Patricia Hall, a student in the Martha H. Fleer Center for Adult Education at Salem College, has been nominated for Best Black Female Jazz Radio Host and for the Best All Jazz Radio Station by the Black Women in Jazz & the Arts Awards. Winners will be selected by people’s choice through online voting. Hall’s show airs on Wednesday evenings, from 8:00–10:00 pm, and on Saturdays from 11:00 am–3:00 pm, on WSNC 90.5 in Winston-Salem. 

Hall first began her long career in radio at the age of 16, spending time at the Yale University Radio Station in her hometown of New Haven, CT. She began as a secretary, then moved to working in the production room, to making commercials, and soon received her own show, covering R&B and Disco. She also worked at stations in Dallas and Atlanta, before coming to North Carolina.

“I am excited about this nomination because I have put my heart, soul, time, dedication, and love into my radio show programming and providing the listener with music they would not hear anywhere else,” says Hall, on her nomination.

She particularly enjoys working with independent artists that don’t appear on major labels, yet have great talent and music that deserves to be heard. “I am very much an advocate for Jazz and always try to do as much as I can for artists and that genre,” she added.

Hall has been at WSNC 90.5 for ten years, serving in a volunteer capacity as the Smooth Jazz Music Director, working on programming, and hosting, along with updating weekly playlists, representing the station at concerts, emceeing events, and making calls on which artists receive air time.

A creative writing student at Salem College, Hall published a book of poetry before enrolling in 2011. She has also released a spoken word CD with two tracks, including one dedicated to her love of Jazz.

Voting for the Black Women in Jazz and the Arts Awards is open now through December 22, and winners are selected via the people’s choice method. Awards will be presented at the Buckhead Theater in Atlanta, GA, on Sunday, March 1, 2015. To learn more about the awards and to cast your vote, please click here.