Len Berman, Scott Shannon, and Mike Wallace Among the NYSBA 2012 Hall of Famers

The New York State Broadcasters Association has revealed its Class of 2012 Hall of Fame inductees. The NYSBA honors on-air radio and TV talent from across the state. This year, the NYSBA adds six people for enshrinement. Mike Wallace is being inducted posthumously. The iconic "in your face" 60 Minutes reporter started full-time at CBS in 1960. He was a charter member of TV's longest running newsmagazine when it debuted in 1968. Wallace took home 21 Emmy Awards. He died in April at the age of 93. Len Berman was a popular sportscaster, known primarily for 24 years at WNBC/Channel 4, before leaving in 2009. Berman also had a stint at WCBS/Channel 2 earlier in his career. An eight-time Emmy winner, Berman covered virtually all major sporting events, especially those involving the New York teams. Since leaving WNBC, Berman has maintained his monthly blooper segment, Spanning the World, on the Today Show. "I am deeply honored to be chosen to be inducted into the NYSBA Hall of Fame with some of my broadcast heroes like Walter Cronkite and Mike Wallace," Berman tells FishbowlNY. "And to be one of the few sportscasters in the Hall makes it doubly special." Berman has written four books, and has resurfaced on local TV with a weekly segment on WNYW/Channel 5. Scott Shannon takes his place among the state's top broadcasters. Shannon was morning show co-host and program director, at the "from the ground up" Z100. While there, Shannon created The Z Morning Zoo, which began in August 1982. In mere months, Shannon had taken the station from worst to first place in the ratings. In the ensuing years, after briefly piloting Pirate Radio in Los Angeles, Shannon was back in New York, this time as morning co-host and program director at WPLJ, Z100's longtime rival. Last year, Shannon and Todd Pettengill celebrated 20 years of waking New Yorkers. Joan Hamburg is known as the "First Lady" of New York Radio. The legendary personality became of staple at WOR in the early 1970s. The Long Island native began her radio career broadcasting consumer segments on the long-running Rambling with Gambling morning show. She eventually earned her own show. Today, her show covers a broad range of topics, including the day’s news, food, restaurants, and celebrity and newsmaker interviews. Joan is known for broadcasting from “remote locations” in the community, including Sardi’s The Hamptons, Canyon Ranch and the Villages in Florida. With her daughter, Liz, Joan is part of the first mother-daughter radio team in the country. Two others from outside of the City, join this year's class. Rich Funke, who worked nearly 40 years in Rochester, and veteran Syracuse anchor, Jackie Robinson. Photo credit: (Shannon picture) 979trueoldies.com

Fishbowl

Len Berman, Scott Shannon, and Mike Wallace Among the NYSBA 2012 Hall of Famers

Jerry Barmash

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Jerry Barmash