Rob and Hilary Morning Show of the Year

Rob and Hilary’s main goal for 2017 was to entrench their morning show in the forefront of the local community.  The Morning Show believes that being a part of the community is more than just a clever line included in an ABBY Award essay; it’s more than just mentioning community events on the air. A morning show needs to actively seek out, and become a part of, the fabric of Central Alabama.   

Serving as the president of the executive board for the Exceptional Foundation, Rob has a personal investment in the organization’s mission. This year Rob and Hilary emcee’d the Chili Cook-off, helping raise over $100,000!

And then, there’s the Children’s Miracle Network Radiothon where Rob and Hilary turned their entire morning show into an effort to raise money for sick children.  They broadcasted live from Children’s Hospital in Birmingham for two straight days and interviewed survivors/current patients from Children’s Hospital in hopes of raising money for the organization.  Overall, the effort raised thousands of dollars for Children’s Miracle Network.  If our children are the future, Rob and Hilary, in two days, helped to make that future significantly brighter.

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is an annual “can’t miss” event as well. This year it raised almost $1,000,000 for breast cancer research, education and screening. Rob and Hilary love to emcee Race for the Cure and help lead the crowd in warm ups before the race!

In December, the duo again turned over the airwaves to raise money for Magic 96’s Christmas Wish program.  The program auctions off local business items to raise money to help those who need it most in Birmingham, nominated by their friends, family or neighbors. This year, the duo broadcasted the auction for two days, and raised over $13,000.  The money was then given back to families in Birmingham by granting $500 wishes.  Over 30 families benefited from Christmas Wish and had a little extra help this Christmas Season.

It’s easy to see that Rob and Hilary have made a significant impact on the local community.  Their willingness to be woven into the fabric of the Birmingham area shows that they’ve accomplished a goal that’s easy to say, but hard to do. And with all the community service Rob and Hilary participate in, you might overlook the fact that they also have an entertaining and listener centered morning show.

It has become clear to everyone in the radio broadcasting industry that people are using radio differently than they have before.  The studies along with PPM data continue to show that when people get media when and where they want it, in a quick and up to date way that many morning shows have been slow to adopt.  Every break on their morning show has a point and a reason for the listeners to turn up their dials.

Their listeners play a big part of each show, calling to comment on topics ranging from parenting techniques and relationship issues to controversial news stories. Rob and Hilary give their listeners a judgement free platform to share their own experiences.  A segment that has quickly caught listeners’ attention is “Rob and Hilary’s Confession Sessions” that allows callers to remain anonymous and ask for advice regarding a personal predicament.   

While covering current events that sometimes take a negative turn, Rob and Hilary strive to maintain positivity by sharing a “feel good” story called “Tell Me Something Good”. Another segment that their listeners enjoy is “Rob and Hilary’s Highs and Lows”, which highlight light-hearted blunders and uplifting stories.

Rob and Hilary host a daily segment called “Hollywood 411” with quick stories of the freshest celebrity gossip, because we all hate to admit it, but we do care about our celebrities. There’s also great original content like celebrity interviews.

The morning show’s track record shows they regularly help to amplify local charitable efforts and genuinely care about the well being of the citizens of Birmingham.  The show strives to give Birmingham listeners what they want, with the latest celebrity gossip, compelling celebrity interviews, and a healthy dose of fun for listeners to participate in.  Rob and Hilary deserve to be named Morning Show of the Year because of all these reasons, but most of all, because they “are” Central Alabama.