[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8076]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   CONGRATULATING MR. BERNIE DITTMAN ON RECEIPT OF THE 2005 ALABAMA 
        BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION'S BROADCASTER OF THE YEAR AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 27, 2005

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride and pleasure that I 
rise to honor Mr. Bernie Dittman on the occasion of his being honored 
with the 2005 Alabama Broadcasters' Association's Broadcaster of the 
Year Award.
  This award recognizes outstanding contributions made by members of 
the Alabama radio and television broadcast community in both their 
professional field and in the life of their local cities and towns. 
Bernie Dittman, a long-time friend and resident of Alabama's First 
Congressional District, as well as an active member of the state 
broadcasters' association, is a very worthy choice to receive this 
year's award.
  Bernie purchased WABB-AM in Mobile, Alabama, in 1959. This station, 
previously owned by the Mobile Register newspaper organization, first 
went on the air in 1948 with call letters that stand for ``Alabama's 
Best Broadcasters.'' One year later, Bernie moved to Mobile and 
completely changed the broadcast format of the station. His conversion 
of WABB from a country station to Top 40 propelled WABB to the position 
of the leading station in that format and one of the premiere stations 
anywhere on Alabama's Gulf Coast. In 1973, Bernie took WABB in a new 
direction when the station added a new FM signal and began to broadcast 
a progressive rock format. At a time when most automobiles were not 
equipped with FM receivers, Bernie and his team ran an extensive series 
of on-air promotions encouraging the installation of low-cost FM 
receivers.
  Under Bernie Dittman's leadership, WABB has become one of the 
longest-running and most successful Top 40 radio stations in the United 
States. The station has also spearheaded over the years the move to 
more equality in the hiring of on-air personalities and staff members; 
in fact, WABB was one of the stations in south Alabama which early on 
began to hire women and African-Americans for important announcer 
positions. WABB has also been a critical part of Mobile's emergency 
broadcast community and played a crucial role in providing information 
to listeners during Hurricane Frederic (1979) and Hurricane Ivan 
(2004). During Ivan, in fact, WABB was one of the few stations in the 
area able to transmit continuously during the storm without losing 
power. Following the end of the storm, the station also spearheaded the 
effort to collect and distribute relief material to neighboring states 
which had also been severely affected.
  Aside from his professional obligations, Bernie has also ensured that 
WABB and its family of employees take an active role in the life of the 
Mobile community. For the past 47 years, the station has operated the 
WABB Community Club Awards Program of Greater Mobile, which has during 
its existence provided over $250,000 in financial awards to local 
civic, religious, and cultural institutions. Additionally, the station 
has been a 40-year sponsor of the Greater Gulf State Fair, a 35-year 
sponsor of the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo, and a long-time sponsor 
of both the Senior Bowl and GMAC Bowl college football games. The Boys 
and Girls Clubs of Greater Mobile, the United States Marine Corps Toys 
for Tots program, the Mobile Ronald McDonald House, and numerous other 
organizations advocating area youth have also benefited tremendously 
from Bernie Dittman's leadership and community involvement. In fact, 
the area Toys for Tots program holds the record for the single largest 
toy collection anywhere in the United States, with over 100,000 toys 
collected--due in large part to the efforts of Bernie and his entire 
team.
  Bernie has also been a longtime member of the Alabama Broadcasters' 
Association and the National Association of Broadcasters, and in 2000 
was the recipient of the Greater Mobile Advertising Federation Silver 
Medal Award.
  Mr. Speaker, there have been few individuals more important to the 
broadcast profession in Alabama or to the life of their local community 
than Bernie Dittman. He is an outstanding example of the quality 
individuals who have devoted their lives to the field of broadcasting, 
and I ask my colleagues to join with me in congratulating him on this 
remarkable achievement. I know Bernie's colleagues, his family, and his 
many friends join with me in praising his accomplishments and extending 
thanks for his many efforts over the years on behalf of the First 
Congressional District and the entire state of Alabama.

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