{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2006-12-08-pt1-PgE2133-2", "2006-12-08", 109, 2, null, null, "HONORING THE MEMORY OF MR. BERNARD SIDNEY DITTMAN", "HOUSE", "EXTENSIONS", "HONORING", "E2133", "E2133", "[{\"name\": \"Jo Bonner\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", null, "152 Cong. Rec. E2133", "Congressional Record, Volume 152 Issue 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]\n[Extensions of Remarks]\n[Page E2133]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n           HONORING THE MEMORY OF MR. BERNARD SIDNEY DITTMAN\n\n                                 ______\n\n                             HON. JO BONNER\n\n                               of alabama\n\n                    in the house of representatives\n\n                      Wednesday, December 6, 2006\n\n  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, Mobile County and indeed the entire State of\nAlabama recently lost a dear friend, and I rise today to honor him and\npay tribute to his memory. Mr. Bernard Sidney Dittman, known as\n``Bernie'' to his many friends and family, was a devoted family man and\ndedicated community leader throughout his life.\n  Bernie purchased WABB-AM in Mobile, Alabama, in 1959. This station,\npreviously owned by the Mobile Press-Register newspaper organization,\nfirst went on the air in 1948 with call letters that stand for\n``Alabama's Best Broadcasters.''\n  One year later, Bernie moved to Mobile and completely changed the\nbroadcast format of the station. His conversion of WABB from a country\nstation to Top 40 propelled WABB to the position of the leading station\nin that format and one of the premiere stations anywhere along\nAlabama's Gulf Coast.\n  In 1973, Bernie took WABB in a new direction when the station added a\nnew FM signal and began to broadcast a progressive rock format. At a\ntime when most automobiles were not equipped with FM receivers, Bernie\nand his team ran an extensive series of on-air promotions encouraging\nthe installation of low-cost FM receivers.\n  Under Bernie Dittman's leadership, WABB became one of the longest-\nrunning and most successful Top 40 radio stations in the United States.\n  The station has also spearheaded over the years the move to more\nequality in the hiring of on-air personalities and staff members. In\nfact, WABB was one of the first stations in south Alabama to hire both\nwomen and African-Americans for important announcer positions. WABB has\nalso been a critical part of Mobile's emergency broadcast community and\nplayed a crucial role in providing information to listeners during\nHurricane Frederic (1979) and Hurricane Ivan (2004). During Ivan, WABB\nwas one of the few stations in the area able to transmit continuously\nduring the storm without losing power. Following the end of the storm,\nthe station also led the effort to collect and distribute relief\nmaterial to neighboring States which had also been severely affected.\n  Aside from his professional obligations, Bernie ensured that WABB and\nits family of employees took an active role in the life of the Mobile\ncommunity.\n  For the past 47 years, the station has operated the WABB Community\nClub Awards Program of Greater Mobile, which has provided over $250,000\nin financial awards to local civic, religious, and cultural\ninstitutions. Additionally, the station has been a 40-year sponsor of\nthe Greater Gulf State Fair, a 35-year sponsor of the Alabama Deep Sea\nFishing Rodeo, and a long-time sponsor of both the Senior Bowl and GMAC\nBowl college football games.\n  Additionally, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Mobile, the United\nStates Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, the Mobile Ronald McDonald\nHouse and numerous other organizations advocating area youth have\nbenefited tremendously from Bernie's leadership and community\ninvolvement. In fact, the area Toys for Tots program holds the record\nfor the single largest toy collection anywhere in the United States,\nwith over 100,000 toys collected--due in no small part to the efforts\nof Bernie and his entire team.\n\n  Bernie was a longtime member of the Alabama Broadcasters' Association\nand the National Association of Broadcasters and in 2000 was the\nrecipient of the Greater Mobile Advertising Federation Silver Medal\nAward.\n  Mr. Speaker, there have been few individuals more important to the\nbroadcast profession in Alabama or to the life of their local community\nthan Bernie Dittman.\n  He was an outstanding example of the quality individuals who have\ndevoted their lives to the field of broadcasting, and I ask my\ncolleagues to join with me in remembering a dedicated community leader\nand friend to many throughout south Alabama.\n  Bernie Dittman loved life and lived it to the fullest, and his\npassing marks a tremendous loss for all of south Alabama. He will be\ndeeply missed by many, most especially his wife, Judith S. Dittman; his\n3 daughters, Betsy Dittman, Stephanie Teichmer, and Marsha Scimo; his\nsister Sylvia Scott; and 3 grandchildren; as well as countless friends\nand loyal employees that he leaves behind.\n  Our thoughts and prayers are with them all at this difficult time.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2006-12-08-pt1-PgE2133-2"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 6.988154957070947, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}