Bill Kelly, Val Lane, Otis Twelve Join Neb. Broadcasters Assoc. Hall Of Fame

The Nebraska Broadcasters Association will welcome Bill Kelly, Val Lane and Otis Twelve into its Hall of Fame on the evening of Aug. 8 in La Vista, during the NBA Annual Convention. These inductees will bring the total number in the NBA Hall of Fame (established in 1972) to 115.

Bill Kelly has provided over four decades of service to broadcast journalism in Nebraska. His career began in 1981 as a political and investigative reporter for Omaha’s WOWT-TV before taking an interim producer’s role in 1989 at KOLN-KGIN TV in Lincoln. In 1990, he joined NET Television/Radio (now known as Nebraska Public Media) as a producer/reporter — a role he enthusiastically and successfully continues today.

Respected for reliable, balanced and well-researched stories and documentaries, Kelly has earned more than 40 first place state, regional and national awards for reporting and production excellence, in television and radio, including Regional Emmys and AP awards.

Kelly has also worked tirelessly to expand courtroom camera access for all Nebraska journalists, working hand in hand with members of the Nebraska Judicial Branch, Nebraska Bar Association and fellow journalists from across the state to foster increased cooperation and better coverage.

Long before the show Better Call Saul gained popularity, the cry from dozens of Nebraska radio stations was “Better Call Val.” Val Lane has been providing outstanding engineering support for more than 40 years across Nebraska and remains in steady demand.

From overseeing the design and construction of everything from remote broadcast headsets to 1,000-foot towers, Lane still travels the width and breadth of Nebraska upgrading, modifying, repairing, replacing and building for many Nebraska broadcasting companies.

Widely respected for his humble demeanor and willingness to teach others as he solves problems and builds new facilities, Lane doesn’t view his work so much as fixing objects as much as understanding the vital service broadcasters provide in informing the public.

Prior to devoting his time to contract engineering, Lane assisted 1970’s studio recordings by Neil Diamond (Love at the Greek) and Bob Dylan (Bob Dylan at Budokan).

The name Otis Twelve is iconic to two generations of people growing up in Omaha. He got his start as the host of Midnight Mondo on KQKQ in 1973. Six years later he began his rise to even greater fame as the morning show host of Otis Twelve with Diver Dan Doomey on KEZO. The show brought a new style of morning radio to Omaha, incorporating a significant amount of produced humor that quickly resulted in the top-rated program in the market.

Demonstrating his versatility and adaptability, Twelve moved on to do mornings at KFAB in 1993 and at KKCD in 1994 before becoming a talk show host on Omaha’s KKAR from 1999 to 2001.

He also served as a movie critic for local TV stations KETV and then KPTM from 1984 to 1996. Today, Twelve is the morning classical music host on Omaha’s KVNO-FM, continuing to deliver his unique style of humor and his outlook on life on yet another radio format. Fifty years in and still going strong, Twelve is an Omaha radio icon.