Five To Country Radio Hall Of Fame: CRS 2015 Opening Ceremony attendees learned moments ago that KBEQ/Kansas City PD/morning host Mike Kennedy, consultant Joel Raab, KAJA/San Antonio morning host Randy Carroll, WMIL/Milwaukee morning co-host Karen Dalessandro and former Clear Channel/Chattanooga, TN GM Sammy George will be inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame during the annual Induction Dinner and Awards Ceremony June 24 in Nashville. The event coincides with the CRB's annual summer board and agenda committee meetings, not in conjunction with CRS as has been the case in recent years (CAT 10/6). Surprise guests Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood announced the honorees at the Nashville Convention Center as CRS commenced this afternoon (2/25).

Kennedy has served the industry for more than 36 years, 35 of them in Kansas. He's been with KBEQ since 1991 and led the station's flip to Country in 1993. As a teenager, Raab began his career on Long Island, NY and went on to on-air and programming stops in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and New York. During his 30-year consultancy, he's worked with more than 200 stations in small, medium and large markets. George spent 38 years in radio in a variety of programming, sales and management positions. He joined then-upstart WUSY/Chattanooga as GM in 1985, where he remained for more than 22 years. He led that station and its sister properties when he retired in 2008. Carroll has been a fixture on KAJA for more than 32 years and is a member of the San Antonio Radio Hall of Fame. Dalessandro's career began in Michigan at age 19. She went on to co-host mornings at WYCD/Detroit, and later, crosstowm WWWW. She's been with 'MIL since 1998. Congratulate Kennedy here, Raab here, Carroll here, Dalessandro here and George here.