The Museum of Broadcast Communications has announced the selection of eight new inductees into the Radio Hall of Fame for 2026. They will be honored at the in-person 2026 Radio Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 8 at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago.
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The 2026 Radio Hall of Fame inductees are:
- Boomer Esiason, WFAN-AM/FM, New York City
- Dennis Green, COO Sun & Fun Media/Key Networks (and co-chairman of the Radio Hall of Fame)
- Shotgun Tom Kelly, 60’s on 6 – Sirius XM
- Helen Little, WLTW-FM, New York City
- Bob Pittman, former CEO of MTV Networks, current chairman and CEO, iHeartMedia, Inc.
- Rickey Smiley, Urban One/Reach Media
- Charlie Van Dyke, former DJ at major-market Top 40 radio stations
- Fred Winston, major player in Chicago Top 40 radio, including “The Big 89” WLS
Six of the eight inductees – Esiason, Kelly, Little, Smiley, Van Dyke and Winston – were chosen from a list of 24 nominees by a voting participant panel comprised of more than 950 industry professionals. The other two inductees – Green and Pittman – were voted on by the Radio Hall of Fame 2026 nominating committee.
The confidential ballot was conducted by Votem.com and overseen by Miller Kaplan’s Andrew Rosen.
“Our congratulations to each of our 2026 Inductees on this well-deserved recognition,” Kraig Kitchin, co-chair of the Radio Hall of Fame (alongside Green), said in a statement. “Each of these inductees has performed at the highest levels for a sustained period of time to make our industry that much more impactful to listeners and advertisers as a result. I’m thrilled to see them properly recognized by this announcement and the forthcoming Induction ceremony this October. Thank you to our 2026 Nominating Committee and to the hundreds of voting panel participants for confirming our 2026 Class of Inductees.”
Kitchin was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2024. In addition to his duties at the Radio Hall of Fame, Kitchin has had a 45-year career in the radio industry. He has managed radio businesses and/or the careers of top radio personalities.
Fans and industry professionals can find more information, including photos of the inductees, at the Radio Hall of Fame site.
Tickets for the induction ceremony are on sale now at that same site. A portion of ticket purchases is a tax-deductible charitable donation to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, home to the Radio Hall of Fame.
Tribute book ads for the 2026 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony are available for purchase now. Contact Linde Thurman at: [email protected] for more information.
The Radio Hall of Fame was founded by the Emerson Radio Corporation in 1988. The Museum of Broadcast Communications took over operations of the Hall in 1991.
For the record, here’s the complete list of the 2026 nominees that were not inducted this year:
- Andie Summers
- Big D & Bubba
- Bob Stroud
- Enrique Santos
- Funkmaster Flex
- Joey Reynolds
- John & Ken
- Johnny Magic
- Kevin Matthews
- Kid Leo
- Larry Elder
- Lee Arnold
- Monica May
- Pat Hughes
- Raul Brindis
- Ryan Cameron
- The Electrifying Mojo
- Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!
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