Floyd Kalber, 1942

20th Tuesday, 2011  |   Hall of Fame  |  no comments

First Name: Floyd

Last Name: Kalber

Year Graduated: 1942

Biography: A television news anchorman on NBC's "Today" show and on two highly rated programs in Chicago, he received five Emmy awards. After attending Creighton University, he got his start in broadcasting at KGFW Radio in Kearney. He was a newscaster and head of the news department at KMTV - Channel 3 in Omaha for 11 years before joining NBC in Chicago in 1960. Kalber left WMAQ-TV in Chicago in 1976 after 16 years as the 10 p.m. anchorman to appear on the "Today" show in New York. He left that position after three years to work as a network correspondent with NBC until 1981, when he retired. He came out of retirement in 1984 to help revive Chicago's WLS-TV, anchoring its evening newscast. He enjoyed another run of 14 years with top ratings and retired from the ABC affiliate in 1998. He was nicknamed "the Big Tuna" because his aura and power in the newsroom were perceived to be as great as the late Chicago mob boss Tony "Big Tuna" Acardo. Kalber served in the Army in the South Pacific during World War II. Died in 2004.

Year Inducted: 1978

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