WICHITA, Kan. — Eagle Media radio stations across Kansas earned 20 awards, including 10 first-place finishes, during the Kansas Association of Broadcasters' 2026 annual convention Monday, Oct. 19, at the Wichita Marriott.
The awards recognized outstanding work in broadcasting, including news, sports, severe weather coverage, commercial production, digital storytelling and on-air programming.
Eagle Media stations in Hays, Salina, Hutchinson and Great Bend were among those honored during the convention, which also marked the association's 75th anniversary.
The company's stations combined for 10 first-place awards, six second-place finishes and four honorable mentions across the medium- and small-market radio divisions.
Salina's KINA led Eagle Media stations with six awards, including three first-place finishes. Program Director Chris Cadle, along with storm reporters Randy Picking and Devin Hanney, received first place for complete severe weather coverage for their entry, "113 MPH Winds Hit Salina."
KINA also earned first place in multimedia and digital storytelling for "Dirty Watergate," produced by Cadle and News Director Nicolas Fierro. Cadle and Picking received another first-place award in the news feature category for "Dirty is the Water – City Commission v. The Citizens."
The Salina station added second-place finishes in commercial production, sports play-by-play and station excellence.
In Hays, KAYS received first-place honors for best morning show for "The Morning Blend," featuring Jeff Leiker. Leiker also earned first place in the special program category for his interview with the Spin Doctors. The station's Hays Post website received honorable mention for station website.
KJLS in Hays captured first place in the complete sportscast category for "KJLS Morning Sports," featuring Gerard Wellbrock.
Salina's KSKG earned first place in the DJ personality aircheck category for "Crusin' with Cadle," featuring Chris Cadle.
Hutchinson's KHUT earned the top two awards in the medium-market multimedia and digital promotional or commercial announcement category.
The station received first place for its PrairieStar Health Center entry, recognizing Ashley Weve, Sue Achilles, Karl Sneath and the Eagle Media team. KHUT also finished second for its "Graduation" entry, featuring Weve, Daren Dunn, Randy McKay, Casey Osburn and the Eagle Media team.
In Great Bend, KHOK claimed first place for best morning show in the small-market division. "Mornings with Shannon and Evan," featuring co-hosts Shannon Towns and Evan Wedel, received the honor.
Great Bend's KVGB earned first place in small-market sports play-by-play for its broadcast of Barton Community College basketball against Coffeyville, featuring Sports Director Brant Daughtry.
KVGB-AM also earned second place in spot news for its coverage of a Great Bend homicide investigation, featuring morning host Steve Webster.
Additional Eagle Media honors included a second-place special program award for Theresa Trapp of KHAZ in Hays for "Almost Willie." Trapp also received honorable mention in the DJ personality aircheck category for "A KZ Country Morning."
KKQY in Hill City received honorable mention in the special program category for "Game Day Live," featuring Mike Holliday, Dustin Armbruster, Gerard Wellbrock and Jonathan Zweygardt.
KFIX in Hays earned honorable mention in sports play-by-play for its Hays High basketball coverage featuring Armbruster.
The annual convention brought together broadcasting professionals from across Kansas for educational sessions, networking and industry discussions.
The day's activities began with a keynote address from Jeff Schmidt, titled "What Now? What Next?" The presentation focused on the changing media landscape and opportunities for local broadcasters to strengthen audience engagement, develop digital strategies and generate revenue.
Additional sessions covered news, sales, management, programming, engineering and legislative issues affecting the broadcasting industry.
The convention concluded with the Station Excellence Awards dinner and presentation Monday evening, recognizing broadcasters and stations for their contributions to the industry.
The Kansas Association of Broadcasters also recognized stations of the year, with KGGF-AM in Coffeyville earning medium-market radio honors and KLOE in Goodland receiving the small-market radio award.
Eagle Media's 2026 KAB Award Winners
First Place (10)
- KAYS — Hays: Best Morning Show — "The Morning Blend," Jeff Leiker.
- KAYS — Hays: Special Program — "Spin Doctors Interview," Jeff Leiker.
- KJLS — Hays: Complete Sportscast — "KJLS Morning Sports," Gerard Wellbrock.
- KSKG — Salina: DJ Personality Aircheck — "Crusin' with Cadle," Chris Cadle.
- KINA — Salina: Complete Severe Weather Coverage — "113 MPH Winds Hit Salina," Chris Cadle, Randy Picking and Devin Hanney.
- KINA — Salina: Excellence in Multimedia/Digital Storytelling — "Dirty Watergate," Chris Cadle and Nicolas Fierro.
- KINA — Salina: News Feature — "Dirty is the Water – City Commission v. The Citizens," Chris Cadle and Randy Picking.
- KHUT — Hutchinson: Excellence in Multimedia/Digital Promotional or Commercial Announcements — "PrairieStar Health Center," Ashley Weve, Sue Achilles, Karl Sneath and Eagle Media team.
- KHOK — Great Bend: Best Morning Show — "Mornings with Shannon and Evan," Shannon Towns and Evan Wedel.
- KVGB-FM — Great Bend: Sports Play-by-Play — "Barton BB vs Coffeyville," Brant Daughtry.
Second Place (6)
- KINA — Salina: Commercial — "Salina Speedway," Chris Cadle.
- KINA — Salina: Sports Play-by-Play — "Devin Hanney," Devin Hanney.
- KINA — Salina: Station Excellence — "KINA – A Beacon of Community Excellence," Chris Cadle.
- KHUT — Hutchinson: Excellence in Multimedia/Digital Promotional or Commercial Announcements — "Graduation," Ashley Weve, Daren Dunn, Randy McKay, Casey Osburn and Eagle Media team.
- KHAZ — Hays: Special Program — "Almost Willie," Theresa Trapp.
- KVGB-AM — Great Bend: Spot News — "GB Homicide Investigation," Steve Webster.
Honorable Mention (4)
- KAYS — Hays: Station Website — "Hays Post," KAYS News Department.
- KHAZ — Hays: DJ Personality Aircheck — "A KZ Country Morning," Theresa Trapp.
- KKQY — Hill City: Special Program — "Game Day Live," Mike Holliday, Dustin Armbruster, Gerard Wellbrock and Jonathan Zweygardt.
- KFIX — Hays: Sports Play-by-Play — "Hays High Basketball," Dustin Armbruster.