Former WOWT anchor Gary Kerr to be inducted into Nebraska broadcasting Hall of Fame

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - The Nebraska Broadcasters Association announced Monday that longtime WOWT anchor Gary Kerr will be among the three inductees into this year’s NBA Hall of Fame.

“During his 34 years as a broadcast journalist, Gary Kerr became known as the ‘Cronkite of the Midwest,’ a trusted anchor for his professionalism, intelligence, and kind demeanor,” the NBA release states.

Kerr joined WOW radio and TV in 1964 before becoming an anchor at WOWT in 1971.

“Kerr covered several presidential campaigns and traveled to Germany to report on the 52 Americans held hostage by Iran” before retiring from WOWT in 1998,” the release states.

He has also spent time volunteering with the Omaha Press Club since 2000, helping to organize monthly education programs there.

Kerr will be inducted alongside longtime radio veteran and UNL journalism faculty member Rick Alloway and Neil Nelkin, who has worked as an announcer, talk show host, as well as a station manager and owner at radio stations all across the state during his 50-year career.

The Nebraska Broadcasters Association announced its new Hall of Fame inductees on Monday, Feb.... — The Nebraska Broadcasters Association announced its new Hall of Fame inductees on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. From left: former WOWT Anchor Gary Kerr, longtime UNL broadcasting professor Rick Alloway, and veteran Nebraska radio broadcaster Neil Nelkin.(Nebraska Broadcasters Association)

Alloway worked his way up at KFOR radio during his career there from 1972 to 1984. In 1986, he began teaching at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and taught sports broadcasting there for 30 years and helped the university develop its major in sports media and communications.

“He is a 28-time recipient of the UNL Parents Association recognition for contributions to students, reflecting his continuing, powerful impact on the education and lives of hundreds of future broadcasters,” the release states.

Nelkin worked in operations and engineering for ABC Television in New York, but “(his) true love is radio,” the release states.

“Referred to by many as the ‘Godfather of Radio,’ Nelkin is revered by deejays, talk show hosts and sports play-by-play announcers whom he coached and trained to go on to achieving their own level of significant success, in Nebraska and far beyond,” the NBA release states.

Nelkin remains active in Omaha radio, working for NRG Media and Walnut Media.