Arkansas Broadcasters name five new inductees for Hall of Fame

The Arkansas Broadcasters Association (ABA) announced Monday (July 14) the 2025 class of inductees into the Arkansas Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

“We have a very deserving class of inductees into the Hall of Fame this year”, said ABA President Chad Whiteaker. “We had a very strong list of nominees, so I want to thank the Hall of Fame Committee. They had the task of choosing the inductees from a very deserving list of broadcasters.”

The five chosen for induction this year are:

• Ed Buckner, former KTHV chief meteorologist (posthumously) of Little Rock;
• Jay Bunyard, owner of Bunyard Broadcast in DeQueen;
• Sid King, long time Arkansas broadcaster from Clinton;
• Bob Knight (posthumously), former ABA president and longtime broadcaster from Mountain Home; and
• Tom Nichols, owner/operator of KVRE Radio in Hot Springs Village.

“We have inductees from TV and Radio, from big markets and small, pointing out the excellence of radio and TV broadcasters from across Arkansas,” added Whiteaker.

The five will be honored at the ABA Hall of Fame Banquet the evening of Monday, Sept. 15. The banquet is part of the ABA’s Annual Convention, being held this year in Hot Springs, and is sponsored by AT&T.

All nominations were made in writing by friends, family members or colleagues using a form crafted by the ABA Hall of Fame Committee. Those who made submissions answered questions about the individuals’ career, their impact on their communities and their contribution to the broadcast industry in Arkansas. The Hall of Fame Committee evaluated each written entry individually, scoring each separately, after which the total scores were tabulated at the ABA office.

This is second year for the ABA’s Hall of Fame. Nominees not selected are automatically eligible for consideration for the 2026 Hall of Fame.

The Arkansas Broadcasters Association represents the over-the-air radio and television broadcasters of Arkansas. The ABA provides continuing education for its members, paid internships and scholarships for aspiring young broadcasters, represents the interests of broadcasters on both the state and national level, and provides a variety of other services to its members.