OMAHA – The Nebraska Broadcasters Association will welcome Bill Kelly, Val Lane, and Otis Twelve into the NBA Hall of Fame on the evening of August 8th in La Vista, during the NBA Annual Convention. Established in 1972, these inductees will bring the total number of NBA Hall of Fame members to 115.
Long before the show “Better Call Saul” gained popularity, the cry from dozens of Nebraska radio stations has been “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, Val still travels the width and breadth of Nebraska upgrading, modifying, repairing, replacing, and building for many Nebraska broadcasting companies.
Val’s first technical job in radio came in his teenage years through a call to bring Broken Bow’s KCNI back on the air and has been working in the field ever since.
Widely respected for his humble demeanor and willingness to teach others as he solves problems and builds new facilities, Val 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 1970s studio recordings by Neil Diamond (“Love at the Greek”) and Bob Dylan (“Bob Dylan at Budokan”).
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, Bill 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, Bill 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.
The name Otis Twelve is iconic to two generations of people growing up in Omaha. Otis 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, Otis 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.
Otis also served as a movie critic for local TV stations KETV and then KPTM from 1984 to 1996. Today, Otis 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. 50 years in and still going strong, Otis is an Omaha radio icon.
