(Indianapolis, Indiana, July 17, 2023) Today Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, Inc. (IPBS) announced its inaugural class of inductees into the IPBS Hall of Fame. The inductees are:
Perry Metz – Former Executive Director of Indiana University Radio and Television Services and General Manager of WFIU/WTIU (Bloomington)
Dr. Joe Misiewicz – Former General Manager of Ball State Public Media and Emeritus Chair of the Department of Telecommunications at Ball State University (Muncie)
Roger Rhodes – Former Executive Director Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, Inc. and General Manager of WFWA-TV (Fort Wayne)
Lloyd Wright – Former President and CEO of WFYI Public Media (Indianapolis)
“We are so pleased to be honoring four very special individuals in this way,” said Nichole Carie, IPBS Board President and General Manager of Vincennes University Broadcasting. “They epitomize excellence in our industry and will forever have the distinction of being members of the first class inducted into the IPBS Hall of Fame.”
The Hall of Fame was established in 2023 by the IPBS Board of Directors to recognize individuals with Hoosier ties who have made meaningful contributions to the advancement of public media in Indiana, the nation, or the world. Inductees have achieved excellence by embracing the noble cause of service, and have provided leadership, wisdom, and good counsel to the communities they serve through the betterment of public media.
To be eligible, nominees for the Hall of Fame will be champions of public media with ties to Indiana and the industry that date back at least four years. New inductees will be selected annually.
“These inductees are all accomplished and have left an enduring legacy of dedication that others strive to emulate,” noted Carie.
The IPBS Hall of Fame Awards will be presented on Wednesday, August 2, 2023 in Carmel, IN at the Renaissance Hotel and will coincide with the IPBS Annual Conference.
About IPBS
Established in 1975, IPBS is a not-for-profit association of 17 public television and radio stations. Together, these stations provide engaging, educational, and informational programming for Indiana citizens. Stations are located in Bloomington, Elkhart, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Merrillville, Muncie, South Bend, Vincennes and West Lafayette. To learn more about Indiana Public Broadcasting, Inc., visit IPBS.org.
About Perry Metz
Perry Metz served as Executive Director of Indiana University Radio and Television Services from 2003 to 2019 and was General Manager of WFIU/WTIU during that time. He also held a number of administrative posts within the university.
Under Metz’s leadership, WFIU/WTIU dramatically expanded local programming—especially news and documentaries—and earned hundreds of awards and honors, including 65 in 2019 alone. Metz served as the President of Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, Inc. for almost a decade. He is credited with founding IPB News, the statewide collaborative for gathering and sharing news among IPBS member station. It was one of the first converged newsrooms in public media, bringing together radio and television news departments and developing a deep online presence.
In addition, Metz is a former Vice President of the Bloomington’s redevelopment commission, President of the city’s traffic commission, and President of the county’s convention and visitor’s bureau. In 2019, he received IU’s Bicentennial Medal, in recognition of his distinguished service and contributions.
About Dr. Joe Misiewicz
Dr. Joe Misiewicz, affectionately known as Dr. Joe, had a distinguished career at Ball State University and in public media. He arrived at Ball State in 1990 as chair and professor in the Department of Telecommunications and retired with emeritus status in 2012. He is one of the forces behind creating the Department of Media in what is today called the College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM) at Ball State.
Dr. Joe was also the General Manager of public media stations WIPB-TV and WBST-FM, Board President of IPBS, and CEO of Indiana Broadcasters Association. He provided vision and leadership for IPBS during some of its earliest years. Known as a creator and innovator, Dr. Joe is credited with starting the East Central Indiana business incubator, Idea Mart (now known as the Innovation Connector) in 2002. In 2021, he was honored with the Indiana Broadcasters Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
About Roger Rhodes
Roger Rhodes set himself apart during a 28-year career in public media through steady and thoughtful leadership. He served as President and General Manager of WFWA-TV (today PBS Fort Wayne) from 1990 to 2007 and as Executive Director of IPBS, the statewide consortium of PBS and NPR stations in Indiana, from 2007 to 2018.
As IPBS Executive Director, he combined knowledge about government relations and public affairs with important advocacy work to maintain station financial support at the state and federal level. He completed a fiber network linking IPBS member television and radio stations with one another. He also established a content sharing framework that made Statehouse addresses such as the Governor’s State of the State, Chief Justice’s State of the Judiciary, and Commissioner’s State of Higher Education an ongoing component of the annual statewide production and programming cycle. Finally, he was instrumental in WLPR-FM in Merrillville becoming the 17th IPBS member station and was the visionary behind the IPBS Annual Conference.
At WFWA, Rhodes successfully led an $8 million capital campaign to create northeast Indiana’s premier digital production and broadcast facility. He also oversaw the station’s initial transition from analog to digital broadcast. In 2003, WFWA became the first television station in the Fort Wayne market to broadcast in digital. In addition, he expanded the scope of educational services for children in the Fort Wayne viewing area.
About Lloyd Wright
Lloyd Wright had more than four decades of service in public media, retiring as President and CEO of WFYI Public Media in Indianapolis in 2019. Under Wright’s leadership, WFYI’s annual operating budget grew by more than 5X to $11 million. Also, WFYI Public Media relocated to a state-of-the-art broadcast facility during his tenure and collaborated with countless community partners in the areas of health, education, arts and culture, news, public affairs, and Indiana history. Under Wright’s leadership, WFYI Public Media flourished as a multi-media content provider with its three distinct public television services, two HD public radio channels, an interactive website, and an array of social media assets.
In 2008, WFYI successfully completed a $20 million capital campaign. Wright has been recognized with Emmy Awards for Technical Achievement and as a Station of Excellence, plus two Sagamore of the Wabash honors, the highest award given by an Indiana Governor to recognize distinguished service to the state of Indiana. In 2013, Wright was inducted into the Indiana Broadcasters Association Pioneers Hall of Fame and has served multiple terms on the Board of Directors for PBS, Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, and The Economic Club of Indiana.