580 WCHS morning host Chris Lawrence is nominated for Small Market Personality of the Year at the 2026 NAB Marconi Radio Awards. It’s his second nomination for the award, after a first in 2024.
Lawrence is also the lone news/talk radio host nominated in the Major, Large, Medium, and Small Market categories.
Still, the news caught him off guard. In a recent conversation, he shared why the nomination means so much.
Humbled by the Nomination
Disbelief was Lawrence’s first reaction to the nomination.
“I was really shocked, to tell you the truth,” Lawrence said. “Anytime I get nominated for anything, it’s shocking, because I just feel like there are so many more people out there, and there’s so much talent, particularly in that pool of people. It’s really humbling to see your name with all those other people across the country.”
Notably, this isn’t his first nomination. He earned his initial nod in 2024, which surprised him just as much. At the time, he assumed news/talk hosts weren’t eligible.
“I got nominated two years ago, and that was really surprising because I didn’t realize that somebody in news/talk could be a Personality of the Year nominee,” shared Lawrence. “I was always under the impression that it was a DJ area, a music guy, something like that. I didn’t realize that news/talk people could be nominees.
“But I didn’t let that discourage me. I thought, ‘Well, let’s put it in there and see what happens.’ And lo and behold, I got nominated. Actually, that was the first year I had put my name in, so I was really floored then. I put it in again last year, and I didn’t get nominated, and then I put it in again this year, and I thought, holy cow. I’ve been nominated twice in three years, which is pretty cool.”
Carrying the News/Talk Banner
Meanwhile, Lawrence learned about his distinction from a trade magazine article. The revelation surprised him.
“I’m carrying a pretty big banner there, aren’t I?” said the 580 WCHS morning show host. “Pretty heavy burden for everybody in the talk industry. I didn’t realize that until somebody sent me an article that mentioned it, and I was shocked because there are so many people — from nationally syndicated hosts down to guys that do what I do every week — who have a news/talk platform and are so good at what they do. I was really surprised to hear that I was the only one. It makes me think I must be doing something right if I was able to still be nominated and nobody else in this particular genre was. It feels pretty good, and I appreciate the recognition.”
As for what set him apart, Lawrence points to variety. His employer lets him try new things, and he’s taken full advantage.
“They allowed me to create West Virginia Outdoors, which is a hunting and fishing radio show, and I do it every Saturday morning and have done it since 1993,” Lawrence said. “They allowed me to do high school football. I’m the host of the West Virginia Morning News. I get to do a lot of different things. I do remotes for the radio station. When they’ve got an event going on, I’ll go out and broadcast live from there.”
What He Might Say at the Podium
Even so, Lawrence isn’t preparing an acceptance speech. Instead, he’d rather speak from the heart if he wins.
“I find that I do a lot better if I haven’t prepared something, because in many ways it’s more from the heart to do it that way,” said the 580 WCHS morning show host. “If I were to win this, it certainly would be from the heart, because when I was a kid, my dad was from the World War II generation, and he taught me the love of radio.”
Eventually, his thoughts turned to the listeners he hopes to inspire.
“I just hope that maybe somebody in the upstairs bedroom of a farmhouse here in West Virginia listens to the stuff I do and is inspired to someday want to be on the radio themselves, because that certainly was what drove me to do it and created the love of radio,” shared Lawrence. “Man, this is all I’ve ever wanted to do, and I’ve gotten to live the dream for 36 years, doing exactly what I envisioned myself doing when I was 10 years old, lying in bed upstairs in a farmhouse in rural Virginia. Maybe that’s my acceptance speech right there.”
If he doesn’t win, Lawrence still plans to enjoy the moment.
“Even if I don’t, it’ll be all right, because just being nominated is awfully honorable,” Lawrence said. “I appreciate the fact that they even thought about me.”
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