The Dayton Area Broadcasters Hall of Fame has announced the 2019 slate of inductees. This year twelve broadcasters will be inducted along with Community Service Award honorees.
The following is the list of the honorees:
Don Brown – Brown began his broadcasting career working at WHIO radio part-time, while attending Wright State University. He got his taste of sports announcing as the co-host analyst for WHIO Radio high school games. Don later joined the team at WKEF-TV and eventually became the host of the local Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon after the Late Johnny Walker stepped down. As host, Don helped raise money not just for the Jerry Lewis Telethon but for countless other charities throughout the Miami Valley. Don later returned to WHIO TV where he served as a part-time sportscaster.
Larry Coressel – Coressel has worked as the morning anchor at Dayton Public radio station WDPR since 1987. Having moved through the ranks for many years, he has held various positions including station operation manager, production manager and Public Service Director. In addition to his role at WDPR, Larry has been an avid supporter of arts and cultural organizations throughout the region.
Thomas (Tom) Carroll – Carroll has a legendary career as Program Director. It was Carroll who paired Christopher Geisen with Steve Kerrigan as the morning show team at WTUE Radio. He made WTUE the soundtrack for the city with free concerts at Island Park, Hara Arena, Courthouse Square and the Ervin J. Nutter Center. Under Tom’s leadership, WTUE Radio became one of the leaders in serving the community. It was under Tom’s management that WTUE won the coveted album-oriented Rock Station trophy of the year.
Donna Hall – Hall served as General Sales Manager and Vice President and General Manager of WHIO Radio. During her tenure at WHIO Radio, she partnered with the Children’s Miracle Network to launch the Cares for Kids Radiothon. Over the 22 years of the radiothon, listeners have donated over $4 million dollars to Dayton Children’s Hospital. Donna was one of the first General Manager’s with Cox Media to switch the music station to wall-to-wall coverage when the United States came under attack on September 11, 2001. Donna worked tirelessly to maintain Cox’s relationship with the University of Dayton to remain the “Home of the Dayton Flyers.” Now living in Atlanta, GA, Donna still considers Dayton her home.
Barbara Kerr – In the 1970’s when woman still struggled to make strides in broadcast news, Barbara Kerr was one of the early pioneers. Barbara joined WHAG TV in Hagerstown, MD as an Anchor/Reporter and became its first female News Director. Barbara left Youngstown to migrate to a larger market, Dayton, OH. She joined WDTN-TV as a general assignment reporter, soon after also serving in the news anchor role. One of her most memorable assignments was to travel to West Point to cover the return of the Iranian hostages from Tehran after 444 days in captivity. While in Dayton, she was very involved in the community becoming an ambassador for the arts.
Terry Lafferty – Terry got his break in the broadcast industry at WPTW in Piqua Ohio. Oscar Baker, the father of WHIO reporter Steve Baker, was the Station Manager and gave Terry his first break into radio. In 1970, Terry, joined the WING radio news department. It was there Terry made a name for himself. He and Kathy O’Connor Bow became the first airborne-duo traffic reporters with the Skywatch traffic reports. In 1980, Terry was hired by Winston Hoehner to join the WHIO Radio team and began his tenure as news producer. For the next 20 years at WHIO, Terry was dedicated to the community, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, a reader for Words and as the audio engineer for his church. Today, Terry is a news anchor for WPTW in Piqua, making him one of the few with over 50 years in broadcasting.
Jim Manley – as a young man in Toledo, Jim would duct-tape a transmission radio to his head while riding his bike and dream of a job in radio. His dream became a reality in 1983 when he got his first commercial radio job at WTUE Radio. From this position, his career expanded to other stations in the Dayton/Miami Valley area such as with the WHIO Morning show with Lou Emm; after, Manley launched a new format at WHKO K-99. He left broadcasting in 1999 to become the in-house agent for Fricker’s Restaurants. He remained involved in the community emceeing numerous charity events such as the Easter Seals Radiothon with radio personality and Hall of Famer David G. MacFarland. Still with Fricker’s Restaurants, Jim has donated tens of thousands of gift cards and food to endless charitable organizations.
Dee Moorman – Moorman is an icon as a news videographer in Dayton. She started part-time at WHIO-TV as a production technician, operating studio cameras, adjusting lighting and set arrangement. After convincing then WHIO News Director Jack Hurley to hire her as a videographer, she became one of two women to use film cameras. Soon after, Dee began using large videotape cameras; despite of the weight of the camera, she was able to do the job working through two pregnancies. Dee has won numerous state and local awards in videography. She became one of the few women in broadcasting to operate a live truck, shooting video, editing and turning out quality work. Dee recently retired after 42 years of service.
Letitia Perry – Perry is one of the best known and well-loved news personalities in the Dayton region. She fell in love with broadcasting at Meadowdale High School in Dayton, OH. Letitia went on to Central Michigan University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in communications, with a focus in journalism. From Michigan, Letitia took a job At WCBE Public Radio in Columbus, where she covered her biggest story, the Lucasville prison riot of 1993. She returned to Dayton in 1995, accepting the News Director position with Hawes Saunders broadcast properties WROU & WBNB radio. Hosting many community events, Letitia was spotted by officials with WHIO-TV, who asked her to join their team. Today, Letitia is the anchor for WHIO-TV’s morning and Noon newcasts. She is a much sought-after emcee and speaker and gives generously of her time to numerous community events and organizations.
Byron Stirsman, videographer/editor, WHIO-TV. TY GREENLEES / STAFF
Byron Stirsman – Stirsman served as the special project producer/videographer at WHIO TV for many years and his work behind the scene garnered him numerous awards, including First place-National News Photographer’s Association; two-time Ohio News Photographer’s Association of the Year honoree, 21 Emmy awards and twice he was the recipient of the Edward R. Murrow Award. Byron started at WHIO-TV in 1979 and quickly established himself as a hardworking news videographer with an eye for quality work and an unmatched ability to work with any reporter to get the best results. Although Byron retired in 2018, his work and dedication to the business are unmatched.
Art Brown (posthumously) – Brown’s first job in broadcasting was with a radio station in his hometown of Terre Haute, IN at only 16 years of age. After serving in the Marines, Art’s interest in broadcasting was renewed working at a number of radio and TV stations until he got his big break at KRON-TV in San Francisco. While in San Francisco, Art was featured as a television newsman in the 1973 film Magnum Force, starring Clint Eastwood. In 1974, Art came to Dayton to anchor the 11 p.m. news on WDTN TV. His warmth and professionalism made him a popular personality in the Dayton community.
Ricky Boyd (posthumously) – Boyd is best known as being a true community servant. He enriched the community through his broadcast medical programs for over 40 years. He began at WDAO Radio with theMedicine Chest Show and later at WGTV-TV, the city of Dayton government channel with his program “To Your Health.” Ricky used his platform as the first African American to serve as a director at the Combined Health District (Dayton Montgomery County Public Health) to heighten awareness about critical health issues and initiatives. He successfully petitioned the name change of the West Dayton Health Care Center to the Dr. Charles Drew Health Center. Ricky was also responsible for a series of community programs including the creation of the first-aid education program for women on the streets, the first Westown Shopping Center Health Fair and creating the first home visiting program for pregnant women to receive pre-natal care. He volunteered countless hours to the Mary Scott Nursing home.
Bi-annually, the Dayton Area Broadcasters Hall of Fame selects a person(s) who has been a friend of the media, as well as, a dedicated and innovative leader in the community. This year’s Community Service awards will be given to Attorney Dennis Lieberman and Montgomery County Commissioner Deborah Lieberman.
Individually and collectively, Dennis and Debbie Lieberman have made significant and impactful contributions to the Dayton region. An experienced and well-respected attorney, Dennis Lieberman practices law in the areas of criminal defense and civil litigation. He has tried a substantial amount of cases in both state and federal courts. Outside of the courthouse, he is just as active in his community. During the 2012 election, he campaigned tirelessly to keep early voting in Ohio to make sure every vote is counted. In addition to his work on the Board of Elections, Mr. Lieberman was also Montgomery County Democratic Party Chair for 13 years and a candidate for the Ohio Democratic Party Chair. Today, Lieberman is a member of the City of Clayton Council. He currently serves his community by educating the next generation of lawyers teaching litigation skills as an Adjunct Professor at his alma mater, University of Dayton School of Law. Mr. Lieberman has volunteered to assist high school mock trial teams and has served on a number of local charitable boards.
After graduating from the University of Dayton School of Law, Debbie Lieberman worked in real estate and with Legal Aid Society of Dayton. Debbie joined the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office as Director of Real Estate. She served in that position for ten years before becoming the Chief Deputy Auditor in 2001. Debbie served on the first City of Clayton Council and was re-elected in 2001. She was elected to the Montgomery County Commission in 2004 and is currently in her fourth term. Debbie co-chairs with U.S. Judge Walter Rice, the Montgomery County Reentry Council. Debbie is a member of the Dayton Regional STEM Collaborative board, focused on enhancing regional STEM education assets. She serves on the Downtown Dayton Partnership Board. Debbie Co-Chaired the Culture Connects 20/20 Committee and was recently appointed to the Board of Directors of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley will receive a special recognition for her interest and support in securing a permanent home for the Dayton Area Broadcasters Hall or Fame in the Dayton Convention Center.
These inductees will be honored at ceremony at the NCR Country Club, 4435 Dogwood Trail in Kettering on Thursday, September 19, 2019. Tickets are $75 per person; table of eight can be secured for $700.
