March, 1955 – first monthly newsletter, The Bulletin
April 2, 1955 – first convention, in Springfield
1955 – first president, Bill Small, WLS, Chicago
1957 – first lobby efforts in the state legislature
1959 – first Man (now Illinoisan) of the Year award, Wayman Presley for his efforts to build a cross on top of Bald Knob
·1959 – first directory of members and station newsrooms
1960 – first female elected to board, Madelyn Mervin, WJOL, Joliet
1963 – first student scholarship, Alan Morris of the U of I
1972 – first code of ethics, featuring nine points (updated in 1996 & 2011)
1979 – first job-listing service in newsletter, now called the JobFile
1983 – start of a free legal hotline for open meetings/freedom of information/questions (costs shared with the Illinois Broadcasters Association)
1984 – first Students in the INBA (SINBA) chapter at SIU-Carbondale
1984 – INBA is lead organization in getting Illinois Supreme Court to allow cameras and microphones in the supreme and appellate courts
1990 – first professional lobbyist, Vickie Moseley
2000 – first website at www.inba.net
2003 – INBA Foundation recognized as 501(c)(3) – to raise and invest funds with dividends available for scholarships
2008 – Student scholarship amounts are more than $1,000 for the first time
2020 – Student scholarship amounts are more than $2,000 for the first time
Read more on our history:
- The First Decade
- A Commitment To Students
- A Chronology of Firsts
- History Briefs