Jon Small has been selected a 2026 Maine Terrific Ten Broadcaster in honor of his community service by Spirit of America Foundation’s Maine Chapter.
Small is the news director and an anchor for WABI-TV5 (Bangor), a station where he has been for over 25 years.
Small is deeply involved in community service and charitable initiatives.
As a very recent example, in January he visited Bangor’s Vine Street School and read to third graders. Small’s presence and participation in a school fun day, rewarding pupils for good behavior and encouraging them to become lifelong readers and learners, made the occasion more memorable and effective. Students and teachers enjoyed and appreciated what he did.
Small frequently serves as a volunteer master of ceremonies for community events, such as the Together Place Fair for the recovery community and the Maine Business Hall of Fame Gala for Junior Achievement. In fact, he has emceed a Hall of Fame Gala at least eight times.
Small has been a key figure for many years in WABI’s annual Turkey Telethon, which raises money to help food pantries and cupboards in the region get Thanksgiving gobblers to folks in need through Penquis. The 2025 telethon generated enough funds to provide over 5,500 turkeys.
He has done much more to help the cause of volunteerism in his capacities at WABI and in other ways over the years.
Maine Spirit of America is a chapter of Spirit of America Foundation, an organization promoting community service.