Hank Thornley, Broadcast Pioneer, to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at NVBA 23rd Hall of Fame Gala

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nevada Broadcasters Association – News Release

April 30, 2018

Contact: 702-794-4994

NEVADA BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION TO HONOR BROADCAST VETERAN HANK THORNLEY AT THE 23RD ANNUAL HALL OF FAME GALA.

(Las Vegas, Nevada) The Nevada Broadcasters Association will present the Lifetime Achievement Award to broadcast veteran Hank Thornley during the Association’s Annual Hall of Fame Gala on Saturday, August 18, at 7pm at The Four Seasons Las Vegas.  

Thornley turns 101 this year and is credited for creating the first television news operation in Las Vegas as news director and anchorman at KLAS-TV Channel 8. 

In 1962 Thornley was lured to Las Vegas and its premier TV station, KLAS TV, which at the time didn’t have a news department.  Thornley built a news operation from scratch, one employee and piece of equipment at a time. As the first anchorman and news director in Las Vegas, Thornley had a ringside seat to the explosive growth of the city. His fledgling news operation covered politicians including powerful Sheriff Ralph Lamb, President John Kennedy, assorted dignitaries and stars and even The Beatles. Under Thornley, Channel 8 became the pre-eminent news operation in the city.

In addition, the Nevada Broadcasters Association and Foundation (NVBA and NVBF) are pleased to announce that 35 Nevada broadcasters have been selected, to be inducted into the 2018 Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. Each inductee has served in broadcasting a minimum of 20 years, with 5 of those years in Nevada.

This year marks the 23nd Nevada Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame Gala and will take place on Saturday, August 18, 2018, at The Four Seasons Las Vegas. All money raised at the Hall of Fame Silent and Live Auctions goes directly to support the Nevada Broadcasters Foundation’s Tony and Linda Bonnici Broadcasting Scholarship Fund which provides tuition scholarships to students attending Nevada’s Colleges and Universities.  One hundred thirteen (113) scholarships have been awarded over the past seven (7) years to talented and dedicated students of broadcasting in Nevada. 

To purchase a sponsorship, reserve a table or place an ad in the program, please call (702) 794-4994.

About Nevada Broadcasters Association

The mission of the NVBA is to promote and advocate for the Broadcasters of Nevada while serving the public. We help improve and preserve, on a national and statewide basis, an economic, legal and regulatory environment that best enhances the ability of each Station to be financially strong, to remain free from governmental control of programming, and to excel in the public service roles that each Station plays in Nevada.  The NVBA offers a robust Public Education Partnership program providing government agencies and non-profits, the ultimate in public outreach and awareness. We seek to educate Nevada’s local, state and federal officials along with other community leaders about important broadcasting issues, concerns and challenges, in an effort to create increasingly strong and healthy communities.

 About Nevada Broadcasters Foundation Scholarship Program

The Nevada Broadcasters Foundation (NVBF) and the Tony & Linda Bonnici Scholarship Fund finds the very best broadcasting and journalism students in Nevada and empowers them to pursue their dream by awarding scholarships. The Foundation awards full tuition scholarships to the next generation of Nevada’s broadcasters. This scholarship is unique in that it is a scholarship by broadcasters for broadcasters.

For more information about NVBA and NVBF, please call 702-794-4994, or visit https://nevadabroadcasters.org.

 Media Contacts: NVBA Office: 702-794-4994

Mitch Fox  Mitch@NevadaBroadcasters.org      
Eric Bonnici
Eric@NevadaBroadcasters.org