97.9 The Hill WCHL recently received three awards from the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters: Station of the Year (Non-Metro), Personality of the Year (Non-Metro) for “This Morning with Aaron Keck” and the award for Radio Community Involvement.
The awards, which were announced on Wednesday during the association’s annual Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Broadcasting luncheon, are presented for the radio station’s efforts in the calendar year of 2021.
“We are so honored to receive these three awards,” said Aubrey Williams, general manager of 97.9 The Hill WCHL. “Being recognized by our exceptional peers for our hard work and dedication is very rewarding.”
The NCAB Awards Program is sponsored annually by the NCAB and intended to recognize outstanding achievement by North Carolina radio and television broadcasters, while encouraging high standards of reporting, community service and production creativity.
“Each one of these awards is special to us,” said Williams. “First, the Station of the Year award. This is a testament to the team of people here at 97.9 The Hill that is dedicated to serving our community with news and information year-round and around the clock. For Personality of the Year, no one is more deserving than our own Aaron Keck. He is a true asset to our community and provides a trusted voice day in and day out. We are thrilled to celebrate his success with him. And finally, the Radio Community Involvement Award, of which there is only one. We are honored and humbled and it only inspires us to do more and be better.”
It is the second year in a row where 97.9 The Hill WCHL earned the trio of NCAB awards. The Radio Community Involvement Award debuted in 2021 and is awarded to only one radio station across all of North Carolina. Meanwhile, the 2022 recognition marks the third consecutive Station of the Year given to 97.9 The Hill WCHL. The station earned the honor in 2019 and NCAB did not hold awards in 2020.
Aaron Keck, who is the host of the live morning show “This Morning with Aaron Keck,” earned the Personality of the Year recognition for the second time and the station’s seventh in total.
“It’s such an honor to receive this award again,” said Keck. “But more than that, it’s an honor to work with this incredible team at 97.9 The Hill WCHL, and it’s an honor to be able to get up and serve this amazing Chapel Hill-Carrboro community every day.
“Every day we’re striving to create a show that’s both smart and fun at the same time,” he continued, “and every day we’re striving to be a little bit better than we were the day before. I’m grateful for the recognition, and I’m as motivated as ever to make tomorrow’s show a little bit better than today’s!”
97.9 The Hill WCHL was founded in Chapel Hill in 1953, making it the town’s oldest broadcaster. It is owned by the Chapel Hill Media Group, which purchased the station with Rudd Media in 2015, and resides in University Place mall in Chapel Hill. More history about the station can be found here, while a list of prior awards won by 97.9 The Hill can be found here.
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Congratulations to the folks at WUNC for this most-deserved trifecta from the NCAB! You consistently provide information that is so very important to those of us who live here full-time. Thank you for all the efforts you make to keep us informed of town decisions that directly impact us now and in the future, as well as getting to know our leaders better.