Academy of Country Music announces radio personality, station winners in this year's contest

Posted by Lisa L. Rollins Feb 28, 2009

On Feb. 24, 2009, the Academy of Country Music announced the winners of its ACM Radio Awards contest, a category that is part of the 44^th annual ACM presentation; albeit, off camera.

Singer Kimberly Schlapman of country music’s Little Big Town stepped in to help alert the radio winners via phone this year, including Nashville-based Lon Helton, recipient of the ACM’s National On-Air Personality title for his syndicated CMT Country Countdown USA program.

Helton has served as host of the Westwood One radio show since its 1992 inception. He’s also been honored as the CMA’s National Broadcast Personality of the Year four times and was inducted into the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame in 2006, the same year he launched the successful trade publication, Country Aircheck.

ACM Announces Radio Personality Winners

Other Personality trophy-getters in the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards are the Dorsey Gang from KSCS in Dallas, Texas, who took Major Market Personality; JD Cannon of WFMS in Indianapolis, Ind., who secured the Large Market Personality honor; Andy Ritchie, Alison West and Jimmy Holt from WIVK in Knoxville, Tenn., who garnered the Medium Market Personality win; and Brent Lane and Dana Cervantes of WYCT in Pensacola, Fla., who nabbed the Small Market Personality prize.

Four U.S. Country Radio Stations Earn ACM Prize

This year’s country-radio station winners are Nashville radio station WSIX-FM, which earned this year’s Large Market Station prize; Charlotte, N.C., station WSOC, which won this year’s ACM Radio Award for Major Market Station; and Knoxville’s WIVK, winner its second prize of the contest by scoring the Medium Market Station title, as did double-winner WYCT in Pensacola, which took Small Market Station honors.

According to ACM organizers, this year's Personality winners—in a new twist—will be invited to provide the voice talent for bumpers during the CBS-TV telecast of the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards. The program will air live April 5 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) from Las Vegas, Nev., on CBS.

Here Comes the Judge (Again): Naomi Judd

And last but not least, Naomi Judd has signaled that she’ll be back as a judge for the second season of the popular reality-TV show dubbed Can You Duet. During its first season, the weekly program earned the CMT network its biggest new-show debut to date.

In addition to Grammy winner Naomi, one-half of country super-duo The Judds, the show will spotlight two more judges, not yet announced whose job it will be to mentor and critique the coming season’s contestants, all of whom come in pair, per the show’s concept and title.

For more about the open auditions in Nashville on April 7, 2009, for the new season of Can You Duet, please click here.