WPTZ-TV meteorologist Tom Messner, WCAX-TV weather anchor Sharon Meyer and the late radio and TV personality Dean Slack were all inducted into the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame December 3 at the Hilton Burlington.

Sharon Meyer became director of WCAX’s weather department upon the retirement of VAB Hall of Fame member Stuart Hall.  Sharon is known not only for her forecasting skills but also for sharing her love of Vermont’s natural beauty with her viewers.  Sharon is regularly featured on NESN Red Sox broadcasts.

Tom Messner joined WPTZ in 1990 and quickly became a local favorite thanks to his forecasting acumen and his ever-cheerful demeanor. He has spent hundreds of hours visiting local classrooms to talk about meteorology.  Tom’s forecasts have been seen on the Today show, MSNBC and The Weather Channel.

Montpelier native Dean Slack joined WCAX radio (now WVMT) in 1950 and went to WJOY in 1954, where he was considered the market’s top disc jockey in that era.  WVMT hired him as sales manager and announcer in 1965.  He covered the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble for the station.  He later became General Manager of WVNY-TV and WVNY radio (now WEZF).    He passed away in Corning, New York in 2014 at the age of 85.  His daughters Andrea Slack and Erika Rosetti were on hand to accept the award.

Other awards bestowed Saturday night included the Broadcaster of the Year award, which was presented to Rod Hill of Hall Communications.  Hill is the co-host of WOKO-FM’s “Morning Roundup” and is the Program Director for sister station WKOL-FM.  He is now also responsible for day-to-day engineering duties and IT work for all five Hall stations in the region.   

Distinguished Service Awards were presented to WCAX senior news photographer Bob Davis and veteran radio personality and salesperson Bob Sherman.

Davis has been covering news for WCAX for more than 30 years, and is considered one of the best at his craft.   He’s received numerous Edward R. Morrow awards, a Peabody award and a Dupont award.  He’s covered everything from presidential campaigns to cats stuck in trees–-and almost everything in between.

Sherman was a manager, announcer and salesperson at WTSL-AM from 1978 until 1985, when he joined the staff at WVMT-AM.  He returned to WTSL and its sister stations in 1990, and is currently a Senior Account Executive for Great Eastern Radio.  Bob’s passion for radio also prompted him to return to his alma mater to teach communications to the next generation of broadcasters.  In 1987 he was given the Distinguished Alumni Award from Lyndon State.

WFFF-TV/WVNY-TV was presented with the 2016 Alan Noyes Community Service Award for their volunteer efforts to beautify Little River State Park in Waterbury. On June 17, all available employees participated by gardening, trimming trees for emergency vehicle access along the main road and chopping, splitting, and stacking nearly nine cords of fire wood. The volunteer effort followed a week of on-air stories that encouraged viewers to volunteer in their own communities.  Amanda Lindquist accepted the award on behalf of the stations.

The VAB’s Snyder-Teffner Award for excellence behind the scenes was presented to Kim Meisinger, owner of Prescott Tower of Rutland.  The company has constructed and maintained broadcast towers throughout the region for more than four decades.

The Vermont Association of Broadcasters, founded in 1955, is the non-profit trade association for all radio and television broadcasters in Vermont.