Contact: Amanda Jacobson Snyder
Communications Coordinator
Virginia Association of Broadcasters
600 Peter Jefferson Parkway, Suite 300
Charlottesville , VA 22911
Tel: 434-977-3716 Fax: 434-979-2439
Amanda.Snyder (at) easterassociates (dot) com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Virginia Association of Broadcasters honors four Virginians

CHARLOTTESVILLE , Va. (June 30, 2008) - The Virginia Association of Broadcasters awarded four outstanding Virginia citizens on June 27 for their contributions to broadcasting and the Commonwealth.

Biographies and photos of the award winners, as well as descriptions of the prizes, follow. Recipients were presented with the awards following the 71st Annual Summer Convention Awards Banquet at the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The presentation followed the Annual Virginia Broadcast Awards, which recognizes excellence in broadcasting at member television and radio stations (please see separate release).

2008 Distinguished Virginian: David Baldacci

The Distinguished Virginian Award honors those who, by their own actions, have contributed substantially to the wellbeing of the Commonwealth, its citizens, or the broadcast industry. Recipients have spent a majority of their life in Virginia, and command the respect of broadcasters and the general public.

David Baldacci was born in Virginia in 1960, where he currently resides. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Virginia Commonwealth University and a law degree from the University of Virginia. Baldacci practiced law for nine years in Washington, D.C., as both a trial and corporate attorney.

David Baldacci has published seventeen novels including Absolute Power, Total Control, The Winner, and Wish You Well. His books have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold in more than 80 countries. All of his books have been national and international bestsellers and more than 50 million copies of Baldacci's books are in print worldwide. Castle Rock entertainment made Absolute Power into a major motion picture starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. The novel Absolute Power won Britain's W. H. Smith's Thumping Good Read award for fiction in 1997, and was nominated for a literary award in Italy. Absolute Power won the 1996 Gold Medal Award for Best Mystery/Thriller from the Southern Writers Guild.

Baldacci serves as a national ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and participates in numerous charities, including the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, the American Cancer Society, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He sits on the boards of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Virginia Commonwealth University. Baldacci also holds various honorary chairs. David contributes to, and is involved in, several philanthropic efforts. His greatest efforts are currently dedicated to his family's own Wish You Well Foundation. The Wish You Well Foundation, established by Michelle and David Baldacci, supports family literacy in the U.S. by fostering and promoting the development and expansion of new and existing literacy and educational programs.

To download a hi-res photo, please visit: http://www.davidbaldacci.com

2008 C.T. Lucy Distinguished Service Award: Phil Goldman

Named for the founder of the VAB, the C.T. Lucy Distinguished Service Award honors a broadcaster who spent a significant part of his or her career at one or more Virginia broadcast properties and who has become a leader in the state’s broadcast industry.

Phil Goldman began working in television in 1953, after almost 20 years in various radio and TV jobs including programing, news, sales, and sales management in Louisiana, Texas and Florida, Phil came to Virginia in 1972. He served as the 40th President of the VAB in 1983. He is a past board member of groups including the National Designated Drivers Association and the Catholic Charities of Richmond, which provides adoption services, family relocation, and other community services.

In 1972 Phil opened WRVQ (Q-94) in Richmond. After almost 22 years as manager of Q-94, Phil and the late Jim Campana acquired TV station, channel 65 in Ashland/Richmond. Phil is a co-founder of Richmond’s Channel 65, which was sold in 1997. Phil and Jim aquired two radio stations in West Point/Willimsburg and Deltaville, VA. These were later sold as well, and Phil and Charo have enjoyed retirement of sorts ever since.

Since 1998, Phil and Charo have operated PhilCharo Communications which provides consulting services primarily to Spanish-language radio stations in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. They have five children who all live in Richmond, and they recently welcomed their ninth grandchild.

To download a hi-res photo, please visit: http://www.vabonline.com/assets/images/Awards08/Goldman.bmp

2008 George A. Bowles, Jr. Broadcast Journalism Award: Harvey Powers

The George A. Bowles, Jr. Broadcast Journalism Award is presented to a broadcast reporter or news director who is distinguished in the field of broadcast news, who has longevity in Virginia broadcasting, is respected by his or her peers and who exhibits enthusiasm for his or her work and the community.

Harvey Powers was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in South Hill, Virginia, where he attended Park View High School. He is a 1968 graduate of Randolph-Macon College where he majored in Political Science. He served in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Columbia, South Carolina, and in Heidelberg and Frankfurt in West Germany.

While in high school, he worked at the South Hill radio station WJWS (now WSHV). While in college, he worked on the campus radio station WRMB, and later at WIVE in Ashland and at WRVA in Richmond. During summer vacations, he returned to work at WJWS and later worked in the news department of WIBX in Utica, New York.

After graduation, he worked full time in the news department at WRVA until he was drafted. In the service, he worked at the central news desk of AFN Frankfurt (Armed Forces Radio). After his discharge he returned to WRVA briefly and then joined the staff of WDBJ Television ( Roanoke) as their State Capitol reporter.

In 1977, he became the assignment editor at WWBT television in Richmond. In 30 years, with WWBT, he served as assignment editor, 6pm producer, morning news anchor, assistant news director, news director, assistant vice president for news, assistant vice president for new media and finally as online content manager for the three Lincoln Financial Media television stations.

He retired at the end of 2007 and began a small online consulting business. He also works as webmaster for the Southside Virginia Community College. He has been married to the former Lois Paynter for 40 years. They are the parents of four grown children.

To download a hi-res photo, please visit: http://www.vabonline.com/assets/images/Awards08/Powers%20Photo.BMP

2008 J. Jerry Freeman Engineering Award: Jon Bennett

The J.J. Freeman Engineering Achievement Award honors those who have made an outstanding contribution to broadcasting and who has shown technical knowledge, dedication, dependability and leadership in broadcast engineering affairs.

Jon Bennett has served the broadcast industry since 1960. In 1970, he joined Southern Broadcasting Company at their station in Houston, Texas as Chief Engineer (CE) for KYND-FM, an SRP Beautiful Music Station. He was later made CE for the KULF and KYND Houston operations, and following that, Engineering Manager for WRVA-AM and WRVQ-FM in Richmond. When the Richmond stations were sold, he started a contracting service for a number of stations in and around Richmond. He was caught up in the consolidation frenzy and worked for Benchmark, ABS, SFX, AMFM Capstar and finally landed with Cox Radio. He retired from Cox Radio in December 2007 after 12 years with the company. He currently owns and operates Benecom Associates Ltd., a broadcast consulting business he formed in 1992. Retirement at the end of 2007 brought to a close 48 years of continuous service to the broadcast industry.

Bennett has been a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers since 1981 and served on its board of directors in 2006-2007. A lifetime member of SBE, he also serves as Chapter Chair for SBE Chapter 60 and is the Frequency Coordinator in Richmond. Bennett is a Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer (CPBE) and Certified Broadcast Network Technologist (CBNT). Bennett is also a lifetime member of the American Radio Relay League and the Quarter Century Wireless Association.

A University of Houston Alumni, he has also served as chairman of the organizational drive for the nine 100-KW FM station master antenna systems and towers in Houston. Most recently, he worked on a project to construct the new WKHK-FM Tower in Richmond and their 50,000-Watt upgrade and HD installations. Other interest include Ham Radio (W4ZJ), stained glass construction and design and family genealogy research. Bennett lives in Richmond with his wife Sandy. He has two daughters, four grandchildren and two great-granddaughters, all residing in and around the Houston Texas area.

To download a hi-res photo, please visit: http://www.vabonline.com/assets/images/Awards08/Bennett%20Photo.jpg

The Virginia Association of Broadcasters has been working to advance broadcasting since 1937. The Association provides legal advice, holds sales, news and production educational seminars, and provides government relation services for its members. The VAB sponsors scholarship and internship programs to help educate and train future broadcasters, and the annual awards program recognizes excellence in broadcasting among its member stations. For more information on the VAB, please visit: http://www.vabonline.com/membership/benefits.aspx

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