Decades of Connecticut radio history were on stage Wednesday night. Three radio figures joined the Connecticut Broadcasters Association’s Hall of Fame, and the annual awards celebrated the stations and talent shaping markets large and small.
Three of the five Hall of Fame inductees come from radio.
Mike Lapitino marked 40 years at 99.1 WPLR in 2026, joining the station in 1986. His radio career began Memorial Day weekend in 1976. For 29 years, he has hosted the Mike Lapitino Golf Tournament, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for women’s health care, including breast cancer awareness, throughout Connecticut.
Courtney Nadeau has spent more than 30 years at KISS 95.7 (WKSS), starting as part of the station’s morning team with Ross Brittain. She hosts Courtney & KISS in the Morning on weekday mornings in Hartford.
Mike Rice, a broadcast engineer, was President of Nutmeg Broadcasting Company, which his family operated as owners of WILI-AM and WILI in Willimantic for 46 years before selling the stations to Hall Communications in 2005. Rice served as CBA Chair in 2000-2001 and as president through 2013, and was active in national industry efforts on FCC technical and regulatory issues. In 2012, he helped provide statewide updates on stations’ efforts to stay on the air during Hurricane Sandy.
The television inductees are Keith Kountz and Bob Maxon. Kountz joined WTNH in 1987 and in 1999 became the first Black person to serve as the primary anchor of an evening newscast at a Connecticut television station. Maxon joined NBC Connecticut in 1995 and has been on its morning news, with a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology from Cornell University.
On the radio side, the CBAs went to:
- Station of the Year: 92.5 WWYZ
- Best Air Personality: Adam Rivers, WKSS and KC101 (WKCI)
- Best Morning Show: Anna & Raven, WEZN
- Best Talk Show: Nighttime Neighbors, WTIC-AM
- Best News Reporter: Daniela Doncel, CT Public (WNPR)
- Best Non-Commercial Station: CT Public (WNPR)
- College Radio Excellence Award: WWUH, University of Hartford
- Best Community Initiative or Station Promotion: Holiday Stores, WTIC-AM
Connecticut Broadcasters Association President Jennifer Parsons commented, “The CBAs and Hall of Fame Induction evening give us a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the incredible talent and dedication of Connecticut’s radio and television professionals. It’s exciting to see our stations come together, enjoy a little friendly competition, and celebrate each other’s accomplishments. We don’t often have the chance to bring so many people from across our industry together in one room, and that makes this evening especially meaningful. It’s a night to recognize the work we do, the people who make Connecticut broadcasting so special, and the strong sense of community that connects us all.”
