Television HOF
Television HOF Stub
This is a Stub Article for the Television Hall of Fame.
After other articles are available in this category, this should be unpublished.
Radio HOF
Beck, John
John Beck – 2016
John Beck was one of the market’s senior managers of a radio cluster, having served at the helm of Emmis Communications’ St. Louis properties for over 30 years, during which he oversaw station acquisitions, as well as format and personnel changes. The stations he oversaw consistently ranked in the market’s top ten. His community activities included service in over a dozen non-profits, and outside professional accomplishments included service as president of the Missouri Broadcasters’ Association, participation on several of the group’s boards, and work on several specialized efforts of the National Association of Broadcasters. His professional honors included being named one of the nation’s top ten radio market managers by Radio Ink Magazine.
Television HOF
Abel, George
George Abel – 2012
George Abel was the jack of all trades, which is just what was needed in radio and the early days of television. Taking a job at KSD radio in 1943, Abel soon found the new medium of television was a perfect match. In 1947, KSD-TV signed on with Abel as one of the original on-air employees.
Spanning 34 years, Abel played roles as program announcer/sports commentator, cowboy “Drygulch” on the The Wranglers Club show, a personality on the Charlotte Peters Show and then as announcer of Wrestling at the Chase on KPLR-TV Channel 11. He retired in 1981.
Radio HOF
Drenkhahn, Peggy
Peggy Drenkhahn – 2016
Peggy Cohill Drenkhahn began working at KMOX Radio in July of 1975. In the ensuing decades, she became one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes people in St. Louis broadcasting as the person responsible for booking guests on the station’s talk programs. Her bookings and pairings with the strong KMOX stable of program hosts built the station into a nationally recognized ratings powerhouse through the ’70s and ’80s. Outside work she volunteering as a reading and math tutor for kids and taught Sunday School.
Television HOF
Allen, Spencer
Spencer Allen – 2006
Allen had a casual and relaxed style in delivering the news. His easy manner won the confidence and trust of many viewers. After graduating from the University of Missouri School of Journalism he started his career in radio, working at stations in Missouri and Texas. In 1941 He moved to Chicago to work at WGN radio. During World War II, he served in the Army as public relations officer at Fort Monmouth Signal Corps Training Center in New Jersey. After the war, he rejoined WGN in Chicago and established one of the first local television news operations before coming to St. Louis in 1958 and joining KMOX-TV, where he became news director and chief news anchor. In 1964, Mr. Allen went to rival KTVI, but only spent three years there before returning to KMOX-TV as editorial director. In 1972, he left television to teach in the graduate program of UM’s journalism school.
Radio HOF
Dwyer, Art
Art Dwyer – 2016
Art Dwyer accepted an invitation to visit the construction site of the radio tower being built for St. Louis’ community radio station, KDHX, in 1987. Almost as an aside, he was asked to bring along some records. Given that Dwyer had founded the Soulard Blues Band nine years earlier, the records he carried with him were all blues records. For the next 18 months he made the 75 mile round trip to the transmitter site twice a week to host a four-hour program that morphed into his popular Friday afternoon blues showcase, “Blues in the Night.” Art received the Riverfront Times Readers’ Poll Award for best blues show in 2006 and 2007. He served on the St. Louis Blues Society board for three years.