Before his foray into television, Chris Marino arrived at an unprofitable AM radio station on the fringes of Atlanta and in three years he and his dedicated station staff turned WMLB AM 1170 into a profitable nationally recognized Americana Station. WMLB set the standard for the Americana format and went on to win numerous awards including “Americana Station of the Year.”
(Marino also won “Americana Programmer of the Year.”) Dubbed an “Evangelist for the Format” by the New York Times, Marino became a sought-after contributor to organizations and media outlets, including NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Science), the CMA, CMT, Billboard and Rolling Stone. Marino is a member of the "Founding Council" for The Americana Music Association.