CMA Announces 2009 Broadcast Awards Finalists

CMA Announces 2009 Broadcast Awards Finalists

Chuck Wicks Makes Announcement Live from Premiere Radio Networks' New York City Studios Direct to Country Radio

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Final nominees for the nation's top Country radio stations and broadcast personalities were delivered to Country Radio today, when Chuck Wicks revealed the 2009 CMA Broadcast Personality and Radio Station of the Year finalists live from Premiere Radio Networks' New York City studios.

The winners will be notified in mid-October and will be acknowledged at "The 43rd Annual CMA Awards," to be held Wednesday, Nov. 11 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) and broadcast live by the ABC Television Network from the Sommet Center in Nashville. Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood return to host "Country Music's Biggest Night" for a second year.

The CMA Broadcast Awards finalists were announced prior to the live announcement of the final nominees for the 2009 CMA Awards on ABC's "Good Morning America" and on a special edition of "CMT Insider" on CMT (TBD).

A tough race to call this year is who will claim bragging rights for the National Broadcast Personality of the Year. Nominee Bob Kingsley has won the trophy two times, in 2001, which was the inaugural year for the CMA National Broadcast Personality Award, and 2003. Lia Knight was nominated in 2003 and won in both 2005 and 2007. Nominated for the first time in 2008, Kix Brooks, of Brooks & Dunn, host of "American Country Countdown," is nominated again in 2009 and if he wins it would be the first time that a County artist would claim a CMA Broadcast Awards trophy.

Five finalists are selected for CMA Broadcast Personality and CMA Radio Station of the Year in four categories (small, medium, large, and major market). The categories are established by market size based on population as ranked by Arbitron. Entries for Broadcast Personality of the Year are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement, and biographical information. Candidates for Station of the Year are judged on airchecks, ratings history, community involvement, and format leadership.

Three finalists are selected for National Broadcast Personality of the Year. To be eligible, candidates must be syndicated, short-form, hub voice-tracking, and satellite personalities heard in at least three markets with a minimum of 40 shows per year.

CMA members who are full-time, on-air personalities and CMA member radio stations in the United States and Canada were eligible to enter. The entries are judged by a panel of distinguished broadcast professionals, representing all market sizes and regions.

An aggregate score of the first round of judging and the second round, which is done by a different panel of judges, determines the winners. The international accounting firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP tabulates scoring by the judges. CMA Broadcast Award winners are not eligible to enter in consecutive years; therefore, those who received trophies in 2008 were not eligible in 2009.

CMA BROADCAST PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR:
National
-- "American Country Countdown" (Kix Brooks) - Citadel Media
-- "Bob Kingsley's Country Top 40" (Bob Kingsley) - KCCS Productions,
Inc.

-- "The Lia Show" (Lia Knight) - Dial Global

Major Market
-- "The All New Dr. Don Morning Show with Doc, Grunwald, Rachael, and
Jason" (Don Carpenter, Steve Grunwald, Rachael Hunter, Jason "The 300
Pound Cowboy" Raithel) - WYCD, Detroit, Mich.
-- "Cliff and Company: Cliff, Morgan, Tanner, and Tori" (Cliff Dumas,
Morgan Thomas, Bill Tanner, Tori Peck) - KSON, San Diego, Calif.
-- "The Cornbread Morning Show featuring Cornbread, Pat James, Producer
Annie, Father Harry, and Captain Mac" (Cornbread, Pat James, Annie
Henson, Harry Schroeder, Mac "Captain Mac" Douglas) - WIL, St. Louis,
Mo.
-- "The Laurie De Young Morning Show" (Laurie De Young) - WPOC,
Baltimore, Md.

-- "Paul Schadt and Sarah in the Morning" (Paul Schadt, Sarah Waters) -
WKKT, Charlotte, N.C.

Large Market
-- "Bucky & Bob: The Talk of Austin" (Bucky Godbolt, Bob Cole) - KVET,
Austin, Texas
-- "Chris Carr & Company" - (Chris Carr, Jeffrey "Maverick" Bolen, Jason
Statt) - WUBE, Cincinnati, Ohio
-- "Jeff Roper in the Morning" (Jeff Roper, Angie Ward, Adam "Flash"
Dellinger) - WTQR, Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, N.C.
-- "Jim Denny and Friends" (Jim Denny, Deborah Honeycutt, Kevin Freeman)
- WFMS, Indianapolis, Ind.

-- "Karen, Scott and Radar. . .The Moo Crew" (Karen Dalessandro, Scott
Dolphin, Tony "Radar" Hess) - WMIL, Milwaukee-Racine, Wis.

Medium Market
-- "The 97 Country Breakfast Club with Roger, Tom, and Melissa" (Roger
Todd, Tom O'Brien, Melissa Moran) - WPCV, Lakeland, Fla.
-- "Brian and Kellie Morning Show" (Brian Pierce, Kellie Michaels) -
KFDI, Wichita, Kan.
-- "The Kat 103 Morning Show with Steve Lundy, Gina, and Craig (Steve
Lundy, Gina Melton, Craig Allen) - KXKT, Omaha, Neb.
-- "Tom & Becky in the Morning" (Tom Owens, Becky Palmer) - WBBS,
Syracuse, N.Y.

-- "WIVK at Night with Jack Ryan" (Jack Ryan) - WIVK, Knoxville, Tenn.

Small Market
-- "Barrett, Fox & Berry" (Bill Barrett, Tim Fox, Tracy Berry) - KKNU,
Eugene, Ore.
-- "Bearman and Ken in the Morning" (Benny "Bearman" Martin, Ken Hicks) -
WUSY, Chattanooga, Tenn.
-- "Gator & The StyckMan" (Gator Harrison, Greg "StyckMan" Owens) - WGSQ,
Cookeville, Tenn.
-- "Mee in the Morning" (Kevin Mee, Brenda Mee) - KIZN, Boise, Idaho

-- "Middays with Philip Gibbons" (Philip Gibbons) - WGSQ, Cookeville,
Tenn.

CMA RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR
Major Market
-- KMPS - Seattle/Tacoma, Wash.
-- KYGO - Denver/Boulder, Colo.
-- WPOC - Baltimore, Md.
-- WUSN - Chicago, Ill.

-- WYCD - Detroit, Mich.

Large Market
-- KAJA - San Antonio, Texas
-- KASE - Austin, Texas
-- WQDR - Raleigh, N.C.
-- WTQR - Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, N.C.

-- WUBE - Cincinnati, Ohio

Medium Market
-- KSSN - Little Rock, Ark.
-- KUZZ - Bakersfield, Calif.
-- KXKT - Omaha, Neb.
-- WBBS - Syracuse, N.Y.

-- WGNA - Albany/Schenectady/Troy, N.Y.

Small Market
-- WAXX - Eau Claire, Wis.
-- WBKR - Owensboro, Ky.
-- WKSF - Asheville, N.C.
-- WUSY - Chattanooga, Tenn.

-- WYCT - Pensacola, Fla.

"The 43rd Annual CMA Awards" is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Executive Producer, Paul Miller is the Director, and David Wild is the writer. The special will be shot in high definition and broadcast in 720 Progressive (720P), ABC's selected HDTV format, with 5.1 channel surround sound.

Premiere Radio Networks is the official radio packager of the CMA Awards. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2009 CMA Awards. Chevy: The Official Ride of Country Music.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For information, visit www.CMApress.com for CMA Awards
history, photos, press releases, and logos. Online media credentialing for the
CMA Awards begins Sept. 9. This is a protected site for the media only with
restrictions on use.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Country Music Association

CONTACT: Wendy Pearl or Scott Stem of CMA, +1-615-244-2840

Web Site: http://www.cmaworld.com/

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