Z102.9 duo named Iowa ‘Broadcaster of the Year’

CEDAR RAPIDS — Clare Duffy and Eric Hanson of radio station KZIA FM/Z102.9 were named 2022 Iowa Broadcaster of the Year last week during the Iowa Broadcasters Association’s convention in Altoona.

This is the first time Broadcaster of the Year has been given to co-winners. The award, presented annually since 1975, honors the “best of the best” in Iowa’s broadcast industry.

Duffy and Hanson co-host “The Morning Scramble” from 6 to 10 a.m.

The show debuted in September 2018 as only the third morning show since KZIA’s launch in 1998.

The two have hosted events such as Gown Town, a regional, free prom dress pop-up shop; Good Morning Cedar Rapids with the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance; and KZIA’s annual Wedding Show.

“Our morning show wasn’t even two years old when we had to adapt to the pandemic, safely separating studios and using Zoom just to see each other while hosting our four-hour show,” Duffy said in a media release.

Chris Jackson, KZIA’s operation manager, said the duo’s chemistry has matured exponentially.

“Their growth and evolution in under four years is not typical in this industry. They were a young morning show that was quickly shaped through disaster and now they continue to provide a daily balance of normalcy, levity, positivity and community love to an ever-growing and loyal audience.”