And now … The Waggies!
The votes have been cast and the counts have been completed. Time for the 2017 edition of the Radio Achievement Awards, also known as The Waggies.
Itâs actually been a few years since I last awarded Waggies. And this is the first year I actually counted votes; I was a bit surprised and pleased that many of my choices were also yours. It seems great minds think alike. If the selections were mine alone I will place an asterisk next to the category, otherwise they are based upon your votes. So without further ado:
*Best Morning Music Show: The Woody Show, Alt 98.7 FM (KYSR). Jeff “Woody” Fife, Renae Ravey, Greg Gory and Jason “Menace” McMurray entertain Southern California with somewhat risquĂ© yet still (usually) family-friendly humor, and have helped increase Alt 98.7âs ratings during a time when most alternative rock stations nationwide — including KROQ (106.7 FM) have declined.
*Worst Promoted Station: KABC (790 AM). They have some good shows: Doug McIntyre in the morning, The Drive Home in the afternoon (especially when Jillian Barberie is busy with another project and John Phillips flies solo or with another co-host. But youâd never know it … KABC desperately needs some sort of promotions push … even some ads might help.
*Best Station Owner: Saul Levine. The last of the independent owners in town, he still believes in radio — including AM radio, which most owners have left pasture. Go Country (105.1 FM) is the number one country station in town, and he just launched oldies on K-SURF (1260 AM) which has brought cheers from classic car clubs for allowing drivers to hear something they like on the original AM car radios.
Best FM Station: KSWD The Sound (100.3 FM). Again, oldies seem to be a favorite format. Official The Sound is Classic Rock, but many of the songs played were hits on top-40 stations first. What sets The Sound apart from other, similar stations? Well, none are truly similar any more. KRTH (101.1 FM) has gone newer, KLOS (95.5 FM) has gone rockier, and Jack-FM (KCBS-FM, 93.1) is just annoying at times with songs that should never have been released in the first place.
Best Alternative Rock Station: Alt 98.7. Surprised? I was. I would have awarded it anyway but your votes — and station ratings — backed me up. Alt has a buzz not seen since KROQ (106.7 FM) of the 1980s.
Best News Station: KNX (1070 AM). The second-place for best AM votes, winning best news isnât as impressive when itâs the last man standing. Regardless, KNX still does all-news reasonably well considering the cost-cutting moves that have lessened its prestige.
Best Talk Station: KFI (640 AM). No surprise here … KFI remains consistent snd entertaining; I just wish theyâd clean up the audio and bring back the HD signal.
Best Morning Talk Show: Doug McIntyre, KABC (790 AM) weekdays. One reader nominated McIntyre for three different categories: Best Morning Show, Best Ensemble, and Best Speaker. âThe only one I can trust,â wrote another.
Best AM Station: K-SURF (1260 AM, 105.1 HD2). This one came from nowhere. And Iâm not even sure it even qualifies to win a Waggy because it wasnât on the air last year. but your votes were clear – you like oldies, and you donât mind hearing them on AM.
Best Mid-Day Show: Jonseyâs Jukebox, KLOS (95.5 FM). Itâs only two hours a day (noon to 2 p.m., but itâs a treat. Steve Jones plays what he wants when he wants, often highlighting music you canât hear elsewhere while talking with artists who are true to the art form. The show also gives KLOS some real street cred, and have helped put the station back on the map after years of neglect.
Best Weekend Show: Peace Love and Understanding, The Sound, Sundays 8 – 11 a.m. Affectionately called âthe hippy showâ by some, the program features Mimi Chen offering up songs from the late sixties and more, … putting you in a great mood for the day. My only problem: it conflicts with the Jesus Christ Show on KFI, to which I give honorable mention.
There were many good choices sent in for many categories that didnât make the list, but I will do my best to promote them in future columns. A varied list that includes such personalities as Tim Conway, Jr., Bryan Suits, Larry Elder, Kevin and Bean, Gary Bryan, Ron Kilgore, Terri-Rae Elmer, Ric Edelman (or is that Rice Delman?), Peter Tilden, and Johnny Magnus, among others. In spite of the problems facing radio — many self-imposed — we still have some great personalities and great stations in town.
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