About Inductee

The hair is grayer now, but the signature smile and easy good humor and the unfailing courtesy are still the same. Boomo may not be TV anymore, but hes not forgotten. Even his former competitors in the business, and there were many back in the day, always agreed that Harold Bugg was one of the Tennessee Valleys most remarkable media personalities in the 1980s and on into the 90s and the early 2000s. The positive reputation he cultivated during more than two decades as a sports reporter and anchor at WHNT-TV, Channel 19, remains solidly intact. Although no longer on television, Buggs distinctive voice can still be heard on the airways as the host of the Boomo Bugg Show, with Brett Beaird, a weekday two-hour radio show on Florence radio station WYTK-FM, 93.9 FM. One of four children, Bugg grew up on Pickwick Lake in Mississippi. After graduating from Burnsville High School, he then moved on to Ole Miss, where they reputedly redshirt Miss Americas. My parents sacrificed in order for me to be the first person in my family to receive a college diploma, Bugg said, and Im so grateful. His first job after college was at WBBJ-TV in Jackson, Tenn., in advertising. It was a great job, but I wanted a bigger challenge, Bugg said. I decided to resign, without another job in waiting. I met the stations new anchor as I was walking out of the GMs office. He asked what I was doing. I told him I just resigned. I asked him the same question. He was about to do the same thing. He asked if I had another job. I said no. He suggested auditioning for the anchor spot. I did. The rest is history. Six months later, Bugg was talking to a friend who had moved from Jackson to Huntsville. She mentioned an upcoming opening at WHNT, Channel 19. I drove down to Huntsville and interviewed with Dan Cooper, Bugg said, and Im eternally grateful to Dan for hiring me. Bugg received many awards for his work over the years. Twice during his time at Channel 19, he was named the AP Sports Anchor of the Year for the state of Alabama. One very special award came while I was working at WBHP radio, Bugg said. Our morning show won the Country Music Association Award for our size market, thanks to a commitment and a great team. Ive been blessed to have those things in great abundance. And I truly appreciate my wife, Teresa, for allowing me to follow my heart and passion for all these years. Like all successful people, Bugg was heavily influenced by the success of others in his profession. Probably my biggest influence early-on came from KMOX, the clear channel station in St. Louis, home of the Cardinals and Harry Carey and Jack Buck, he said. Bugg was asked to relate the most memorable story he ever did in his TV career. So many, he said. But one particular story really stands out. I got a call from a family in Huntsville informing me their young daughter had been swimming but suddenly went limp. They rushed her to the hospital where she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a neurological disorder. The family asked me about getting an autograph from her hero, Bear Bryant. Coach Bryant sent her an autographed football. We did the story with a young girl now in great spirits. I called the family and told them what day the story would air. Unfortunately, it was scheduled to be shown on Wednesday, Jan. 26, 1983 which turned out to be the day Alabamas longtime football coach died of a heart attack in Tuscaloosa. We postponed the story, said Bugg, but nothing could postpone the impact Coach Bryant made on that young girl.