NATIONAL RADIO HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCES CLASS OF 2010
Ralph Emery, Terri Hemmert, Carl Kasell, Music and the Spoken Word featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Executive Cathy Hughes and the late Sam Phillips are set for induction
The National Radio Hall of Fame ( NRHOF ) announced the results of its national online balloting process for induction into America's only National Radio Hall of Fame. The public selected:
Ralph Emery
A country music icon, Emery began his career as the late-night disc jockey on country music's flagship WSM/Nashville. The station reached much of the southern and central U.S. and the show became a launching pad for promising country artists. Emery left his overnight duties to concentrate on television, hosting the syndicated Pop! Goes the Country and Nashville Now on The Nashville Network. He also hosted a morning show for WSM Television and is the author of two best-selling books featuring his favorite memories from the shows
Terri Hemmert
A disc jockey known for her encyclopedic knowledge of music and especially the Beatles, the civically-active Hemmert made Chicago radio history in 1981 when she became the first female morning drive personality in Chicago on WXRT-FM. Currently Terri hosts mid-days on WXRT and produces Breakfast with the Beatles.
Carl Kasell
NPR broadcaster Carl Kasell has spent over 50 years in radio holding positions such as news director, morning anchor, and newscaster. Currently he is the official judge and scorekeeper for NPR's weekly news quiz show, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! Kasell also provides newscasts at the top of each hour throughout NPR's daily newsmagazine Morning Edition. Over the course of his career, he has won several awards for his contributions and commitment to public radio.
Music and the Spoken Word
A program of inspiration and music, featuring The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Music and the Spoken Word is the longest-running radio broadcast in America. The Choir, which first started broadcasting on July 15, 1929, is made up of 360 volunteer members.
The National Radio Hall of Fame Steering Committee also selected one posthumous inductee and one
off air Executive for their major contributions to the radio industry. They are:
Cathy Hughes
An innovative and dynamic pioneer of urban radio and Founder and Chairman of Radio One, the largest African-American owned radio-television corporations in the United States. A respected industry leader, Hughes is known for her determination to succeed, her programming skills and her business acumen.
Sam Phillips ( deceased )
The late radio station owner and record producer and owner of Sun Records known for discovering Elvis Presley. Phillips ushered in an era of rhythm and blues and rock and roll music on the radio in the early 1950's. A former DJ on WLAY/Muscle Shoals, AL, he used his airwaves to showcase a host of young talent who would become American music icons, including Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Westwood One Radio Networks will produce and distribute the live two-hour induction broadcast on Saturday November 6, 2010 at 10PM ( ET ) from The Mayne Stage in Chicago. Promotional support provided by American Airlines, the official airline of the National Radio Hall of Fame.
Ticket pricing for Radio's Biggest Night of Year will be announced in a few weeks when tickets go on sale atwww.RadioHOF.org .
Votenet Solutions, Inc., a respected online vote tabulation firm, supervised and tabulated the 2010 National Radio Hall of Fame ballots. To learn and hear more about the 2010 inductees as well as past National Radio Hall of Fame inductees please visit www.radiohof.org .
