Six people who have made broadcasting history in Missouri will be inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA) Hall of Fame on Friday evening.
The inductees include lifelong St. Louisan Joe Buck and Ron Jacober, who spent more than four decades covering sports on St. Louis radio and television. MBA Hall of Famer John Rooney, the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals, will emcee Friday’s banquet at Margaritaville in Osage Beach. Mr. Rooney tells 939 the Eagle that it will be a great event:
“And what the Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA) is able to do to honor the great broadcasters in our state it’s a definitely a night to remember. And one to have a lot of fun with, and we will. It will be a great time hearing the stories of the Hall of Famers being inducted,” Mr. Rooney says.
Joe Buck is now serving as the voice of ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” He’ll make the trip to the Lake of the Ozarks for Friday night’s induction ceremony.
One of the best-known broadcast engineers in the state will be inducted into the MBA Hall of Fame on Friday. You’ve heard Jim Jackson’s name mentioned numerous times over the years on St. Louis Cardinals radio broadcasts. Mr. Jackson has been the chief engineer on the Cardinals Radio Network since 1998. MBA Hall of Famer Rooney has worked with Jackson for 19 years on the St. Louis Cardinals Radio Network:
“As (legendary St. Louis Cardinals broadcaster) Mike Shannon said when I took the job in 2006, the most important man in the booth is not Mike Shannon, it’s not John Rooney it’s Jim Jackson. He’s the guy who, he pushes the knobs and handles the levers as Mike used to put it. And he’s the one who makes sure we get all the commercial content in,” says Rooney.
Mr. Rooney notes Jim Jackson is now doing home games only at Busch Stadium. In addition to Buck, Jacober and Jackson, the other three inductees will be:
** Longtime KMBC Channel 9 reporter Bev Chapman, recognized as one of the great storytellers in television. She spent three decades in broadcast news.
** Broadcast engineer Dave Obergoenner, who has been an engineer for more than four decades.
** The late Si Siman, a radio , television and record producer. Si produced Ozark Jubilee, which was the first network television series featuring the top country music stars. Siman was a Springfield native.
