Bobby Bones Youngest Ever Inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame

The 29th Annual National Radio Hall of Fame class of 2017 induction ceremony was an emotionally filled evening that wasn’t short on laughs, standing ovations and reflection.  Host Dave Ramsey welcomed the sold-out crowd and commented, “We’re sitting in the midst of greatness tonight.”  He spoke about the business being both art and science.

Bill Handel was first to receive his honor.  In a humorous video tribute, Chairman/CEO iHeartMedia Bob Pitman, Big Boy, Premiere Networks President Julie Talbott, Program Director/KFI-AM 640 Robin Bertolucci and others congratulated Handel.  In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged his audience saying “I have one person I’m talking to, just a million times.  Radio is truly a magic medium.”

President/CEO of Entercom David Field then introduced his father Joseph Field on the eve of “one of the largest radio mergers in the history of the industry.” David said, “What I most admire about my Dad is who he is as a human being.  He’s the model of honesty and decency.  Working together with my Dad has been rewarding and fulfilling.” Joseph stated, “I know I wouldn’t be receiving this honor tonight without David’s extraordinary record.”  

Ramsey then commented on working with family, “If you don’t kill each other, you get to have a moment like those two just had…tears of pride in David’s eyes for his Dad.  We just got to witness that.”

John Records Landecker took the opportunity to acknowledge 1988 inductee and Lone Ranger creator Fran Striker.  He was humbled to be in his company, along with all others.  He also talked about knowing “radio’s best friend” Art Vuolo, since high school and that Art shared with him on the red carpet that Nov. 2 was the 97th anniversary of radio in the U. S., making the event more special.

The late Bob Sievers’ daughter Caroline accepted the award on his behalf saying, “My father was blessed with the gift of voice, which was unmistakable and always resonated with good will and enthusiasm.”  She went on to say his audience, “saw him as their neighborhood friend and confidante.  So Daddy thank you. We do remember.  We honor you and we’re all so proud of you.” 

Tom Barnard said “I care deeply about my family and friends.  You all keep me on the straight and narrow by threatening me, which is a good thing!”  He went on to say “it’s about working with great people” and that he plans to be around “until I drop dead, I love [radio] so much.  Thank you for including me in this club.  I’m not even religious, but let me say this…God bless all of you.” He received two standing ovations.

Then NRHOF Chairman Kraig Kitchin surprised Dave Ramsey with a special presentation of his 2015 induction portrait which he couldn’t accept in person due to a commitment he made to speak in front of 4,000 of his fans.  Ramsey accepted with surprise and graciousness.

Bobby Bones, the youngest ever inducted into the NRHOF was congratulated via video by Chairman/CEO iHeartMedia Bob Pitman, Luke Bryan, Thomas Rhett, Kelsea Ballerini and more.  Bobby commented, “For me it’s about picking the best people,” which he attributed his success to.  He thanked his listeners via TuneIn and acknowledged their help in raising more than $10 million for charity over the last three years.  He closed with “This is a ‘we’ thing, not a ‘me’ thing.”

Additionally, Sean Hannity and Robin Quivers, who were unable to attend, were inducted.

2017 Induction Ceremony Presenters Announced

Presenters for the 29th Annual National Radio Hall of Fame Induction ceremony are confirmed.  

Those unable to attend the sold-out event on Nov. 2 at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago will have the opportunity to listen to the commercial free presentation exclusively via TuneIn, this year’s official online streaming partner. 

PRESENTER:                                                                            

David Field, President/CEO of Entercom Communications Corp.
Inductee - Joseph Field

Radio personality Scott Shannon
Inductee - Sean Hannity

Rod Phillips, leader of iHeartCountry
Inductee - Bobby Bones

Scott Jameson, Cumulus VP of Classic Rock
Inductee - Tom Barnard

Chicago broadcast personality Bob Sirott
Inductee - John Records Landecker

Greg Ashlock, President of iHeartMedia, West
Inductee - Bill Handel

Ryan Wrecker, St. Louis Talk Radio Host, will accept the award for the late Bob Sievers. 

“We’re pleased to have such talented and accomplished presenters joining us on this special night and happy that those who can’t attend won’t miss a beat thanks to TuneIn.”

National Radio Hall of Fame Chairman, Kraig T. Kitchin

Leading radio imaging and production company The Mix Group is the presenting sponsorof the National Radio Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.

Dave Ramsey Named Induction Ceremony Host

National radio personality, best-selling author, personal money management expert and National Radio Hall of Fame inductee Dave Ramsey will host the 29th Annual National Radio Hall of Fame Induction ceremony and celebration.  Additionally, a commercial free audio feed of the event will be exclusively provided by TuneIn, this year’s official online streaming partner.  

National Radio Hall of Fame Chairman Kraig T. Kitchin says, “We’re honored to have Dave, a world-class speaker who regularly addresses audiences of 10,000 at his live events, serve as our master of ceremonies.  And thanks to TuneIn, fans everywhere can catch the on-demand audio of the special evening.”

The black-tie optional event will be held Thursday, November 2 at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in downtown Chicago at 6 p.m.  Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at www.radiohof.org. A portion of ticket purchases is a tax deductible charitable donation to the Museum. 

The 2017 inductees include Tom Barnard, Bobby Bones, Joseph M. Field, Bill Handel, Sean Hannity, John Records Landecker, Robin Quivers and Robert S. “Bob” Sievers. 

Leading radio imaging and production company The Mix Group is the presenting sponsor of the National Radio Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.

Honoring the 100th Anniversary of American Radio

The National Radio Hall of Fame will debut its “100 Years of Radio” exhibit housed in Chicago’s Museum of Broadcast Communications in fall 2019, the year leading up to the official anniversary.

To create a tribute worthy of the medium, the current space will undergo renovation, creating an interactive experience through emerging technologies and architecture. Patrons of the museum will have access to audio performances and histories of inductees as well as valuable artifacts ranging from microphones of iconic personalities to instruments from live radio theater productions.

The work commencing this fall will not interfere with this year’s induction ceremony on Nov 2. However, the 30th Annual National Radio Hall of Fame Induction in 2018 will take place in New York City.

“This is an exciting time as we get to innovate and modernize the presentation of our medium’s rich history,” comments National Radio Hall of Fame Chairman Kraig T. Kitchin.

“Plus, we’re looking forward to bringing the ceremony to New York City, especially since we received great feedback when we brought it to Los Angeles in 2014.”

Additionally, the National Radio Hall of Fame website http://www.radiohof.org/ will provide regular updates on progress. It’s currently being upgraded and will debut later this year.

While the radio artifacts in the museum will be protected in storage throughout the renovation process, the Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy exhibit will be relocated and on display.

Announcing the 2017 Class of Inductees

The 25-person National Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee presented 24 individuals and shows worthy of consideration to listeners and industry peers and the voting results are in. 

In just three years since public voting was reinstituted, the National Radio Hall of Fame reports an unprecedented level of audience participation with nearly 300,000 votes cast for Music Format On-Air Personality and Spoken Word On-Air Personality.  The increase is attributed to the ever-more creative campaigning waged by nominees as well as the newly offered online voting mechanism in addition to texting.  The inductees by public vote are:

Bobby Bones, The Bobby Bones Show; syndicated by Premiere Networks
Music Format On-Air Personality

Bill Handel, The Bill Handel Show; KFI AM 640 Los Angeles; Handel on the Law; syndicated by Premiere Networks
Spoken Word On-Air Personality

Four of the categories were decided by a voting participant panel comprised of nearly 1,000 industry professionals.  The inductees by this panel are:

Tom Barnard, The Tom Barnard Show, KQRS-FM Minneapolis
Active Local/Regional, 10+ years

John Records Landecker, renowned DJ, most notably on WLS-AM and WJMK-FM, Chicago
Longstanding Local/Regional, 20+ years

Sean Hannity, The Sean Hannity Show; syndicated by Premiere Networks
Active Network/Syndication, 10+ years

Robin Quivers, The Howard Stern Show; SiriusXM
Longstanding Network/Syndication, 20+ years

Public Voting for National Radio Hall of Famers Begins June 5

Starting June 5 through June 19, listeners nationwide can vote for their favorite radio personalities in two categories to be inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame on Nov. 2, 2017. 

The nominees for Music Format On-Air Personality are:

Bobby Bones
Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton
Guy Phillips
Ryan Seacrest
Mike & Mike
Bill Handel
Joe Madison
Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

From 6 a.m. EST June 5, until 11:59 p.m. EST June 19, fans can vote for one personality in each category online at www.radiovote.com or via text to 49400 accordingly: 

Message and data rates may apply.

Music Format On-Air Personality 

For Bobby Bones, text “10”

For Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton, text “20”

For Guy Phillips, text “30”

For Ryan Seacrest, text “40”

Spoken Word On-Air Personality

For Bill Handel, text “50”

For Joe Madison, text “60”

For Mike & Mike, text “70”

For Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, text “80”

Chairman of the National Radio Hall of Fame Kraig T. Kitchin comments, “This is a great opportunity for fans to weigh in on who they believe should be honored with an induction into the National Radio Hall of Fame.”

Winners of the two categories will be announced June 26.  Fans needing more information can visit each host’s Twitter feed, Facebook page, website, or the National Radio Hall of Fame website.

In addition to the two listener-voting categories, there are four categories being voted on by a panel comprised of nearly 1,000 industry professionals. 

Those winners will also be announced June 26.  The induction ceremony takes place Nov. 2 at the home of the National Radio Hall of Fame – the Museum of Broadcast Communications in downtown Chicago.  

National Radio Hall of Fame Industry Voting Begins Today

Voting for the 2017 National Radio Hall of Fame Inductees begins today.  The 24 nominations in six categories were determined by the organization’s Nominating Committee.  Four of those categories will be voted on by a voting participant panel comprised of nearly 1,000 industry professionals.  They’ll receive confidential ballots from the online voting service, Votem, which is also used by the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame.  Votes will be tallied by certified public accounting firm Miller Kaplan Arase, LLP.

The other two categories will be voted on by the public, also via Votem.  Public voting commences June 5 for eight nominations for Music Format On-Air Personality and Spoken Word On-Air Personality.  

National Radio Hall of Fame Chairman Kraig Kitchin says, “As an industry, we should all be proud of our incredibly diverse community of talent who have made and continue to make radio great.  This year’s class of nominees is a fine representation of why millions of people connect to our medium on a daily basis.”

Inductees will be announced June 26.  The induction ceremony will be held Thursday, Nov. 2 at the Museum of Broadcast and Communications in downtown Chicago.  

NOMINEES TO BE VOTED ON BY VOTING PARTICIPANT PANEL:

Longstanding Local/Regional (20 years or more)

Johnny Holliday, Washington, D.C.

John “Records” Landecker, Chicago

Paul Schneider, Boise

Donnie Simpson, Washington, D.C.

Active Local/Regional (10 years or more)

Tom Barnard, Minneapolis

Jack Harris & Tedd Webb, Tampa

Charles Laquidara, Boston

Preston & Steve (Preston Elliot, Steve Morrison), Philadelphia

Active Network/Syndication (10 years or more)

Nanci Donnellan, The Fabulous Sports Babe

Sean Hannity, The Sean Hannity Show

Diane Rehm, The Diane Rehm Show

Bert Weiss, The Bert Show

Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more)

Denny Matthews, Kansas City Royals Play-by-Play Broadcast 

Robin Quivers, The Howard Stern Show 

Jim Rome, The Jim Rome Show

Marketplace

NOMINEES TO BE VOTED ON BY LISTENERS NATIONWIDE:

Music Format On-Air Personality

Bobby Bones

Sean “Hollywood” Hamilton

Guy Phillips

Ryan Seacrest

Spoken Word On-Air Personality

Mike Greenberg & Mike Golic (Mike & Mike)

Bill Handel

Joe Madison

Wait, Wait…Don't Tell Me!

National Radio Hall of Fame Welcomes Suggestions for 2017 Nominees

The 29th Annual National Radio Hall of Fame Induction ceremony and celebration will take place on Thursday evening, November 2, at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago.  Today through March 31, the NRHOF Nominating Committee is accepting suggestions for 2017 nominees. 

This year people can visit the National Radio Hall of Fame website and click on the Nominate tab to submit their picks for consideration.  

National Radio Hall of Fame Chairman Kraig T. Kitchin comments, “It’s always our priority to engage as many people possible in this process because there’s such a wealth of talent to be represented. By streamlining the communication through the website, we’re anticipating more feedback than ever.”

Suggestions should be made for individuals in the following categories: 

• Longstanding Local/Regional (20 years or more)

• Active Local/Regional (10 years or more)

• Networks/Syndication (10 years or more)

• Longstanding Network/Syndication (20 years or more)

• Music Format On-Air Personality and/or Spoken Word On-Air Personality