Buffalo State employee and alumni honored at Buffalo Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame Dinner
Three Buffalo State alumni and one current employee were honored during the Buffalo Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame dinner on Wednesday, September 10.
Longtime radio broadcaster Hank Nevins, ’76, was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Dave Ross, Buffalo State’s chief television engineer, was honored with the President’s Award in recognition of his work for the Communication Department’s television show Broadcasting Buffalo, which is coproduced with the Buffalo Broadcasters Association (BBA).
Thomas Bailey interviews former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly.
This year, BBA introduced the Buffalo Media Awards, a new tradition honoring today’s media professionals, stations, and programs that keep the community informed and entertained. One such award was the Rising Star Award, which was presented to Alessia Gervasi, ’23. Gervasi is a graduate of Buffalo State’s journalism program and currently works for WGRF-FM as weekend on-air host of 97 Rock, as well as a sales assistant for Cumulus Media.
Former WBNY-FM general manager Dan Dale, ’25, received a Rising Star Scholarship from restaurateur Russell Salvatore.
“We are so proud of our alumni and the impact they are having on the local media community," said Deborah Silverman, chair of Buffalo State’s Communication Department. “We are grateful to the Buffalo Broadcasters Association for our partnership on the production of our television show, which gives our students the ‘real-world’ communication experience that employers are seeking.”
Additionally, current Buffalo State students were active at the event. BBA’s public relations intern, Kai Douglas is a senior public relations and advertising double major at Buffalo State.
Thomas Bailey with former Buffalo Sabres right wing and broadcaster Rob Ray.
Thomas Bailey, a Buffalo State student enrolled in COM 403: Digital Sports Journalism, conducted interviews with former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly and former Buffalo Sabres right wing and broadcaster Rob Ray. Bailey also serves editor-in-chief of Buffalo State’s student newspaper, The Record. He was recently named the first recipient of the recently established Don DePerro Scholarship, given in honor of the late Don DePerro, ’81, who was Record editor-in-chief during his time at Buffalo State.
Lead image: Alessia Gervasi, '23 (left) with associate professor Annemarie Francyzk.
