The Radio Hall of Fame, operated by the Museum of Broadcast Communications, held its 2025 induction ceremony on Thursday evening at the Swissotel Hotel in Chicago. This marked a return to an in-person event in the city after previous years' adaptations, celebrating the medium's enduring impact through a "standing room only" gathering of industry professionals, honorees, and fans.
Hosted by tech and radio personality Kim Komando, the ceremony honored a diverse class of 19 inductees—11 contemporary figures and 8 posthumous "Legends"—whose work has spanned entertainment, news, sports, syndication, and innovation in radio. Tickets for the event included a tax-deductible donation to the museum, underscoring its role in preserving broadcast history.
The inductees were announced in stages: the core class of 11 in late June 2025, with the Legends added in September. Six of the main inductees were selected by a panel of over 900 radio professionals via confidential ballot, while the rest were chosen by the Nominating Committee.
As Museum Chairman David Plier noted, this group "reflects the depth, creativity, and cultural impact of radio across generations and formats." Co-Chairs Kraig Kitchin and Dennis Green emphasized the honorees' role in "entertaining, informing, and bringing special moments to our lives through a medium that does this better than any other."Main Class of 2025 Inductees:
Legends Inductees (Posthumous)Added in September to honor trailblazers no longer with us, these eight figures include pioneering DJs, executives, and innovators who laid radio's foundations:
- Gordon McLendon: "The Old Scotchman," Texas broadcasting mogul who innovated Top 40 formatting and owned over 100 stations.
- Jean Shepherd: Writer and WOR-AM nighttime host, inspiration for A Christmas Story, famed for storytelling and humor.
- Johnny Holliday: DC-area sports and music DJ, voice of Washington teams, with a career spanning six decades.
- Robert K. Morgan: Longtime WSM Nashville executive, key in country radio's growth and the Grand Ole Opry.
- Hal Jackson: New York's first Black radio DJ, founder of the first all-Black station (WLIB), civil rights supporter.
- Art Linkletter: Host of House Party and Kids Say the Darndest Things, radio's family entertainment icon.
- Ted Yates: ABC News correspondent, trailblazing Black journalist covering civil rights and urban stories.
- William Sherrod: Early African American broadcaster in Memphis, mentor to talents like Rufus Thomas.
The induction ceremony will air this weekend on SiriusXM Channel 132 and on over 80 stations across the U.S. For a complete list of stations carrying the show, visit: www.radiohalloffame.com.