Radio’s biggest night is coming up on October 25th at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. That’s where the winners of the Marconi Radio Awards will be announced as part of the annual NAB Show. Five sports radio stations have been named finalists for “Sports Station of the Year” by the National Association of Broadcasters, trying to claim the honor after 97.1 The Ticket won the award last year.
To start out the group, 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, Mass. has been nominated for the award for its second consecutive year. Beasley Media Group market manager Mary Menna and program director Rick Radzik oversee the station, which is owned by Beasley Media Group. Radzik is a previous winner of the 2022 Mark Chernoff Award given at the 2022 BSM Summit. Fred Toucher and Rich Shertenlieb lead the way in mornings, with programming throughout the day captivating the target demographic. 98.5 The Sports Hub was the winner of the Marconi Award in the same category in 2019 and has won three Marconi awards in the last 12 years.
The pioneer outlet in the format – WFAN in New York – was named a finalist for the first time since 2015, the year in which it won the award. The station recently revamped its programming lineup, unveiling a new midday and afternoon show, and also underwent a leadership change with the retirement of Mark Chernoff. Now being led by Audacy Market Manager Chris Oliviero and Vice President of Programming Spike Eskin, the station remains the top sports radio outlet in the New York metropolitan area and the home to the hit morning show, Boomer & Gio. Both Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti received a finalist nod in the category of “Major Market Personality of the Year.”
Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket is a finalist for the honor, which is currently led by Dallas market manager Dan Bennett and program director Jeff Catlin. Legendary host Norm Hitzges officially retired from the outlet last month after 48 years on the radio, leading the station to announce a revised programming lineup. The station last won the Marconi Award for Sports Station of the Year in 2021. George Dunham, Craig Miller and Gordon Keith also obtained a finalist nomination for “Major Market Personality of the Year.” The trio appears on weekday morning drive on The Musers, which used to be the lead-in to Hitzges and Donovan Lewis’ program.
106.7 The Fan joins the nominees for “Sports Station of the Year,” the second Audacy-owned outlet on the list. The station’s morning show, The Sports Junkies, remains a staple in D.C. talk radio. Audacy Market Manager Ivy Savoy-Smith and program director Chris Kinard are at the helm of the outlet, helping shape the sound of the sports talk outlet. The station is the flagship home of the Washington Nationals and Washington Capitals professional sports franchises.
Rounding out the finalists for the prestigious award is KFAN FM 100.3 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, which is widely regarded as one of the top stations in the format. The station received its first finalist distinction since 2019, the year where the award was won by 98.5 The Sports Hub. Program director Chad Abbott and iHeartMedia market manager Greg Alexander manage the outlet’s local coverage of franchises, including working as the flagship home of the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Wild. On-air talents including Paul Allen, Dan Cole and Dan Barreiro are mainstays in the area and trusted sources of information and entertainment.
For the “Legendary Radio Manager of the Year” award, Debbie Kenyon of Audacy in Detroit was named a finalist. As senior vice president and market manager, Kenyon is responsible for overseeing 97.1 The Ticket, last year’s Marconi Award-winning station. Gordy Rush, vice president and market manager of Guaranty Media, is also a finalist for the honor. He manages five radio stations in the Baton Rouge marketplace, including 104.5 ESPN.
