CMA ANNOUNCES 2008 BROADCAST AWARDS FINALISTS

Bucky Covington and Chuck Wicks Make Announcement DuringPress Conference in Nashville; CMA’s Radio Partner Premiere Radio Networks Delivers News Live to Country Radio

NASHVILLE – Final nominees for the nation’s top Country radio stations and broadcast personalities were announced today when rising Country stars Bucky Covington and Chuck Wicks revealed the 2008 CMA Broadcast Personality and Radio Station of the Year finalists during the CMA Awards Nominees Press Conference at The Sommet Center in Nashville. The announcements were carried live to Country radio stations by CMA’s official radio partner Premiere Radio Networks.

The winners will be notified in mid-October and will be acknowledged at “The 42nd Annual CMA Awards,” to be held Wednesday, Nov. 12 (8:00-11:00 PM/ET) and broadcast live by the ABC Television Network from The Sommet Center in Nashville.

The Broadcast finalists were announced during a press conference following the live announcement of the final nominees for the 2008 CMA Awards on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and on a special edition of “CMT Insider” on CMT.

Many of the radio stations and personalities were first-time finalists for a CMA Broadcast Award. Nearly half of the finalists for Broadcast Personality of the Year were nominated for the first time in 2008, including Kix Brooks, of Brooks & Dunn, host of “American Country Countdown.” If he wins, it would be the first time that a County artist would claim a CMA broadcast trophy.

“It is wonderful to see so many new names and stations nominated this year,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer Tammy Genovese. “The talent, time and creativity the stations and broadcast teams put into their entries is really amazing. It is obvious they take this competition very seriously and they set a high standard each year.”

Five finalists are selected for Broadcast Personality of the Year and Station of the Year in four categories (Small Market, Medium Market, Large Market, 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 for National Broadcast Personality of the Year 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 U.S. 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 2007 were not eligible in 2008.

BROADCAST PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR:

National
“American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks” (Kix Brooks) – ABC Radio Networks
“CMT Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton” (Lon Helton) – Westwood One
“The Crook & Chase Countdown” (Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase) – Jim Owens Entertainment
Major Market
“The Dr. Don Morning Show” (Don Carpenter, Steve Grunwald, Rachael Hunter, Jason Raithel) – WYCD, Detroit, Mich.
Catherine Lane – WSOC, Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, N.C.
“Cliff and Company” (Cliff Dumas, Tori Peck, Bill Tanner, and Morgan Thomas) – KSON, San Diego, Calif.
“Jesse and Shotgun in the Morning” (Jesse James and Randy Shannon) – KWLI, Denver-Boulder, Colo.
“Kelly, Mudflap, and JoJo Morning Show” (Kelly Ford, Steve “Mudflap” McGrew, and JoJo) – KYGO, Denver-Boulder, Colo.
“Randy & Dave” (Randy Price and Dave McKay) – WQYK, Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.
Large Market
“B-105 Morning Show” (Bill Whyte, Amanda Orlando, and Jason Statt) – WUBE, Cincinnati, Ohio
Bob Pickett – KASE, Austin, Texas
“Gerry House & The House Foundation” (Gerry House, Mike Bohan, Duncan Stewart, Al Voecks, and Richard Falklen) – WSIX, Nashville, Tenn.
“The Moo Crew with Karen, Scott and Radar” (Karen Dalessandro, Scott Dolphin, and Tony “Radar” Hess) – WMIL, Milwaukee-Racine, Wis.
“Wake Up with the Wolf” (Darren Wilhite, Tim Wall, and Codie Allen) – WDAF, Kansas City, Mo.
Medium Market
“Andy & Alison and the Morning Crew” (Andy Ritchie and Alison West) – WIVK, Knoxville, Tenn.
Carol Hughes – KFDI, Wichita, Kan.
“Roger and Tom” (Roger Todd and Tom O’Brien) – WPCV, Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.
“Ron and Becky Show” (Ron Bee and Becky Palmer) – WBBS, Syracuse, N.Y
“WIVK at Night with Jack Ryan” (Jack Ryan) – WIVK, Knoxville, Tenn.
Small Market
“Big Al and Dex” (Al McClure and Bill Poindexter) – WUSY, Chattanooga, Tenn.
“The Cat Pak Morning Show” (Brent Lane and Dana Cervantes) – WYCT, Pensacola, Fla.
“The Good Morning Guys” (Brian Gary and Todd Harding) – KUAD, Ft. Collins-Greeley, Colo.
“Carol Metz and the More Music Morning Show” (Carol Metz) – WAKG, Danville, Va.
“Mark & Danielle and the Morning Waking Crew” (Mark Ericson and Danielle Carrier) – WOKQ, Portsmouth-Dover-Rochester, N.H.

STATION OF THE YEAR

Major Market
KMPS – Seattle-Tacoma, Wash.
KNIX - Phoenix, Ariz. 
KSON – San Diego, Calif.
WQYK – Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.
WXTU – Philadelphia, Penn.
Large Market
KAJA – San Antonio, Texas
KASE – Austin, Texas
WFMS – Indianapolis, Ind.
WTQR – Greensboro-Winston-Salem-High Point, N.C.
WUBE – Cincinnati, Ohio
Medium Market
KFDI – Wichita, Kan.
KUZZ – Bakersfield, Calif.
WBBS – Syracuse, N.Y.
WIVK – Knoxville, Tenn.
WYRK – Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Small Market
KUAD – Ft. Collins-Greeley, Colo.
WFYR – Peoria, Ill.
WGSQ – Cookeville, Tenn.
WKML – Fayetteville, N.C.
WUSY – Chattanooga, Tenn.

“The 42nd Annual CMA Awards” is a production of the Country Music Association. Robert Deaton is the Producer. Paul Miller is the Director. 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, including a stereo-radio simulcast of the gala event. American Airlines is the official airline of the 2008 CMA Awards. Chevy: The Official Ride of Country Music. Mary Kay® is the Official Beauty Sponsor of the 2008 CMA Awards.