Indiana Broadcast History Archive

Fred Heckman

Early in his career Fred Heckman worked at radio stations in Delaware, South Carolina, Georgia, and the District of Columbia, before coming to WIBC, Indianapolis, in 1957. He served as the station’s news director for 32 years, before leaving in 1993 in a dispute with station management. Heckman was known for his strict journalism standards. His daily “My Town Indy” radio essays, which ran for thirty years, were among the station’s most enduring favorites. His voice was one of the best known in Indiana radio news. 

In 1977 Heckman teamed with FBI agents & other law enforcement to negotiate the safe release of a hostage from entrepreneur Tony Kiritsis who had been holding his mortgage broker for 63 hours at gun point. 

Heckman died in Indianapolis in 2001. 

Indiana Broadcast Pioneers

Related Items

Title Station Date Aired Description
Service Club Roast
Howard Caldwell Collection
1986-06-09

Service Club Roast of Fred Heckman

Title
Service Club Roast
Collection
Howard Caldwell Collection
Date Aired
1986-06-09
Description

Service Club Roast of Fred Heckman