Silver Circle
The Silver Circle honors media professionals who began their careers in television at least 25 years ago, either in a performing, creative, technical or administrative role within the industry or in an area related to television such as TV journalism education, advertising, promotion, and public relations.
Over the course of their 25-year career, they must also have made a significant contribution to the Midsouth Chapter.
The Midsouth Chapter of NATAS has been honoring and celebrating our Silver Circle members since 1994.
Silver Circle Honorees — 2010-2019
2019
2019
2018
2018
2018
2017
2017
2016
2015
2015
2014
2013
2013
2012
2012
2010
2019 Silver Circle Honoree
Wanda Starke
Wanda Starke joined the staff of WXII 12 News in 1994 as the weekday morning anchor. She was also the co-anchor of the 5, 6 and 11 p.m. In May of 2018, she announced she would be stepping away from the anchor desk to produce stories about people making a difference in the community called "12 Inspires". Wanda has also produced a weekly segment, "A Place to Call Home", since 2000, which profiles children waiting to be adopted. It's a personal issue for Wanda, who was adopted as a young child.
Originally from Hampton Roads, Va., Wanda graduated from the University of Richmond with a B.A. in journalism and speech communication. She also attended Howard University Graduate School. Wanda's broadcasting career began in 1977 on her birthday, December 12, in Augusta, Ga. She later had stops in Norfolk, Greensboro, and Los Angeles, where she worked at KCOP-TV for 5 1/2 years, first as a writer/reporter and later substitute anchor. In 1991, Wanda made history at WGRZ-TV as the first African American named weekday evening anchor in the Buffalo market.
Wanda has received numerous awards including The President's Award for Volunteer Service, The Maya Angelou Women Who Lead Excellence Award Honoring Women in Media from UNCF, and the Anna Quindlen Award for Excellence in Journalism on Behalf of Children and Families from the Child Welfare League of America.
Wanda, a former National Big Sister of the Year, served on the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Forsyth County. She currently serves on the board of the North Carolina Black Repertory Company and is a member of the Women's Fund of Winston-Salem.
Wanda and her husband, Ron Fisher, were married in Greensboro in 1989.
2019 Silver Circle Honoree
Dirk L. Mooth
Dirk's 40-year career began as a photographer for an investigative unit for WTVC in Chattanooga. In 1980, he became Chief Photographer for WNGE (later WKRN) in Nashville. As Chief Photographer, Dirk managed a thirteen-person photography staff, maintained vehicles and equipment for daily news-gathering operations, and shot and edited daily turn news stories for same-day deadlines.
In 1985, Dirk became Producer and Editor/Photographer for WTVJ in Miami, where he was responsible for daily turn stories under deadline, produced magazine features and hard news stories for a weekly magazine program, shot and edited documentaries and long-form programming as needed, and covered major national breaking news stories for NBC and the NBC News Channel. Dirk returned to Nashville in 1995 as News Operations Manager for WKRN. In this role, he oversaw technical coordination of live events for broadcast, including crewing and transmission logistics for the following worldwide events: the 1999 Super Bowl in Atlanta; live presence from Afghanistan, including tape feeds and live reports; logistics for numerous live programs originating on WKRN's air; technical manager for all of the Tennessee Titans preseason football broadcasts for the past three seasons; and technical manager for the Jeff Fisher Coach's Show since its inception. He was also responsible for daily news operations, including booking of live talk-backs and remotes, and coordination between departments from project inception to completion.
Dirk earned a B.S. degree in Art from Illinois State University, and studied Television and Film at Columbia College in Chicago.
Dirk's honors and awards include the George Foster Peabody Award for the production of "Hurricane Andrew, as it Happened", and 5 Regional Emmy® Awards.
2018 Silver Circle Honoree
Kelly Breece
There is no doubt that serendipity was in play when Mike and Kelly Greece were working on the same shoot many years ago. They have been married for eighteen years and are raising their two children, Shane and Saylor, in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
While at Nashville Tech, Mike began his professional career as an intern at WSMV Nashville and was then hired as a cameraman. By 1985, he was also freelancing at TNN: The Nashville Network and was hired there full time in 1986. In his thirteen-year tenure, Mike shot everything from country music shows to NASCAR and drag racing events all over North America.
Mike then designed a plan to buy his first camera crane and pay it off while working at TNN to keep the overhead down, and then took the plunge to open his own company in 1998.
Mike started Pro Jib, Inc., a camera crane company that supplies cranes, camera support equipment, and operators for television shows all over the world. He not only made it, but within the first three years he had bought three cranes and hired other operators to work his cranes for some of the biggest shows in Hollywood such as The Academy Awards and The Grammy Awards.
Mike has focused his camera on actors such as Burt Reynolds, Ann-Margret, Paul Newman, Patrick Swayze, and John Travolta; and musicians such as Madonna, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, U2, Billy Joel, Gloria Estefan, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, and most recently, Paul McCartney at Shea Stadium in New York, along with a stack of music videos, including Alan Jackson, Taylor Swift, and Martina McBride.
After being nominated for a National Emmy® Award four times, he won a Primetime Emmy® Award for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Mike has also won Midsouth Regional Emmy® Awards for his camera work on the show Bluegrass Underground.
Kelly graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Broadcast Production. She became indispensable to television productions, especially live shows, and eventually opened her own company, Elite Script Teleprompting.
Understandably, they are both in constant demand.
2018 Silver Circle Honoree
Mike Breece
There is no doubt that serendipity was in play when Mike and Kelly Greece were working on the same shoot many years ago. They have been married for eighteen years and are raising their two children, Shane and Saylor, in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
While at Nashville Tech, Mike began his professional career as an intern at WSMV Nashville and was then hired as a cameraman. By 1985, he was also freelancing at TNN: The Nashville Network and was hired there full time in 1986. In his thirteen-year tenure, Mike shot everything from country music shows to NASCAR and drag racing events all over North America.
Mike then designed a plan to buy his first camera crane and pay it off while working at TNN to keep the overhead down, and then took the plunge to open his own company in 1998.
Mike started Pro Jib, Inc., a camera crane company that supplies cranes, camera support equipment, and operators for television shows all over the world. He not only made it, but within the first three years he had bought three cranes and hired other operators to work his cranes for some of the biggest shows in Hollywood such as The Academy Awards and The Grammy Awards.
Mike has focused his camera on actors such as Burt Reynolds, Ann-Margret, Paul Newman, Patrick Swayze, and John Travolta; and musicians such as Madonna, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, U2, Billy Joel, Gloria Estefan, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, and most recently, Paul McCartney at Shea Stadium in New York, along with a stack of music videos, including Alan Jackson, Taylor Swift, and Martina McBride.
After being nominated for a National Emmy® Award four times, he won a Primetime Emmy® Award for the 50th Annual Grammy Awards. Mike has also won Midsouth Regional Emmy® Awards for his camera work on the show Bluegrass Underground.
Kelly graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Broadcast Production. She became indispensable to television productions, especially live shows, and eventually opened her own company, Elite Script Teleprompting.
Understandably, they are both in constant demand.
2018 Silver Circle Honoree
Mark Bellinger
Mark Bellinger first came to NewsChannel 5 from KHQ-TV in Spokane, Washington, where he covered the North Idaho beat. He began his career at KIDK-TV in Idaho after graduating from the University of Colorado in Boulder. His stellar career stretched more than three decades long.
He started his career at NewsChannel 5 in 1993 as a reporter. For 23 years, Mark was a guiding light in the NewsChannel 5 newsroom — a journalist at heart who was never afraid to ask tough questions but still always managed to make his colleagues smile. During his more than two decades covering the news in Nashville, Mark was affectionately known as "The B" — his specialty was covering crime, producing weekly segments for the station's Crimestoppers franchise.
There's no telling how many criminals he helped get off the streets through the hundreds of stories he produced over the years. No one worked harder or fought harder than "The B," which is what made his death in October of 2016 seem so unfair to his friends, colleagues, and family.
Most viewers didn't know that the cancer came first in 2013, yet Mark still managed to embody the word courage. His colleagues would watch in astonishment as Mark would return to the newsroom just hours after having chemotherapy treatments, then report the news as if a life-altering disease wasn't slowly stealing time away from him.
"The B" had a remarkable relationship with nearly every lawmaker at the Tennessee State Capitol; he was an irreplaceable asset around NewsChannel 5 when it came to covering political stories both large and small.
It's impossible to count the number of stories he told, the number of live shots he begrudgingly pushed through, or the number of lives he undoubtedly touched. Mark loved the Titans, loved wearing cowboy boots to work, and loved telling great stories. He also loved his family. Mark left behind his young daughter Aima and the love of his life, Cindy, who he was married to for 16 years after the two met on a whim at a Logan's Roadhouse while Cindy was working as a waitress.
Mark is missed dearly by everyone who knew him.
2017 Silver Circle Honoree
Ken Simington
The late Ken Simington's broadcast career began at a small radio station in the northeast part of his home state of Arkansas. He earned a Master of Visual Arts from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Science in Radio/TV from Arkansas State University, where he ran camera and audio for AETN for two years before moving to Memphis to be a cameraman for WMC-TV in 1978. Ken arrived at NPT (then WDCN) in 1979 and worked his way through the ranks from studio supervisor to senior producer/director. His affiliation with Tennessee Crossroads began at the show's launch in October 1987, when he worked as a segment producer and then executive producer. He was a consummate professional; he also had a terrific sense of humor, a knack for storytelling, and a green thumb when it came to homegrown tomatoes.
Throughout his career, Ken earned 16 Regional Emmy® nominations for Director and Magazine Programs — and won once as Executive Producer for Living On: Tennesseans Remembering the Holocaust (2006). But Ken was perhaps proudest of Tennessee Crossroads and its consistently high ratings and popularity. "Ken Simington was the granddaddy of NPT's production staff and had the distinct honor of being the celebrated producer of Tennessee Crossroads," said Beth Curley, NPT's president and CEO. "Ken loved every minute of his work, which viewers could witness every week. Ken had a long and distinguished career at NPT and was beloved by all of our staff. He was a unique talent who is already sorely missed by everyone at NPT."
"He was a brother, a friend, a partner," said Joe Elmore, Tennessee Crossroads' longtime host. "We were like Martin and Lewis — and Ken was Lewis."
Ken served as a governor of NATAS Nashville/Midsouth.
2017 Silver Circle Honoree
Ron Howes
Viewers rely on NewsChannel 5 for the most accurate weather forecasting, and the most advanced weather technology. Ron Howes delivered both, every night on NewsChannel 5 at 6:00 and 10:00. He has earned the American Meteorological Society's Certified Broadcast Meteorologist designation.
You might be interested to know that all this high-tech expertise got its start when Ron was in the seventh grade. His science class spent two weeks studying the weather — and Ron was hooked. That interest led him to Indiana State, where he majored in Physics and served as an instructor.
His first experience in television meteorology came in 1973 at WTWO in Terre Haute, Indiana. He studied hard and was quickly admitted to the American Meteorological Society as a meteorologist. As a result, he was named chief meteorologist at WOTV in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Ron joined WTVF in 1980, continuing NewsChannel 5's ongoing commitment to superior weather reporting. He utilized his knowledge with the Mid-South's most state-of-the-art equipment. He conceived the idea of the NewsChannel 5 Skycam. Now, the camera mounted atop the state's tallest building is a signature for NewsChannel 5, and an important tool for Ron's weather reports.
Away from work, Ron and his wife Cyndy keep track of their four children and adorable grandchildren. Ron stays in touch with the world spending hours talking on his ham radio to people from dozens of countries. He's also a master woodworker, who loves taking on major projects.
2016 Silver Circle Honoree
Nick Simonette
Nick holds the position of Raycom Media Group Vice President, Television. He grew up in New Orleans, and began his career in broadcasting while he was still a student at the University of New Orleans in 1978. His first job was with the NBC affiliate in New Orleans, WDSU-TV. Since his tenure at WDSU-TV, he has worked at several television stations, including Miami, Cincinnati, San Antonio, and Louisville. Nick came up through the ranks in the news department, filling nearly every position in the newsroom. Nick began his news directing career at WAFB in Baton Rouge, LA. He worked at WAFB for 10 years, then moved on to Louisville followed by San Antonio. He then returned to WAFB in 2002 to take the position of Vice President/General Manager.
Nick has served on several civic boards through the years, including the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters (as chairman), the Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation (as chairman), the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce, the Baton Rouge General Foundation Board, the Baton Rouge Symphony Board, the St. Michael's Catholic School Foundation Board, and the Habitat for Humanity's Board.
In April of 2008, Raycom Media purchased WBTV. Nick knew of the great legacy that WBTV enjoyed, and when the opportunity to become Vice President/General Manager of WBTV came along, it was too good to pass up. While in Charlotte, Nick became a member of the Rotary Club and also served on the Better Business Bureau Board of Directors, the American Red Cross Board of Directors, and the Greater Enrichment Program Board of Directors.
In September of 2015, Raycom Media again promoted Nick to Group Vice President with oversight of eight Raycom Media stations.
Nick's philosophy is simple… "It is not enough to be right. You also have to be fair, and it is our responsibility to make a positive impact on the communities that we serve."
2016 Silver Circle Honoree
Demetria Kalodimos
Demetria is the longest continuous evening news anchor in WSMV history and has consistently been voted a favorite in local reader polls. With an unusual path to her career in journalism, she majored in music at Illinois Wesleyan University, graduating cum laude in 1981 with a Bachelor's in Music Education. She continued her education at the University of Illinois, where she was awarded a Master of Science in Journalism. In 2007, Demetria was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Illinois Wesleyan.
She began her TV career at WICD, Champaign, Ill., as an anchor/reporter. In 1984, she was chosen in a nationwide search to join Dan Miller on the anchor desk at WSMV. Demetria has won 16 Regional Emmy® Awards, two National Headliner Awards, two Investigative Reporters and Editors National Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award for Investigative Reporting, and two national citations from American Women in Radio and Television. In 1996, she was chosen Tennessee Associated Press Broadcaster of the Year. In her spare time, Demetria produces documentaries for her own company, Genuine Human Productions. Her documentaries have been screened and awarded at the Nashville Independent Film Festival, The Sidewalk Moving Pictures Festival, Indie Memphis, the Berkeley Film and Video Festival, Barebones, and the Chicago International Film Festival, among others.
In 2000, Demetria started Genuine Human Productions, specializing in real people and true stories. Her documentaries have been screened and awarded at many top film festivals including Chicago International, Sidewalk, Indie Memphis, the Directors Guild, and the Nashville Film Festival.
She also produced and directed nationally broadcast music videos for Americana artist Mary Gauthier and singer-songwriter Shawn Camp. She still savors winning the Women's Racewalk division of the 26.2-mile Detroit Marathon in 1994.
2015 Silver Circle Honoree
David van Hooser
David is the senior writer/producer in the Multimedia Department of The Renaissance Center, a non-profit educational facility. He has written, produced, and directed various projects, which include commercials, documentaries, a TV paranormal drama, industrial videos, informational TV programs, and educational and training videos for clients including Mediacom, Intermedia, Cox Communications, Tennessee Arts Commission, Tennessee State University, the National Park Service, Tennessee District Attorney Generals, and the Tennessee Wars Commission.
His earlier career includes serving as marketing director at WKRN Nashville, on-air promotion manager at WSMV Nashville (including the creation and development of the Snowbird character, whose popularity continues to this day), production vice president at Pro-Kids Productions, and creative services writer/producer at WBKO Bowling Green, KY.
As a screenwriter, David has been a finalist in the 1999 Slamdance Screenwriting Competition, a finalist in the 2000 Underexposed Screenwriting Competition, second place in the 2002 Slamdance Sci-Fi Screenwriting Competition sponsored by The Sci-Fi Channel, and a quarterfinalist in the 2003 Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition. In 2008, David's screenplay Barefoot Mel finished in the top 10% in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowships, as a quarterfinalist in the Scriptapalooza Screenwriting Competition, and as a top 10 finalist in the Final Draft Big Break Competition.
David holds a degree in Mass Communication from Western Kentucky University. His honors include 24 Regional Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, the National Association of Broadcasters Service to Children Award, the Promax Gold Medallion Award, the Parents' Choice Gold Award, NATPE Iris Awards, and Addy Diamond Awards.
2015 Silver Circle Honoree
David Crabtree
For more than 30 years, David has reported on some of the biggest stories in the Midsouth region, around the country, and across the world. Just last year, he covered the installation of a new Pope in Rome, the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination in Dallas, and the services for Nelson Mandela in South Africa. On the anchor desk, David is a seasoned, credible, and talented journalist. He excels during breaking news and continuous coverage, when the stakes are highest. No need for scripts in those instances. David has fully carried on the great tradition of news coverage at WRAL, and he's been a key player in the station's success, which includes long-time domination in the ratings.
David has been an anchor/reporter at WRAL since 1994. His previous experience includes anchor/reporter at KCNC Denver, KMGH Denver, WITN Washington, NC, and WKRN Nashville.
His many honors include the DuPont Award, Gabriel Award, 13 Emmy® Awards, Radio Television News Directors Association Reporter of the Year (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001), 2014 North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Anchor of the Year, and 2014 Radio Television Digital Association of the Carolinas Anchor of the Year.
A native Nashvillian, David holds a Bachelor of Science from Middle Tennessee State University. He also attended Vanderbilt University School of Divinity and has a master's degree in Theology with coursework at Oxford University, Oxford, England. He is presently working on a master's in Divinity at Duke University.
David has touched the lives of many people across the WRAL viewing area. The number of community appearances on behalf of the station is far too great to count. He routinely emcees events and fundraisers. He has served on a number of boards. As a Permanent Deacon of the Episcopal Diocese of NC, he serves the community well beyond his role as a broadcaster. His diaconal work has focused on death row and hospice care.
2014 Silver Circle Honoree
Joe Elmore
Backroads treasures, old-time pleasures, hot cars and cool guitars. Those words sum up the career life of Joe Elmore, television host/producer, music artist/songwriter, and self-professed "Regular Joe".
Since 1987, Joe has hosted Tennessee Crossroads on WNPT Nashville, one of the highest-rated shows of its kind in the country and now broadcast statewide. Crossroads is a travel, heritage, and lifestyle show that celebrates the genuinely fascinating people and places found along the two-lane highways of Tennessee and beyond. The program has earned several Emmy® Awards and countless nominations.
Joe is also host of America's premiere and longest-running high-performance car show, Horsepower TV, seen every weekend on the Spike TV network. Debuting in 1997, it quickly became the go-to show for enthusiasts and hot-rodders throughout North America.
As if that weren't enough, Joe also pursues his longtime passion — music — as a songwriter and performer. He was immersed in the historic music of the "Memphis Sound" during its heyday and backed up some of the legends of Rock, R&B, and Rockabilly. Today, he continues to write music. "Who doesn't in Nashville?" he would say.
Joe was born in Paragould, Arkansas, earned a master's degree in communications at the University of Memphis, and worked in film production, public relations, and TV news before heading to Nashville to amp up his career. Joe's extensive credits include PM Magazine, Opry Backstage (TNN), The Gold Prospector (TNN), plus numerous TV specials and commercials, in addition to a handful of songwriting credits.
Joe actively supports charities dedicated to helping children with autism and recently released a CD with proceeds earmarked for the National Autism Association. He participates in an annual car show benefiting the National Progeria Research Foundation, while also lending time to various other community projects.
His hobbies are scuba diving, movies, photography, and the endless search for Tennessee’s best barbeque.
2013 Silver Circle Honoree
Matthew Zelkind
Matthew Zelkind has earned the type of recognition and accolades you would expect from a 27-year veteran of the broadcasting business. He started his career in Los Angeles, where at an early age he got a taste of show business as an assistant working on television shows. But he found real-life drama more interesting than Hollywood, and he quickly focused on journalism. Matthew worked as a manager through positions at television stations in California, Oregon, and Nevada. He was named Executive News Director at KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kansas in 1990 and has served as an executive ever since.
With two stints, Matthew is the most tenured news director in the Nashville market. He has headed the WKRN newsroom through countless stories that have changed the city of Nashville, including the 1998 downtown tornado, the birth of Music City as a professional sports market with the inception of the Titans and Predators, and the historic 2010 floods.
Matthew has been a dedicated, community-minded executive. He is a passionate supporter of Keep the Music Playing, an initiative to provide music education in public schools. Following the deadly and destructive floods of 2010, he personally organized a telethon to speed relief to those who desperately needed help. More than $530,000 was raised in a matter of hours. He can be counted on for charitable donations and auction items — one of which was the leading fundraiser for the 2012 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Since 1996, Matthew has put special emphasis on two of the station's charitable efforts that touch thousands of lives: WKRN's Food-2-Families and the Ronald McDonald Telethon. During his tenure, the Food-2-Families campaign has collected 3.5 million pounds of food, and the Ronald McDonald Telethon has raised $2.2 million.
It's his focus on people that has guided his management style and the news coverage at WKRN-TV. But Matthew would point to his staff, giving them the credit and encouraging excellence every day.
2013 Silver Circle Honoree
Gregg Stone
Over the course of his career in television news, Gregg has had a front-row seat to history. He grew up in Rocket City, named that because of the Marshall Space Flight Center's role in putting man on the moon. MSFC was also in charge of propulsion for the space shuttle. Gregg was at the Kennedy Space Center documenting the first and final flights of the shuttle program — from Columbia's first flight on April 12, 1981, to Atlantis' final lift-off on July 8, 2011.
Gregg has seen a lot of changes in our industry over the past 33 years. He has led the WHNT News 19 team through many of those changes, starting with 16 mm film. Gregg quickly mastered the art of editing in the camera, processing the film, and then editing with a splicer and magnet. He later led the WHNT team of photographers through the transition to ¾", DVC Pro, and now digital news gathering. He has also been a teacher when it comes to setting up and doing live shots from microwave units and operating the satellite truck. Gregg also logged more hours than any other photojournalist in the news helicopter, Skycam 19. He has trained close to 100 photographers and video journalists on lighting, shooting, and editing.
But during that career, he's also worn another hat — one of compassion. Following a tornado that took the lives of 23 people in Huntsville on November 15, 1989, Gregg captured dramatic video as victims were pulled from the rubble of a shopping center on Airport Road. Gregg aided rescuers by providing them light from his camera. Those memories returned on April 27, 2012, when tornadoes caused destruction in every county served by WHNT.
One way Gregg has stayed in shape is riding a bicycle. Over the past few years, Gregg has shared that passion with the Huntsville Boys & Girls Club. Gregg and others take donated bicycles and fix them up for kids who otherwise wouldn't know the joy of riding.
2012 Silver Circle Honoree
Johnny Wood
John W. (Johnny) Wood has literally been a television institution in the Tri-Cities market for more than 40 years. The Johnson City native graduated from Science Hill High and attended East Tennessee State University for two years before finding his passion — broadcasting.
Johnny's career began in radio in 1962 at WOPI-AM, the station known as the home of Tennessee Ernie Ford. He started as a nighttime DJ and later moved to early mornings, covering news and sports along with parades and other special events. In 1968, Johnny moved to Appalachian Broadcasting (WCYB Radio/TV) and found a home.
He started out on the radio side, but quickly moved to television. By the late 1970s, Johnny was producing and anchoring the 11:00 p.m. news. One day, the News Director suggested Johnny fill in on the morning show — and the rest, as they say, is television history. At the time, the morning show consisted mostly of studio interviews. But Johnny changed that by adding school closings and traffic reports. "I was pretty much doing my old radio show on TV," Johnny says. It worked, and the audience grew.
Johnny's fame and ratings continued to climb. By the late 1990s, Johnny had the number one rated morning show in the country. A 2011 survey found that 9 out of every 10 people questioned about TV news in the Tri-Cities knew who Johnny was and where he worked. They loved his down-to-earth personality and his weekly fishing reports as well.
Johnny has been active in the community and has helped charities and non-profits across the area. In 2003, the Virginia Association of Broadcasters honored Johnny with the "George Bowles" Broadcast Journalism Award. The award is given annually to a radio or television reporter for distinguished performance in broadcast news.
Now, more than 43 years since joining WCYB, Johnny Wood continues to shine in the mornings, co-anchoring the 6:00–7:00 a.m. newscast. Johnny remains by far the most recognized, popular, and beloved news anchor in the market.
2012 Silver Circle Honoree
Larry Sprinkle
Larry is a longtime veteran of broadcasting, starting his career as a radio announcer at the age of 14. While living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, he became the first American to have a radio program on Radio Ethiopia at the age of 16. Larry continued his career while attending East Carolina University.
Larry was the "Morning Man" on WAYS-AM and WROQ-FM in Charlotte for 13 years. While in radio, he was known for his many voice impressions, including Elvis, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ross Perot, Jimmy Stewart, and dozens more.
Eventually, he combined radio with television and the film industry. He spent a number of years as a commercial spokesman for many national clients, including McDonald's, Magnavox, Dristan, Hardee's, Little Debbie Snacks, and Chewels Gum. You may remember him as the "Ty-D-Bowl Man."
He joined WCNC-TV in 1985 and is the weather anchor for the weekday morning newscast.
Larry has appeared in 11 theatrical films, including Firestarter, Trick or Treat, Rare Breed, and the made-for-television movie The Ryan White Story.
Larry is involved in the community and is on the board of directors of a number of charities. His volunteerism keeps him busy almost every day, including speaking engagements at schools, civic organizations, senior centers, and fundraisers. He has received many awards for his charity work, including the Mayor's Award for Volunteerism, the President's Award from the Association of Retarded Citizens, honors for working with senior citizens, and the Humane Citizen Award for years of work with the Humane Society and the Animal Shelter. Most recently, Larry was honored as Citizen of the Year by the Civitans of Charlotte.
2010 Silver Circle Honoree
Sandra Daye Hughes
For more than 35 years, Sandra Hughes has been a familiar face at WPMY News 2. A history-making broadcaster, Sandra is the first African-American woman in the Piedmont to host her own talk show. She is the first African-American to host PM Magazine in the Southeast region.
Sandra started her career with WFMY News 2 in 1972 as a general assignment reporter, and became manager of WFMY News 2’s community affairs department in 1985. At the same time, Sandra co-hosted The Good Morning Show with veteran Lee Kinard, who was inducted into the Silver Circle in 1996.
Her television specials include Christmas in the Piedmont, Welcome to Walt Disney World, 2 Those Who Care: Service to the Piedmont Awards, Remembering the Woolworth Sit-Ins, and A Season of Caring.
Sandra was the first woman broadcaster invited to participate in the European Communities Visitors Program to observe television in six European countries. She has served on the UNC-Chapel Hill Morehead Scholarship selection committee and created the Minority Broadcast Development Program to expose minority college students to the inner workings of a commercial TV station.
Her many honors, too numerous to list here, include the Edward R. Murrow Award for news reporting, three Emmy® Awards, the Greensboro News & Record’s Go Triad Reader’s Choice Award for Best TV News Anchor, the International Civil Rights Center and Museum “Unsung Hero” Award, the North Carolina A&T State University President’s Distinguished Alumni Award, the NAACP Presidential Award for Contributions to Humanity, and The North Carolina Governor’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine — the state’s highest civilian honor — presented by Governor Mike Easley.
Sandra is a member of the Junior League of Greensboro, the Leadership Greensboro Alumni Association, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
2010 Silver Circle Honoree
Jerry Hayes
Jerry is in his 31st year at WHNT News 19. He brought something to the news organization that no other employee had at the time — experience with electronic news gathering (ENG). At the time, WHNT was still using 16mm film, and he was the first reporter to shoot, edit, and air a story on 3/4” tape. Jerry was also the first WHNT reporter to do a live shot from a microwave van, the first to do a satellite shot from the station’s satellite truck, and the first to go live from the station’s helicopter. His journey continues in the digital, multimedia world.
Jerry was born in Nashville, Tennessee. While working on his college degree at Middle Tennessee State University, he landed an internship at WTVF, the CBS affiliate in Nashville. After graduation, Jerry was hired as chief videotape editor in their News Department.
In the fall of 1978, he moved to Huntsville and was hired by WHNT as a reporter. Within a couple of weeks, he began producing and anchoring the weekend newscasts. After working as 10 o’clock co-anchor and then noon anchor, Jerry was moved to the 6 and 10 anchor spot in November of 1983. He has literally been around the world gathering stories. He’s reported from the White House and brought stories home from St. Petersburg, Russia. But some of his favorite memories are of getting to know the boys in the band from Fort Payne. Jerry was the first television reporter to interview members of the country music group, Alabama.
Jerry has won numerous awards during his journalistic career. He was recognized with the Associated Press Television Award for Best News Anchor in Alabama in 2005 and 2006. The Alabama Broadcasters Association presented Jerry its ABBY Award for Best Anchor in 2008.
Jerry’s community service includes hosting the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon since 1978, serving as emcee for Panoply of the Arts Choreography Finals for 26 years, and raising awareness and funds for the Melissa George Neonatal Memorial Fund and the Tools for Schools educational supplies drive.