Radio always produces some of the most significant gags and the most outrageous stunts.
Here are some of the highlights I would choose for 1996:
Best stunt - "Jon and Dan, " formerly of KUBL, driving a military tank through a wall of the old Bennett Paint building in April to begin its demolition. (The DJs split up in late November.)
Best giveaway promotion - KBEE's Million Dollar Bill event.
Best promotion - KZHT's mass weddings for Valentine's Day at the Riverboat.
Best public service campaign - (tie) KBEE's "Bee Safe" program by Leslie Rockitter and the "Rock the Vote" voter registration campaign by KZHT and MTV
Best post-election event - Election sign gathering contest by "Fisher, Todd and Erin" on KISN-FM.
Best radio commercial on TV - KENZ's "Once Upon a Time" ad.
Best new morning show - "Woody and Barberi" on KUTQ until they split up in May.
Best new morning show additions - Tom Bock on KBZN and Chere Wood on KSL.
Best ongoing radio feature - "Space Elders," by "Kerry, Bill and Gina" on KXRK.
Best male newscaster - Dan Bammes of KUBL.
Best female newscaster - Peggy Ijams of KSFI.
Best traffic reporter from the ground - Dave Candland, Metro/
SkyWolf Traffic.
Best traffic reporter from the air - Duane Southwick, KSL.
Best new innovation in traffic reporting - KSL's cameras along the freeway and its fiber optic "Traf-ficLink" system.
Best overall news reporting - KSL radio news staff.
Best morning sports show - Chris Tunis on KISN-AM.
Best solo personality - Mark Van Wagoner on KDYL.
Best local talk show host - Tom Barberi on KALL.
Best new local station - KFNZ, all-sports, alias "K-Fan."
Best new network station, available locally - "Radio Disney" on KCNR.
Best new character - "General Gridlock," a Metro/Sky Wolf traffic reporter heard on KFNZ and KUBL.
Best new slogan - (tie) "The End," by KENZ and "We're all ears," by Radio Disney.
Best new call letters - (tie) KENZ and KFNZ.
Best radio jingle - KISN-FM's promotional song sung to the "WKRP in Cincinnati" TV theme.
Best example of the power of radio - Listeners from at least four stations help spot a stolen vehicle within a few hours Jan. 15, and the suspect is arrested.
Biggest changes of 1996 - KBER's spring lineup change; Regent Communication's sale to Jacor Communications, KFNZ starts up, KCNR switches frequencies and later becomes "Radio Disney."
Biggest rumor of 1996 that proved true - The sale of Regent Communications to Jacor Communications six weeks after rumors are said to be unfounded.
Biggest group of defections - KXRK DJs moving to KENZ in January.
Biggest talker about DJs on other stations - "Kidd Cassidy" of KKAT.
Biggest casualties of the year - Mills Crenshaw leaving KTKK after taking a big pay cut, Jon Carter being fired from KUBL and Bob Lee not having his contract renewed at KSL.
Biggest downhill slide of 1996 - KTKK becomes unmeasurable in some Arbitron rating books.
Biggest DJ switch - (tie) "Jon and Dan" of KUBL, who not only make a successful format switch from rock to country music but also develop a family type radio show - one that no longer centers on blue radio humor. Also, the addition of Richard Cano to Dan Bammes, mornings on KUBL, after Jon Carter is fired in late November.
Biggest overall radio trend - More jointly owned radio stations as big companies buy out most of the smaller radio owners.
Boldest stunt - "The Morning House Party" on KZHT getting intoxicated to try and show the dangers of drinking and driving for the holiday season.
Craziest radio attempt - Jimmy Chunga of KENZ with his "Meat Lovers Olympics" in August.
Craziest game on radio - Canned food roulette by "Jon and Dan," formerly of KUBL.
FM Morning show with the least talk - Country Joe on KSOP. Second-place: "Tom and Michelle" on KBZN.
FM Morning show with the most talk - "Mick and Allen" of KBER and later on KURR. Second place: Kerry, Bill and Gina" on KXRK.
Hardest-working DJ - Dr. Doug of KZHT who did numerous appearances and promotions.
Most entertaining DJs - "Kerry, Bill and Gina" on KXRK.
Most risque and outrageous DJs - "Mick and Allen" of KBER/
KURR.
Most innovative DJs - "Fisher, Todd and Erin" on KISN-FM.
Most improved morning show of 1996 - "Dickie Shannon and the Morning Maniacs" on KODJ.
Most traditional DJs - Len Allen and Arnie Wheeler of KLO, who still run a full-service radio station, dress in suits and answer their own telephones.
Most irritating thing in radio - KUBL and other stations still using the word "new" after many months of a format change.
Most threatening DJ nickname - "Uncle Nasty," evenings on KBER.
Most successful format change - KMXB switching to KENZ and modern music.
Most generous radio stunt - KRKR playing 10,000 consecutive songs without a commercial as a new radio station.
Most outrageous on-air event - FM-107.9, the new KRKR, playing all-Christmas music for several days in June before its format change.
Most clever stunt - KBEE's "Sleepless for Seattle" contest for a trip to a Utah Jazz playoff game in Seattle.
Most daring stunt - KBER's Mick Martin goes skydiving in Las Vegas with an Elvis team on March 22.
Most refreshing weekday evening DJ - Candice Holdaway on KSFI.
Most refreshing weekend evening DJ - "Mister West" on KENZ.
Most sensational talk show host - Todd Herman, formerly of KCNR.
Most profane commercials - Ads by KXRK promoting their "X-Mart" and their "Big A" show.
Toughest DJ - Bob Nelson of KSFI, who still did regular broadcasts from home following a hit-and-run accident that shattered a leg and dislocated a shoulder.
Weirdest stunt - Rebecca Marshall of KBEE's "Wakeup Club," who had her body covered with Quaker Oatmeal in an early January promotion. It hardened so fast, fellow DJs had to call the oats company in an emergency to see how best to get it off her. (She left the station two months later for an out-of-state radio job.)