Media
Ahhhhh, morning.
For some of us, it’s our favorite time of day. We wake up peppy, full of energy and making that mental to-do list as soon as our feet hit the ground. We know our night owl friends may disagree with us on this one, but we think it’s wonderful to be geared this way. And when we reviewed the list of winners in our Media category this year, we couldn’t help but notice that more than a few early risers took top honors.
Coincidence? We think not.
Let’s explore this. First, we have WNEP-TV’s Ryan Leckey. If you think he feigns that super-charged charisma at 5 a.m., think again. We’ve seen Leckey both on and off the air in the wee hours of the morning and he is every bit as lively during the commercial breaks as he is when the camera’s rolling. He’s also an active community volunteer for numerous non-profit organizations, and a singer/songwriter and guitar player to boot. For all these reasons, it’s easy to see why readers chose Ryan Leckey as the Best Local TV News Personality.
Our next early rising winners are the hosts of The Wake Up Call with Eric & Selena on Froggy 101. Our favorite country DJs help us get the creative juices flowing every weekday from 5 to 9 a.m. Whether we set our alarms to their familiar voices or we take them with us on the drive to work, Eric and Selena always know just what to say, and just what to play. For this reason, our readers give them top honors by naming the Wake Up Call with Eric & Selena the Best Morning Radio Show.
Next up is another familiar voice in The 570 — Frankie Warren from Magic 93. If you wake up feeling dark and twisty, listen to Frankie. You just can’t stay in a bad mood when you listen to him. And for this reason, we think our readers chose Frankie Warren as the Best Local Radio Personality. Featuring soft rock favorites, contests, news updates and much more, Frankie in the Morning airs weekdays from 5:30 to 10 a.m.
We’re not sure how many of the remaining winners in this category are morning people. Let’s take our friends at Rock 107*, for example. Who knows how many of these classic rockers are morning people … wait… we do know. There’s two: DiRienzo and Prospector, hosts of the Rock 107 Morning Show. They kick the day off right and their colleagues keep the classics rolling all day long at the station our readers named the Best Classic Rock Station in the land, Rock 107. From classic hits to fresh favorites, when it comes to college radio, students at Marywood University have reason to celebrate. Marywood’s WVMW-FM earned top honors with our readers as the Best College Radio Station.
Rounding out the radio categories is WVIA-FM, winner of the Best Independent Public Radio Station. With talent such as Erika Funke, Lisa Mazzarella, Larry Vojtko and George Graham, just to name a few, it’s easy to see why readers once again gave WVIA-FM top honors.
We’ve covered television and radio, and now it’s onto print. When it comes to sharing the stories of interesting people and places in northeastern Pennsylvania, the Times-Tribune’s* Patrice Wilding, who has been voted Best Newspaper Reporter, has a nose for feature news.
An active member of the community, you’ve watched her win a Dancing with the NEPA Stars competition at the Scranton Cultural Center, and compete for the title of best storyteller in the most recent StorySlam. If she’s not at her desk, she’s likely meeting with the next Northeast Woman, interviewing a famous musician coming to the area, or trying out a new restaurant for her next delicious article.
— julie imel
*Rock 107 and The Times-Tribune are part of the Times-Shamrock family, as is electric city and diamond city.
Media
Best Classic Rock Station Rock 107 • Best College Radio Station WVMW-FM 91.7 (Marywood University) • Best Independent Public Radio Station WVIA-FM 89.9 • Best Local Radio Personality Frankie Warren, Magic 93 • Best Local TV News Personality Ryan Leckey, WNEP 16 • Best Local Website the570.com • Best Morning Radio Show The Wake Up Call with Eric & Selena, Froggy 101 •
