National Radio Hall of Fame Names Class of 2005

National Radio Hall of Fame Names Class of 2005

Comedy Legends Abbott & Costello, Sportscaster Marty Brennaman, ABC White House Correspondent Ann Compton, Football Commentator Myron Cope, and Humorist Jean Shepherd to Be Inducted Later This Fall

CHICAGO, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of six national and local radio celebrities representing politics, sports, humor and classic comedy will be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame during a nationally broadcast ceremony Saturday, November 5, 2005, National Radio Hall of Fame president Bruce DuMont announced today.

The inductees are:

-- The legendary comedy team of Abbott & Costello (the late Bud Abbott and the late Lou Costello) -- Marty Brennaman, Cincinnati Reds broadcaster -- Ann Compton, ABC News Radio White House correspondent -- Myron Cope, Pittsburgh Steelers color commentator -- The late Jean Shepherd, radio humorist

"The National Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2005 personifies radio's unique ability to inform, engage, entertain, and delight generations of audiences over diverse programming formats," said DuMont, who also is president of the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. "We're pleased to welcome this year's inductees. Each has made a significant contribution to the medium of radio, and their names will be enshrined for future generations to acknowledge, both in the new Museum of Broadcast Communications and online."

The Museum of Broadcast Communications, home to the National Radio Hall of Fame, is in the midst of a major capital fundraising project to convert its building at State and Kinzie Streets to a new, state-of-the-art, 70,000 square-foot museum featuring working radio and television studios and other interactive exhibits and entertainment space showcasing broadcasting's leading personalities. The new MBC will be the first public museum in the nation built to a Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard. Construction is under way and the new museum is scheduled to open in late summer 2006.

Westwood One will produce and distribute nationally the special one-hour radio broadcast of the ceremony. The national broadcast will be heard on WOR/New York, WGN and WLS in Chicago and other major stations from coast-to- coast.

Inductees were selected through a national balloting process that included participation by radio executives, broadcast historians and members of the National Radio Hall of Fame. Ballots were tabulated and certified by the firm of Altschuler, Melvoin and Glasser LLP/American Express Tax and Business Services. Travel and promotional support is being provided by American Airlines and the Renaissance Chicago Hotel.

About the National Radio Hall of Fame

The National Radio Hall of Fame recognizes and showcases contemporary talent from today's diverse programming formats as well as the pioneers who shaped the medium during its infancy. For more information, visit http://www.radiohof.org/ .

Tickets to the National Radio Hall of Fame November 5 black-tie induction dinner at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel may be purchased online at http://www.radiohof.org/ .

Note to Editors: Biographical information on the 2005 National Radio Hall of Fame inductees is attached. Photos of inductees are available by contacting Sara Conley, Public Communications Inc. at 312/558-1770 or by e-mail: sconley@pcipr.com .

NATIONAL RADIO HALL OF FAME 2005 INDUCTEES

Abbott & Costello

The zany comedy duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello officially teamed up in 1936 and were catapulted to national fame in 1938 after performing what would become their signature skit, "Who's on First?" on the Kate Smith Radio Hour. The Abbott & Costello Show was broadcast on radio on the ABC Network from 1941 to 1946 and on NBC from 1946 to 1949. The duo made 38 feature films and appeared on numerous television programs. Hailed as one of the greatest comedy teams in the history of show business, Abbott & Costello were masters of the straightman-clown relationship, creating a magical chemistry that has delighted stage, radio, film and television audiences for nearly 70 years. Lou Costello died in 1959 at age 52 and Bud Abbott died in 1974 at age 76.

Marty Brennaman

Marty Brennaman has been the "voice of the Cincinnati Reds" since 1974. His signature call proclaiming his team's victory, "this one belongs to the Reds!" has been heard over WLW/Cincinnati by millions of major league baseball fans over the past three decades. In 2000, Brennaman was honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame with the Ford C. Frick Award for major contributions to the game of baseball. Throughout his career, Brennaman has called numerous World Series on radio for NBC, including the 1975 match-up between the Reds and the Boston Red Sox.

Ann Compton

Ann Compton, ABC News Radio National correspondent, has covered every president since Gerald Ford and has reported on seven presidential campaigns. Compton, who recently was elected president of the White House Correspondents Association, joined ABC News in 1973 and has been assigned to the White House since 1974. Her reports are heard regularly on ABC News Radio, the nation's largest commercial radio news gathering organization with 2,500 affiliates. On September 11, 2001, Compton was the only broadcast reporter permitted to remain onboard Air Force One during the dramatic hours following the terrorist attacks on our nation when President George W. Bush was unable to return to Washington, D.C. for national security reasons. She received an Emmy Award for her television coverage of those events.

Myron Cope

Myron Cope recently announced he will retire following the completion of the 2005-06 season and a 35-year career as radio color commentator for the Pittsburgh Steelers National Football League team. Cope, who joined the Steelers radio team in 1970, introduced the "Terrible Towel," when he urged Steelers fans to wave gold dish towels at the players as way to create excitement in the stands. The gimmick caught on and became a rallying tool for the players and fans during the Steelers' string of Superbowl championships in the 1970s. Cope also was known by fans for his scratchy voice and repertoire of unique exclamations such as "Okel Dokel" (his version of "okey-dokey"), "Feh" and "Yoi," which he used to punctuate his on-air commentary during games.

Jean Shepherd

Jean Shepherd, the late talk humorist and storyteller hailed by many as the inventor of free form talk radio, began his broadcasting career in 1948 in Cincinnati. He later landed an on-air job at WOR/New York, where he mesmerized late-night listeners during the 1950s and 1960s with colorful stories, many drawn from his own life experiences as a youth in Hammond, Ind., just east of Chicago. Shepherd, whose masterful style of storytelling has been compared to Mark Twain and James Thurber, is widely known as the author and narrator of the popular 1983 MGM film, "A Christmas Story," as well as numerous books. In addition, he authored articles in a diverse selection of national publications including the New York Times, Mademoiselle, Car and Driver and Mad Magazine. Shepherd died in 1999 at age 78.

Source: Museum of Broadcast Communications

CONTACT: Sara Conley, or Megan Kortemeyer, both of PCI, +1-312-558-1770; or Gina Doyle of MBC, +1-312-396-0103

Web site: http://www.radiohof.org/

------- Profile: Ent