BEST DJ / MORNING RADIO SHOW

John & Michelle In the Morning – WFMB

There was no doubt in the voting here. John Spaulding and Michelle Mitchell of WFMB’s “In the Morning” are by far the favorite morning radio show for Springfielders and readers of Illinois Times. John’s been in radio for more than 30 years, working his way to the top with many stops along the way before joining with Michelle to create the winning combo. Michelle, originally from St. Louis, brings just enough of her “big city” attitude to make the whole thing a lot of fun. Apart from being actually entertaining and genuinely witty (not easy and not a trait of all morning DJs), the two banter well, know the community well and just fit together well to make us feel comfortable listening – and that’s no easy feat early in the morning. They also know their country music and manage to sneak in some really good artists, not just the popular, flippant songs on the charts that Nashville churns out like so much fluff. For all those reasons and more, congratulations to John and Michelle for the good work and for being recognized for it. Other substantial vote-getters include Dave & Dina (WDBR), Free Beer & Hot Wings (WQLZ) and Molson & Josie (Alice at 97.7). Runner-up: The Morning Grind – 99.7 Kiss FM