Radio Hall of Fame announces full list of 2026 inductees

The Broadcast Communications Museum has announced eight new 2026 Radio Hall of Fame inductees. They will be recognized at the in-person 2026 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 8, at the Fairmont Hotel in Chicago.

The 2026 Radio Hall of Fame inductees are:

Six of the eight Hall of Fame inductees (Esiason, Kelly, Little, Smiley, Van Dyke and Winston) were selected from a list of 24 nominees by a voting panel of more than 950 industry experts. The remaining two inductees, Green and Pittman, were selected by the 2026 Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.

The secret ballot was conducted by Votem.com and supervised by Andrew Rosen of Miller Kaplan.

“Congratulations to the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees on this well-deserved recognition.” Craig KitchinRadio Hall of Fame co-chairs (along with Mr. Green) said in a statement. “Each of these Hall of Fame inductees performed at the highest level over an extended period of time, making our industry more impactful to listeners and advertisers as a result. We are thrilled to make this announcement and to see them properly recognized at the Hall of Fame ceremony scheduled for October of this year. We thank the 2026 Nominating Committee and hundreds of voting panel participants for confirming the 2026 Hall of Fame inductees.”

Kittin will be inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2024. In addition to his duties at the Radio Hall of Fame, Kittin has a 45-year career in the radio industry. He has managed the radio business and the careers of top radio personalities.

Fans and industry professionals can find more information, including photos of the inductees, on the Radio Hall of Fame site.

Tickets for the entrance ceremony are currently on sale on the same website. A portion of your ticket purchase will become a tax-deductible charitable donation to the Museum of Broadcast Communications, home of the Radio Hall of Fame.

The 2026 Radio Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Tribute Book ad is now available for purchase. For more information, please contact Linde Thurman at Linde@radiohalloffame.com.

The Radio Hall of Fame was established in 1988 by Emerson Radio Corporation. In 1991, the Broadcast Communications Museum took over management of the Hall of Fame.

For the record, here is the complete list of 2026 nominees: do not have Appointed this year: