Seven To CRHoF: The Country Radio Hall of Fame (CRHoF)’s class of 2022 will be celebrated during the Country Radio Hall Of Fame Induction And Dinner June 30 at the Virgin Hotel in Nashville. They are:

In the Radio category:

• Becky Brenner, Albright & O’Malley & Brenner Consulting Partner
• Barry Mardit, Barry Mardit Consulting Owner/President

In the On-Air category:

• Whitney Allen, Westwood One nationally syndicated The Big Time With Whitney Allen host
• Debbie Conner, Envision Networks The Country Oldies Show Hall Of Fame host
• Cathy Martindale, Performance Racing Network nationally syndicated zMax Racing Country Classics host
• Rachael Hunter & Steve Grunwald, Audacy WYCD/Detroit Josh, Rachael And Grunwald In The Morning co-hosts

Brenner is a 45-year industry veteran whose combined 26 years at KMPS/Seattle included handling on-air, promotions, music, programming and Dir./Operations duties. During her tenure, she led KMPS to two CMA Station of the Year Awards prior to joining A&O&B in 2012. She is the recipient of the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award in Programming from the MIW Organization, a 20-year member of the Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) Board and past President of the organization and has served on the CMA Board since 2005.

Mardit has spent 47 years in the radio industry, including major market programming stops at WEEP/Pittsburgh and WWWW/Detroit. His 12-year tenure at the latter earned him Billboard, CMA Program Director and CMA Station of the Year honors and an NAB Marconi Award. He is still active in the business serving as President of his own Barry Mardit Consulting.

Allen began her career in 1979 and segued to Country radio in 1982. After spending two years with KCBQ/San Diego, she jumped to the Los Angeles market with Top 40 KQLZ and KIIS. She joined nationally syndicated After MidNite in 1995, handling weekends for eight years before being hired for KZLA/Los Angeles afternoons in 2003. Allen created and hosted nationally syndicated weekend show America’s Hot List in 2005 and expanded to night shows The Big Time and Big Time Saturday Night. She holds multiple CMA and ACM Personality of the Year nominations, is a National Radio Hall of Fame nominee and is a 2018 Gracie Award recipient.

Conner began her radio career in 1966 and, as a pioneering female broadcaster and programmer, left her mark at stops with KHAK/Cedar Rapids, IA; WMPS/Memphis; WSAI/Cincinnati; WCAO/Baltimore; WYCT/Pensacola, FL; and WIL/St. Louis. During her 12 years at WIL, Conner earned multiple ACM and CMA Personality of the Year nominations and won the Billboard Personality of the Year award. She previously served as midday host on the Sirius Satellite Roadhouse channel and has hosted Country Oldies Hall Of Fame segments since 2014.

Martindale started her Country radio career at KSCS/Dallas in 1974, where she served as MD, APD and PD before moving to WSM-AM/FM/Nashville in 1983. During her 17 years with WSM, Martindale handled mornings, afternoons and MD chores and became the first female to achieve the No. 1 rated drive-time show on Nashville radio. From 1984-1994, she hosted Video PM and Country Beat for The Nashville Network (TNN). In 1993, she began co-hosting Racing Country and Racing Country Classic, which is heard in roughly 200 markets nationwide. Martindale is a three-time finalist for CMA Large Market and/or Syndicated Personality of the Year and is a member of the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.

Hunter and Grunwald have been a part of the WYCD/Detroit morning team since 2005 and are both deeply embedded in community service efforts. Hunter is a 2013 Gracie Award recipient, and Grunwald serves as a part-time police officer. The duo received NAB Marconi Awards in 2012 and 2016, as well as Best Morning Show from the Michigan Association of Broadcasters in 2017 and 2019. Additionally, their Rachael & Grunwald show has received multiple CMA and ACM Personality of the Year nominations.