This morning, CRS announced the 2012 Country Radio Hall of Fame inductees Beverlee Brannigan, Ron Rogers, Rusty Walker, Moby, Eddie Stubbs, and Bill Whyte. Brannigan, Rogers and Walker are the 2012 Radio category inductees, while Moby, Stubbs and Whyte are the On-Air category inductees.
Brannigan, whose career began at Northwestern University’s college radio station, is a trailblazer for women in Country Radio programming. Since 2003, she has served as Operations Manager for six stations in Wichita and Program Director for three, including market leader KFDI, which won CMA Station of the Year in 2003.
Rogers also got his broadcasting start as a student, while at the University of Texas. Inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in 2004, he has held positions as Program Director at WACO, Sales Manager at KNOW, General Manager at KOKE and President/Co-Owner at KLAW, KVET and KASE.
Since the start of Walker’s radio career in 1970, he has either programmed, advised, created, consulted, overseen, served as a strategic partner or performed as an air personality for more than 750 Country radio stations. A few of his personality and Program Director stints include: WQYK, WQIK, WZZK and KFKF. He also has a seven-year consecutive run as Billboard’s Consultant of the Year.
Moby is a 40-year veteran air personality, whose career began at the age of fifteen in his hometown of Crossville, TN. Moby is the recipient of numerous national Air Personality awards, including winning Billboard’s Major Market Country Morning Show of the Year five times.
Stubbs has been the longest tenured evening host on Nashville’s 650AM WSM, since the station went to an all Country format in 1979. He is nationally recognized as the announcer of the Grand Ole Opry, a position he has held for more than sixteen years. Stubbs also won the CMA Large Market Broadcast Personality of the Year award in 2002.
Whyte began his career as a teenager on KCPR, “Kow Pasture Country Radio,” in Missouri. His career spans successes at WUBE, WMIL, WSM-FM and WFMS. He has won numerous broadcast awards including the CMA Award for Best Large Market Personality. He’s also won an AIR Award for best new Morning Show in Nashville.
The Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony unofficially kicks off Country Radio Seminar each year. The six inductees will be honored and inducted during a dinner ceremony on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012. The event will be held at 6 p.m. in the Nashville Convention Center.
