Nine distinguished radio and television personalities will be inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame on Thursday, June 13, at the annual MA Broadcasters Association (www.massbroadcasters.org) luncheon and awards ceremony at the Boston Marriott Quincy Hotel.
The 2024 inductees are, alphabetically by last name:
- Barbara Bernard, who at nearly 100 years old can look back at an award-winning radio and television career that’s made her one of the most beloved personalities in Western Massachusetts;
- Bill Fine, who served as only the fourth president and general manager in the history of WCVB-TV, Channel 5 — Boston’s ABC affiliate, Hearst Television’s flagship, and the country’s most honored commercial TV station;
- The Joe and Andy Family – For more than a decade, mostly during the 1980s, “The Joe and Andy Family” get-together on WROR-FM, starring Joe Martelle and the late Andy Moes, was a morning drive-time “hit” and an “appointment radio” laugh-fest;
- Alison King, the universally respected political reporter who recently left NBC10 Boston and NECN to join the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics as a Resident Fellow and Shorenstein Center as a Research Fellow. She is also a fellow at Salem State University’s Institute of Politics.
- Phillip Martin, a multi-award-winning journalist and the senior investigative reporter for The GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting;
- Glenn Ordway, the popular radio sports program host who early in his career spent 13 years as a member of theBoston Celtics’ radio broadcast team;
- Candy O’Terry, also known as “Candy O,” a radio broadcaster, podcaster, singer, songwriter, and speaker coach and creator of the award-winning podcast series The Story Behind Her Success; and
- Pebbles, the reigning (2023) Massachusetts Broadcasters Association (MBA) “Broadcaster of the Year.”
Tickets for the Hall of Fame luncheon cost $90 each. If purchased before May 3, the buyer will receive a $10 discount per ticket! Full tables of eight, nine, and ten are also available. For more information, and to purchase tickets: http://tinyurl.com/MBAHOF24.
Details on each of the 2024 Hall of Fame inductees follow in alphabetical order:
- Barbara Bernard – Approaching 100 years old, Bernard can look back at an award-winning radio and television career that’s made her one of the most beloved personalities in Western Massachusetts. Soon after her 1948 graduation from Mount Holyoke College, Bernard was reading her own children’s stories on “The Barbara Bernard Children’s Hour” on WBEC, a radio station owned by the Berkshire Evening Eagle newspaper. Later, it was “The Barbara Bernard Amateur Hour;” then “It Happened in Your Own Backyard” on WHYN Radio, Holyoke (later Springfield); then TV commercials for WHYN-TV and a twice-weekly television program called “Today’s Woman,” which in 1960 became a daily live show named “The Barbara Bernard Show.” Among the many honors she’s had was a [Pioneer] Valley Press Club Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2017 Rotary Club of Holyoke, South Hadley and Granby “William G. Dwight Distinguished Service to Holyoke Award.” In addition to her long career in radio, TV, and journalism, she was the founder, in 1950, of the Holyoke Golden Age Club, the first independent club of its kind for seniors in the United States.
- Bill Fine – During his 43-year career in local television, Bill Fine held many jobs, ranging from Sports Director, anchor, and sales manager, enroute to spending the last 22 years running TV stations. But he played for only one team in Boston – WCVB. Half of his almost 30 years at WCVB concluded in 2020, having served as only the fourth – and longest tenured president and general manager in the history of WCVB-TV, Channel 5 — Hearst Television’s flagship and the country’s most honored commercial TV station. This marked his third appointment at WCVB since first joining its sales department in 1982. In between, Fine bounced back and forth to Baltimore, including seven years as president and general manager of Hearst’s WBAL-TV, Baltimore’s #1 rated station and respected NBC affiliate. Simultaneously serving on numerous local non-profit boards, while chairing and serving on the executive committees of national television and entertainment trade organizations, Fine became one of the industry’s most recognizable executives. Named WCVB’s President and General Manager in 2005, under Fine’s leadership WCVB consistently remained Boston’s news leader and was routinely honored by the industry’s most prestigious organizations with their coveted national, regional, and local awards. Although Bill is appreciative of this honor and other personal accolades received, he has always considered the opportunity to run his hometown television station the greatest honor of all.
- The Joe and Andy Family – The “The Joe and Andy Family” was responsible for a lot of people being late to work in the 1980s. In parking lots all over New England people could be seen in their cars outside their offices waiting for the conclusion of one of their hilarious routines (which often involved unsuspecting public figures.) No balloon was to big for Joe Martelle and the late Andy Moes to pop, and their morning drive program was one of Boston’s biggest hits during their nine year run.
- Joe Martelle was a Boston DJ for nearly 20 years. He also hosted the all-request “Saturday Night Live at The Oldies” show, which itself was true appointment radio for listeners from Cape Cod to Saco, Maine. After WROR Joe continued his ratings success at WBMX-FM in Boston as well as stations in the much warmer climes of West Palm Beach and Houston. In 2012, Martelle wrote “Radio Pro: The Making of an On-Air Personality and What It Takes;” which now an audio book with Martelle and MA Broadcasters Hall of Fame event emcee and fellow radio personality Jordan Rich sharing the narration. Martelle is also the author of ”An Extraordinary Life: The Life and Career of Robert Urich, about his close friend, the actor who starred in the Boston-based series “Spenser for Hire.”
- Andy Moes – He began his association with Joe Martelle in 1982 as a traffic reporter on Joe’s morning show. Their on-air rapport inspired his move to the studio as co-host and Boston radio was never the same. In 1991, Moes moved to WEEI to become the morning drive host for Boston’s first sports talk station. In October, 1999 Moes took the morning job on WRKO, where he was teamed with former Massport director Peter Blute. Off the air, Moes made headlines with his friendship with “Fraser” star Kelsey Grammer, which extended to a consulting deal for Moes in which he advised the show on how to design the studio of the fictional “KACL Radio.”
- Alison King — NBC10 Boston & NECN Political Reporter Alison King said goodbye in March of last year after 28 years of reporting on the issues of New England. This Spring, she will have joined the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics as a Resident Fellow, as well as having jointed the Shorenstein Center as a Research Fellow, and as a fellow at Salem State University’s Institute of Politics. King started at NECN in 1995 as the station’s first Connecticut Bureau Chief. Nine months later she moved to Boston to become the station’s political reporter. Her work in political journalism for NBC10 Boston started when the station launched in 2017. She’s covered seven Presidential races and a wide range of New England political stories, including work on documentaries on the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. In 2014, she interviewed then President Barack Obama. She’s also traveled the world, from Bosnia with the Massachusetts National Guard in 1997 to a Trade Mission to Israel with Gov. Deval Patrick, and she covered the Olympic Games. Described by many she’s covered as tough, fair, and sometimes a little bit scary, King also knows how to bring people together. In 1998, she started what would become a yearly holiday tradition in “Political Harmony,” where she brings politicians together to sing classic holiday songs.
- Phillip Martin – Phillip Martin, senior investigative reporter for The GBH News Center for Investigative Reporting, is a multi-award-winning journalist. Phillip hosted the highly praised podcast,“Heat and Light,” produced by The Conversation about key events that shaped the year 1998. He worked as a supervising senior editor for NPR from 2003 to 2006 and was NPR’s first national race-relations correspondent from 1998 to 2001. He was executive producer for Lifted Veils Productions, a nonprofit public radio journalism project that he developed “dedicated to exploring issues that divide and unite society.” His “Color Initiative,” an occasional series of reports about the global impact of skin color, aired on The World from 2007 to 2010. In 2022 he was selected as a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Other honors include a 2022 National Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the multi-part GBH News series “Unseen.” He also received National Edward R. Murrow awards for investigative reporting in 2019 and He has received numerous other journalism and civic engagement honors over the course of his career including Headliner, PMJA/PRNDI, AP, NABJ Salute to Excellence, nine regional Edward R. Murrow awards, AAJA, Rueban Salazar, Gabriel, Prized Pieces, Harry Chapin and Clarion awards. Phillip was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and most recently a Pulitzer-Center grantee (2018).
- Glenn Ordway began his broadcasting career in 1972 at a 500-watt radio station in Beverly where he held roles of Account Executive, Talent, Program Director and Station Manager. Three years later in his first Boston gig, he was hired to host Boston Red Sox pre- and post- game shows as well as host of a nightly talk show on WMEX/WITS 1510 AM. While there, he also served two years as the Boston Bruins radio analyst working alongside Bob Wilson. In 1980, he became the WRKO 680 AM Executive Sports Director where he eventually began his 14-season run on the Boston Celtics broadcast team, seven years alongside Johnny Most and seven years as the primary voice. In 1986, the Celtics moved their broadcast to WEEI (then 590 AM), and Glenn moved with them until 1996. He also spent a few years broadcasting NBA playoff games on ESPN Radio and NBA Radio including the NBA Finals and All-Star Weekend. In 1996, he was hired by American Radio Systems as Executive Program Manager for the all-new WEEI on 850 AM where he helped build the sports radio station into a legendary property and the winner of numerous Marconi awards. He also hosted afternoon drive’s “The Big Show” where he developed the “Whiner Line” and turned that must-listen segment into an annual awards show called “The Whineys.” In 2014, he launched the “Big Show Unfiltered” on Sirius/XM and on a streaming app as well as hosting the “Big Weekend Show” on Mad Dog Sports Radio on Sirius/XM. Ordway was the TV host of “New England Tailgate Show” for 20 years on the Comcast/Fox Sports/NBC Sports Boston networks working with former Patriots’ players Fred Smerlas, Steve DeOssie and Steve Nelson. In September 2015, Glenn returned to WEEI to host “OMF” with Lou Merloni (former Red Sox) and Christian Fauria (former Patriot). After a lifetime of distinguished and continuing support of the Jimmy Fund on his broadcasts, he was awarded with the prestigious “Jimmy Award” in 2005. And in 2021, after five decades in broadcasting,Glenn announced his retirement.
- Candy O’Terry – Candy O’Terry, spent 25 years on Magic 106.7/WMJX where she rose from secretary to Assistant Program Director, to morning drive host. The winner of 70 local & national awards, most of them for excellence in women’s programming, she is the creator of the Exceptional Women program, The Story Behind Her Success weekly podcast series, and the Candy O Radio Network. A singer/songwriter and breast cancer survivor, Candy is also the co-author of the illustrated children’s book Nelson’s Garden with her daughter, Colleen. Chosen by her peers as the Massachusetts Broadcaster of the Year in 2015, she has interviewed nearly 1000 women from every walk of life. She is also the host of the Nashville-based podcast series “Country Music Success Stories” and the hands-on communications series “The Speaker Coach.” Often referred to as Boston’s Beloved Radio Voice, she has spent her career devoted to the fight against breast cancer in her mother’s honor. In 2023, Candy became a breast cancer survivor herself and continues to be a voice for local charities including The Ellie Fund and Empower. The co-founder of Boston Women in Media & Entertainment, she has been profiled in the book: Boston Inspirational Womenby Bill and Kerry Brett. A lifelong singer, Candy has experienced the joy of hearing her own songs on the radio.
- Pebbles – Pebbles is the reigning (2023) Massachusetts Broadcasters Association (MBA) “Broadcaster of the Year.” Her first experience in radio was as an intern at WILD 1090 which led to her first paying radio job as part of The Wild Morning Show. Boston’s “original TMZ,” Pebbles quickly became known for her fun contributions to the show, often reporting on celebrity gossip. Pebbles also found that through WILD’s community outreach, giving back to her community and audience delighted her. She began reading to children at the Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library, and created the “Reading Rockstars Program,” a program still in existence, where Pebbles visits schools to share the importance of literacy. Throughout her career Pebbles has also worked with the Boys and Girls Club, Girl Scouts of Eastern Mass., Project Bread, and Media Girls. In 1995, Pebbles made the jump to FM radio and the morning show on the new JAM’N 94.5 (WJMN-FM). There she eventually partnered with Ramiro and Melissa to form the origins of the morning show that now resides on Beasley Media’s HOT 96.9 (WBQT-FM) as The GetUp Crew – a show that has been amongst the highest rated in Boston for more than 23 years. Pebbles has won two Gracie Awards, both recognizing her public affairs program, “Voices.” Pebbles’ real name is Susan Semedo; she was given her radio nickname while atWILD in the 1980s.
