The Benztown Top 50 Is Here!
• Get ready to start clicking the crap out of the link — Benztown just released its fifth annual Benztown 50 List of Radio’s Biggest Imaging Voices, the industry’s exclusive listing of the top 50 voiceover artists in the U.S. and Canada. The Benztown 50 list for 2018 reflects increased industry participation and interest, with more than 300 U.S. and Canadian radio groups providing information for this prestigious annual compilation. Benztown enlisted P1 Media Group to compile and analyze the data that was the foundation for the list, using P1 Media Group’s proprietary algorithm, and is based on several criteria, including number of radio station affiliates, station size and market.
A special highlight of this year’s Benztown 50 is the first-ever presentation of the voiceover industry’s newest and now highest honor — the Benztown Iconic Voice Award for Lifetime Achievement in Voiceover, which will be presented to legendary voiceover talent Chris Corley (pictured), best known as the voice of FOX, MLB, Discovery Channel, Nickelodeon and the Broadway show and tour of The Book of Mormon. His 36-year audio career also includes on-air stops in Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Charlotte, Fort Myers, FL; Nashville, Norfolk, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Corley’s distinctive voice has also been heard on some of the biggest television stations in the U.S., as well as numerous commercials and movie trailers.
Dave “Chachi” Denes, President of Benztown, said, “We launched the Benztown 50 five years ago to celebrate the top voiceover professionals in our industry and highlight the important role that voiceover talent plays in building powerful radio brands. The value of voiceover has never been more critical to radio, in a listening environment that is more competitive than ever. As an industry leader in producing high quality radio voiceover, imaging and audio branding, Benztown is proud to recognize our industry’s most accomplished voiceover talent across the U.S. and Canada. We congratulate the talented people who comprise this year’s Benztown 50, and honor them for their excellence and leadership in audio branding.”
Denes added, “It’s our incredible privilege to present five-time Benztown 50 honoree Chris Corley with the first-ever Benztown Iconic Voice Award for his monumental contributions to our industry and profession through his incredible body of voiceover work. Chris is truly a voiceover icon, in every sense of the word, and sets the highest standards for all voiceover professionals today and in the future. We congratulate him and look forward to celebrating his career achievements in L.A. next week with his friends and colleagues.” Chris Corley and the 2018 Benztown 50 will be honored at a reception next Thursday, March 28, at the Worldwide Radio Summit in Burbank, CA.
