Halls of Fame

George Rueppel – 2017

Brother George Rueppel, S.J., took the experimental wireless station at Saint Louis University, 9YK, and turned it into radio station WEW. 9YK had been broadcasting weather information by Morse Code since 1912, and Brother Rueppel was working as director of SLU’s meteorology department. When WEW was licensed for voice transmission in 1922, Rueppel headed the operation and did most of the initial announcing. He brought a Victrola into his makeshift studio and played music into the microphone to fill the time. His work will forever establish him as one of the founders of radio in St. Louis

Gene Roberts – 2018

Gene Roberts is remembered as the voice of bluegrass music in the St. Louis area, a position he carried out for many years as a bluegrass disc jockey on WGNU and on non-commercial radio stations KDHX and KCLC, incorporating many records from his personal collection into the shows. He got his start in broadcasting in 1947 at Armed Forces Radio in Okinawa. In 2003 Gene was named to the Who’s Who list of country DJs in St. Louis, and he was a charter member of the International Bluegrass Music Association and received the Pioneer of Missouri Bluegrass Award.

Bill Wilkerson – 2018

Bill Wilkerson achieved many firsts in his radio career, but it was his hosting of KMOX “Total Information AM” with Bob Hardy and Wendy Wiese that endeared him to the masses. The program had huge ratings – the largest listenership in St. Louis radio. He began his KMOX career in 1969 as a news reporter and then sports reporter, did St. Louis Football Cardinals and Mizzou football play-by-play and even professional basketball with Bob Costas and hockey with Dan Kelly. It is believed he was the first African-American NFL radio announcer and NHL color man. Bill’s wry humor was always evident in his broadcasts, especially those KMOX mornings. He also worked at WIBV and KTRS before retiring from radio in 2006.

Fr. Boniface Wittenbrink OMI – 2018

Fr. Boniface Wittenbrink, OMI, used the technical aspects of the radio industry to provide informational services to the blind. As the founder of the “Talking Book” program at radio station WMRY in Belleville, he procured funding to purchase special radio receivers, acquired studio equipment and space and recruited volunteer readers. The service provided an audio stream for blind listeners, consisting of news and features from the day’s papers, as well as books and magazines. He went on to establish the same service in 10 Illinois cities, Texas, Canada and the Philippines. The local operation grew to more than 200 volunteers serving over 14,000 people. 

Carole Carper – 2019

Carole Carper began her radio career while a student at Fisk University. In St. Louis she became the first Black female radio news director in the market, taking that position at KADI-AM/FM in the mid-70s. She had previously worked at WESL and later went to KKSS before moving to the Los Angeles market. Her work at KADI won her recognition for the best news feature by the Missouri RTNDA, beating out work by news powerhouses statewide. Carole was the first Black woman appointed to the national board of RTNDA in 1985.

Peter Maer – 2019

Peter Maer, who began his broadcast career at WGNU and WIBV on the East Side, spent nearly 35 years as a White House correspondent, working for the Mutual, NBC and CBS Networks. Before he left St. Louis at his career’s beginning, he also worked at WEW and KSHE. His national news reporting won numerous accolades including three Murrow Awards, the Scripps-Howard Award, the Walter Cronkite Faith and Freedom Award. He’s a member of the SPJ Hall of Fame and received the St. Louis Press Club Lifetime Achievement Award. Maer is a Mass Comm graduate of SIU-Edwardsville where he later served as commencement speaker and received an Honorary Doctorate Degree.