Rich Warren, longtime host of The Midnight Special, was named as Folk Broadcaster of the Year during the Third Annual Folk Alliance Awards, held on Feb. 20, the opening night of the 20th Annual International Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis, Tennessee.  Balloting was by members of the North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance.

The Midnight Special, which Warren has hosted for nearly 25 years, originates from the studios of WFMT (98.7 FM) in Chicago, Illinois, where it airs Saturdays from 9 p.m. to midnight (ET) and also streams online.  A two-hour national edition of the popular show that fuses folk music and farce, show tunes and satire, is syndicated at various times on dozens of radio stations across the country and also airs on XM Satellite Radio’s channel 15 (The Village).

Warren, whose interest in radio started at a young age, was on hand to personally accept the award.  The Evanston, Illinois native operated a radio station from his childhood bedroom with a toy transmitter connected to what he admits was an illegally long antenna for which he was ultimately reprimanded by the FCC.  His programming then, as now, consisted primarily of folk music and show tunes.  His associations with WFMT began while Warren was still in high school and helped the then-host of The Midnight Special find records and answer the phones on request night.  Over the years, he also has hosted and recorded numerous folk music concerts for the station and has reviewed folk music recordings for Sing Out! magazine.

Nearly 2,000 people converged on Memphis for four jam-packed days and nights featuring official and private artist showcases, keynote addresses by singer-songwriter Eliza Gilkyson and former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, an array of panel discussions and workshops, as well as a large exhibit hall and plenty of opportunities for networking and jamming.