Governor Speaks to State Broadcasters In 'Boro

Aug 08, 2018 at 05:15 pm by bryan


(MURFREESBORO) Tennessee Association of Broadcasters (TAB) is holding its 70th conference at the Embassy Suite in Murfreesboro. Governor Bill Haslam spoke at Wednesday's luncheon. WREG-TV President and General Manager Ron Walter was presented the DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD, the group's highest honor.

Standing Ovation for Governor Haslam

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The governor was the keynote speaker and he shared some of the successes that have made him proud during his administration. His greatest pride is in the increased level of education achieved by Tennessee citizens. When he came into office, this state ranked in the upper 40s of 52 states.

He noted, "We are now in the mid 20s, and the TENNESSEE PROMISE has given high school grads an opportunity to get a 2-year degree or technical certificate at no cost."

Governor Haslam also pointed with pride to measured achievements with kindergarten through twelfth grade students. He indicated that the area of testing did not go as desired, "but the end results are what we desired, and hopefully the next governor will keep these requirements in place."

Before receiving a standing ovation, the governor concluded by saying, "In today's technology based world, the public looks to different sources for news. My wish is that social media would put the time into researching news that radio and television does before releasing it to the public."

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Ron Walter, the president and general manager of Tribune's WREG TV-3 in Memphis, was presented TAB's Distinguished Service Award.

The state broadcast organization defines eligible Distinguished Service Award recipients as broadcasters who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the American system of broadcasting industry as well as to the community in which they live.

Ron has been at WREG for over 30-years and is very involved in his community. He loves to research local history, and as a result has served on the Tennessee Historical Commission. The television executive was appointed by President Obama to serve on the TVA board until May 18, 2019. Earlier, the Memphis chapter of the American Advertising Federation honored him with their SILVER AWARD. It is presented each year to a person who made a difference in the industry, community and in advertising.

Again, the president and general manager of WREG-TV in Memphis, Ron Walter, was the Tennessee Association of Broadcaster's 2018 Distinguished Service Award. It was presented in Murfreesboro at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center.

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