTM, working while he attended Arkansas State University at Jonesboro.

Randy graduated in 1972 and took a job at KARN in Little Rock doing broadcasting and advertising sales. KARN’s program director felt that the name Craig O'Neill had a better ring to it than Randy Hankins, so that's when he made the switch to the name so many know him by today.

Fast forward to 1978, Craig joined KLAZ and began making his famous prank telephone calls. His first one was to Arkansas Governor David Pryor and his opponent in the U.S. Senate race, Jim Guy Tucker. Craig posed as Jimmy Carter and wished both luck in their upcoming election.

In 1981, Craig began working at KKYK, becoming the #1 disc jockey in Little Rock. He continued to make prank calls and traveled to Hollywood on several occasions. He even appeared in a movie made in Arkansas, titled "Pass the Ammo."

After ten years at KKYK, Craig moved to neighboring radio station KURB. During that time Craig’s love for charity work really took off and to this day he has emceed thousands of charity events.

On January 1, 2000, Craig made the transition from radio to television. He began at THV11 as a sports anchor, later becoming a news anchor, but above all else he sees himself as a public servant. Another passion Craig shares is his love of reading. He's visited dozens, if not hundreds of schools for his reading tour.

Throughout his time in broadcasting Craig's covered countless stories, earning prestigious recognition for his work, and raising more than $40 million for Arkansas charities. But his impact on Arkansas extends well-beyond the numbers, if you ask him, it’s about the lives he's influenced for the better.

Gold Circle Honoree

Dave Woodman

Three months after Dave’s seventeenth birthday, his University of Alabama professor father arranged and audition at the university’s public radio station. Dave had no interest in radio, but he was hired as a summer replacement announcer. Dave transitioned to Alabama Educational Television his senior year and has the distinction of being the first student director of a live statewide telecast.

Upon leaving school at age 20, Dave was hired as a staff announcer at the NBC affiliate in Montgomery, Alabama. Two months later he married his next door neighbor Lydia Ryan, a union that has lasted 67 years and produced four children, eight grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.

From Montgomery Dave moved to the CBS affiliate in Monroe, Louisiana and eased into sports casting and play-by-play. In 1969 he pursued a business opportunity that failed, but his career was resurrected at the NBC affiliate, and he was assigned as Arkansas news director at the El Dorado studios.

A TV Guide ad drew an invitation to interview for news director by KARK-TV General Manager Robert L. Brown, but overwhelmed by the size of the Little Rock market Dave withdrew from consideration. Brown also needed a sports director for his new anchor team, and the dream team of Roy Mitchell, Tom Bonner, and Dave Woodman debuted in March of 1970, immediately grabbing the top spot in the ratings and holding it for sixteen years after being joined by Carolyn Long.

In 1991 Dave moved from sports to the morning and noon anchor desk and “retired” in 2000. He was called back to produce KARK’s “Community Service Awards” in 2002 and continued in that capacity until his second “retirement” in 2012. In 2015 he was called back to do one more CSA, and is still active in the freelance market.

Silver Circle Honoree

Tim Hamilton

Harding University Professor Bill Brant’s decision to send Tim Hamilton to KATV Channel 7 in Little Rock in the fall of 1979 for his internship, led to his 32-year career at Channel 7.

Tim worked as a photojournalist covering news and sports events in Arkansas and around the world. It was a series of reports on Peru’s war on drugs that led to his second Emmy^®. The Bill Clinton presidential campaign in 1992 was his first. He was nominated for five total. He has won a national Edward R. Murrow Award and four regional Murrow awards.

Growing up in Melbourne, Arkansas with a population of 800, Tim dreamed about being the Voice of the Arkansas Razorbacks. Working at the campus radio station at Harding and doing play-by-play for basketball and baseball, he realized that wasn’t a realistic goal.

However, the thrill of his time at KATV was covering the Razorbacks with Paul Eells, the voice of the Razorbacks. The decade of the 90’s included three final fours and a national championship in basketball. Witnessing history from the front row was extra special.

In 2012 Tim had an opportunity to return to Harding University to supervise the sports broadcasting program and teach students interested in the profession.

The best part of his job is hearing from students who are working in broadcasting, and they call or text to tell him where they are and what they are covering.

Tim is married to the former Laura Roper. They have one son, Chandler and daughter-in-law, Hannah. And a dog named Toby.

Silver Circle Honoree

Marcus McDonald

Marcus W. McDonald was born and raised in Magnolia, Arkansas where he accepted Christ at a very young age as a member of Homes Near Baptist Church. After graduating from Magnolia High School, Marcus attended Southern Arkansas University and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications in 1981. He was honored as a Southern Arkansas University Distinguished Alumni in 2004.

Marcus worked for Magnolia Banner News for three years before moving to Little Rock in 1983 and joining KATV Channel 7 as a photojournalist. During his forty years at Channel 7, he was a former Emmy^® nominee and has earned numerous AP Press awards. He currently serves as KATV’s Chief Photographer.

He has been married to his beautiful wife Renee for thirty-nine years and is a proud father and grandfather. He enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. Marcus is the Associate Pastor of Greater Archview Baptist Church and he is always excited to be a servant of God. He continues to live by the scripture: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” — Proverbs 3:5-6

Silver Circle Honoree

Amy Oliver

Amy Oliver Barnes recently joined the ranks of the partially-retired after nearly 50 years as first a broadcast journalist, then as a public relations professional, eventually sharing that knowledge and experience in the classroom.

She began her broadcast journalism career while still in college at a small radio statio in Russellville, Arkansas – KARV, the voice of the Arkansas River Valley – first as a reporter and then as news director. From there she moved to covering the entire state as a reporter, anchor and producer for KATV- Channel 7 and as a producer, assignment editor and assistant news director for KARK-Channel 4.

She left commercial broadcasting in 1990 to become a writer and media relations representative for then State Health Department Director Dr. Joycelyn Elders. From that position she joined the Arkansas Educational Television Network as Operations Manager and public affairs producer for Arkansas Week and other network public affairs programming. After more than 25 years in broadcasting, she began a second career in public relations, serving as executive communications director at Arkansas Childrens Hospital and the University of Arkansas Little Rock.

She then joined the faculty in the UALR School of Mass Communication, taking emeritus status in 2020. She still teaches a class each semester. During her tenure at KATV and KARK, Barnes wrote, produced and supervised newscasts and documentaries that won a variety of Associated Press, Radio and Television News Director Association, regional Emmy^® and United Press International awards. While working with Dr. Elders, Barnes served as consultant and editorial advisor to a KARK teen pregnancy documentary which won a George Foster Peabody award, a regional Emmy^® and an Edward R. Murrow Award.

She is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and was chair for the Southwest PRSA district serving 2500 members in six states including Arkansas. Some of Barnes proudest moments, however, have come with her adored children Jennifer and Blair, and adorable grandchildren, Taylor, Lauren, and Carson.

Silver Circle Honoree

Donna Terrell

As a junior in high school, Donna Terrell thought she wanted to become a print journalist until she saw, for the first time, a TV news studio while attending a journalism workshop. From that point, she knew she wanted a career in television news. She is now in her 37th year in the industry and currently anchors FOX 16 News weeknights in Little Rock at 5:30, 6:30 and 9. This is her 19th year at FOX 16.

Donna arrived in Little Rock from Detroit, Michigan, where she served as an anchor for WKBD-TV and WWJ-TV. Before moving to Detroit, she worked at WKYC-TV in Cleveland, Ohio. She also held anchoring and reporting positions in South Bend, Indiana, and Battle Creek, Michigan.

Through the years Donna has received multiple honors. Most recently earning a regional Edward R. Murrow award and a regional Emmy^® for her story on the 100th Anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. In addition, she earned a national award from the American Legion Fourth Estate Awards and Associated Press for her special reports titled Grieving a Child. She has a regional Emmy^® for her work as a news anchor and has collected and been nominated for numerous other awards and recognitions.

She is very passionate about community service, creating Donna Terrell's Yoga Warriors Fighting Colon Cancer, affectionately called Yoga Warriors, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that raises money for yoga classes for cancer survivors and caregivers. The organization is in memory of her daughter Queah (pronounced: Quaya) who died from colon cancer, but during her battle found health benefits from yoga. Yoga Warriors also provides numerous necessities for survivors including help with lodging when they have to travel a long distance for life-saving cancer treatment.

She has served on the boards of Women and Children First, a domestic violence facility, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House. She is a former Ambassador to the Arkansas American Cancer Society and makes appearances at events all over central Arkansas.

Donna has a Bachelor of Applied Arts Degree in Broadcast and Cinematic Arts from Central Michigan University. She is a member of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences, the National Association of Black Journalists and the Little Rock Chapter of The Links, Incorporated.

Donna is married to Dr. Kenneth Lambert, who is an OB/GYN in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Together they enjoy golfing, traveling, movies, and cooking at home.

Silver Circle Honoree

Gary Lezak

For as long as he can remember, Gary Lezak has been passionate about weather. Growing up in California, he never let an opportunity go by to study clouds and rain. In 1980, Gary attended the University of Oklahoma, turning his hobby into a career.

He started as the morning meteorologist at KWTV-TV in Oklahoma City, and in 1992, moved to Kansas City. In his 30 years in Kansas City, Gary’s been the morning meteorologist at WDAF-TV and most recently, the Chief Meteorologist at KSHB-TV, a position he’s held since 1999.

Gary and his team have won several WeatherRate awards for weather accuracy in Kansas City. He’s also been responsible for researching cycling weather patterns, publishing a peer-reviewed paper on the topic in 2018.

Gary had made his mark in the community. Over the last 30 years. Gary has visited more than 1,000 schools. In 2022, he hosted School Day at the K – a partnership between KSHB 41 and the Kansas City Royals – in front of thousands of kids at Kauffman Stadium.

Gary has been the emcee of Wayside Waifs’ Fur Ball for 18 years and has hosted 20 pet telethons. He’s been known to share air-time with his well-known dogs. He also has written a children's story about his dogs called “It’s a Sunny Life.”

In 1999, Gary met his biggest challenge in life – a diagnosis of extra-skeletal osteogenic sarcoma cancer. Gary underwent extensive chemotherapy and two surgeries to remove the cancer. He’s been cancer-free ever since. For the last 20 years, he’s shared his weather and cancer journey at the annual Cancer Action Volunteer Awards banquet.

Silver Circle Honoree

Mandy Murphey

Mandy Murphey is currently in her 35th year of her television career. She celebrated her 31st year at KTVI in September.

Mandy first got her passion for journalism at the age of 15 as a DJ at WPKY radio in Princeton, KY. She worked at the on-campus radio and TV stations while attending Murray State University.

Mandy started her television career as an intern and reporter at WPSD in Paducah, KY where she moved on to weekend anchor, producer and consumer reporter. In 1992, she got a job at KTVI Channel 2 in St Louis as the Contact 2 consumer reporter. A year later, Mandy took over the main anchor position alongside Dick Ford and later Tom O'neal, both of whom are Silver circle members. Mandy is currently the anchor of Fox 2 News weeknights at 5, 9, and 10. She is the longest serving news anchor currently on St Louis television in the evenings.

Mandy has won 14 Regional Emmy^® Awards for Reporting, Investigative Journalism, Journalistic Enterprise, Writing, and Anchoring. She also has two Edward R. Murrow Awards.

Mandy is currently on the Board of Directors for National Charity League, the Advisory Board of Girls In The Know, a former President of Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, and has worked extensively with Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis, Food Outreach, and many other St. Louis charities. Mandy is married to Tom Caradonna, and they have 5 children.

Silver Circle Honoree

Jim Kirchherr

Jim Kirchherr has been a producer, host, and executive producer at Nine PBS in St. Louis since 1991. A University of Illinois graduate, his career began in radio news in Danville and Joliet, Illinois; he moved into TV news at WEHT in Evansville, Indiana and at KTVI in St. Louis. From 1987 to 1991 he was a senior news editor at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Munich, Germany.

His work at Nine PBS has included producing stories for the magazine program Living St. Louis as well as national and local documentaries, town halls and public affairs specials.

Jim has been awarded Mid-America Emmys^® for producing, writing, and hosting. He has been honored by the Historical Society of St. Louis County for his history programs, is in the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame, and this year he and his fellow Living St. Louis producers were named Media Persons of the Year by the St. Louis Press Club.

Jim has also served on the Mid-America chapter’s board of governors, as chapter president, and currently as one of the national trustees.

Silver Circle Honoree

Sean Streaty

He’s WAND News Anchor at 5, 6 and 10 and a Decatur native. Sean Sreaty graduated from St. Teresa High School and received his degree in Radio and Television from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale.

Sean joined WSOY Radio (Decatur) as a reporter. In 1992 he was appointed WSOY News Director. He moved to television in 1994 when he joined WAND as a reporter and eventually became weekend Anchor. In 1996, he was named as the evening news Anchor.

Sean serves on the Decatur Boys and Girls Club as Board President. He has served on the Catholic Charities Board, United Way Allocation Committee, Macon County Conservation Board, American Heart Association, and is a frequent Master of Ceremonies of community events. Sean has also been named among Reader's Choice Award top winners for Best Local TV Personality. He is also an AP award winner for best newscast in a medium market for tornado coverage.

Sean contributes to the news with story writing, reporting, and ideas from the community. He has also highlighted more than 250 locally owned businesses in his featured Business Watch.

He and his wife Amy have two children, Brandon and Ashley, a grandson Princeton and a Ragdoll Cat named Max.

Silver Circle Honoree

Fred Gamble

For 48 years, Fred Gamble has been 'Coverage You Can Count On' in Texarkana.  Wayne Smith, Texarkana mayor, remembers the first time he met Fred, when he returned to Texarkana and ran for public office. "He is a great person and he represents the TV industry in an exceptional manner," said Smith. "Fred Gamble is probably Mr. TV in Texarkana."

Gamble started in the TV news business in 1973, he says by accident. He went to college, majoring in music and minoring in math. He he had to leave college to get a job. It turns out, being a reporter/photojournalist has been Fred’s first and only job.

He started at KTAL in Texarkana in 1973. He was the first person of color on-air there. He joined the KSLA team in 1986 and has worked at the station non-stop ever since. His coverage area is Texarkana and the surrounding counties in northeast Texas and southwest Arkansas.

 Fred Gamble has just about seen it all: police raids, stand offs, fires, snow-storms and flooding.  On the political front, Gamble has been on the beat with more presidential candidates in Texarkana than anyone other reporter. His favorite stories however are about giving back.  "You get more satisfaction in helping the 80 year old lady get her lights turned on than death and destruction," said Gamble.

Fred Gamble is arguably the most recognized TV journalist in person who's not actually seen regularly on TV. And he likes it that way. He’s a very humble person and does not like to be in the spotlight. Very rarely will you see him on-camera. Working behind the scenes is where he likes to be.

Retirement isn’t on the horizon for Gamble. Texarkana’s favorite son is here to stay telling more stories for a long, long time. "Like Martin Luther King always said, longevity pays off," said Gamble.

Silver Circle Honoree

John Paul

John Paul, often known as “JP,” is a veteran Illinois TV broadcaster and journalism instructor.

He spent over 40 years in TV, radio and journalism education.

John’s interest in journalism started as a teenager delivering newspapers in his hometown of Peoria. He attended the University of Illinois and worked as a reporter and anchor at the college radio station, WPGU. He has degrees in Radio-and-Television and a master’s in journalism. He was hired at WCIA-TV in Champaign right out of college as a reporter and weekend anchor. He rose through the ranks to become producer, executive producer, elections producer and eventually, news director. After nearly 25 years at WCIA, he worked eight years at WILL-TV in Urbana as a producer, show host, debate moderator and documentarian.

John was hired as a part-time, then full-time, journalism “lecturer” at the University of Illinois in 1997. He has taught classes in newscast production, TV storytelling, reporting, broadcast voice, sports journalism and some graduate level classes. In his two decades as a teacher, his college students consistently rated him among the “excellent instructors” on the UI campus. He served on the board of directors for the Illini Media Company, which oversees student media at the U of I.

John has been a member of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association since 1974. He was chair and co-chair of the Mid-America Emmys^® Board of Governors education committee for 11 years.

John was nominated for an Emmy^® in 2009 as co-producer of a historical documentary titled “True Illini Spirit” about the history of Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois.

For many years, he proudly presented dozens of NATAS high school awards and scholarships at the annual Emmy^® gala.

John is married and has two adult children. He retired in 2018.

Silver Circle Honoree

Judy Fraser

Judy Fraser came to WCIA in 1976, after getting her start at an NBC affiliate in Madison, Wis., and a CBS affiliate in Boston.

Fraser said she got a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1962, "when television was still a toddler."

She started out in Madison as the "Romper Room" lady and hostess for the afternoon movie. When management asked her to become a weather anchor, she went back to school and became a National Weather Service apprentice.

In Boston, she was one of three hosts for the morning show, providing weather segments.

At WCIA, she introduced several folksy concepts, examining woolly worms and persimmon pits to figure out how bad winter would be.

"It was a way to make a personal connection," she said. "I always wanted to connect with people."

In that spirit, she observed "Hoo Dee Hoo Day" as an annual ritual for those tired of winter and ready for spring. The event sometimes attracted more than 300 people to local parks, where they would cry "Hoo Dee Hoo."

"I got a call from the BBC some years ago," Fraser said, "and someone said to me in a very British voice, 'Would you happen to be the Hoo Dee Hoo Lady?'" I thought, "Oh, Lord, what a thing to be known for!'"

The BBC was putting together a documentary on unusual holidays around the world, and someone in Seattle mentioned a lady in the Midwest who celebrated Hoo Dee Hoo Day. Tapes of Fraser's annual event ended up being part of the documentary.

Because of her familiar face, Fraser has the opportunity to connect with people virtually every time she's out in public. "To me, it's such an honor," she said. "This is the reason I got to do my job for so many years. It's because of those people. I need to spend time with them. It's important to let them know that I'm just a real person, and we can talk about our families."

Fraser has spent countless hours in classrooms, service clubs, hospitals, nursing homes, parades and community events, all to give back to the community she so loves. She retired in 2011 after 35 years reporting the weather to WCIA viewers. Judy enjoys spending time with her husband, children and grandchildren Griffin, Emma and Jack.

Silver Circle Honoree

Bill Evans

Bill Evans is vice president of the West Kentucky Media Group for Paxton Media Group. In this role he is vice president & general manager of NBC affiliate WPSD in Paducah, KY and publisher of six newspapers including the company’s flagship daily paper, The Paducah Sun. He also leads the digital news & sales teams at all seven of these properties.

Bill joined PMG in 1997 as news director for WPSD. He was promoted to VP of News & Operations, and later GM. In 2018 the Paxton family asked him to step into the newspaper business.

Bill considers himself a journalist above all else. His journalism career spans forty years as a radio reporter, TV sports anchor, TV reporter & anchor, TV newscast producer, executive producer, and news director. He has interviewed Presidents, covered post-war activities in Kuwait, produced documentaries and long-form special programming in the U.S. and China. He has led newsrooms through some of the biggest spot news situations found in local TV news—deadly severe weather and mass casualty school shootings.

Bill and his newsrooms have been recognized with many awards including Emmys^®, regional RTDNAs, and the AP’s overall excellence award every year since 2016.

Bill believes in “service above self,” and lives that by donating his time to the Rotary Club, United Way, and mentoring through the school systems and the Oscar Cross Boys & Girls Club. He does annual volunteer work at a medical mission in Peru founded by a member of his extended family.

At this point in his career Bill focuses on mentoring journalists. He is extremely proud of the young people who come through his newsroom and then move on to fulfill their dreams in our industry. He’s particularly fond of this old saying: “Society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” ― Anonymous Greek Proverb

Bill married Susan a long time ago and are parents to many loving fur babies. His passion is long-distance backpacking and getting away from cell phones.

Gold & Silver Circle Nomination

Application Deadline: April 30

Nominations are submitted via the online application process and should include: a letter of nomination, at least two letters of recommendation, a chronological resume, and a biography. Please submit all materials in one package.