Shaw Local Radio’s Dani Holland receives MusicRow Reporter of the Year honor

Dani Holland, program director for Shaw Local Radio and host at WALS 102, was named The MusicRow Reporter of the Year.

The award comes just a year after she attended the 2024 Country Radio Seminar in Nashville as the recipient of the 2024 Steve Ferguson CRS Scholarship.

Each week, radio stations in secondary markets across the country report their current playlists to the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart. These industry professionals serve as ambassadors for country music, helping to introduce new artists and songs to listeners across the nation, according to MusicRow.

At the annual CountryBreakout Awards, MusicRow not only honors the artists who made an impact on the chart in the prior year but also recognizes a standout station panelist who epitomizes the spirit of the CountryBreakout Radio Chart.

Since joining the MusicRow CountryBreakout Radio Chart panel, Holland has made it a priority to connect with promoters and listen to new music, ensuring that up-and-coming artists have a voice on country radio.

“I thoroughly enjoy chatting with all the promoters each week,” Holland said. “I love listening to all the new music and being able to highlight new talent on country radio. I do my best to set time aside each week to listen to all the music that’s given to me. I feel as though if a promoter is taking the time to call me and pitch an artist or new single, then I can take the time to listen and give my honest feedback. In doing so, I’ve discovered amazing new talent I would normally have never found and have made friends with the promoters who call me each week.”

Holland’s passion for radio began in high school, and she has never looked back.

“I got my first radio job when I was in high school and just fell in love with it and have been doing it ever since,” she said. “My favorite thing about radio is the connection to the music and my community. The connection you’re able to make with your listeners and with your community is rewarding, along with being able to discover, play and enjoy country music every day.”

Holland, who has been with WALS for nine years, got her start in radio at 15 years old in Kewanee, where she learned the ins and outs of production. She worked her way into a full-time position at WALS, ultimately landing the morning show slot as the host of “WALS Mornings With Dani.”

Holland graduated from Western Illinois University where she worked at the college radio station there. She worked at a few other markets prior to hitting the airwaves in the Illinois Valley. She now lives in Ladd.