CRB Names 2022 Scholarship & Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award Recipients

The 2022 Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award recipient and individuals selected to receive the Rusty Walker and Lisa McKay Women in Radio Scholarships have been unveiled by the Country Radio Broadcaster, Inc (CRB).

Heather Froglear has been named the 2022 Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award recipient. She will be recognized during the New Faces of Country Music show, held during CRS 2022.

Froglear has spent 28 years on the air at KFRG and currently sits on the Board of Directors for Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and the Country Radio Seminar’s Agenda Committee. She is the creator of K-Frogger’s for Kids Radiothon, benefiting Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. In its 20th year, the radiothon has cumulatively raised over $7 million. Froglear is also involved in several organizations, including Lifestream, the Riverside Police Officer’s Association, the American Cancer Society Inland Empire Chapter, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and more.

Each year, the Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award recognizes an individual in the country radio industry who has displayed a spirit of caring and generosity in service to their community. Named in honor of the CRB Board member, Rivers was known for his work at WQYK, Tampa/St. Petersburg and WUSN, Chicago, and was highly regarded for his public service.

“Heather is the kind of person this award was made for. She’s not about prestige or celebrity, but she has lots of both and personally commits to using them for good. The power of her empathy raises the lives of people who need her. And we all need people like her,” says CRB/CRS Board President Kurt Johnson. “CRS is proud to recognize Heather’s significant and very real service.”

Receiving the 2022 Rusty Walker Scholarship are Kyle Matthews (APD/MD, KFGE, Lincoln, NE), Spencer Campbell (Account Executive, WLVK Ft Knox, KY), and Morgan Taylor (On-Air Talent, KGRT, Las Cruces, NM), Set to receive the first-ever Lisa McKay Women in Radio Scholarship is Jacqueline Dunn Pailizzi (PM Drive and APD, WCJC, Marion, IN). Each recipient will receive complimentary registration, hotel, and airfare for CRS 2022 and will be recognized during CRS Honors, which kicks off the 3-day event.

“CRS has a decades-long mantra of ‘growth through sharing,’ and today’s award recipients fully live up to that spirit. Tom Rivers was an unselfish and empathetic broadcaster whose humanitarian acts were done with sincerity and humility. Heather Froglear is the perfect honoree for 2022 and lives up to Tom’s namesake and legacy, as her impressive list of initiatives proves,” adds CRS Executive Director, RJ Curtis. “Rusty Walker and Lisa McKay were two of our industry’s most passionate and involved mentors, encouraging younger broadcast professionals to learn, excel, and lead. CRS is proud to host these aspiring and deserving industry professionals in 2022, and we believe Rusty and Lisa would be proud.”

Walker was a Country Radio Hall of Fame inductee, an influential programmer and consultant, and mentor in the music industry. After his passing in 2012, the scholarship program was developed to continue his legacy of supporting bright, young minds in the business. Similarly, McKay successfully programmed WQDR/Raleigh for 16 years and was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2018. She was integral in helping the CRB launch the well-established annual Rusty Walker Scholarship program, formed to mentor up-and-coming programmers. The scholarship serves to advance younger females pursuing leadership roles in radio programming.

CRS will be held Wednesday, Feb. 23-25, and will feature educational panels, virtual networking, and workshops designed to provide instant, actionable takeaways.