KB101 in Bemidji Wins Seventh NAB Crystal Radio Award

KB101 in Bemidji was named one of 10 winners of the 2026 National Association of Broadcasters Crystal Radio Awards on March 3, 2026, a recognition tied directly to the station’s around-the-clock coverage and relief work following the June 21, 2025 derecho that devastated the city. Mayor Jorge Prince praised the station’s emergency role, noting it kept people informed about emergency directions, resources, shelter locations and power restoration, and residents can expect KB101 to remain a local source for those updates.

The Crystal Awards honor year-round commitment to community service; the program dates to 1987 and this year’s winners were selected from 50 finalists by a panel representing the broadcast industry, community service organizations and public relations firms. KB101’s 2026 award is the station’s seventh Crystal Award overall, with wins “going back to 1994,” and follows a 2011 Crystal Heritage Award the station received after earning five Crystal Awards.

The 2026 winners were announced at the NAB State Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C., held at the Salamander and attended by upward of 500 broadcasters, according to industry reporting. The conference opened with a reception timed alongside iHeartMedia’s Q4 2025 earnings call; Radio & Television Business Report said a group photo of winners will be released later.

Local leaders and partner organizations highlighted KB101’s service work beyond storm coverage. Paul Bunyan Broadcasting stations, including KB101, have run programs such as the Radiothon To End Child Abuse and Stuff A Truck collection drives, and supported United Way campaigns, according to station and local reporting. Andrea Kent, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club, said the station’s staff “are ALWAYS doing something for the community,” and Denae Alamano of the United Way of Bemidji Area called KB101 “a community partner, a connector and a trusted friend to everyone in Bemidji.”

Station management framed the award as recognition of emergency-era efforts. Bruce McKirdy, general manager of Paul Bunyan Broadcasting, said, “I’m deeply grateful to be recognized for the work we have done to serve our community during a difficult time, and excited that we were noticed and honored by our peers nationwide.” Local accounts reported KB101 led fundraising for relief and tree restoration after the June 21, 2025 storm, though those reports did not list dollar totals.

Industry listings show KB101 joining major-market winners in 2026, including stations in Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Houston, Omaha and Minneapolis–St. Paul. Radio & Television Business Report’s winners list names KBHP-FM, Bemidji, among the 10 stations and assigns ownership to Hubbard Broadcasting; local outlets and station materials identify KB101 as part of Paul Bunyan Broadcasting and cite Bruce McKirdy as general manager, a discrepancy noted in industry and local reporting.

KB101’s record with the NAB stretches back through archived material that credits the station with expansive community fundraising and public affairs work in 2009, including $759,876 raised for community organizations and 16,560 pounds of food collected, details preserved in NAB historical materials. With seven Crystal Awards and recent recognition at the 2026 NAB conference, the Bemidji station heads into its next community campaigns with renewed national attention.