Company News · November 1, 2011

Edison Research Announces 2011 “30 Under 30”

By Tom Webster

Congratulations to the honorees of Edison Research’s 2011 search for “30 Under 30” – thirty up-and-coming broadcasters involved with all aspects of the radio industry.

Edison did its first “30 Under 30” searches in 2007 and 2008. It returned this year, in part because people continued to ask us about it, and we kept seeing the difference it had made in honorees’ lives. Over the last month, we’ve received more than 200 nominations. Honorees had to be no older than 30-years-old as of Oct. 1, 2011, and may not have been part of the class of 2007 or 2008.

We were surprised and thrilled with both the quality and the quantity of the 2011 “30 Under 30” nominees. Honorees range from a 23-year-old large market PD to the 30-year-old inventor of USB turntable and Internet radio devices. They represent 22 different companies as well as formats ranging from Country to Urban to Public Radio to Christian AC to Top 40. The honorees include on-air talent, programmers, Chief Engineers, station owners, syndicators, and sales managers.

All “30 Under 30” honorees will receive free registration for the Arbitron Client Conference and Jacobs Media Summit to be held in Baltimore on Dec. 6-8, during which a cocktail party will be held in their honor. In addition, one honoree will receive free registration and travel expenses paid to attend the “Future Of Radio Conference” to be held in Hilton Head Island, S.C., on March 14-16; watch this space for more details.

We’ve long maintained that radio’s biggest challenge going forward is the one that’s rarely discussed — the human resources issue. With a field that could have as easily yielded 60 honorees as 30, it is no longer possible to say that radio suffers from a lack of young broadcasters interested in the medium.

AND THE 30 UNDER 30 ARE:

Adam Wylde – Morning Host, CIBK (Virgin Radio), Calgary, Alberta; Host “Canadian Top 20”
Amanda Alexander – Chief Engineer, Crawford Broadcasting Company, Denver
Bootleg Kev – Mix Show Coordinator/Afternoons, KVEG (Hot 97.5), Las Vegas
Caitlin Kenney – Producer, NPR’s “Planet Money”
Charles “Chachi” Angelo – Program Director/Afternoons, WGGE, Parkersburg, WV
Chris Michaels – Program Director/Afternoons, WMC-FM (FM100), Memphis
CJ Riddick – Director, Operations/Programming, First Media, Roanoke Rapids, N.C.
Dan Baisden – Operations Director, Grenax Broadcasting, Flagstaff, Ariz.
Dan Young – Program Director/Mornings, KNWI (Life 107.1), Des Moines, Iowa
Danny Bortnick – General Sales Manager, ALL NEWS 99.1 FM (CBS), Washington, D.C.
David Polk – Host/Producer, WFMT, Chicago
Edgar Sotelo – Morning Host, KMVK (Mega 107.5), Dallas
Evan Roberts – Midday Co-host, WFAN, New York
Jake Sigal – Founder/CEO Livio Radio
Jason Furst – Program Director, WSYR/WWHT Syracuse, N.Y.
Jeff Sottolano – Program Director, WIP, Philadelphia
Jet Black – Director of Operations, KHTT/KBEZ, Renda Broadcasting, Tulsa, Okla.
Joel “Kid Vicious” Garrett – Owner/COO, Low Country Radio, LLC
Jonathan Gallagher – Manager of Analytics & Internal Strategy, Emmis New York
Kyle “JoJo” Due – Program Director, WMKS/WVBZ, Greensboro, N.C.
Lady La – Morning Host, KZON (101.5 Jamz), Phoenix
Leslie Scott – Program Director/Morning Presenter, KBXR/KBBM, Columbia, MO.
Malachi Crane – General Manager, SAU Radio, Spring Arbor, Mich.
Masa Patterson – Affiliate Relations Manager, Benztown
Nessa Diab – Nights, KYLD (Wild 94.9), San Francisco, KZZP (Kiss 104.7), Phoenix
Nick Cannon – Morning Host, WXRK, New York
Nora Neise – Morning Host, Kiss FM, Berlin
Paul Goldsmith – Program Director, Air1 Network
Robby Bridges – Assistant Program Director/Imaging Director/Afternoons, Cumulus, Bridgeport, Conn.
Tim Clarke – Program Director, WPOI (Hot 101.5), Tampa, Fla.

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