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In This Issue (7/20) 

“The screen splits in half, which makes for some really cool visualizations.”

Click Here To Download | Archives



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Click here for the current issue



 

Radio Vision

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Buy Me Some Peanuts And Quacker Jacks: River House/Warner/WAR’s Hudson Westbrook plays WWQM/Madison, WI's pre-Madison Mallards game show. Pictured (l-r) are Warner's Connor Brock, tour manager Jacob Lineberry, the station's Cailynn Wright, Westbrook, the station's Kristi Kelly and River House's Lance Houston.

McCoy-Moore72326.jpg Moore Than A Feeling: Sony Music Nashville's McCoy Moore with Music Choice's Jim Murphy and wife Angela at Moore's Grand Ole Opry debut last night (7/22).
parker72226.jpg Wharf Kinda Man: MCA's Parker McCollum (c) withWTGE/Baton Rouge's Jimmy Brooks and the label's Katelyn Lester at The Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach, AL.
laci72226.jpg Booth Scootin' Boogie: Lost Highway's Laci Kaye Booth with SiriusXM The Highway's Cody Alan.
source72226.jpg Source Of Pride: Source Nashville members celebrate the organization's 35th anniversary. Pictured (l-r) are co-founder Shelia Shipley Biddy, pres. Mallory Mason Pascal and co-founder Judy Harris.
brothersos72126.jpg Brodysseus: Brothers Osborne's TJ (l) and John Osborne with KWEN's Karla Cantrell at Hard Rock Casino Tulsa.
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Rocky Mountain OH: RCA's Corey Kent (in cowboy hat) with WHKO/Dayton's Nancy Wilson and Aaron “Woody” Woods and the label's Anna Widmer (l-r) at Country Concert 26.

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Lone Star: Flatland Cavlary's Cleto Cordero with Lost Highway's Megan McCaffrey and KKBQ/Houston's Lauren "Lo" Sessions-Barker and Cayla Faith (l-r).

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Billys Bobs: Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters play Billy Bob's Texas. Pictured (l-r) are the band's Raymond Hardy, Westwood One's Steve Harmon, Thornton and the band's JD Andrew.

TYCE-DELK72026.jpg Walk The "Adeline:" River House's Tyce Delk with his label team at his Grand Ole Opry debut. Pictured (l-r) are Kayla Adkins, Zebb Luster, Helena Akthar, Delk, Lance Houston, Ally Ramirez and Lauren Lieu.
riley72026.jpg Green's Bay: Nash. Harbor's Riley Green (top) and Blue Highway's Justin Moore in Green Bay, WI. Pictured (top, l-r) are WWQM/Madison, WI's Kristi Kelly, WNCY/Appleton-Green Bay's Natalie “Nat” Gross and Hannah Damas, Green, the label's Bridget Herrmann, WWQM's Cailynn Henson and WNCY's Randy “Shotgun” Shannon. Pictured (bottom, l-r) Shannon, Damas, Kelly, Moore, Henson and the label's Adam Burnes.
jasonaldean72026.jpg Before I Have To Knock That Loud Monmouth Out: Broken Bow's Jason Aldean (r) with WKMK/Monmouth, NJ's Mike Ryan opening weekend of his Songs About Us Tour 2026. Recap of the show in tonight's (7/20) Country Aircheck Weekly.
Jacob-Hackworth72026.jpg Marlboro Man: MCA's Jacob Hackworth plays WPGB/Pittsburgh's Next BIG Thing. Pictured (l-r) are the label's Jack Christopher, the station's David Edgar, Hackworth and the station's Mike Kasper.

Top Stories

KBAY, KUPL Get New PDs
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Following yesterday's expansion of KBAY/San Jose, Connoisseur/San Francisco OM Brian "Fig" Figula has been named Regional OM for the Bay Area, overseeing San Jose, San Francisco and the East Bay, including day-to-day programming responsibilities for KBAY. And in Portland, OR, OM Ross MacLeod has added KUPL to his day-to-day programming responsibilities. MacLeod has been OM for the Portland cluster for a little more than a year (CAT 7/3/25). Former KBAY and Hot AC KEZR OM J. Love departed earlier this week (Breaking News 7/20). Former KUPL Dir./Content Dylan Salisbury left last month (CAT 6/3).

Jul 23, 2026 Share
CMA/CMAF's Kerns To Depart
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CMA SVP/Industry Relations & Philanthropy and CMA Foundation Exec. Dir. Tiffany Kerns is leaving the organizations Sept. 2. Kerns joined CMA as Mgr./Community Outreach in 2013 and was promoted to her most recent role three years ago (CAT 4/5/23). "My focus remains on supporting the teams who will carry this work forward and helping ensure a thoughtful transition," she says. "I'll always be cheering for CMA and the Foundation, and I have no doubt the best chapters are still ahead." Through Sept. 2, Kerns can be reached here, and after that date here.

Jul 23, 2026 Share
Palmer Named Triple Tigers Records/Akando VPP
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Former Valory VP/Promotion & Marketing Chris Palmer has been named Triple Tigers Records/Akando Music VP/National Promotion. He succeeds Raffaella Braun, who rose to Co-President earlier this month (CAT 7/7). “[Chris] brings the experience and creative juices, but most of all, the passion and fun we all love about this job," says Braun. Palmer exited Valory when the imprint was shuttered by Hybe America in February (CAT 2/13). Before joining BMLG in 2018, he spent seven years at Warner Music Nashville (Breaking News 12/6/2017) and 12 at Lyric Street. Reach him here.

Jul 21, 2026 Share
Andy Schuon Named ACM CEO
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Anthem Sports & Entertainment President/Entertainment and Station Entertainment Co-Founder Andy Schuon has been named CEO of the Academy of Country Music, effective Sept. 1. Schuon fills the vacancy created by Damon Whiteside's departure earlier this year (Breaking News 3/3). Prior to Anthem, where he oversaw linear cable/satellite and FAST TV networks, Schuon ran Loop Media Studios, co-founded Spkr. (which was acquired by Loop), and served in executive roles for LiveXLive, Revolt TV, Live Nation, UMG, CBS Radio, Warner Records, MTV and KROQ/Los Angeles, among others.

"The most rewarding moments of my career have come from building for the future and embracing innovation while honoring the artists and creative communities that make music so powerful," Schuon says. "Throughout every chapter, from radio and television to streaming, digital media and the music business, the constant has been the transformative power of music to bring people together. As [country music] continues to reach new audiences around the world, I see an extraordinary opportunity to strengthen the Academy's impact, deepen engagement with our members, artists, partners and fans while ensuring the organization continues to lead the industry through its next era of growth and innovation and help shape an even brighter future for [the genre]." Read Schuon's bio here.

Jul 21, 2026 Share
J. Love Departs Connoisseur
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Connoisseur Country KBAY & Hot AC KEZR OM J. Love has departed after nearly a year on the job. He joined the company from the PD job at Audacy Hot AC KMXB/Las Vegas (Breaking News 7/24/25). "I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such a talented group of people and for everything we were able to accomplish together," he shared on social media. "I'm proud of the work we did, the relationships I built, and especially the progress we made with both brands ... I'm looking forward to what's next and excited to see where the next chapter takes me."

Love spent 11 years in Las Vegas, with previous stops in San Diego, Reno, Detroit and New Orleans. He started his radio career at then-Rhythmic Top 40 KHQT/San Jose. No word on plans for the position, but the move comes as KBAY is preparing to move to the 98.5 frequency Wedneday (CAT 7/17).

Jul 20, 2026 Share
June CDM Ratings
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Name That June: Here are select Nielsen Audio Continuous Diary Measurement (CDM) ratings for June 2026 (three-month rolling average, 4/2-6/24) compared with April and May. Ranks (in parentheses) are among subscribers. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are Persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6am-midnight.

Baton Rouge
(Market 78)

WYNK iHeartMedia
4.7 (4) - 5.3 (2) - 4.4 (3)
WTGE Guaranty
Does not subscribe.

Louisville
(58)

WAMZ iHeartMedia
6.1 (2) - 6.7 (2) - 6.5 (2)
WQNU SummitMedia
3.2 (9t) - 2.7 (11) - 3.5 (11)
WRKA SummitMedia Cl. Country
2.1 (13) - 2.2 (13) - 2.7 (12)
Largest share in 12 months in format.

New Orleans
(50)

WNOE iHeartMedia
5.8 (4) - 5.0 (4) - 5.3 (4)

Oklahoma City
(49)

KTST iHeartMedia
6.4 (2) - 5.4 (2) - 4.5 (2)
KXXY iHeartMedia Classic Country
2.6 (4) - 2.1 (4t) - 2.0 (5)
KJKE
 Tyler
Does not subscribe.

Jul 23, 2026 Share
Spring Diary Ratings
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Dawg Days: Here are select Nielsen Audio Spring 2026 (4/2-6/24) two-book per year diary ratings for subscribing stations compared with their last books (Spring 2025 and Fall 2025). Ranks (in parentheses) are also among subscribers. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are Persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6am-midnight.

Biloxi, MS
(139)
WKNN iHeartMedia 
4.0 (3) - 5.4 (3) - 4.5 (2)
Lafayette, LA
(115)

KMDL Townsquare
6.8 (2) - 6.7 (3) - 9.0 (1)
Largest share since Fall 2024.
KXKC Cumulus Classic Country
4.5 (6t) - 2.8 (9t) - N/A
No longer subscribes.

Laurel, MS
(205)

WBBN Blakeney
9.8 (2t) - 12.9 (1) - 10.2 (1)

Monmouth-Ocean, NJ
(54)
WKMK Press
5.0 (1) - 5.3 (1) - 4.3 (1)
Jul 23, 2026 Share
Recent Stories
Jul 23, 2026 Best Coast: Saying the changes "better position us for continued success,” Connoisseur SVP/Programming Keith Dakin has named San Francisco ... Read full story
Jul 23, 2026 Kerns To Leave CMA/CMAF: "One of the greatest gifts of serving both the CMA and CMA Foundation boards has been seeing the full picture … one board ... Read full story
Jul 23, 2026 West Departs: KGY Media KYYO/Olympia/Tacoma, WA afternoon host Jonathan "JW" West has departed after just a few months on the job.... Read full story
Jul 23, 2026 Tour Support: Garth Brooks has added back-to-back shows at Denver's Ball Arena Sept. 4-5 to his Blame It All On My Roots Arena Tour (CAT 7/17). ... Read full story
Jul 23, 2026 Bits & Pieces: Radio consultant Mike O'Malley has published the fourth book, "Vanishing Act," in his Atlantic City-set paranormal mystery-... Read full story
Jul 23, 2026 Signage: Trio Deltona signs with Sony Music Publishing Nashville in partnership with The Core Entertainment. Pictured (front, l-r) are the trio's ... Read full story
Jul 22, 2026 Reve-New: Saga/Charleston, SC President/GM Paul O'Malley has been upped to corporate SVP/Revenue Development. In his new role, O'Malley will oversee ... Read full story
Jul 22, 2026 Bay Now: Connoisseur/San Jose has flipped Classic Rock KUFX to Country, adding its 98.5 frequency to the existing KBAY simulcast of 92.1 (KKDV/Walnut ... Read full story
Jul 22, 2026 Network Departures: Westwood One Affiliate Sales EVP Stuart Greenblatt, VP Neal Weiner and Sr. Dir. Laura Martinez have exited. A 26-year company vet,... Read full story
Jul 22, 2026 Bits & Pieces: Through Friday (7/24), every dollar donated to Trisha Yearwood's animal welfare organization, Dottie's Yard, ... Read full story
Jul 21, 2026 Reel Estate: West Virginia Radio Classic Country WKWS/Charleston, WV morning host Robb Reel is departing Aug. 1 to join Midlands Media as ... Read full story
Jul 21, 2026 Bits & Pieces: SiriusXM will host a pop-up Shania Twain channel, Little Miss Twain Radio, on Ch. 105 from July 23 through Aug. 6, and on the ... Read full story
Jul 20, 2026 Built Ford Tough: Former Connoisseur WWWF/Nassau MD/afternoon host Kelly Ford has been named MD/afternoon host for iHeartMedia WMZQ/Washington, ... Read full story
Jul 20, 2026 Love Leaves: Jonathan "J. Love" Campbell has departed Connoisseur, where he had been OM for Country KBAY & Hot AC KEZR, as ... Read full story
Jul 20, 2026 Le Flip: Arsenal Media, which purchased Classical CJSQ/Quebec City, QC last fall, has received approval by the Canadian Radio-television and ... Read full story
Jul 20, 2026 Tour Support: Jon Pardi's 19-show Gamblin' Man Tour launches Sept. 17 in Richmond, VA with support from Alexandra Kay and Sadie Bass. Tickets (7 ... Read full story
Jul 20, 2026 Bits & Pieces: KRYS/Corpus Christi, TX PD/morning host "Big Frank" Edwards marks 30 years in Corpus Christi radio today (7/20), with 26 of those ... Read full story

  

 

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The Summer 2026 Print Special featuring: 

Country Radio Hall
of Famers

Eric Church's Sinners @ 20

ACM Radio Winners & Carter Faith

Troy Tomlinson:
The Interview



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2026 ACM Voter's Guide
A quick reference guide to the 2026 ACM Nominees



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Inside This Issue: 

MC-Yay At Ryman Lunch
Disruption Junction
You Look Like You Love Me
The Day Ahead

 

 

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