2024 Radio Broadcaster of the Year

(Published August 2024)

Coreena Hazelett began her career in radio in 1992 with the iconic John Barger at KRIO/KONO San Antonio.

As a single mother of three boys, Coreena was Office Manager and handled AR/AP. 

“Coreena Hazelett has proven again-and-again that intelligent, good-spirited people don’t necessarily need a degree or a decade of experience to succeed and become effective leaders and a credit to our world,” Barger said.

In 1998, Coreena moved to Waterman Broadcasting’s KTSA/KTFM as Traffic Director. 

Seeing the income earned by salespeople, she applied for a sales position with General Manager Joe Ernest and Sales Management Consultant Rex Tackett.

“I counseled her not to get into sales…that time did not permit her to be trained…that there was a ‘high mortality’ rate of sales wannabes…that she would be out of a job,” Tackett said.  “She persisted. So, I gave her a few books on selling Radio and access to RAB. She read them all and more.  She was determined to succeed,”

“Coreena is a remarkable person. In 50 years, I’ve never seen anyone have greater success learning and starting from ‘zero’.  She is ‘self-taught’ more than anyone I’ve ever met,” Tackett said.

“Coreena Hazelett is a credit to the radio industry. Her ‘no nonsense’ approach to broadcast advertising sales and management has provided Success (with a capitol ‘S’) for both clients and stations alike.”

Within one year, Coreena was the top biller. In two more years, she was Sales Manager.  And, in that position, she survived the transition of KTSA/KTFM from Waterman to CBS Radio to Border Media to Alpha Media. 

Ranch Radio Group’s (RRG) Mark Grubbs made two attempts to hire Coreena. Once in 2011 and again in 2015. 

“My offers were met with a resounding, ‘No, Thank You.’ In 2018, I tried again…with the same opening for Sales Manager.  Thankfully, on July 2, 2018, Coreena joined Ranch Radio Group And, that’s when my life changed for the better,” Grubbs said.

In December 2019, Coreena was promoted to Vice President & General Manager. 

She embraced all aspects of engineering and programming along with her mastery of sales and administration. She led her team to reduce a one-million-dollar debt within four years of her hire.

In 2021, RRG promoted Coreena to President and Chief Operations Officer. 

With Coreena at the helm, RRG successfully launched is fifth radio station, “The Raptor – Classic Rock.” 

Other successes/milestones, under her leadership, include “Shop, Stay and Play” and “Hill Country Strong” (two Covid-19 economic rebound initiatives) and Hill District Stock Show Radiothon.

This Radiothon fundraising event (over the past three years) along with RRGs donations of scholarships has provided 4-H & FFA students in area counties in excess of $133,000. 

In 2022-23, under Coreena’s leadership and commitment to maintaining our “Debt Free” status, a $300,000 building expansion was paid for in cash – all the while establishing a six figure Emergency Fund for the company as well as a Quarterly Employee Profit Sharing program.

Coreena has experienced, fostered and provided a path for her team members to harvest the Radio industry’s promise of a viable, profitable and secure future.

Coreena’s 32 years in broadcast Radio have taken her from single mother of three boys and bookkeeper for John Barger to President/COO of the leading Hill Country’s Ranch Radio Group. 

Coreena Hazelett is an exemplary role model of a successful Radio broadcaster and a true example of TAB’s Broadcaster of the Year.