Missoula Morning Show “The Chris and Ashley Show” Wins E.B. Craney Award

This past weekend, the Montana Broadcasters Association hosted the annual E.B. Craney Awards to "recognize excellence in local news, production, promotion, and public service."

The awards were held at Fairmont Hot Springs and welcomed broadcasters from all over the state. Chris and I were honored to attend as we were finalists for Radio On-Air Broadcaster of the Year.

READ MORE: The Chris and Ashley Show

The 2024 E. B. Craney Awards

Our colleague Peter Christian, host of Talk Back on KGVO, was awarded Runner-Up for Radio News Story of the Year.

Duane Williams, a long-time Montana broadcaster who has served the Libby community in many ways, was the 2024 inductee in the Montana Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

Posthumously, Ray Nicklay was awarded the Spirit of Broadcasting Award. He was a familiar news broadcaster in Missoula for decades and members of his family were there to accept the award on his behalf. The Spirit of Broadcasting Award is a newer award for broadcasters who provide service to their communities.

We are excited to share that The Chris and Ashley Show was not just a finalist, but we won the E.B. Craney Award for Radio On-Air Broadcaster of the Year.

The Chris and Ashley Show

While Chris has been in radio for decades and has won numerous broadcasting awards, and I have worked for Townsquare Media since 2019, I am new to broadcasting. When the opportunity to co-host the morning show on Z100 opened in the winter of 2022, I raised my hand.

I auditioned for the show during the Guerrilla Turkey Drive and Chris and I started to find our groove. By January of 2023, I officially joined the show. As we pointed out during the acceptance speech, we've only been working together for a year and a half but we're so grateful to each other to work together. And we're thrilled to have won an E.B. Craney Award.

It's a joy to begin our day laughing together and connecting with listeners across western Montana. Thank you again to the Montana Broadcasters Association and the Greater Montana Foundation. And thank you to our wonderful listeners.