NRG Media Hot AC “Sweet 98.5” KQKQ Omaha is launching the first all-female hosted morning show in the market as Laura Blenkush moves from afternoons to join Nikki Oswald.
Blenkush began her career with the company as a board-op in 2015 and moved to middays and digital content in 2016. She most recently had been hosting from 4-7pm. Oswald joined the station in 2018 from NRG’s Country “Froggy 98.1” KFGE Lincoln NE where she served as Music Director/afternoon host. She has also worked at stations in Norfolk NE in her career.
Blenkush fills the slot that had been held by Matt Tompkins until he moved to the newly relaunched Variety Hits “101.9 The Keg” KOOO earlier this week.
NRG Media is changing morning radio in Omaha forever, by launching an all-female morning show starting Monday, January 20, 2020. The new show “SWEET 98.5 Mornings with Nikki & Laura” will feature existing morning host Nikki Oswald and afternoon drive time personality Laura Blenkush.
This will be the only all-female duo morning show in Omaha.
Jay Michaels, Program Director for SWEET 98.5 commented, “Taking two of our highly talented personalities, and pairing them together for an all-female morning show is the obvious move when targeting women”.
Nikki joined SWEET 98.5 in the fall of 2018, and was paired with Matt Tompkins who has recently moved over to NRG’s THE NEW 101.9 The KEG for his own morning show. Nikki began her career in Norfolk, Nebraska in 2008 where she co-hosted mornings and hosted middays on KQKX-FM, KEXL-FM and News Talk WJAG, then moved to Lincoln, Nebraska and worked for NRG Media’s KFGE-FM, KBBK-FM and 1400-AM KLIN prior to joining SWEET 98.5 in Omaha.
Laura has been a programming staple at NRG Media in Omaha since starting as a part-time board operator in 2015. Laura moved into the digital department and then on-air in the summer of 2016 doing middays. Most recently, Laura was doing afternoons from 4-7p.m. on SWEET 98.5.
Shecterle commented, “This is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while, and I only had to look inside the building to see the next superstar pairing. I have been in the business for over 30 years, and I feel extremely blessed to have the opportunity to give these women the keys to mornings on SWEET 98.5. It’s going to be magical, and Omaha deserves to have an all-female local morning show”.
