Cape native will be posthumous inductee to Missouri Broadcasters Hall of Fame

A local radio pioneer has been chosen as a 2016 posthumous inductee to the Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

Jerome Zimmer, founder of Zimmer Broadcasting, will be inducted along with longtime St. Louis Cardinals radio broadcaster Mike Shannon and Ken and Jane Meyer, founders of Meyer Communications in southwest Missouri.

Zimmer, who died in 2003, was born in Cape Girardeau and began his first station with a partner in 1956 in Dexter, Missouri, according to a news release from the Missouri Broadcasters Association.

At the time of Zimmer's death, the company owned 32 stations in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas.

"... My father would be extremely honored and humbled by this recognition," Zimmer's son, John Zimmer, said in an email to the Southeast Missourian. "Dad loved radio, but more specifically he loved pulling for the little guy. As a small businessman himself, [he] believed in small, owner-operated businesses and was passionate to help them grow."

Jerome Zimmer received the Missouri Broadcasters Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.

Zimmer, the Meyers and Shannon will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 68th annual Missouri Broadcasters Association awards banquet in the summer. Family members will accept Zimmer's award.

"This class is part of a long list of extraordinary broadcasters who have made an impact on our state," Mark Gordon, president and CEO of the Missouri Broadcasters Association, stated in the release. "Through our Hall of Fame program, we recognize those who have entertained, informed and given back to their communities throughout long, successful careers. It's important to tell their stories to a new generation of broadcasters."

kwebster@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3646