The Alaska Broadcasters Association is honoring two members of the Last Frontier’s radio community.
Kim Williams, iHeartMedia area president for Alaska, was named the 2026 ABA Broadcaster of the Year.
Williams oversees six radio stations in Anchorage — KASH(FM), KBFX(FM), KENI(AM), KGOT(FM), KTZN(AM) and KYMG(FM) — and four in Fairbanks — KAKQ(FM), KFBX(AM), KIAK(FM) and KKED(FM).
She has served in every executive role on the ABA Board of Directors, including multiple terms as president.
“Through her leadership, volunteer service and commitment to Alaska broadcasting, she has strengthened the industry and the communities it serves,” the ABA said in a release.
Williams holds a master’s degree in professional communication and is a graduate of Baylor University and the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Also, the ABA will induct J.R. Lewis into its Hall of Fame on Nov. 13. Lewis becomes the 80th member of the hall, which was established in 1985.
Lewis owns and operates KLAM(AM) and KCDV(FM) in Cordova, where he was twice named Cordova Chamber of Commerce Member of the Year.
He also produces and hosts “Interior Insights,” a podcast focused on news and stories from Alaska’s interior, where his family resides in Fairbanks. Alaska television viewers may also recognize Lewis from his time as a morning news anchor for KTVF(TV).
According to the ABA, Lewis received an early start in the industry when his father, Jay Lewis — a 2005 ABA Hall of Fame inductee — recruited him for voiceover work at age 3.
