Radio Award Winners Announced for the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards

Radio Award Winners Announced for the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards

LON HELTON WINS NATIONAL ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR, WIVK-FM & WYCT-FM EACH WIN TWO CATEGORIES

ENCINO, Calif., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Today the Academy of Country Music is announcing the full list of radio award winners that will not be televised due to time constraints during the live telecast of the 44th ANNUAL ACADEMY OF COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS. The ceremony, which honors country music's top talent as well as the industry's hottest emerging talent, is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from MGM GRAND in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 5th, 2009 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on the CBS Television Network.

Lon Helton, the host of Westwood One's "Country Countdown USA" since its inception in 1992, has been named national On-Air Personality of the Year. He has 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.

Double-nominees WIVK-FM and WYCT-FM both swept their categories, winning On-Air Personality of the Year and Radio Station of the Year for their respective markets.

Artist Kimberly Schlapman of Little Big Town, a member of the Academy of Country Music's Board of Directors, called all the winners this morning to surprise them with the news.

This year, individual On-Air Personality of the Year winners (or one individual from the teams who win Personality of the Year categories) will be invited to participate in the telecast as the voices for bumpers leading into commercials for the 44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

   ON-AIR PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR WINNERS:   NATIONAL                Lon Helton, Country Countdown USA   MAJOR MARKET            Dorsey Gang - KSCS-FM, Dallas, TX   LARGE MARKET            JD Cannon - WFMS-FM, Indianapolis, IN   MEDIUM MARKET           Andy Ritchie, Alison West and Jimmy Holt                            - WIVK-FM, Knoxville, TN   SMALL MARKET            Brent Lane and Dana Cervantes - WYCT-FM,                            Pensacola, FL    RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR WINNERS:   MAJOR MARKET            WSOC-FM, Charlotte, NC   LARGE MARKET            WSIX-FM, Nashville, TN   MEDIUM MARKET           WIVK-FM, Knoxville, TN   SMALL MARKET            WYCT-FM, Pensacola, FL    About the Academy of Country Music Awards  

The 44th Academy of Country Music Awards is dedicated to honoring and showcasing the biggest names and emerging talent in the country music industry. The show is produced for television by dick clark productions and will be broadcast LIVE from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM live ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. Orly Adelson and R.A. Clark are executive producers, Barry Adelman is producer and Bob Bardo is executive in charge of production.

   PRESS CONTACT:   Julie Smith / Enjoli Duval   BNC   Office: 310.854.4800   jsmith@bncpr.com   eduval@bncpr.com  

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Academy of Country Music

CONTACT: Julie Smith, jsmith@bncpr.com, or Enjoli Duval,
eduval@bncpr.com, both of BNC, +1-310-854-4800, for Academy of Country Music

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