Ryan Seacrest and Ellen K Lead 2026 NAB Marconi Radio Awards Nominations

Nationally recognized radio personalities Ryan Seacrest and Ellen K have been nominated for the prestigious 2026 NAB Marconi Radio Awards, presented by the National Association of Broadcasters. The nominees were unveiled on July 28 during a livestreamed event hosted by Toby Knapp and Chilli Amar, co-hosts of Toby + Chilli in the Morning on 97.1 WASH-FM in Washington, D.C.

Nominations Overview

Ryan Seacrest, affiliated with Premiere Radio Networks Inc. in Los Angeles, is nominated for the Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year award. Competing in this category are notable nominees including Anna & Raven from WEZN-FM, El Free Guey Show from TelevisaUnivision in Houston, Ryan Fox from Westwood One in Dallas, and The Bob & Sheri Show from WKQC-FM in Charlotte, N.C.

Ellen K, representing KOST-FM in Los Angeles, is nominated for Major Market Personality of the Year. Other nominees in this category include The Andie Summers Show from WXTU-FM in Philadelphia, Patty Jackson from WDAS-FM in Philadelphia, Karson and Kennedy from WBMX-FM in Boston, and Riggs, Katelyn & Erica from KKBQ-FM in Houston.

Award Ceremony Details

The winners of the 2026 NAB Marconi Radio Awards will be announced during a dinner program sponsored by Xperi on October 20 at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. This annual event gathers broadcasters nationwide to honor outstanding stations, personalities, podcasts, and industry leaders. The NAB Marconi Awards, established in 1989, are named after the inventor and Nobel Prize winner Guglielmo Marconi.

The awards ceremony will take place the evening before the NAB Show New York 2026, scheduled for October 21-22 at the Javits Center in New York City. Registration for the event is currently open. For more information, visit the NAB site.

Complete List of 2026 NAB Marconi Radio Award Finalists

Legendary Station of the Year

• KFI-AM, Los Angeles, CA
• WCBS-FM, New York, NY
• WIVK-FM, Knoxville, TN
• WJR-AM, Detroit, MI
• WLW-AM, Cincinnati, OH

Legendary Radio Manager of the Year

• Joey Cummings, South Seas Broadcasting Inc., Pago Pago, AS
• Tery Garras, KXLY-FM, Spokane, WA
• Julie Koehn, WLEN-FM, Adrian, MI
• Mitch Rosen, WSCR-AM, Chicago, IL
• David Yadgaroff, Audacy, Philadelphia, PA

Network/Syndicated Personality of the Year

• Anna & Raven, WEZN-FM, Cumulus, Metro Fairfield, CT
• El Free Guey Show, TelevisaUnivision, Houston, TX
• Ryan Fox, Westwood One, Dallas, TX
• Ryan Seacrest, Premiere Radio Networks, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
• The Bob & Sheri Show, WKQC-FM, Beasley, Charlotte, NC

Major Market Personality of the Year

• The Andie Summers Show, WXTU-FM, Philadelphia, PA
• Ellen K, KOST-FM, Los Angeles, CA
• Patty Jackson, WDAS-FM, Philadelphia, PA
• Karson and Kennedy, WBMX-FM, Boston, MA
• Riggs, Katelyn & Erica, KKBQ-FM, Houston, TX

Large Market Personality of the Year

• Paul Castronovo, WBGG-FM, Miami, FL
• Rebecca Cressman, KSFI-FM, Salt Lake City, UT
• Karen Dalessandro, KSLX-FM, Phoenix, AZ
• Heather & Matty, WWLI-FM, Providence, RI
• Justin, Scott and Spiegel, WIYY-FM, Baltimore, MD

Medium Market Personality of the Year

• The Blake Show with Kelly and Todd, WMGX-FM, Portland, ME
• Buzz Jackson, KIIM-FM, Tucson, AZ
• Joe & Tina Mornings, WZSR-FM, Crystal Lake, IL
• Ron Olson and Karen Perrin, WRVR-FM, Memphis, TN
• Ben Davis & Kelly K, WDJX-FM, Louisville, KY

Small Market Personality of the Year

• The Cosmo & Kat Show, KTXY-FM, Columbia, MO
• Chris Lawrence, WCHS-AM, Charleston, WV
• Ian Rambo, KQRQ-FM, Rapid City, SD
• The Ryan Smetzer Show, WIKZ-FM, Hagerstown, MD
• Stafford and Frigo, KDXY-FM, Jonesboro, AR

Major Market Station of the Year

• WBEB-FM, Philadelphia, PA
• WBMX-FM, Boston, MA
• WCBS-FM, New York, NY
• WSCR-AM, Chicago, IL
• WTMX-FM, Chicago, IL

Large Market Station of the Year

• KTMY-FM, Saint Paul, MN
• WALK-FM, Long Island, NY
• WHQG-FM, Milwaukee, WI
• WWRM-FM, Tampa, FL
• WYXB-FM, Indianapolis, IN

Medium Market Station of the Year

• WBTJ-FM, Richmond, VA
• WHBC-AM, Canton, OH
• WMFS-FM, Memphis, TN
• WPOR-FM, Portland, ME
• WYCT-FM, Pensacola, FL

Small Market Station of the Year

• KBHP-FM, Bemidji, MN
• KMMX-FM, Lubbock, TX
• KNDE-FM, College Station, TX
• WIOG-FM, Saginaw, MI
• WYOT-FM, Rochelle, IL

Adult Contemporary Station of the Year

• KBIG-FM, Los Angeles, CA
• KRWM-FM, Seattle, WA
• KSTP-FM, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, MN
• KUIC-FM, San Francisco, CA
• WKJY-FM, Long Island, NY

Best Radio Podcast of the Year

• Flying Through Fog: A Podcast for PANS/PANDAS Caregivers, WTRC-FM, South Bend, IN
• Purple Daily, KSTP-AM, Saint Paul, MN
• Supporting Sobriety, WIBC-FM, Indianapolis, IN
• The Install with Greg Cosell, WGFX-FM, Nashville, TN
• Uinta Triangle, KSL-FM, Salt Lake City, UT

CHR Station of the Year

• KNDE-FM, College Station, TX
• KQMV-FM, Seattle, WA
• KRBE-FM, Houston, TX
• KTXY-FM, Columbia, MO
• WBLI-FM, Long Island, NY

Classic Hits Station of the Year

• KONO-FM, San Antonio, TX
• KOOL-FM, Phoenix, AZ
• WCBS-FM, New York, NY
• WGTZ-FM, Dayton, OH
• WSRV-FM, Atlanta, GA

College Station of the Year

• WHPC-FM, Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY
• WMSC-FM, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ
• WOLF Radio, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA
• WRRC-FM, Rider University, Lawrenceville, NJ
• WSOU-FM, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ

Country Station of the Year

• KCLR-FM, Columbia, MO
• KFGE-FM, Lincoln, NE
• KIKV-FM, Alexandria, MN
• KKBQ-FM, Houston, TX
• WUSY-FM, Chattanooga, TN

News/Talk Station of the Year

• KFI-AM, Los Angeles, CA
• KXL-FM, Portland, OR
• WHPT-FM, Tampa, FL
• WLW-AM, Cincinnati, OH
• WSB-AM, Atlanta, GA

Religious Station of the Year

• WFMV-AM, Columbia, SC
• WGTS-FM, Washington, DC
• WJOU-FM, Huntsville, AL
• WLVU-FM, Nashville, TN
• WMCA-AM, New York, NY

Rock Station of the Year

• WIIL-FM, Chicago, IL
• WIYY-FM, Baltimore, MD
• WNCX-FM, Cleveland, OH
• WPLR-FM, New Haven, CT
• WXTB-FM, Tampa, FL

Spanish Language Station of the Year

• KOVE-FM, Houston, TX
• WAMR-FM, Miami, FL
• WLZL-FM, Washington, DC
• WZTU-FM, Miami, FL

Sports Station of the Year

• KTCK-FM, Dallas, TX
• WEEI-FM, Boston, MA
• WGFX-FM, Nashville, TN
• WIP-FM, Philadelphia, PA
• WJOX-FM, Birmingham, AL

Urban Station of the Year

• WCFB-FM, Orlando, FL
• WDAS-FM, Philadelphia, PA
• WDZZ-FM, Flint, MI
• WEDR-FM, Miami, FL
• WHQT-FM, Miami, FL

As reported by www.billboard.com.

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Published on 2026-07-28 23:54:00 • By FAME Delivered News Desk