To reflect on the year, Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted and defined our community’s experience in 2021. These stories and topics affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our region.

While the past two years had its challenges for every industry, 97.9 The Hill/WCHL was honored to be recognized once again for its news coverage and importance to our greater community. Several organizations gave the radio station awards for its work in 2020 and 2021.

This fall, the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters held its annual Station Awards after taking a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the second consecutive awards cycle, the group gave 97.9 The Hill/WCHL its Non-Metro Station of the Year honor. The award, which is part of a program recognizing outstanding achievement in broadcasting, is given to the top radio station outside of the large and medium markets in North Carolina.

The NCAB also announced Aaron Keck, the 97.9 The Hill host of “This Morning with Aaron Keck,” as the Non-Metro Personality of the Year for his 2020 work on “The Aaron Keck Show.” 2021 marked a change for Keck, as he took over the morning time slot previously held by Ron Stutts, who retired at the end of 2020. Stutts previously won the Personality of the Year award five times, bringing 97.9 The Hill’s total to six.

Additionally, the NCAB issued its inaugural Radio Community Involvement award — with 97.9 The Hill being the state-wide winner.

“We are so honored to receive these three awards,” said Aubrey Williams, general manager of 97.9 The Hill WCHL. “We all know that 2020 was a beast of a year and this team showed up every single day to produce award-winning content. It is very validating to be recognized by our peers in the industry.”

Later in October, the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas, a non-profit organization that highlights news coverage in North Carolina and South Carolina, shared its 2021 winners. 97.9 The Hill was once again recognized.

Keck’s conversation with Duke public policy professor Philip Napoli on January 13 earned the RTDNAC’s first-place Long-Form Interview award for radio. Additionally, the first-place Radio News Block award went to 97.9 The Hill for its morning broadcast on April 6, the day after UNC men’s basketball announced Hubert Davis to be its next head coach.

97.9 The Hill reporters Ben Rappaport and Ava Pukatch also won awards for their work with Carolina Connection, the student-run radio newscast at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media.

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