Gary Reid, the professional general manager at MSUCR broadcast station WDBM, Impact 89 FM, was inducted into the Michigan Association of Broadcasters hall of fame on July 10th. Here’s the official coverage from Russ White at MSUToday.com,

The Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB) inducted Gary Reid into its Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame during a special ceremony on July 10 at the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids.

“I am deeply honored to be inducted into the Michigan Broadcast Hall of Fame,” said Reid, general manager of Michigan State University’s award-winning student radio station, WDBM-FM, better known as the Impact.”

“Given that my predecessors include among others, former Federal Communications Commissioner James Quello, J.P McCarthy, Dick Purtan, Mort Crim, Ernie Harwell and a host of extremely successful station owners, managers and on-air personalities, it is a truly humbling experience. For an educator to be included in this distinguished body is overwhelming,” he said.

Reid is also a University Distinguished senior specialist in MSU’s Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media.

The MAB’s Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame recognizes broadcasters for their leadership, achievement and contributions to the industry.

WDBM, or Impact 89FM, signed on in 1989 with Reid at the helm. Over the past 18 years, the station has become one of the most listened to college stations in the country. The station broadcasts live, around the clock with a staff of approximately 100 students, most of whom are volunteers. WDBM was the first college station in the country to begin broadcasting in the new digital HD Radio format in 2004.

The Impact has been named “College Station of the Year” for the past seven years by the MAB and BMI. WDBM is the flagship station for Gov. Granholm’s weekly radio address, which may be heard throughout Michigan and via podcast on the Web.

“Gary has provided stellar leadership for our station for many years and has made the Impact one of the best college radio stations in the nation,” said Lee June, vice president for student affairs and services at MSU, and has administrative authority over WDBM. “His knowledge of the field is unequaled. This honor is well deserved and is a testimony to his contributions.”

Reid also serves as associate director of the Quello Center for Management and Law. For the past 30 years, he has taught in a variety of areas including all of the audio/radio courses, video production classes, telecommunication technology and media management courses.

“Gary is a bright, loyal and dedicated broadcast professional,” said Quello, an MSU alumnus who retired in 1997 as a FCC commissioner. “Reid has built WDBM into one of the most successful college radio stations in the country, and I appreciate his great work at the Quello Center.”

Scott Westerman, area vice president for Comcast’s telecommunication properties in the Southwest, met Gary when they were students at MSU in the 1970s. Westerman serves on both the national and MSU College of Communication Arts and Sciences alumni boards, and is the founding contributor to the Scott and Colleen Westerman Technology Endowment at MSU.

“Gary Reid’s graduates have connections in every corner of the telecommunications industry. Whether it’s radio, television, music, film or new media, Gary’s kids are putting a unique Spartan stamp on what we see and hear,” Westerman said.

“Gary is one of my favorite things about MSU; a dedicated teacher who, fires his students’ imaginations and helps them achieve their dreams, changing the entire telecommunications industry for the better in the process.”

Michael Olman is a three-time Emmy Award-winning sound engineer in Hollywood.He’s also an MSU alumnus and a former student of Reid’s.

“Reid is a deceptively low-key educator. He has an incredible feel for recognizing talent and nurturing it in a way that students don’t realize that they are actually being mentored,” Olman said. “He lets them shine all on their own and then very quietly steps into the shadows…. I would never have won, let alone been nominated for, an Emmy, without his mentoring.”

The MAB represents more than 300 radio and television stations, serving nearly 4,000 employees in the broadcasting industry.

MAB is one of the largest broadcast associations in the nation and offers educational, informational and cost-saving services to its members. The association is dedicated to helping its members serve their communities, advertisers and staff by providing solutions to industry problems and satisfying members’ needs.

Hear Gary Reid interviewed on the Spartan Podcast.
Here’s how the State News reported the story.