Six Hoosier Broadcasters Honored
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indiana Broadcasters Association has announced the names of six broadcasters who will be inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers Richard M. Fairbanks Hall of Fame this fall. The 2021 class includes radio host and reporter Jill Ditmire and Indianapolis radio host and DJ Delores Poindexter, both of which who received the award posthumously, Evansville news anchor Mike Blake, Indianapolis videographer Steve Sweitzer, Indianapolis TV reporter Derrik Thomas, and Indianapolis journalist and host Dick Wolfsie.
“The 2021 Hall of Fame Class is made up of diverse broadcasters who pushed the boundaries of innovation and made the Indiana communities where they worked better, more informed places to live,” said Dave Arland, executive director of the Indiana Broadcasters Association. “For decades, our newest group of Hall of Famers have provided critical eyes, ears, and voices for Hoosiers. They have told wonderful stories and are each also active members of their communities.”
Ditmire died in February at the age of 56. She was on the air for more than 25 years, most recently at WFYI in Indianapolis. She was also the owner/buyer of The Mass Ave Wine Shoppe & Cafe in Indianapolis.
Poindexter died in 2009. When she started her radio career in 1970, Poindexter was one of only a few women on the air in Indianapolis at the time. The IBA says she was the first African American woman licensed disc jockey to have a national radio program on WTLC Radio.
Blake has worked for WFIE-TV in Evansville for more than a half century, starting as a weatherman and weekend sportscaster. He’s earned numerous awards for his sports coverage.
Sweitzer has more than 40 years of broadcast TV news experience, mostly at WISH-TV in Indianapolis as a videographer. He also owns Sweitzer Productions and teaches at IUPUI.
Thomas has been a reporter for WRTV in Indy for more than 40 years. The IBA says he was particularly notable for his coverage of the courts and criminal trials, and feature stories emanating from the Indianapolis inner city community.
Wolfsie broke into broadcasting in 1980 and has worked in a variety of large television markets, including New York, Chicago and Boston. He moved to Indy in 1982 and has worked at both WISH-TV and WTHR-TV. He retired from WISH in March 2020.
This year’s Hall of Fame class will be inducted during the annual Indiana Broadcasters Conference on October 27. Learn more about the inductees in this IBA video.