Weekend Update

Coming: 'Rock All Night' with Mikey Esparza, Russ Mottla Veteran major-market personality Mikey Esparza partners with Rock programmer Russ Mottla for a return to radio as co-hosts of Envisage Radio's syndicated Classic Rock show "Rock All Night" -- which will air live from 12midnight-6am weekdays, starting in July. Esparza is best known as "Mikey" from his time in mornings at KEGL-FM, Dallas; KBZT-FM and KIOZ-FM in San Diego; and KSJO-FM, San Jose. He hosted "The Mikey Show" for nine years in nights and five years in mornings. "I am unbelievably excited to get back behind a microphone, and I'm equally excited to play the music I love while being able to do the creative, engaging radio that 'The Mikey Show' was so popular for," says Esparza. "I had a blast doing mornings and I broke into radio doing overnights. The late night audience is a lot of fun, and I can't wait to have fun with them." Mottla, with over 25 years in Rock radio, has served as Program Director for WIYY-FM, Baltimore, and WFNX-FM, Boston. He was also Operations Manager and PD at Alternative WDRE-FM, Long Island. He's also worked at WAAF-FM and WZLX-FM in Boston. Says Mottla, "Since I was a kid growing up in Boston listening to Larry Glick's overnight show on WBZ, I've realized the special relationship a station can develop with its listeners during the late night and how that one show made me a WBZ listener. Consequently, I have always wanted to develop that kind of show for music radio and by finding Mikey tending to kelp beds right here in San Diego, I've found the perfect partner to achieve that goal." WGN-AM Wins IBA 'Chicago Station of the Year' Tribune's News Talk WGN-AM has won top honors at the 2013 Illinois Broadcasters Association Silver Dome Awards. For a sixth consecutive year, the IBA awarded "WGN Radio 720" the Chicago Market Station of the Year designation at the annual IBA awards ceremony. WGN-AM also received first-place in five categories -- major market personality for Mike McConnell, best newscast for Judy Pielach, best station website for wgnradio.com, best play-by-play team for Chicago Cubs broadcasters Pat Hughes and Keith Moreland, and best humorous commercial for “Chicago Food and Wine,” produced by Jason Skaggs. “It is a great honor to receive the award for Chicago Market Station of the Year by the Illinois Broadcasters Association,” says WGN Radio President/General Manager Jimmy de Castro . “To be recognized by our industry peers is a reflection of the tremendous talent and dedication from our staff to continue to provide the quality of programming our community expects from WGN Radio.” WGAC-AM-FM Named 'Georgia Station of the Year' Beasley Broadcast Group News Talk WGAC-AM-FM, Augusta, has been named "Radio Station of the Year" by the Georgia Association of Broadcasters for a 12th year in a row. New this year, WGAC was honored in the large-market category. For the past 11 years, WGAC was awarded Radio Station of the Year in the medium-market category. Says VP and Market Manager Kent Dunn, "I am extremely proud of the WGAC-AM-FM staff for bringing home our 12th consecutive Gabby for 'Radio Station of the Year.' This year is even more special due to the added competition of being placed in the division that includes stations in Atlanta." Program Director Harley Drew adds, "This is the 12th year in a row that we have won, but this award is even more exciting for us because we were, for the first time, compared to every station in Georgia -- including the big boys in Atlanta! Being placed in the large-market category makes the award extra sweet to us. It also makes all the hard work we put forth to excel in every area very much worth it. Needless to say, we are very, very happy!"