Six new inductees have been selected to be in the Buffalo Broadcast Hall of Fame. Headlining the group is Buffalo Sabres play-by-play announcer Rick Jeanneret.
Jeanneret appeared at a news conference with some of the other six inductees at the WNED-TV studio in downtown Buffalo.
"It's a great honor," said Jeanneret.
Jeanneret said he was always drawn into Buffalo radio.
"WKBW was a big hit with me. Danny Neaverth and everyone else. I really wanted to be one of those guys. I didn't want to have anything to do with hockey then. It didn't mean a thing to me until a guy got sick one night and somebody had to do the game. I did the game, and after that it just kind of grew legs on its own," said Jeanneret.
"I don't regret a moment of it. It's been a wild ride up until now. I'm kind of hoping before I leave I can get a hold of that Stanley Cup. I would truly love to have that happen."
Buffalo natives who developed national broadcast careers will also be inducted in the 2012 class. VH1 president and former Buffalo state graduate Tom Calderone and CNN's Southeast Region Bureau Chief Mary Lynn Ryan of South Buffalo are among the honorees.
Former investigative reporter and retired dean of St. Bonaventure's Journalism program Lee Coppola, former Channel photographer Bill Cantwell and WGR-AM operation manager and traffic reporter the late Mike Roszman were also named to the hall of fame.
Roszman died tragically while conducting air-traffic reports from a helicopter that crashed in the Niagara River off Grand Island in 1993.
The Buffalo Broadcasters Association will officially induct the winners at its annual event on Thursday, September 20.