Meet Your ’23 Country Radio HOF Inductees
• Black River Entertainment artist Kelsea Ballerini joined Country Radio Hall of Fame co-chairs Joel Raab and Tim Roberts on Monday during CRS Honors at CRS 2023 to reveal the 2023 Country Radio Hall of Fame honorees. The prestigious list includes six exceptional radio pros in two categories: On-Air and Radio Inductees (Off-Air broadcasters). Longtime WUSN/Chicago personality Trish Biondo and veteran Birmingham radio pro Dollar Bill Lawson are being recognized for their outstanding on-air contributions, while programming/syndication veteran Pam Green, the late Billboard Chart maven Wade Jessen, Apple Music executive Charlie Morgan, and Country voiceover king John Willyard are the distinguished off-air radio honorees.
Joel Raab remarked, “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.”
• Pam Green began her career at the iconic WHN/New York in 1974, where she quickly rose to Music Director, a role she held for 13 years. After a year of working with Joel Raab’s consultancy, Green went on serve as Sr. Director/Artist Relations for United Stations Radio Networks, which later became Westwood One.
• Wade Jessen’s defining role was at Billboard, where, as Chart Manager for the Country, Christian, and Bluegrass formats he played an instrumental role in adapting Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart to reflect streaming, sales, and airplay combined to more accurately reflect unbiased consumption. Jessen enters the Country Radio Hall of Fame posthumously, having passed away in 2015.
• Charlie Morgan started as a jock at WFMS/Indianapolis, rising to handle mornings and programming. In 2000, Morgan was named VP/Market Manager for the Susquehanna/Cumulus Indy cluster. In 2009 he was named SVP/Market Manager for Emmis Indianapolis, adding similar duties for Emmis New York in 2015. Morgan is a former CRB Board President, and current CMA Board Chairman who has served as Apple Music’s Global Head of Radio and Music Programming since 2019.
• John Willyard’s induction marks the first time an individual has been recognized for contributions in voice acting and imaging. 2012 Country Radio Hall of Fame inductee Rusty Walker began recommending Willyard to clients seeking an imaging voice, and his station list quickly grew to over 100 Country outlets, a workload he has maintained for over 30 years. Willyard’s unique vocal talents have expanded to include syndication, special artist release projects, and as the voice of the CMA Awards for 20 years.
• Trish Biondo’s career started at WUSN/Chicago while still in college. She also worked at several other Chicago radio stations and gained her first Nashville experience serving an internship at MTM Records. After college, Biondo returned to WUSN in various roles, including MD. In 1990, Biondo joined the WUSN morning show, a run that lasted for 14 years, helping the station receive numerous industry awards. Biondo transitioned to middays on WUSN in 2006, earning multiple ACM Personality nominations.
• Dollar Bill Lawson has spent the majority of his career in his hometown of Birmingham, including an 18-year run at WZZK. In 2003 he made the move to iHeartMedia’s WDXB (102.5 The Bull), and his loyal fanbase followed. Lawson was honored with the 2019 CRB Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award for his charitable efforts.
The Country Radio Hall of Fame is dedicated to the recognition of those individuals who have made significant contributions to the country radio/music industry over a 20-year period, 15 of which must be in the Country format. The Country Radio Hall of Fame Induction and Dinner will be held Monday, July 10 at the Virgin Hotel Nashville. More information on the event, including date, time, and ticket information, will be released closer to the event. For more information and a list of past inductees, visit countryradioseminar.com.
