Tom Bergeron on the set of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” in 2007, accepting his induction into Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame. (Television screen capture courtesy of Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.)
“Dancing with the Stars” host and WHAV alumnus Tom Bergeron this week serves as master of ceremonies during the induction of nine radio and television personalities into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Bergeron joins celebrity presenters Charles Laquidara, Matt Siegel, Randy Price, Dick Albert, Mary Richardson, Mike Addams and Suzanne Bates for the Thursday, Oct. 13, noon to 2 p.m., ceremony at Boston Marriott Quincy.
Inductees are Bruce Bradley, iconic 1960s WBZ disc jockey “Juicy Brucie;” Bob Copleand, long-time WCVB meteorologist; Mike Gorman and Tommy Heinsohn, Boston Celtics TV play-by-play team for 35 years; Paula Lyons, consumer reporter for WCVB-TV, “Good Morning America” and WBZ-TV; Peter Mehegan, long-time “Chronicle” anchor; Oedipus, 22-year program director of legendary rock station WBCN; Steve Rivers, nationally known program director of WZOU and Kiss 108; and Gay Vernon, long-time morning news anchor at Magic 106.7 and co-host of “Exceptional Women.” Pioneer Awards will also be presented to Charlie Ballantine, Stanley Forman and Nat Whittemore, ground-breaking news videographers from channels 4, 5 and 7.
Bergeron, himself, was inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2007. He began his Emmy Award-winning career in 1972 at WHAV. He went to WHEB-FM in Portsmouth, N.H., and then landed a gig at WBZ-TV doing the Mass Lottery numbers and reporting on “Evening Magazine.” In 1990, when Hall of Fame Inductee Dave Maynard retired, Bergeron took over the reins as host of morning drive on WBZ radio. When WBZ dropped music, Bergeron was immediately hired to host “Morning Magic” on Magic 106.7.
In 1994, Bergeron was lured to New York to host “Breakfast Time” on the F/X network, which then became “Fox after Breakfast.” He was a fill-in anchor on ABC’s “Good Morning America” in 1997. He became host of a new version of “Hollywood Squares” from 1998 to 2004. In 2001 he picked up a second show when he was hired as host of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” on ABC and continued in that role until 2014. He became host of ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” in 2005.
Most recently, Bergeron served as honorary chairperson of WHAV’s “Make Waves” campaign, leading to the return of WHAV to the local airwaves at 97.9 FM.
Tickets to the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame ceremony are $75 each and available online at massbroadcastershof.org.