Award to be presented at the CRS Hall of Fame Ceremony in February
(Nashville, Tenn. – November 13, 2013) – Country Radio Broadcasters’ Board President Charlie Morgan has announced Ed Hardy as the recipient of the 2014 CRB, Inc. President’s Award.
The award will be presented during the Country Radio Hall of Fame Dinner and Awards Ceremony held on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, at 6 p.m. in the Nashville Convention Center Ballroom.
The President’s Award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the marketing, production, growth and development of the Country Radio Seminar and the multiple services that Country Radio Broadcasters provides to the Country radio and music communities. Previous award winners include Erica Farber, Bob Kingsley, Bruce Hinton, Joe Galante and Bob Romeo.
“The Country Radio Broadcasters have been blessed through the years with the support of many key stakeholders, but few have made more impact or have been more enthusiastic in their support of the Seminar than Ed Hardy,” said Charlie Morgan. “We are delighted to recognize Ed’s unwavering and enduring contributions to the success of CRS with the 2014 President’s Award.”
Hardy started working in the broadcasting industry in 1968 at WJW Radio in Cleveland, Ohio. From there he went on to be a general manager of radio stations in Denver, Colo. and Louisville, Ky. before becoming Vice-President of the Scripps Country formatted KUPL AM/FM in Portland, Ore. Ed spent much of the mid-1990s as a CEO, building his company, Deschutes River Broadcasting, from a single AM/FM radio combination in Tri-Cities, Wash., to a collection of 19 stations, 8 of them country-formatted, operating in markets throughout the Pacific Northwest. With the subsequent merger of Deschutes with Citadel Broadcasting, he became President of Citadel’s West Division and continued to play a key role in the company’s growth to 200-plus stations in more than 40 markets, as well as in the acquisition of nearly a half billion dollars in radio stations.
From 2004 to 2012 Hardy served as President of Great American Country (GAC) Television Networks. Hardy is the past President of the W.O. Smith Community Music School Board of Directors, and he currently serves as the CMA Board President and as the Chairman of the Board for the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. He also spent 20 years as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserves, attaining the rank of Major.
The Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner and induction ceremony unofficially kicks off Country Radio Seminar each year. CRS 2014 will be held at the downtown Nashville Convention Center February 19-21, 2014.
For information about the Country Radio Hall of Fame Dinner and Ceremony tickets, contact the Country Radio Seminar offices at 615-327-4487.
Previously announced, the 2014 Country Radio Hall of Fame inductees are Larry Wilson and Mike Brophey as the Radio category inductees and Paul Schadt and Jim Denny as the On-Air category inductees.
About Country Radio Hall of Fame: The Country Radio Hall of Fame was founded in 1974 to recognize outstanding indiviuals working in the broadcasting industry who are promoting the Country radio format. The Hall of Fame has two categories: Radio and On-Air Personality. The awards ceremony is held the evening prior to the Country Radio Seminar and has become recognized as the unofficial kick off of the annual radio convention.
About Country Radio Seminar: Country Radio Seminar is an annual convention designed to educate and promote the exchange of ideas and business practices in the Country music industry, with specific emphasis on issues relevant to Country radio. CRS 2014 will be held Feb. 19-21, 2014, in downtown Nashville, Tenn., at the Nashville Convention Center. The regular rate of $499 is now in effect. The on site registration rate will be announced closer to the event. Visit www.CountryRadioSeminar.com for more information.
Ed Hardy
Photo in larger format here
