Kia Winchell Nealy to be among honorees at Vermont Broadcasters gala
October 12, 2026 | By Waterbury Roundabout
Kia Winchell Nealy will join the Vemront Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame next month. Courtesy photo
Next month at its annual dinner and award ceremony, Waterbury’s Kia Winchell Nealy will be added to the Vermont Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
The trade group of professionals in radio and television broadcasting in Vermont recently announced its slate of honorees for the annual event.
Winchell Nealy built a 40-year career at WDEV/Radio Vermont that began in 1982. In her four decades with the independent Waterbury-based broadcast company, she was “an indispensable part of Radio Vermont Group,” the association states in its announcement.
She started at the station in 1982 as a copywriter and soon began delivering the community events Party Calendar on-air, building relationships with countless community organizations along the way.
Her knowledge of Waterbury and the surrounding area made Winchell Nealy an important source of news, ideas and connections for WDEV AM & FM, WCVT-FM and WLVB-FM. Over the years, she wore many hats, including traffic director, host of The Trading Post program, morning news contributor, and special reports producer.
The association’s nomination cites her contributions to smooth operations both on a daily basis and during major events such as 9/11 and Tropical Storm Irene. In 1991 when Gov. Richard Snelling suddenly died in office, Winchell Nealy “played a pivotal role in coordinating guests, managing calls and keeping continuous special coverage running,” the nomination notes.
“Known for her quick wit, distinctive voice, honesty and authentic delivery, Kia became a beloved and reliable presence both on-air and among her colleagues,” the association said.
Her role also included working on community efforts such as an annual Waterbury Thanksgiving Food Drive. And when station manager Eric Michaels was president of the broadcast association, Winchell Nealy assisted with administrative work for the group.
Since 2023, Winchell Nealy has worked on the Waterbury municipal staff as utility billing clerk for the Edward Farrar Utility District.
The Vermont Association of Broadcasters will honor Winchell Nealy by adding her to their Hall of Fame at the November gala. The other inductees will be longtime Vermont radio journalist Bob Kinzel and broadcast engineer Howard Ginsberg.
Kinzel’s career for over 40 years has focused on reporting on state government from Montpelier. Kinzel has been a familiar voice with Vermont Public for years and previously worked at WNCS-FM as news director in Montpelier and running the Vermont News Service which gathered news for nearly a dozen radio stations in the state.
Since 1976, Ginsberg worked as an engineer and on-air host at multiple Vermont radio stations including WCVR-AM in Randolph and WVMT-AM in Burlington. In 1984, he co-founded WXXX-FM (95 Triple X) in South Burlington, where he served as chief engineer and later general manager.
The trade group will hand out nine other awards for excellence at the ceremony. Among other honorees will be Vermont Public, receiving the Broadcaster of the Year award for its report: “No Exit: Inside a Botched ICE Raid in Vermont,” earlier this year. Calling the reporting “deep, ambitious, consequential and distinctly local journalism,” the association’s nomination says: “The ‘No Exit’ team pursued the details, sought out the people connected to the events and reconstructed what happened in a way that allowed the audience to understand a complicated and highly charged story.”
WEQX-FM in Manchester is to receive the association’s Alan Noyes Community Service Award recognizing its 24-hour radiothon that raised money for The Wilson House and 1761 Arts, marking the 10th anniversary of the sobriety of their “Clean Jams” show host, Benjamin Lerner. The program covers topics including substance abuse, recovery and mental health. The fundraiser collected thousands of dollars for the two charities. The award is named in honor of the association’s first executive director and a charter member of the VAB Hall of Fame.
Additional individual awards will be presented for excellence in reporting, anchoring, meteorology, sales and service to the industry.
Details about all of the Hall of Fame inductees and award winners can be found on the Vermont Association of Broadcasters website here.
The VAB Hall of Fame & Awards Gala will be held on Nov. 14, 5-9 p.m., at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, at 870 Williston Road, South Burlington. The event is open to the public. Non-VAB members may buy tickets for $150 online on the VAB website through Nov. 6.