Halls of Fame

Karen Foss – 2007

Karen Foss occupied the anchor’s chair for the late evening news at a local TV station longer than any other woman in America. Her television career began in Kansas City as a film editor. In 1979 she began her job as news anchor at KSDK-TV, retiring from Channel 5 in 2006. During her tenure on the market’s highest-rated newscast Foss was an active participant in community activities. In 1985 she received the St. Louis Ambassadors’ Spirit of St. Louis Award. She was given a Woman of Achievement Award in 1989 and the local NAACP gave her its Roy Wilkins Freedom Award in 1992.

Joe Garagiola – 2006

The Midwestern roots of Joe Garagiola helped propel him into the national television spotlight, eventually hosting the Today Show on NBC. Joe grew up on Elizabeth Street on The Hill, St. Louis’ storied neighborhood. Signed to a professional baseball contract at age 16 by Branch Rickey, Garagiola played five seasons for the Cardinals, including the 1946 championship year. When his baseball career ended in 1954, he joined KMOX Radio and broadcast Cardinals’ games. He later moved to the Yankees’ broadcast booth, which led to Garagiola’s play-by-play assignment for NBC that lasted 27 years. Two stints with the “Today Show” capped his illustrious broadcast career. A 1973 winner of television’s Peabody Award, Joe Garagiola entered the broadcasters’ wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991.

Bob Garger – 2009

Bob Garger’s career in journalism began after college graduation when he joined UPI and won national recognition for his work. His broadcast career began in the newsroom at KSD Radio/TV in 1954 as a writer and beat reporter. He retired from Channel 5 news in 1993 and began his second “career” preserving, cataloging and digitizing the station’s extensive film and tape library. Along with Ray Hoffstetter, Bob was “behind the scenes” but also “at the helm” for all of Channel 5 anniversaries and retrospectives, including both the fortieth and fiftieth anniversary celebrations as well as every key historically significant story. Garger was honored by NATAS with their Gold Circle Award.

Jim Bolen – 2009

Jim Bolen’s first St. Louis TV job was as a substitute in the Channel 4 sports department, but it was his appearance in 1958 was as a character on a local children’s show that launched his full-time career on the tube. His role as Cooky on Cooky and the Captain lasted for nine years. Later he anchored weather and sports segments for the station, and worked as a reporter and as news anchor for the noon news show. Bolen won an Emmy for Best Sportscaster in 1982 and was cited by the Missouri Broadcasters’ Association as best sports reporter in 1973 and best performer-host in 1986.

Dave Garroway – 2006

Garroway attended University City High School in suburban St. Louis and then graduated from Washington University in 1935. He began his broadcasting career modestly, graduating from NBC’s school for announcers at twenty-third in a class of twenty-four. In his radio job at KDKA in Pittsburgh, Garroway became known for his eclectic on-air observations . His attention-grabbing style was in evidence from the beginning as he roamed the region, filing reports from a hot-air balloon, from a U.S. Navy submarine in the Ohio River, and from deep inside a coal mine. In the early days of TV, Garroway became the first host of “Today” on NBC-TV and attracted a large audience that enjoyed his easygoing and low-key personality. Even teaming him with simian “co-host” J. Fred Muggs didn’t appear to phase him. Garroway’s concurrent seriousness in dealing with news stories and ability to clearly explain abstract concepts earned him the nickname “The Communicator,” and eventually won praise from critics and viewers alike.

Betsey Bruce – 2008

Veteran broadcaster Betsey Bruce is one of St. Louis’ most respected television journalists. She worked as both an anchor and a reporter specializing in public affairs, education and political reporting. She began as a writer and then moved to reporter and anchor at KMOX-TV (now KMOV) before joining the staff at KTVI in 1989. She was a member of the KMOX-TV news team, which launched the nation’s first electronic news gathering broadcasts using video mini-cameras and microwave live trucks. She won several awards for her reporting, including the national 1994 Clarion award from Women in Communications for her special report on the St. Louis County Special School district.