Fresno’s News Talk 580 and 105.9 was honored with its third Golden Mike award in the last four years on Saturday. In Division B, “KMJ Morning News” was recognized with the “Best Newscast in under 15 Minutes” award. The Radio & Television News Association of Southern California (RTNA) presented the award at its 73rd annual Golden Mike ceremony.
On Twitter, Christopher Gabriel, the acclaimed host of “KMJ Morning News,” expressed his appreciation for the award. He stated that the past four months had been a whirlwind of achievements, including winning the Best Local Morning Drive Radio Show award and being interviewed for a book that features news talkers and media leaders.
In a statement to BNM, Gabriel conveyed that Fresno’s Morning News show distinguishes itself from other news talk stations.
“We hit all the benchmarks and do it thoughtfully, nuancedly,” he said. “But we also have fun with back-and-forth banter including discussion about film, music, sports, food… donuts… donuts are big with us… and not surprisingly what we find from listeners is it’s the banter, humor, and anecdotes about kids and family that they enjoy and remember the most.”
Approximately two years ago, Gabriel transitioned from ESPN 940 to KMJ. He emphasized the importance of being relatable and stated, “We are very relatable, and that matters.”
Gabriel posted his gratitude towards his team for their hard work and dedication. He specifically thanked his anchor Matt Otstot, Mikey Martinez for handling the traffic, Liz Kern for delivering the news, Ruth Michaels, and the rest of his crew.
