Rickey Smiley wins 2017 Marconi Award for syndicated personality of the year
This was posted on Saturday, September 9, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk
Atlanta-based Rickey Smiley won a 2017 Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters for best network/syndicated personality of the year.
This award is like the Oscars or Emmys for radio. For Smiley, it's been a long but steady rise in the radio world. He now has more than 60 affiliates from Cleveland and Chicago to Miami and his hometown of Birmingham.
'It's all about the community, about being informative and funny and entertaining in the morning,' he said to the NAB audience. "We work really hard .Our morning show becomes 'Dish Nation,' then turns into a reality show that comes on TV One."
The other finalists included technology expert Kim Komando (heard locally on News 95.5 and AM 750 WSB), political talk show host Sean Hannity (also on WSB) and New York morning entertainment host Elvis Duran (who was once heard on Power 96.1.)
He also hosted the awards show in Austin. On the air Friday, he thanked his morning crew and talked about the experience. You can hear it here.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
