ST. GEORGE — Grab your headphones and buckle up for a wild ride through Utah’s radio history with this dynamic duo, whose friendship, banter and on-air antics have kept listeners grooving and grinning for over a decade.
“We’re doing old-school radio,” Radio Personality Cindy Olson said. “There’s a lot of people who go, ‘Oh, it’s so old-school.’ You know what? Old school was about the details and about having fun and caring about the community more. And that’s what we’re here to do.”
On Monday, May 6, the airwaves of Sunny 101.5 will once again be filled with the vibrant personalities of Olson and Bryan Benware, as they spin the best hits from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
Audiences can anticipate the familiar dynamic banter and candid opinions that they’ve cultivated over their years of hosting morning shows together. Aside from being a new morning show host, Benware is also Sunny 101.5’s new brand manager.
In addition to their engaging discussions, the new morning show will introduce cash prize contests and “No Repeat Workdays,” ensuring that no song is played twice between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Both Benware and Olson have extensive careers as radio personalities. Olson told St. George News her journey has taken her across the country, starting from her first job in 29 Palms, California, then to New Hampshire, Kansas and back to Palm Springs. After her father died, she returned to northern Wisconsin to support her mother.
During her time there, she was told about the St. George area. She decided to take a chance and move there with only three months’ worth of living expenses. She took a part-time job at a radio station and hoped for the best.
Right when she was ready to head back to Palm Springs, she got offered a full-time radio gig on the original Sunny station, Sunny 93.5. Initially, Benware hosted the station’s morning show while Olson took on the role of afternoon radio host. It wasn’t until the end of 1992 that the duo teamed up for their first morning show together. Olson said they were the first radio team in St. George to have a man and a woman together.
Benware attributed their remarkable synergy to the stark differences in their backgrounds. Growing up in Utah within The Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints community, his upbringing sharply contrasted with Olson’s roots in Wisconsin, where she had no affiliation with the LDS faith.
“People gravitate towards that because we were not afraid to tell our opinions about anything,” Benware said. “And we still aren’t.”
From there, the duo co-hosted for a solid 11-year stretch on the airwaves.
“We were Sunny,” Olson said. “We really just were. It was us. We did it for so long. People knew us.”
After leaving the company, Olson came back as a radio personality on The Hawk. She launched her own successful morning radio show, and soon after, Benware followed suit, reuniting with Olson to co-host a morning program.
Benware and his father-in-law then cofounded a radio station, where the duo sustained their show until its eventual dissolution and acquisition by the University of Utah.
Following this chapter, Benware and Olson spent around three years together hosting a show with Mix 103.1 before finding their place at Kool FM.
“It’s funny because you don’t realize how many people have listened to us throughout the different ages,” Olson said. “It’s been an honor to have been here and have people embrace us and be really kind. And we just have fun together.”
Over the years, their friendship has remained strong, marked by regular conversations about their families and everyday experiences. When they initially joined forces, they were both single, and coincidentally, they were both married just three weeks apart. Olson said their bond resembles that of a close brother and sister.
Benware’s radio journey has remained rooted in his home state of Utah, spanning from the northern to southern regions, where he has remained ever since.
“I came back for the opportunity to work with Cindy again,” he said about returning to Sunny. “It’s kind of full circle. And the timing was right.”
Tune in to Sunny 101.5 to hear the duo take the air. For more information on the returning morning show, visit their website. Follow Sunny 101.5 on Instagram and Facebook for up-to-date photos, contests and more.
Photo Gallery
A photo of Bryan Benware and Cindy Olson's original billboard from Sunny 93.5 hangs in the Sunny 101.5 studio, St. George, Utah, May 1, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A photo of Bryan Benware and Cindy Olson from previous years working together hangs in the Sunny studio, St. George, Utah, May 1, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Bryan Benware and Cindy Olson stand in front of the Sunny 93.5 van while hosting a radio show together for over a decade, location and date not specified | Photo courtesy of Cindy Olson, St. George News
Bryan Benware and Cindy Olson stand in front of the Sunny 93.5 van while hosting a radio show together for over a decade, location and date not specified | Photo courtesy of Cindy Olson, St. George News
An award Bryan Benware and Cindy Olson won in 2014 for Best Radio Team on Mix 103.1 hangs in the new studio, St. George, Utah, May 1, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Radio hosts Bryan Benware and Cindy Olson have reunited for a new morning show on Sunny 101.5, St. George, Utah, May 1, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Radio hosts Bryan Benware and Cindy Olson have reunited for a new morning show on Sunny 101.5, St. George, Utah, May 1, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Radio hosts Bryan Benware and Cindy Olson have reunited for a new morning show on Sunny 101.5, St. George, Utah, May 1, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Radio hosts Cindy Olson and Bryan Benware have reunited for a morning show on Sunny 101.5, St. George, Utah, May 1, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Radio hosts Cindy Olson and Bryan Benware have reunited for a morning show on Sunny 101.5, St. George, Utah, May 1, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Radio hosts Cindy Olson and Bryan Benware have reunited for a morning show on Sunny 101.5, St. George, Utah, May 1, 2024 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
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