Fitz Named New Host For Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40
Hubbard radio personality Fitz has been appointed as the permanent host for Bob Kingsley‘s Country Top 40, following the passing of the legendary radio personality Bob Kingsley earlier this month. Fitz will become the third host in the 45-year history of the national radio show.
Fitz will begin his first show in his new role on Jan. 4-5, 2020.
Hubbard Radio and Nan Kingsley’s KCCS Production have inked a multi-year partnership to launch the new Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40 with Fitz on over 300 stations worldwide. The show will also feature audio from the Kingsley Archives. Skyview Networks will exclusively lead network sales and will oversee the show’s distribution. Following Kingsley’s commitment to new music discovery, the show will continue to showcase the entire Top 40.
“I listened to Bob Kingsley every weekend when I was a kid,” commented Fitz. “His loss is still sinking in, but I am honored to be taking the reins from the man who instilled in me a lifelong love of country music and the love of the ‘countdown.’ This moment is surreal, and I do not take the responsibility lightly. I am excited and honored to carry his torch and hope that I can do for the next generation of country music fans, what the legendary Bob Kingsley, did for me. I am grateful to Nan Kingsley and hope to make her and Bob proud!”
“Bob and I built a family business working alongside one another for more than 30 years. After spending time with [Hubbard Radio CEO] Ginny Morris and her stellar team discussing their business philosophy, it was very evident to me that Hubbard is the perfect partner to continue the legacy of the countdown show Bob led for 45 years,” stated Nan Kingsley, President/CEO of KCCS Productions. “Having the chance to sit with Fitz, who so eloquently shared his passion for Bob and the show, leaves me feeling excited and encouraged about the next iteration of Country Top 40.”
Fitz, who currently hosts The Fitz Show, The Hit List with Fitz, and Nashville Minute with Fitz, will begin to transition many of the 85 stations airing his weekend countdown show (The Hit List with Fitz) to the Country Top 40 franchise effective in January 2020.
Bob Kingsley’s longtime production team, including Producer Ken Halford, Chief Engineer Roger Ramsey, GM & Affiliate Sales Lead Shawn Studer, Associate Producer & Archivist Barbara Lyon, and Nashville-based interviewer and writer Deborah Evans-Price will remain intact and continue curating the show. It was also announced that Rob Simbeck, a longtime interviewer and writer for Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40 and a close friend of Kingsley’s, has decided to retire from Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40 after nearly 25 years with the company.
Bob Kingsley became country music’s first nationally syndicated personality in the late 1970s. Together with his wife and business partner Nan, Bob built the largest independently owned and operated audio archive in country music history, with more than 10,000 hours of produced content and an additional 18,000 hours of interviews dating back to 1967.
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