The 2023 Country Radio Hall of Fame Honorees were revealed Monday at CRS Honors. Country Radio Hall of Fame co-chairs Joel Raab and Tim Roberts joined recording artist Kelsea Ballerini in announcing the six exceptional radio professionals in two categories: On-air personality and Radio (off-air broadcasters).
The Country Radio Hall of Fame Induction and Dinner will be held Monday, July 10, at the Virgin Hotel Nashville. To qualify for the Country Radio Hall of Fame, an individual must have made significant contributions to the music industry over a 20-year period. At least 15 of those years must be in the Country format.
Joel Raab, the CRB’s Country Radio Hall of Fame Committee Chairman, said, “We are thrilled to honor this year’s inductees, whose contributions to the Country radio industry have been significant and impactful. Their contributions have helped shape the industry, and we look forward to recognizing their achievements at the induction ceremony later this year.”
This year’s Radio inductees are:
Pam Green: Green was one of Country radio’s first female Music Directors, with a 13 year tenure at WHN New York. She later served as Sr. Director/Artist Relations for United Stations Radio Networks/Westwood One.
Wade Jessen: Wade Jessen started at KSOP/Salt Lake City, before moving to Nashville to be Music Director at WSM-AM in Nashville in 1987. He played a key role in adapting Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart to reflect streaming, sales, and airplay combined to more accurately reflect unbiased consumption. Wade Jessen enters the Country Radio Hall of Fame posthumously, having passed away in 2015.
Charlie Morgan: Since his start at WFMS Indianapolis, Morgan has made waves at every level of the industry. Morgan’s impressive resume includes roles as Market Manager for Emmis New York, CRB Board member, Apple Music’s Global Head of Radio and Music Programming, and current Chairman of the CMA Board.
John Willyard: John is the first person inducted into the Hall for contributions in voice acting and imaging. Willyard has voiced imaging for more than 100 Country outlets in all market sizes, for longer than 30 years. He is also the voice of the CMA Awards.
The 2023 On-air inductees are:
Trish Biondo: Biondo started at WUSN/Chicago while she was still in college in the research and promotions department and as a board-op. After college, she served WUSN in various roles, including Promotions, Research, and Music Director. Biondo joined the WUSN Morning show and became a mainstay for 14 years, before moving to middays, garnering many awards and nominations for her work.
Dollar Bill Lawson: In his 18 years at WZZK in his home town of Birmingham, Lawson moved from middays to mornings, where he stayed at the top of the ratings for a decade. He continued that success at WDXB. Lawson is deeply involved in his local community and is also being honored for his charitable efforts.
