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Contact:
Clayton Berry
Phone: 314.977.7117
berrycl@slu.edu

January 4, 2006

ST. LOUIS -- Saint Louis University's Ben Abell has been named to the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame. A staple of local weather forecasting and a professor of meteorology in the University's department of earth and atmospheric science, Abell has delivered forecasts on several St. Louis stations, including KETC, KFOU and KMOX since the early 1960s.

Abell currently reports the weather on local National Public Radio affiliate KWMU. He has provided free weather updates to the public radio station since 1972. In addition, he has provided weather updates for the Radio Information Service for the blind since 1973.

"Ben's no-nonsense approach to weathercasting has really endeared him to his legions of fans," said Frank A. Absher, adjunct professor of communication at SLU and a St. Louis radio historian.

An alumnus of SLU, Abell joined the faculty of Saint Louis University in 1962. He received his bachelor of science in professional meteorology from SLU in 1960 and his master's degree in meteorology and statistics from SLU in 1965.

Founded in 2001, the St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame honors St. Louis radio personnel for their contributions, both locally and nationally, to the radio industry. After being nominated by the board of directors, eligible members are then voted upon by 100 people in the local media community.

"Ben's election to the Radio Hall of Fame is a true recognition of how much his work is valued by other broadcasters," Absher said.

Eight others join Abell as new members: Gene Chase - WIL disc jockey for more than a decade; Lee Coffee, veteran disc jockey of many formats; Danny Dark, formerly of KXOK; Jerome Dixon, host of "Night Beat Down Rhythm Street" on KATZ; Richard Ward Fatherley, of KXOK; Ron Jacober, second only to Jack Buck in number of years as a St. Louis sportscaster; Ron Lundy, formerly of WIL; and Guy Phillips, morning host at KYKY.

The nine were selected for their contributions to St. Louis radio and their achievements in the field of broadcasting. They join 61 others who were elected previously.

The St. Louis Radio Hall of Fame is found on the Internet at http://www.stlradio.com by clicking on the Hall of Fame icon. It is overseen by a volunteer board of directors whose goal is to recognize and preserve the contributions of outstanding members of the St. Louis radio community.