SC Broadcasters Hall of Fame leaving Columbia

Winthrop University will open this fall the S.C. Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame, which is being moved from its current location at the University of South Carolina.

Both colleges are the only schools in South Carolina with nationally accredited journalism/mass communication programs.

Winthrop will house the Hall of Fame in Johnson Hall. There are currently 34 honorees in the association’s Hall of Fame, with new members typically inducted annually.

Bronze plaques for each Hall of Fame member will hang in the second floor lobby of Johnson Hall. Winthrop also will periodically host events and workshops for students with the broadcasters association.

A public ceremony will be held at Winthrop in September.

The broadcasters association Hall of Fame includes from Columbia Richard Shafto who in 1953 helped create WIS-TV and was President of WIS’ parent company, Cosmos Broadcasting; Henry J. Cauthen, founder of SC ETV; W. Frank Harden who spent 21 years with WIS Radio/TV; Charles Batson, CEO of Cosmos Broadcasting; Dixon Lovvorn, who along with Richard Shafto helped start WIS-TV; H. Moody McElveen, a pioneer of UHF television, was the executive VP of Palmetto Radio Corp, the parent of WNOK AM & FM/TV. In 1977, WNOK TV became WLTX; Richard Laughridge who started as a boom operator at WLTX and worked his way up to General Manager; Dr. Richard Uray, who introduced countless students to the field of broadcast journalism at the University of South Carolina; William L. McElveen, broadcaster since 1966 and Midlands community leader; Diane Bagwell who spent 21 years at WIS-TV; and, Alex Snipe, President and owner of the Columbia-based Glory Communications and 7 radio stations.

NOTE: Bolded names in list above were inadvertently omitted from the original story.

The Hall of Fame began in 1973.

This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 11:39 PM.