The Vermont Association of Broadcasters is thrilled to announce this year’s inductees into the VAB Hall of Fame as well as this year’s excellence award winners! These broadcasters will be celebrated during the VAB Hall of Fame & Awards Gala Saturday, November 15, 2025 at The DoubleTree by Hilton Burlington Vermont.

2025 Hall of Fame Inductees

John Hill

For over four decades, “Big John” Hill was a cornerstone of Vermont’s radio landscape. After he graduated from Champlain College in 1969, his broadcasting journey began at WJOY-AM before he transitioned to WDOT-AM in 1970. During the 1970s, “Big John” played a pivotal role in WDOT’s radio dominance, achieving a remarkable 70 share in the Burlington market’s ratings. Hill’s tenure continued with WVMT-AM from 1985 to 1994 and later with Champ 101.3 (WCPV-FM) and Star 92.9 (WEZF-FM) from 1994 until his passing in 2012. His multifaceted role included both on-air talent and sales, culminating in his position as Sales Manager for Clear Channel Radio in Burlington. John’s influence extended beyond the radio mic. He DJed at hundreds of events and was a familiar presence in the community. His signature quote, “Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional” encapsulated his outlook on life and broadcasting – approachable, genuine and always engaging. John Hill’s legacy is one of dedication, passion and community connection. His contributions to Vermont’s broadcast industry have left an indelible mark, influencing generations of listeners and broadcasters alike.

Joe Carroll

Joe Carroll has spent over four decades as a photojournalist at WCAX-TV. The Rutland native began as a videotape editor in August 1985 and rose to the position he holds today as Chief Photographer. His Emmy award-winning series Super Seniors, has brought attention to the lives and stories of older Vermonters with empathy and respect and is a testament to Joe’s distinctive storytelling voice. Throughout his career, Joe has chronicled everything from Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders’ runs for President to natural disasters like Tropical Storm Irene, always with journalistic integrity and an eye for what truly matters. Beyond the lens, Joe has mentored generations of journalists, fostering talent and professionalism in both photographers and reporters alike. His adaptability in an evolving industry, paired with his unwavering commitment to storytelling, has made him a role model and a cornerstone of the WCAX newsroom. A cancer survivor and a community chronicler, Joe Carroll continues to inspire through stories that resonate far beyond the screen. His legacy is not only in the images he’s captured, but in the lives he’s honored and the journalists he’s guided.

Joe Tymecki

With a career spanning radio, television, and public broadcasting, Joe Tymecki has consistently demonstrated visionary leadership and technical excellence across Vermont’s broadcast media landscape. For four years, Joe has been the Senior Vice President of Engineering & Technology at Vermont Public.  Before that, he served as Chief Technology Officer at VPR, Vermont PBS, and held Chief Engineer positions for Sison Broadcasting and then at WCAX-TV. Joe’s early career included on-air radio work at WWPV-FM, WVTC-FM, WCVR-AM, WVMT-AM, WXXX-FM, and Vermont ETV. Joe is widely respected as a mentor and trusted voice in the industry, receiving the VAB Snyder-Teffner Award for excellence behind the scenes in a support role in 2015. Joe served on the VAB Board of Directors during one of its most difficult periods, following the passing of Executive Director Jim Condon. His leadership during that time was pivotal—personally recovering essential documents and digital credentials to help ensure the organization’s continuity. Joe also serves on the Vermont State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC), playing a key role in the recent revision of the state’s EAS Plan. He also serves as a technical liaison between the VAB, Vermont Emergency Management and NOAA. Joe’s career reflects a rare blend of technical mastery and talent and his dedication to supporting fellow broadcasters makes him a standout leader whose work strengthens broadcast media and emergency communication infrastructure across Vermont.

2025 Broadcaster of the Year Award

WXXX-FM

While hosting this year’s NVAC Cheer Competition, WXXX-FM (95 Triple X) discovered that one of the cheerleaders, Sophie, had been diagnosed with Ocular Melanoma, a rare and aggressive eye cancer. Recognizing the urgent need for community support, they mobilized resources to transform concern into collective action. The station launched an on-air campaign to bring awareness to Ocular Melanoma and keep the community connected to Sophie’s progress. When a GoFundMe was started to help Sophie’s family with medical expenses, 95 Triple X amplified their efforts, broadcasting frequent appeals to donate and sharing updates through social media channels, which gave rise to the #SophieStrong movement. In an unprecedented show of solidarity, 95 Triple X took their support to extraordinary heights by temporarily rebranding the station as “Sophie95.5FM” for an entire weekend, which featured genuine, heartfelt, compassionate interviews between the air personalities, Sophie and her mom and raised over $13,000! Through their unwavering dedication and innovative approach, 95 Triple X accomplished more than just raising money for a family in need and awareness about a rare disease – they demonstrated the extraordinary power of community when radio broadcasters and their listeners unite for a common cause. 

2025 Distinguished Service Award

Merl Grabowski

Merl Grabowski is a seasoned radio professional whose career spans more than four decades. In July 1980, he began working part-time weekends at WSTJ-AM while studying communications at Lyndon State College. After graduation, he joined WYKR-FM in Wells River, building his on-air presence before moving on to roles at WMTK-FM in Littleton, WIKE-AM in Newport and WCVR-AM in Randolph, where he was promoted to Program Director. From 1988 to 1994, Merl was the Morning Drive Announcer and Operations Manager at WSNO/WORK in Barre. In 1995, he transitioned from the studio to the sales floor, returning to WYKR-FM to begin a long and successful career in radio sales and management. He moved to Newport in 2018 to join Vermont Broadcast Associates and in 2021, he returned once again to WYKR, where he was promoted to Sales Manager. His final role was Group Sales Manager for the Radio New England Broadcast Group in Essex county, before he retired in September of this year. Merl is known throughout the local broadcasting community for his passion for radio and the wealth of stories he has collected over the years.

2025 Snyder-Teffner Award

Peg Doolin

For more than 43 years, Peg Doolin has kept leaders at WCAX “in check.” as the station’s Business Manager. For the last 15-20 years, she has also been the steady hand managing the finances for the Mount Mansfield Colocation Corporation, on behalf of the TV and radio broadcasters at the mountain. She has created and kept deep relationships with key people in Vermont broadcasting regardless of employer and has been the friend, confidant and staff “mom” to hundreds of employees at WCAX. As she hangs up her calculator and retires her notary’s stamp this year,  we honor the thousands of efforts, long nights, weekends, and mostly the love and care she has given to her friends and coworkers to help them succeed. Peg is the epitome of the values the Snyder Teffner award represents. 

2025 Alan Noyes Community Service Award

WSYB-AM Christmas Fund

The WSYB Christmas Fund began in 1972 when the radio station received a letter to Santa from a Rutland County child.  He wasn’t asking for a toy or present. He was asking for a blanket and boots for his little brother who kept getting sick because their bedroom window was broken and it got very cold at night. The child was hoping Santa could help, but it was WSYB that made sure that family had warm winter boots and blankets.  The response from the community when the air personalities shared this child’s story was the start of the WSYB Christmas Fund and they have been making Christmas better for Rutland county families for 52 years. Using the power of radio, they dedicate two weeks of the WSYB and WJJR morning show to raising donations, with heritage broadcasters like Terry Jaye and Brian Collamore leading the charge. They learn about the families in need from local schools and churches and many businesses donate, but most of the donations come from listeners. Every year, they try to help as many families as time and donations will allow and this past Christmas, they collected $64,000, which enabled them to issue 1,280 VISA gift cards!

2025 Rising Star Award Winners

Rising Star in Reporting: Lily Sakaniwa

Lily Sakaniwa earned her Bachelor of Science in Professional Writing with a specialization in Journalism from Champlain College. Shortly after graduation, she joined the WFFF/WVNY team in September 2023 as a multimedia journalist. Since then, she has quickly made her mark in the newsroom—not only through her impactful reporting but also through her unwavering team spirit. Always ready to step in at a moment’s notice, Lily supports her colleagues with a consistently positive attitude. With her talent, drive, and collaborative mindset, Lily is poised to bring continued excellence to this market!

Rising Star in News Anchoring: Adrian Pastor

Adrian Pastor officially joined NBC5 full-time in June 2022, nearly a full year after stepping into the newsroom for the first time. In the summer of 2021, prior to graduating from UVM, Adrian was a Hearst Television Emma Bowen Fellow, spending time with producers writing scripts and timing shows in the control room. But it quickly became apparent that Adrian had aspirations to be in front of the camera, and with a push to pursue his passion, he started his storytelling career. He excelled in a reporter role, started also anchoring weekend newscasts in 2023 and he joined the weekday morning show team in July 2024. Adrian has a passion for authentic storytelling – including his love and pride in his Puerto Rican heritage and is a leader others can turn to for guidance and support. We know this is just the start of Adrian’s story.

Rising Star in Executive Producing: Sam Shinn

Sam Shinn is a fearless force in the newsroom—an emerging leader whose rise through the ranks at WCAX is remarkable. Despite entering broadcast journalism with no formal background, Sam brought an unshakable attitude, relentless curiosity, and an eagerness to learn. These qualities, combined with her natural ability to command a room and take initiative, have propelled her into one of the newsroom’s key management roles in under three years. She began as a producer for WCAX’s weekend morning show, quickly earning a promotion to the 4 p.m. newscast. Her sharp instincts and commitment to excellence shone through in special projects, including the station’s Edward R. Murrow Award-winning coverage of the 2024 Eclipse. Now serving as Executive Producer, Sam oversees newsroom operations with a focus on clean visuals, grammatical precision, and strong storytelling. Her colleagues trust her leadership and rely on her for guidance and collaboration.

Rising Star in Development: Bobby Lussier

Bobby Lussier is a Development Specialist at Vermont Public, working with business sponsorship, membership, and philanthropy. Bobby’s contributions include the building of donor stewardship processes, financial tracking tools and a redesign of graphic assets that have elevated internal operations and external communications. He was also instrumental in the successful launch of the “Corporate Circle” program. As the liaison to the Vermont Public Board of Directors, Bobby organizes meetings and retreats, enhancing board participation and communication between members and leadership. Bobby also lends a hand hosting pledge drives and recently learned to board op broadcasts. Bobby serves on the Board of Directors for the Princeton Broadcasting Service (WPRB Princeton 103.3FM), where he is a proud alumnus.