Tim Hughes has one of the golden voices of Utah — and the world. That status has been reaffirmed now that he has been selected to be a voice for the next Olympic Games in Greece.
Hughes, a former daily personality on several stations— and the voice at the Medals Plaza during the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City — will be working with the Athens Olympics Games this summer, plus the NBC Olympic Division, as an English voice for the boxing venues.
He will travel to Greece May 20-31 as part of an Olympic test event at the venue with some of the international boxers participating. "It will give all of us an idea of what to expect during the games in August," Hughes said.
NBC is also using him as back-up for the promo/billboard voice of its cable networks, including MSNBC and CNBC, which he also handled in 2002.
In addition, Hughes will be calling in daily reports on various Olympic events to KSL (AM-1160). "I've already had inquiries about 2006 in Torino, Italy, and 2008 in China — we'll just have to see if I'm still in my 'world-class' form by then," he joked.
Hughes still has a voice studio in his West Jordan home and markets his voice talent with his own "On the Spot Voiceovers" company.
A Pocatello native, Hughes has almost 30 years of broadcast experience. His first big break was at KSL, from 1988-93, when he was a co-host with Maria Shilaos. He also worked at KSOP — twice, for a total of nine years — and at KALL and KNRS.
Currently, he hosts "Utah Outdoors" on KSL each Saturday from 6-8 a.m., an independent program he does in partnership with Utah Outdoors Magazine.
FM-101.9 UPDATE — The former KKAT has ended its promotions of sister station KUBL (FM-93.3). The station was just airing loop tapes referring listeners to the other station. However, FM-101.9 is now a simulcast of all-sports station KFNZ ("K-FAN," AM-1320). This dual broadcast will last for an undetermined amount of time.
NEW BOOK FOR DJ: What if you wrote a new book and it was "rated F?" That's actually the title of a new novel by KJQN radio DJ "Todd Nuke 'Em" (Todd Noker).
Why the "Rated F" title? The main character in the satirical book edits out the naughty parts of movies, turning R-rated movies into family films, which quickly turns his struggling video-rental business into a successful enterprise, though it soon takes a turn for the worse. The new book sells for $12.95.
Todd has written two other books, "Terms of the Innocents" and "Path of Totality."
KJQN is bringing the original MTV VJ — Nina Blackwood — to Salt Lake City later this month, to launch her syndicated radio program, "New Wave Nation." This will be a three-hour program that will air Saturday evenings from 9 p.m. to midnight on KJQN (FM-100.7/103.1 and 105.1) .
Blackwood will introduce the Wasatch Front to her program on the "Jeff and Jones" morning show on Friday, May 28. "KJQ" will then air her hew syndicated show each Saturday night at 9 p.m.
RADIO HAPPENINGS — "New" is the most overused radio word out there. KUBL and KURR are the latest stations to tout that they are new, whatever that may mean.
— KENZ (FM-107.5) started using the nickname "The End" years ago, for its last place on the dial location. However, KUDD ("Power 107.9") is actually the last place on the local radio dial now.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com