A Brief History of the National Radio Hall of Fame

In 1988, the first members were inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame (NRHOF). Since then, those who shaped and transformed the radio and broadcasting industry have been honored annually. Nominations are accepted through March of each year.

The NRHOF Steering Committee recommends nominations in the following categories:

Pioneer, Network or Syndicated

Active, Network or Syndicated

Pioneer, Local or Regional

Active, Local or Regional

National Pioneer: A broadcaster who has given no less than 10 years of service to the radio industry and has been recognized as a leader in developing or improving radio programming at the national level.

National Active: An active broadcaster who has made no less than 10 years of significant contributions to the industry on a national level.

Local or Regional Pioneer: A broadcaster who has made no less than a 20-year contribution to the radio industry and has distinguished him or herself at the local and/or regional level.

Local or Regional Active: An active broadcaster who has made no less than a 20-year contribution to the radio industry and has distinguished him or herself at the local and/or regional level.

Click here to nominate Bob Crane.

Deadline: March 31, 2024

Bob Crane’s Nomination

In 2011, and after encouragement from the NRHOF Steering Committee, Carol Ford nominated Bob Crane for the National Radio Hall of Fame. She obtained official endorsement for his nomination from WICC in Bridgeport, Connecticut; WLEA in Hornell, New York; the Connecticut Broadcasting History organization; members of the Columbia Square Alumni group, and many other organizations and individuals.

Traditionally, the NRHOF holds a public voting for candidates who are chosen to be included on the ballot each year. To build public support for the public to literally vote for Bob on the ballot, the Vote For Bob Crane cause was launched. However, in 2011, Carol was informed that there would be no public voting so the NRHOF could honor some icons of radio’s Golden Age. The Steering Committee hand-selected the inductees for that year, including former President Ronald Reagan.

For the next several years, the NRHOF Steering Committee continued to hand-select each year’s class. Although there was no public voting during this time, we kept the Vote For Bob Crane presence to raise public awareness of Bob’s extensive work in radio. This includes several social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, a blog, two Soundcloud channels, a YouTube channel, and our official website. The response over the years has been fantastic, with thousands of fans following and supporting us across all platforms.

In 2015, the NRHOF Steering Committee returned to public voting, and they have kept Bob Crane’s nomination on file. However, Bob has yet to be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and recognized as a pioneer in radio, despite his unprecedented work in the broadcasting and radio industry.

We will continue to petition on his behalf.