After a Global Pandemic kept us apart for almost two years, Saturday, December 4th, the Vermont Association of Broadcasters were able to come together again and celebrate the 26th Anniversary of the Hall of Fame & Awards Banquet at the Hilton Hotel in Burlington!

About 200 guests enjoyed a spectacular evening of eating, drinking, socializing and recognizing excellence within Vermont’s broadcast community. Special guests at the event included Sue Keenom from the NAB in Washington D.C. and Vermont’s Adjutant General, MG Gregory Knight. Although they couldn’t be there in person, Senator Leahy, Rep. Welch and Gov. Scott all sent recorded messages of congratulations.

WPTZ-TV GM Ryan Rothstein and Vermont Public Co. Chief Technical Officer Joe Tymecki introduced Rising Star Award Winners Liz Strzepa from WPTZ and Noah Villamarin-Cutter from Vermont Public Co.

WCAX-TV GM Jay Barton introduced Snyder-Teffner Award Winner Tim Thayer and Mary Cenci and Karen Lougee accepted the award on behalf of their colleague Lynn Elkert.

WVNY Chief of Engineering Greg Towne introduced Distinguished Service Award winner Bill Goldsbury and VAB President Alex von Lichtenberg revealed that all Vermont broadcasters won “Broadcaster of the Year” for their unprecedented efforts during a global pandemic.

VAB President Alex von Lichtenberg also introduced the concept of a VAB group PSA thanking viewers and listeners and promoting fair and trustworthy journalism within Vermont media.

We remembered broadcasters we lost in 2020 and 2021 with a beautiful In Memoriam presentation put together by Scott Antonovich of WKVT-FM. We also shared a series of three videos created by NAB entitled “Shining A Light”, “Spreading Hope” and “Supporting Our Communities” that featured passionate messages from State Broadcaster Association leaders around the country.

The highlight of the evening came when four new members were inducted into the VAB Hall of Fame. Bruce & Hobbes, Shelly Holt Allen, Stephanie Gorin and Steve Cormier!

For high resolution photos or more information about the awards banquet, contact VAB Executive Director Wendy Mays at (802) 233-0296 or vab@vab.org