AL Radio: WYEA Honored As Station Of The Year

WYEA 1290 AM / W293CQ 106.5 FM in Sylacauga has been named Radio Station of the Year by the Alabama Broadcasters Association at the annual ABBY Awards ceremony on Saturday.

Receiving the state’s top honor, Yea!106.5 and WYEA!1290 also took a Best in Broadcasting Award for social media efforts and a Judges’ Award of Merit for a community service project last year.

The Radio Station of the Year designation recognized the stations’ exemplary service in their coverage area. In addition to support of local community organizations, businesses, and industries, of note were charity involvement and significant public service airtime; Business of the Month and Veteran of the Month profile programs; cash college scholarship awards for graduating high school seniors; and the new complementary SylacaugaNews.com online product.

An additional Best in Broadcasting Award recognized social media engagement through the co-branded SylacaugaNews.com, cross-promoted via Facebook and Twitter.

Selection and judging were done by a group of independent broadcast professionals in another state.

“WYEA exemplifies what radio stations should be for their community,” said Sharon Tinsley, president of the Alabama Broadcasters Association. “The Radio Station of the Year award recognizes an overall excellence in programming, promotion, community relations, and public service, and the ABA is proud of the role WYEA continues to play in providing quality on-air and online content.”

“These honors are an appreciated and important recognition of our staff’s incredibly hard work to make a difference, our focus on trying to do the right things every day, and support from local business and industry partners,” said Lee Perryman, Managing Member of Marble City Media LLC. “Reinventing WYEA under new ownership in 2012, and in adding five more regional signals since, we have remained fully energized, with a non-stop commitment to the communities we are privileged to serve.”