NEW YORK—The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and visionaries of broadcast, cable and streaming television, is set to induct its class of 2026 on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at New York’s Ziegfeld Ballroom (141 W. 54th St).

Headliners for this year’s gala include CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, Bravo’s Andy Cohen, Food Network’s celebrity chef Bobby Flay and ESPN commentator and sports television personality Stephen A. Smith.

Luis Fernández, Chairman, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, will receive the Hall of Fame’s 2026 Chairman’s Award. A journalist at heart with over five decades of experience leading radio, broadcast, film and sports operations in the US, Europe and Asia, Fernández is widely recognized for his visionary approach, competitive spirit and creative drive. He currently oversees Telemundo Enterprises’ multiplatform portfolio, including its flagship broadcast network and its entertainment, sports and news programming divisions, as well as its digital and streaming units.

William Wang, Founder and CEO of VIZIO, has been tapped for the Technology Leadership Award. Wang is an American entrepreneur, inventor and TV executive best known for pioneering the world’s first internet-connected TV and creating VIZIO, a leading TV and soundbar maker in the United States. Since VIZIO’s inception in 2002, Wang has served as founder, CEO and chairman, steering the company to the forefront of the smart TV revolution. Under his leadership, VIZIO has sold more than

100 million premium-quality, innovative televisions and soundbars at accessible prices.

Prolific writers and producers Robert King and Michelle King, creators of The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Evil, Elsbeth, and the upcoming CBS Original Series Cupertino, will be inducted into the 2026 Hall of Fame class for their impact across the television landscape. Finally, a special, inaugural Franchise of the Year Award will honor the enduring legacy of Star Trek, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of its television debut this September, nearly to the day of its Hall of Fame recognition.

The 2026 Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame class includes:

• Wolf Blitzer – Award-winning co-anchor of CNN’s The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown
• Val Boreland – President of Entertainment, Versant
• Andy Cohen - Host, Executive Producer, and Author, Bravo, NBCUniversal, Embassy Row
• Joseph M. Cohen – Co-Founder, USA Network, President, The Switch Sports Group and Chairman & CEO of West Ridge Associates
• Luis Fernández – Chairman, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises (*Chairman’s Award*)
• Rita Ferro – President, Global Advertising, The Walt Disney Company
• Bobby Flay - Chef, Restaurateur, Producer and Media Personality, Food Network, Warner Bros. Discovery
• Robert & Michelle King – Creators/Showrunners/Executive Producers, CBS Studios & King Size Productions
• Jon Litner – President and CEO, YES Network
• Jim Packer – President of Worldwide Television Distribution, Lionsgate
• Suzanne Scott – Chief Executive Officer, Fox News Media
• Stephen A. Smith – Featured Commentator/Executive Producer, First Take, ESPN
• William Wang – Founder and CEO of VIZIO (*Technology Leadership Award*)
• Star Trek – Celebrating 60 years as a defining sci-fi franchise (*Franchise of the Year Award*)

“With each new year, a fresh privilege is revealed, each with its own powerful and stunning identity. The class of 2026 feels particularly noteworthy,” commented Charlie Weiss, Chairman, Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame. “The combination of dynamic industry leaders, pioneering innovators and unparalleled, groundbreaking creatives is nothing short of breathtaking. We stand in awe of their collective achievements, and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate and honor them.”

“Looking over this incredible Hall of Fame class of 2026 reminds us all why we are so passionate about our business and why we are so fortunate to be a part of it,” added Allison Markert, Vice President, Global Head of Strategy & Operations, Future B2B. “It’s such a privilege to honor and recognize these leaders for everything they’ve contributed across their remarkable careers and for the tremendous influence they continue to have on our industry today.”

The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame class of 2026 joins an exclusive list of nearly 500 industry pioneers. Meet this year's class and browse the full list of honorees at https://www.bchalloffame.com.

A portion of the net proceeds from the Hall of Fame gala is donated to The Broadcasters Foundation of America, a charitable organization that provides anonymous financial grants to those of our industry colleagues and their families who are in acute need due to critical illness or accident, advanced age, death of a spouse or other serious misfortune.

The Paley Center for Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is also a beneficiary. The Paley Center leads the discussion about the cultural, creative and social significance of television, radio and emerging platforms for the professional community and media-interested public.

For partnership opportunities, tables and ticket information, please contact Jessica Wolin at jessica.wolin@futurenet.com or 212-685-4233.

Follow the Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame across all social platforms at #BCHOF.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—The Florida Association of Broadcasters has announced that it will recognize some of the state’s most impactful, inspirational, and influential broadcasting legends during the 2025 Florida Broadcasters Hall of Fame Gala and award ceremony. The event will take place at 6:30-9:00 pm on Thursday, June 26th at the Breakers Palm Beach.

The awards presentation celebrates the 2025 class of the Florida Broadcasters Hall of Fame, who have earned a place in Florida’s broadcasting history. They are the pioneers, the innovators, and the stars of broadcasting whose contributions advanced and revolutionized the industry in Florida, the group reported.

This class of honorees includes 4 broadcasters from both radio and television, throughout Florida. Hall of Fame inductees were chosen based on their distinguished professional career directly tied to Florida, devoting a minimum of 25 years to the industry. The 2025 inductees are the leading examples of integrity, innovation, achievement, leadership, and contributions to the industry.

The 2025 Florida Broadcasters Hall of Fame Inductees are:

• Claudia Puig, Chief Communications Officer, Spanish Broadcasting System
• E.R. Bert Medina, President and Chief Executive Officer, WPLG
• Linda Byrd, Retired Division President and Current Advisor, iHeart Media
• Steven H. Pontius, Retired Executive Vice President and General Manager, Waterman Broadcasting Corporation

Hall of Fame inductees were chosen from nominations by current and former employees of FAB member station(s). The final award recipients were vetted and selected by the Florida Broadcasters Selection Committee representing the broadcast industry in Florida.

More information is available here.

Famed TV lighting designer Bill Klages, who won seven Primetime Emmy Awards and was the first lighting designer to be inducted into the Television Hall of Fame died on Sunday, July 7, according to Lighting Designer News. 

For a number of years, Klages was also a regular columnist for TV Tech. A tribute to Klages on the occasion of his induction into the Television Hall of Fame, noted that he started in the very early days of U.S. television at NBC in 1948 and that he amassed more than “300 credits amassed over a 58-year career that began in the days of live black-and-white television dramas and has continued into the 21st century.” 

Klages started at NBC working as a video maintenance engineer on such series as “Your Show of Shows” and “The Kate Smith Hour.” He moved into lighting, which he had always wanted to do, in the mid-1950s after a two year stint in the Navy. He remained at NBC until 1970 when he went freelance and started his own company. 

Over the years, he was involved many high profile shows and events, including such award shows such as the Primetime Emmys, Tonys, Grammys and Golden Globes; entertainment specials featuring Barbra Streisand, Bob Hope, Liza Minnelli, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow and Mikhail Baryshnikov; special events like the 1984 Summer Olympics Closing Ceremonies and inaugural galas for Presidents John F. Kennedy and George H.W. Bush, according to the Television Academy. 

In addition to his Primetime Emmy wins, he was nominated for 23 Emmys.

Bruce Aleksander, current author of TV Tech's Lighting Technology column, considered Bill a mentor.

"He inspired me and was generous with his time and sharing his knowledge," Aleksander said. "He was one of the pioneers of lighting, standing alongside Imero Fiorentino, David Clark (Imero's associate) and George Spiro Dibie. These folks pretty much invented cinematic lighting for video/television. Bill was the last one that remained standing."

More information about his career is available here, here, here and here. 

CARMEL, IND.—There will be a quintet of new inductees into the Indiana Broadcasters Association’s Richard M. Fairbanks Hall of Fame this fall: Brad Byrd, Tom Griswold, Bob Kevoian, Ed Roehling and Bill Shirk. All five will be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame during IBA’s 2016 Indiana Broadcasters Conference in November.

Brad Byrd

Brad Byrd has been the lead anchor for WEHT (ABC) and WTVW (CW) in Evansville, Ind., for the past 39 years. He also serves as the stations’ managing editor. In addition, Byrd teaches broadcast courses at the University of Evansville and the University of Southern Indiana. According to IBA, Byrd is the first Tri-State broadcasted elected to the Indiana Journalism Hall of Fame and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle Hall of Fame.

Tom Griswold and Bob Kevoian have been the top-rated morning radio show hosts at Indianapolis’ WFBG-FM since 1983 and has been nationally syndicated since 1995. It is known for its original comedy songs and recurring characters, as well as providing national exposure for developing comedians, which in the past have included the likes of George Lopez, Brad Garrett, and Tim Allen; they also organize the Friends of the Bob & Tom Show Comedy Tour. The pair have won five Marconi Awards from the NAB.

Ed Roehling has helped to establish a number of local stations in Indiana, as well as ones in Minnesota and Michigan, including WWWY in Rushville, Ind. He has also served as a professor of communications at Indiana Central College (now University of Indianapolis), general manager for WICR-FM, and vice president for Hoosier Broadcasting, which owned three educational stations across Indiana. Roehling currently works as the president and broker of Roehling Broadcast Services, which provides the radio industry with appraisal, brokerage and consulting services for individual and company acquisitions and sales of broadcast properties.

Bill Shirk has worked his way all the way up through the radio broadcasting industry, starting as a janitor for WERK in Muncie, Ind., in 1965 before becoming a weekend DJ a year later. By 1968 he was WERK’s station manager, sales manager, program director, and production manager in addition to remaining an afternoon DJ. Over the next three decades Shirk served as owner, general manager and director for half a dozen stations in Indianapolis, Greenwood and Lebanon.

All five of the inductees will be honored during the Hall of Fame and Spectrum Awards luncheon on Nov. 17, during the Indiana Broadcasters Conference. Tickets are available here.