We’re thrilled to share that our Galaxy Media on-air talent snagged some serious hardware at this year’s New York State Broadcasters Association’s Excellence in Broadcasting awards.
The awards won include:
Medium market:
- Outstanding Promotional Announcement: KROCK’s “Creepy Cribs”
- Outstanding Morning Show – KROCK’s The Show
- Outstanding Social Media Personality – Josh Grosvent (follow him on Twitter and Instagram!)
- Outstanding Radio Show – ESPN’s Orange Nation
Small market:
- Outstanding Radio Show: – ESPN’s The SportZilla Show
- Outstanding Local Coverage – ESPN’s The SportZilla Show’s interview with the Clinton girls’ hockey team
- Outstanding Use of Digital Media Platforms – Mix 102.5’s Storytime With Santa
We caught up with a few of the award winners to hear their thoughts on what it was like to create content during an ultra-strange and stressful year for everyone.
As The Show’s Josh Grosvent explains, “Morning radio was very, very different in 2020. We’re no different than the listeners, so we were just as scared as they were of this invisible, unknown virus. But our job is to be comforting, funny, and familiar, so we have to check those emotions at the door. We realized pretty quickly that people were depending on us for familiarity and some escapism. A lot of people were dying and we tell fart jokes for a living, so what the hell could we do? We could take your minds off that for a few hours.”
Reflecting on how the unique nature of 2020 shifted his show’s approach to radio, Grosvent adds, “We also took advantage of new opportunities. People were home. They weren’t commuting and listening to us in their car anymore, so we pivoted hard into our Twitch channel. Allowing listeners what we call a “hang.” You get the mics on, uncensored for four hours. We will talk directly to you. Talk about heavier stuff than we can on the air. Be raw. Be your friend during this crazy time. And really deepen the connection we have with our ShowFam.”
Paulie Scibilia knows that chemistry matters when it comes to creating a successful radio show, as he and broadcast partner Steve Infanti have done with their award-winning Orange Nation afternoon show. He attributes Orange Nation’s win to the fact that the show is “an odd couple mix. The professional sportscaster and the loudmouth. We play well off each other.”
And just a brief drive down the Thruway, Utica’s Mix 102.5 helped listeners safely get into the holiday spirit this past year with a “Storytime With Santa.” Each evening during the 12 days leading up to Christmas, listeners enjoyed a virtual storytime with the Big Man himself via the Mix 102.5 Facebook page. Additionally, Mix partnered with a local bookstore so families could easily purchase their own copies of Santa’s stories for when the kiddos inevitably demanded to hear it again.
Mix 102.5 Brand Manager Gary Spears explains that the idea was a natural fit given what was going on in the world. He says, “We were thinking of what we were going to do around the holidays. Normally, you’d plan some type of giveaway. But giving listeners prizes during a pandemic is complicated. We thought, ‘What do people need?’ Well, the big thing was people weren’t going to be able to take the kids to see Santa this year. We wanted to provide a similar experience that was safe and local and special.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a huge thanks to our listeners for allowing us to do what we love every day!
