Television HOF

Sam Muchnick – 2014

A phenomenal showman, promoter and broadcaster, Sam Muchnick was a staple in the sports scene here spanning seven decades. A native Ukrainian, he moved with his family to St. Louis in 1911. In 1926, he joined the St. Louis Times, where he covered the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team while developing many influential acquaintances, including Babe Ruth and Al Capone. Muchnick also covered professional wrestling, and in 1932, when the Times merged with the St. Louis Star, he began his career as a long-time sports promoter. His TV series, “Wrestling at the Chase,” aired on KPLR-TV from May 1959 through September 1983.

Jack Galmiche – 2019

Jack Galmiche was president and CEO of the Nine Network from 2006 until his passing in 2019. In the 13 years he was at the helm, the organization’s community engagement efforts were expanded, becoming a national model for public media. Galmiche expanded the reach of the station’s programming and content through four local channels and digital distribution. He encouraged the production of programs that addressed specific local issues and oversaw development of the Nine Center for Public Engagement, a first of its kind community engagement center. He presided over the design and installation of the Public Media Commons, the shared outdoor plaza between Nine Network and St. Louis Public Radio in Grand Center.

Todd Newton – 2015

Daytime Emmy Award winner Todd Newton’s broadcasting career began on WKBQ radio and KPLR-TV in St. Louis, where he used the nom-de-air of Rikk Idol. Newton grew up in Oakville in St. Louis County. He left his hometown and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams, landing gigs as a host on several national programs. Newton also authored books about the business: The Host with the Most: Tales of a Tattooed Television Personality, and Life in the Bonus Round: A Game Show Host’s Road to Success and Fulfillment-which was named Best Autobiography at the prestigious Beverly Hills Book Awards. He returned for a short stint on KIHT/KNOU in 2015, and at that time, he and his family created Newton Fund 4 Kids to support St. Louis’ Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center.

Leo Tevlin – 2015

An engineering grad of St. Louis University, Leo Tevlin was instrumental in getting KSD-TV, KACY-TV and KWK-TV on the air in St. Louis. He was behind the camera for many great moments in St. Louis history going back the 1950’s “CBS Baseball Game of the Week” with Dizzy Dean and Pee Wee Reese, countless “NFL on CBS” games as cameraman and engineer, completion of the Arch and CBS coverage of space exploration with the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. Tevlin also earned the distinction of being on the first mini-cam crews in the country as newsgathering transitioned from film to videotape and microwave live signal technology which became the foundation of TV news.
He used his Ham radio expertise to build, reach and establish amateur radio stations in South American jungles & mountainous village missions established by the Archdiocese of St. Louis.  These ‘ham stations’ served as the only live communication link in the 1950’s and 60’s between missionary priests assigned from St. Louis.

Mary Spencer – 2015

The first person in St. Louis television to win a national award was Mary Spencer, who was a public affairs writer and producer for KSD-TV. She had joined KSD-TV in the early 1960s, a time when women were a distinct minority in the business. Mrs. Spencer, her production team and KSD-TV won the national Emmy in 1964 for her first documentary, “Operation Challenge — A Study in Hope,” a program she wrote, produced and narrated about extreme poverty and the social ills in Kinloch. Spencer’s Emmy remained the only one earned by anyone in the St. Louis area until 2002.

In 1966, Mrs. Spencer and her crew spent four months interviewing hundreds of people and filming city hospitals and clinics to illustrate the causes of the increasing number of first-year deaths. “The Lengthening Shadow” prompted an overwhelming response from viewers. The program became a teaching tool at health agencies and medical schools.
In her later years at the station, she did a daily commentary in the evening newscasts. She retired in 1975.

Jim Brady – 2016

Jim Brady was elected to the Hall of Fame for his work as the first news director of KTVI. Management contracted for a cameraman from a local movie company and the station’s local coverage began. Jim’s biggest worry was how his team would pull together enough news to fill a ten-minute broadcast. As news director he would determine who would cover a story, assign cameramen, edit film, write stories and occasionally cover them himself. He was also expected to host a weekly 30-minute “Meet the Press”-type public affairs program. Jim Brady served as KTVI’s news director for 14 years before taking a job as news operations director at KMOX Radio.