SAN FRANCISCO, March 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TuneIn, the world’s leader in live audio, announced today that the team behind The BIG 615, the leading global country music station on the platform, took home top honors at the annual Country Radio Seminar (CRS). Host Storme Warren and Music Director Monta Vaden were honored alongside other country radio pros from coast to coast with the CRS/Country Aircheck Awards.

Warren and The BIG 615’s The Storme Warren Show were named this year’s top daily National Personality/Show. Vaden was named the leading National Programmer/Curator, marking the first time a woman has won the prestigious award. Both were first-time nominees among radio veterans from across the country. Winners were selected by members of the country music industry in voting conducted before CRS.

Additionally, Warren was a recipient of this year’s Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award in recognition of his years of service to a variety of causes, including The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project, Operation Song and ACM Lifting Lives. Throughout his career, it’s estimated that Warren’s charitable work has cumulatively raised nearly $50 million while also building awareness. The merit-based award recognizes individuals in the country radio industry who demonstrate a magnanimous spirit of caring and generosity in serving their community.

“I am proud of Storme – his humanitarian side has been there as long as I’ve known him. And I am proud of Monta for her tireless hours and her love for Country Music,” said SEVENS Radio Network creator Garth Brooks. “But I’m also very proud of the members of the country music industry who voted and made Monta the first female ever to win this award. She is breaking barriers for all the hard-working women in this business.”

“Sometimes good things happen to good people. And sometimes people just ‘get it right.’ And this is one of those times,” said Bob Richards, program director for The BIG 615.

The BIG 615 has quickly climbed to the top with fans around the globe tuning in to hear its diverse selection of country music hits and interviews with host Storme Warren and superstar artists like Dolly Parton, Brothers Osborne, Brad Paisley, Lainey Wilson and Luke Grimes, among others. Since its launch in June 2023, millions of listeners have tuned in to hear The BIG 615 and Warren.

Warren and Vaden are part of The BIG 615 and SEVENS Radio Network team that Brooks assembled less than a year ago to play a part in his dream of launching a truly global country music station in conjunction with TuneIn.

“Garth had a vision for this station from the very beginning and assembled a tremendous team at The BIG 615 to make this vision a reality, and it’s clearly working and resonating with listeners,” said Rich Stern, CEO of TuneIn. “It’s an honor to work alongside this team to bring this station to listeners around the globe. Huge congrats to Monta, Storme and the entire SEVENS team.”

The BIG 615 and The Storme Warren Show are available to stream on TuneIn at tunein.com/TheBIG615. To learn more about TuneIn and The BIG 615, visit TuneIn.com.

About TuneIn:
TuneIn, the world’s leader in live audio, brings together live sports, news, music, audiobooks, podcasts and radio from around the globe, empowering listeners to ‘hear’ what they love wherever ‘here’ might be. With more than 75 million monthly active users and distribution across 200 platforms and connected devices, TuneIn is one of the most widely used streaming audio platforms in the world. TuneIn Premium subscribers get live MLB, NFL, NHL and college sports programming, exclusive access to commercial-free news from top networks like CNN, Fox News Radio, MSNBC, CNBC and Bloomberg and commercial-free music channels to fit any mood. For more information, please visit us at www.tunein.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

About Garth Brooks:
Garth Brooks just opened his brand new bar on Lower Broadway in Nashville, Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky-Tonk. The opening was celebrated with a Dive Bar concert on Black Friday that streamed exclusively on Amazon. He also just released a new boxed set, "The Limited Series," which is the third and final in the series and contains Garth's 14th studio album, Time Traveler. The boxed set is exclusively on sale at Bass Pro Shops. Garth has returned to radio with the SEVENS Radio Network on TuneIn. So far, the announced stations include The BIG 615 with Storme Warren, Tailgate Radio with Maria Taylor and The Garth Channel. He currently has a residency, Garth Brooks/Plus ONE at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. 2023 completely sold out, dates for 2024 are currently on sale.

In 2022, Garth completed the three and a half year long Stadium Tour. It drew an average of more than 95 thousand people in each city it played and was seen by a cumulative audience of nearly three-million people. The tour ended that September when Garth played the fifth sold-out concert at Dublin, Ireland’s Croke Park. The five concerts were seen by over 400-thousand people. Garth has received every accolade you can bestow on an artist. Garth has received The Kennedy Center Honor, the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, seven CMA Entertainer of the Year honors and nine Diamond Awards. He remains the #1-selling solo artist in U.S. history, certified by the RIAA with 157 million album sales.

Media Contact For TuneIn:
Angela Petersen
SamsonPR
Angela@SamsonPR.com

Public Relations Contact for Garth Brooks:
Nancy Seltzer
Nancy Seltzer & Assoc. Inc
323-938-3562
nseltzer@nsapr.com