Date:	October 7, 2009
Contact: Jim Condon, 655-5764

VERONT ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS
500A Dalton Drive, Colchester, VT 05446 802-655-5764 vab@together.net

PARSONS, KEYWORTH AND CURRAN AMONG 2009 VAB AWARD WINNERS

Colchester, VT--- Longtime WCAX-TV news anchor and reporter Marselis Parsons has been elected to the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Parsons, the dean of Vermont broadcast journalists, joined WCAX in 1967 as a general assignment reporter. He became anchor of the evening news program in 1984 upon the death of Mickey Gallagher. Parsons announced earlier this year that he will retire this fall after a 43-year career at the Burlington television station.

The VAB Board also elected the late Belva Keyworth to the Hall of Fame. Keyworth owned and operated radio stations WBTN AM & FM in Bennington for nearly 50 years. She also had ownership interests in stations in the Berkshires. Keyworth, who passed away in 2004, was an early and active member of the VAB and AWRT, American Women in Radio and Television.

The winner of the 2009 VAB Broadcaster of the Year Award is Ann Curran, Community Relations Director of Vermont Public Television. The award recognizes one person each year who has made outstanding contributions to the broadcasting industry in Vermont. The VAB cited Curran for her tireless efforts to help usher in the transition to Digital TV broadcasting in Vermont.

Two longtime radio news reporters are also being honored by the VAB. Tim Johnson of WTSA AM & FM in Brattleboro and Bob Kinzel of VPR will both receive the VAB Distinguished Service Award. The Distinguished Service Award recognizes those broadcasters who have excelled at their craft for many years.

Tim Johnson is a fixture in southeastern Vermont, where he has been covering and reporting the local news since 1973. After many years at WKVT in Brattleboro and WCFR in Springfield, Tim returned to WKVT and later moved to WTSA AM & FM in Brattleboro, where he has been covering the news since 1997. Besides winning many awards for his reporting skills, Tim is also heavily involved in helping local charities and has served as Town Moderator in Vernon for the past ten years.

Bob Kinzel is the dean of the legislative press corps and has been covering the news from the statehouse since 1977. Initially hired by WNCS-FM in Montpelier, Kinzel soon started his own Vermont News Service. His daily reports were heard on stations all over Vermont for more than two decades. For more than 15 years, Kinzel has hosted call-in programs with state newsmakers on Vermont Public Radio, and has been a full-time employee of VPR since 2002. Noted for his accuracy and impartiality, Kinzel has won many other awards in his career, including a Distinguished Service Award from the AP.

Three Community Service Awards were also announced by the VAB. Ray Kimball, General Manager of WCFR radio in Springfield will receive the Alan Noyes Community Service Award. The award is named after the late executive director of the VAB, who passed away earlier this year. Kimball was singled out for his helping to raise more than $18,000 for the “Share the Warmth” campaign for Southeastern Vermont Community Action. Kimball was also cited for helping to revive local radio in the Springfield market.

Burlington radio station WKOL-FM will receive a VAB Community Service Award in recognition of its “Camp Ta-Kum-To Thon,” held each year during the week before Christmas. The fundraising effort has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars and enables 75 children with cancer to attend summer camp each year.

Nassau Broadcasting’s Barre stations, WWFY-FM, WORK-FM and WSNO-AM, will also receive a VAB Community Service Award in recognition of their fundraising campaign for Prevent Child Abuse Vermont. The stations produced and marketed an original CD of Vermont musicians, “The Best From Area Code 802.” The effort has raised thousands of dollars for the social service group.

The VAB Awards will be presented Saturday, Nov. 7 at the Essex Resort and Spa. For more information, please visit the VAB website, www.vab.org.