2009 CMA Awards Announce Broadcast Finalists

Country Music Industry to Honor Favorite U.S. Country Broadcasters

Sep 14, 2009

The 2009 Country Music Association Awards, aside from celebrating the genre's top entertainers and musicians, will also honor the country-radio industry's broadcasters.

Although the broadcast-related categories aren't nearly as star-studded as the artist-filled nominees list, there’s no denying that country fans adore their favorite country-radio personalities.

In turn, the Nashville-based Country Music Association Awards annually honors its radio professionals with their own category—something that is not done by all the musical genres and their respective awards shows.

Country Singer Chuck Wicks Reveals CMA Radio Station and Broadcaster Finalists

This year, country singer Chuck Wicks announced the 2009 CMA Awards’ final nominees for the nation's top country radio stations and broadcast personalities on live radio Sept. 9, 2009, via the airwaves of the Premiere Radio Networks' New York City studios.

The CMA’s radio-related winners will be notified in mid-October and will be acknowledged during the 43rd Annual CMA Awards, which will be broadcast live 8-11 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, Nov. 11, from Nashville’s Sommet Center on ABC-TV.

Wicks, who was chosen to make the final radio nominees for the CMA Awards for the second year in a row, shared news of the finalists just prior to the live-TV announcement of the final artist nominees for the 2009 CMA Awards.

National Broadcast Personality of the Year Nominees

In reviewing this year’s radio race, the competition was especially steep in the CMA’s National Broadcast Personality of the Year contest, which features finalists Bob Kingsley, who has taken home the honor twice before; Lia Knight, the lone female in the national category who’s been nominated for the prize three times and scored it twice; and second-time nominee Kix Brooks (of Brooks & Dunn fame), who was first nominated for the title last year, thanks to his role as host of the nationally syndicated American Country Countdown show.

If Brooks wins the CMA broadcast trophy, it will be the first time that a country artist has ever accomplished such a feat. Moreover, many seem to be wondering if Brooks, whose 20-year-old duo is set to disband in 2010, will be a sentimental favorite of voters, since Brooks & Dunn will be no more before long?

Meanwhile, in the CMA Broadcast Personality, which is judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and biographical information, the 2009 nominees—divided by market size—are as listed below.

CMA Awards: Radio Personality Finalists by Market

In the major-market competition, the finalists include The All New Dr. Don Morning Show with Doc, Grunwald, Rachael and Jason; "The 300-Pound Cowboy" Raithel on WYCD in Detroit, Mich.; Cliff and Company: Cliff, Morgan, Tanner and Tori on KSON in San Diego, Calif.; The Cornbread Morning Show featuring Cornbread, Pat James, Producer Annie, Father Harry and Captain Mac on WIL in St. Louis, Mo.; The Laurie De Young Morning Show on WPOC in Baltimore, Md.; and Paul Schadt and Sarah in the Morning on WKKT in Charlotte, N.C.

Finalists in the large-market contest for 2009 are Bucky & Bob: The Talk of Austin on KVET in Austin, Texas; Chris Carr & Company on WUBE in Cincinnati, Ohio; Jeff Roper in the Morning on WTQR, Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, N.C.; Jim Denny and Friends on WFMS, Indianapolis, Ind.; and last but not least, Karen, Scott and Radar: The Moo Crew on WMIL in Milwaukee-Racine, Wisc.

Medium-market nominees include The 97 Country Breakfast Club with Roger, Tom and Melissa on WPCV in Lakeland, Fla.; Brian and Kellie Morning Show on KFDI in Wichita, Kan.; The Kat 103 Morning Show with Steve Lundy, Gina and Craig heard via KXKT, Omaha, Neb.; Tom & Becky in the Morning on WBBS in Syracuse, N.Y.; and WIVK at Night with Jack Ryan on WIVK in Knoxville, Tenn.

In the small-market category, CMA radio finalists are Barrett, Fox & Berry on KKNU in Eugene, Ore.; Bearman and Ken in the Morning on WUSY in Chattanooga, Tenn.; Gator & The StyckMan on WGSQ in Cookeville, Tenn.; Mee in the Morning on KIZN in Boise, Idaho; and Middays with Philip Gibbons, also on WGSQ in Cookeville.

2009 CMA Radio Station of the Year Finalists

Major-market finalists are KMPS in Seattle/Tacoma, Wash.; KYGO of Denver/Boulder, Colo.; WPOC in Baltimore, Md.; WUSN in Chicago, Ill.; and WYCD in Detroit, Mich.

In the large market, CMA nods go to KAJA in San Antonio, Texas; KASE of Austin, Texas; WQDR in Raleigh, N.C.; WTQR in Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, N.C.; and WUBE in Cincinnati, Ohio. Meanwhile, in the medium market, stations in the running are KSSN of Little Rock, Ark.; KUZZ in Bakersfield, Calif.; KXKT in Omaha, Neb.; WBBS in Syracuse, N.Y.; and another Big Apple station, WGNA in the Albany/Schenectady/Troy broadcast area.

Finally, those in the small-market who secured 2009 nominations include WAXX in Eau Claire, Wisc.; WBKR in Owensboro, Ky.; WKSF in Asheville, N.C.; WUSY in Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Pensacola, Fla., station WYCT.

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