Here are some of the highs and lows of Salt Lake-area radio stations and personalities during 2006. My choices are listed first, followed by the most popular from a poll by the Web site utradioguide.com. (There were 29 who responded to the online poll, with a disproportionately high number of KWCR listeners.)
Best overall morning show: Me: "Radio from Hell," KXRK; Online: 1. "Radio from Hell" (Kerry, Bill and Gina), KXRK; 2. (tie) Grant and Amanda, KSL, and Jay Parker, KUDD ("The Mix")
Most entertaining morning show: Me: "Radio from Hell," KXRK; Online: 1. Jay Parker, KUDD ("The Mix"); 2. "Radio from Hell," KXRK
Best news show: Me: KSL staff; Online: 1. "Shift Crashers" (Mike and Kurtis), KWCR (FM-88.1); 2. (tie) KSL morning team and "Scott and Maria," KSL
Friendliest morning radio show: Me: (tie) Mark and Gayle show and Danny Kramer show, both on KDYL; Online: 1. "Johnson and Johnson," KUBL; 2. Jay Parker, KUDD
Best midday DJ: Me: Shawn Stevens, KBEE; Online: 1. Marci, KHTB ("The Blaze")
Best afternoon DJ: Me: (tie) "Rockin' Rob" on KODJ and Mick and Allen on KBER; Online: 1. (tie) "Outlaw" Pat Garrett, KUBL; "Big Rog," KHTB; "Flip," KWCR; and "Mark the New Guy," KWCR
Best evening DJ: Me: Michael Kane, KBZN; Online: 1. (tie) Ethan Daniels, KSFI; Victor Cade, KHTB; "Darby," KBER; Gary Michaels, KRSP
Best weekend DJ: Me: Rick Shane, KBEE; Online: 1. (tie) "Wes," KUDD; "Scooter B," KBEE; "Mad Prophet," KWCR; "M.J.," KXRK; and Rick Shane, KBEE
Best talk-show host: Me: Doug Wright, KSL; Online: 1, Tom Barberi, formerly on FM-97.5; 2. (tie) Doug Wright KSL and Doug Fabrizio, KUER
Best traffic reporter: Me: "General Gridlock" on KUBL and other stations. Online: 1. "JT, the Traffic Babe," KXRK and other Simmons Media stations; 2. "General Gridlock," KUBL
Best newscaster(s): Me: Dan Bammes, KUER; Online: 1. Dan Bammes, KUER; 2. (tie) Lara Jones, KCPW; Tim Hughes, KSL; and Mary Richards, KSL
Best local radio sports show: Me: "Manly Morning Show" (David James and Patrick Kinahan), KZNS; Online: 1. (tie) Matt Thomas, formerly on KALL; "Hardball," KFNZ; "Jazz Talk," KFNZ and "Riding the Pine," KFNZ
Best overall voice(s): Me: Bob Nelson, KSFI; Online: 1. A total of 12 DJs got one vote each
Sexiest male voice(s) Me: Not applicable; Online: 1. Jay Parker, KUDD
Sexiest female voice(s): Me: Peggy Ijams, KEGA, and Sue Kelley, KRSP; Online: 1. (tie) Erin Brady, KXRV and Marci, KHTB; 3. (tie) Sue Kelley, KRSP and Portia, KXRK
Most distinctive voice: Me: Artie Fufkin, KXRK; Online: 1. Mick Martin, KBER; 2. (tie) Artie Fufkin, KXRK; "Poetic C," KUUU; "Flip," KWCR; and "Mark the New Guy," KWCR
Best regular stunts: Me: "Johnson and Johnson," KUBL; Online: 1. (tie) "Z-Morning Zoo," KZHT and Jay Parker, KUDD
Best single stunt: Me: "Scot and Erica" on KOSY for a Christmas music stunt for April Fool's that aired on March 31; Online: none listed
Most risque radio show, syndicated or local: Me: Mancow, formerly on FM-97.5; Online: 1. Shift Crashers," KWCR; 2. "Lovelines," KBER
Best radio change of the year: Me: KSL "Nightside" show begins; Online: 1. Changes at KXRK, "The River"
Worst radio change of the year: Me: TJ Evans and Shotgun Jackson leaving KUBL.; Online: 1. Early season holiday music; 2. (tie) Departure of Matt Thomas, KALL, Tom Barberi, FM-97.5 and T.J. Evans from KUBL
Best single performance: Me: KXRK rated as one of top 5 U.S. rock stations by Rolling Stone; Online: 1. (tie) Effort by KXRK summer interns; Jon Carter on KRSP playing the harmonica; and Jay Parker's bison thing on KUDD
Best new station: Me: KYMV, FM-100.7. Online: 1; KYMV, FM-100.7
Most underrated DJ: Me: Bob Nelson, KSFI; Online: 1. Jay Parker, KUDD; 2. "Country Joe" on KKAT
Most underrated station: Me: (tie) KBEE and KBZN; Online: 1. KWCR, FM-88.1, WSU, Ogden; 2. KKAT, FM-107.5.
Best regular contests: Me: KRSP; Online: 1. KRSP
Best contest of the year: Me: "Utah's Unluckiest Couple" event for "Johnson and Johnson," on KUBL for Friday, Oct. 13; Online: 1. "Lady Tron" ticket giveaway, KWCR
Best program director: Me: Sue Kelley, KRSP; Online: 1. Todd Nuke'em, KXRK
Nicest DJ: Me: Danny Kramer, KDYL; Online: 1. "The Maestro," KWCR; 2. (tie) Bill West, KSFI and "Country Joe," KKAT.
Most improved station in 2006: Me: (tie) KODJ and KUBL; Online: 1. KWCR; 2. KHTB
Most surprising change of 2006: Me: The demise of talk radio on FM-97.5; Online: 1. The demise of talk radio on FM-97.5;
Most irritating thing in local radio: Me: (tie) Long blocks of commercials and technical delay of live signal with digital radio; Online: 1. Commercials; 2. Lots of things mentioned, ranging from "sameness" among stations, to early holiday music to song requests not done, to awful business jingles, to too much on the personal lives of DJs
Hardest-working DJ(s): Me: "Johnson and Johnson," KUBL; Online: 1. "Big Rog," KHTB, FM-94.9; 2. Kevin Cruise, KUUU
Biggest loss(es) of 2006: Me: Tom Barberi of FM-97.5, Doug Miller's untimely death; Bruce Jones leaving KENZ; and Dain Craig departing from KSFI; Online: 1. (tie) Tom Barberi from FM-97.5 and the demise of KUTR
DJ(s) who should talk more: Me: "Country Joe" of KKAT; Online: 1. "The Maestro," KWCR; 2. (tie) Gina Barberi, KXRK, Erin Brady, KXRV, "Mick and Allen," KBER, Jay Parker, KUDD, and "Monroe," KZHT
DJ(s) who should talk less: Me: "Kerry and Bill," KXRK; Online: 1. Jimmy Chunga, KENZ; 2. Brad Denney, KWCR
The Deseret Morning News and KSL Newsradio 1160 are involved in an ongoing news-gathering partnership.
E-mail: lynn@desnews.com