Story originally posted September 15, 2014, 5:12 p.m.

The UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication is welcoming WCHL’s owner and CEO Jim Heavner as a “Halls of Fame” inductee.

The N.C. Halls of Fame for Journalism, Advertising and Public Relations ceremony honors “individuals who have made outstanding, career-long contributions to their fields,” according to a press release from UNC.

Inductees must be native North Carolinians, or be identified in some way with the state.

Heavner – who’ll be inducted into the Journalism Hall of Fame – started working at WCHL in 1961, and was the force behind moving the music station to the news/talk format.

The station began life in 1953 under the ownership of Sandy McClamroch, who served as Chapel Hill’s mayor throughout the 1960s. By 1978, Heavner was the majority owner.

WCHL operates as a division of VilCom, of which Heaver is owner and CEO.

Heavner is one of eight Halls of Fame inductees to be honored at the Oct. 10 event at the Sheraton Chapel Hill.

Others include UNC Professor Emeritus Harry Amana, the first black journalism professor at the university; and Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s “Hardball.”

In 1968, Matthews dropped out of the UNC doctoral program in economics after one year to join the Peace Corps.

Tickets for the event are $75, and they’re available through Sept. 26. You can purchase them by calling 919-843-2026.

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