The Fabulous Sports Babe, former Seattle personality NANCI DONNELLAN, who was a pioneering voice in local and national sports talk radio, has been inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. As Gord Lansdell points out on his Northwest Broadcasters blog, she was the weekday afternoon sports talk show host on KJR 950 AM Seattle from 1991 to ’94, before joining ESPN Radio. She is noteworthy for being one of the first female sports radio call-in hosts in America.
A lengthy magazine-style interview in 2012 which attempts to give a fully-rounded picture of the ups and downs of the complicated ‘Sports Babe’ is very much worth the time and effort; it’s available HERE.
The other HOF 2018 inductees by public vote are:
- Spoken Word Format On-Air Personality: MARK LEVIN, THE MARK LEVIN SHOW; syndicated by WESTWOOD ONE
- Music Format On-Air Personality: KID KELLY, BACKTRAX USA WITH KID KELLY; syndicated by WESTWOOD ONE, on-air host and programmer, SIRIUS XM HITS 1
The inductees by the industry panel are:
- Active Local/Regional, 10+ years: JONATHON BRANDMEIER, THE JONATHON BRANDMEIER SHOW, CHICAGO
- Longstanding Local/Regional, 20+ years: JIM KERR, Rock and Roll Morning Show, WAXQ (Q104.3)/NEW YORK
- Active Network/Syndication, 10+ years: MIKE GOLIC and MIKE GREENBERG, MIKE & MIKE, ESPN AUDIO
- Longstanding Network/Syndication, 20+ years: Dr. LAURA SCHLESSINGER, DR. LAURA, SIRIUS XM STARS 109
Additionally, the NRHOF nominating committee voted to induct four individuals for their contribution to the industry. Those inductees are:
- NANCI DONNELLAN, THE FABULOUS SPORTS BABE, a pioneering voice in local and national sports talk radio.
- MIKE FRANCESA, longtime afternoon drive host on WFAN A/F (THE FAN)/NEW YORK.
- JOAN HAMBURG, host of THE JOAN HAMBURG SHOW on WABC-A and prior, WOR-A, and known as NEW YORK’s “First Lady of Radio.”
- FRED JACOBS, a creator of the Classic Rock music format, as well as a consultant to both commercial and public radio stations.
