RICHMOND, Va.- Draper Media’s longtime owner Tom Draper was posthumously inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Chesapeake Bay Chapter’s Gold Circle. The prestigious award honors media professionals who have devoted at least 50 years to the broadcast industry, and have made significant contributions to the Chesapeake Bay region.
Draper was one of three Gold Circle inductees in this year’s class, along with nine Silver Circle honorees, who have spent at least 25 years in broadcasting. Draper’s son Hank, the Vice President of Draper Holdings, accepted the award on behalf of his late father.
The Gold and Silver Circle is viewed as the Academy’s “Hall of Fame” honoring lifetime achievement. There are only 23 Gold Circle inductees in the chapter’s history, and now Tom Draper is among them.
Throughout his 50-year career, Tom Draper–a self-made broadcasting pioneer–expanded his family-owned company to include multiple radio stations, websites, and television stations. Under his leadership, WBOC became the smallest market station in the country to fly a news gathering helicopter. Draper died in September 2017 from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident near his home. Draper had just celebrated his 50th anniversary in broadcasting five days prior, and was poised to announce the launch of Telemundo Delmarva.
His impact lives on through his four children, who with others, form the Board of Directors for Draper Holdings. His motto was “We have a moral obligation to serve the people of Delmarva.” As Draper Media continues to expand, that mission—his legacy– remains true.
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