PHOENIX, Ariz. – April 14, 2021 – iHeartMedia’s 104.7 KISS-FM Phoenix - The Valley's #1 Hit Music Station - announced today that this month marks the 20^th anniversary of “The Johnjay & Rich Show.” The popular program launched on April 9, 2001 on KRQQ in Tucson, Ariz., and moved to its current flagship 104.7 KISS-FM in 2006, where it continues to be ranked No. 1. (Source: Nielsen Audio, FEB’21 & FA’20, MSA, Exact Times, AQH Rank, W18-34).

Airing Monday through Friday from 5 to 10 a.m. MT, “The Johnjay & Rich Show” is a non-stop blend of pop culture, news and events, welcoming a wide range of music artists, newsmakers and celebrities. Joined on-air by Kyle and Suzette, the show is a special brand of “reality radio,” with listeners engaged and interacting with the crew via every form of social media - Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, email and text messaging.  Their style means humor comes from any and every direction.  

Premiere Networks, a division of iHeartMedia, added “The Johnjay & Rich Show” to its national lineup in 2014 and the program can be heard on 25 stations nationwide in markets including Portland, Oreg., Tucson, Ariz., Bakersfield, Calif., Colorado Springs, Colo., Ft. Collins, Colo., and Springfield, Mo. The program can also be heard on iHeartRadio, with additional content available via the After Words podcast.

“iHeart has been my home for the past 20 years, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to continue to learn, laugh and #LoveUp alongside Rich, Kyle, Suzette and our listeners,” shared Johnjay Van Es. “I’m living out my childhood dream and I have the biggest audio company in the world to thank for that. I’m humbled by the continued support, guidance and vision of Bob Pittman, Kevin LeGrett, Linda Little, Steve Geofferies, John Ivey and Dennis Clark. and I’m thankful for everyone at iHeart for believing in our show.”

 “Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen our babies be born and turn into adults, and a few Presidents have come and gone, but our audience has been along for the entire ride,” said Rich Berra. “iHeart has been behind us the whole way, pushing us to be our best. I couldn’t be more grateful for our incredibly dedicated team. My face still hurts from laughing at Johnjay more than anyone I’ve ever met.” 

 “Johnjay and Rich, and the entire show crew, have dedicated themselves to creating must-listen radio every morning for the past 20 years,” said Linda Little, iHeartMedia Region President, Phoenix. “From feeding frontline workers during the pandemic, to giving foster kids life-changing experiences, to finding forever homes for dogs, Johnjay and Rich demonstrate the power of radio every day, and we could not be prouder to celebrate this incredible milestone with them.”

In addition to hosting their daily radio show, Johnjay and Rich are dedicated to helping those less fortunate. The Arizona Broadcasting Hall of Famers created The Johnjay & Rich #LoveUp Foundation, a nonprofit organization that strives to be a force for positive change and impact the lives of children and adults in the community, with a primary focus on improving the quality of life for children living in the foster care system. The Foundation raises funds through the sale of #LoveUp t-shirts and merchandise, as well as private donors, corporate sponsorships and community grants. 

The organization was expanded with the creation of The #LovePup Foundation, a 501 c(3) that believes all dogs deserve the best possible home. Its programs focus on placement, shelter prevention and community partnerships. #LovePup helped more than 120 dogs find forever families in 2020. Plus, #LovePup’s It’s Hip to Chip program has microchipped more than 5500 dogs. Visit loveupfoundation.org for more information.

iHeartMedia Phoenix has a strong cross-platform presence and includes a number of iconic brands and franchises — both broadcast and digital — encompassing eight stations, including 104.7 KISS-FM, 102.5 KNIX, 99.9 KEZ, MIX 96.9, 95.5 The Mountain, NewsTalk 550 KFYI and FOX Sports 910.  

104.7 KISS-FM is the leading media outlet in the Phoenix market with multiple platforms, including its broadcast stations; live events; data; and its digital businesses and platforms, including mobile, social and its own iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s free all-in-one digital music, podcasting and live streaming radio service – with 3 billion app downloads and more than 145 million registered users.

About Johnjay and Rich
As a child, Johnjay Van Es always dreamed of being on the radio. He applied for an internship at 91X in San Diego in 1990 and eventually started working in sales for a number of radio stations, but he never let go of his lifelong dream to be on the air.  It wasn’t until 1996, after training with the LA-based improv troupe The Groundlings that he would get his first on-air job hosting a morning show on WKRQ in Cincinnati. After just three months on the air, he won the “Best of Cincinnati” award.  After years of dominating the market in Cincinnati, Johnjay moved on to Houston, Texas and made his mark in the Country format.

A St. Louis native, Rich Berra was captivated by radio at 14 during an afternoon bike ride. After stumbling upon a YMCA-owned radio station, KYMC, he’d found his calling in the studio and jumped on board as a part-time employee. By the time he was 17, Rich was running the entire station, while also working a part-time gig that kicked off his career in morning radio. WKBQ recruited Rich to produce morning shows for Big Ron O’Brien and Steve and DC.  In 1991, Rich caught the attention of Dave Shelly and Chainsaw at KGB in San Diego and, like his run in St. Louis, took the show from #10 to #1 in less than a year. After a successful stint in San Diego, the Texas-based Kidd Kraddick Show asked him to join their on-air team. Rich’s stretch on KISS in Dallas produced the highest ratings the station ever had in mornings. Cross-town rival rocker, The Eagle, snatched up Rich next, where he brought #1 ratings in mornings at the station for the first time ever.

A chance meeting in New Orleans found Rich teaming up with Johnjay.  The beginning of The Johnjay and Rich era began in 2001 with their first show airing on KRQQ in Tucson. In 2006, the program moved to its current flagship 104.7 KISS-FM in Phoenix. For more information or to find a station in your area, visit www.johnjayandrich.com. 

About iHeartMedia, Inc.
iHeartMedia Phoenix owns and operates 104.7 KISS-FM, 102.5 KNIX, 99.9 KEZ, MIX 96.9, 95.5 The Mountain, NewsTalk 550 KFYI and FOX Sports 910, and is part of iHeartMedia. iHeartMedia, Inc. [Nasdaq: IHRT] is the leading audio media company in America, reaching over 250 million people each month. It is number one in broadcast and streaming radio as well as podcasting and audio ad tech, and includes three segments: The iHeartMedia Multiplatform Group; the iHeartMedia Digital Audio Group; and the Audio and Media Services Group. Visit iHeartMedia.com for more company information.

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CONTACT
Rachel Nelson
Premiere Networks/iHeartMedia
rnelson@premierenetworks.com