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In This Issue (8/31) 

"I'd never met anyone who did anything with that much joy."

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Radio Vision

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Star Shine: WLFP/Memphis' Stars & Guitars raises more than $35,000 for Le Bonheur Children's Hospital. Pictured (l-r) are the station's Chris Michaels and Abby Summers, Sony Music Nashville's Zach John King, Nashville Harbor's Greylan James, The Band Perry's Johnny Costello and Kimberly Perry, the station's Duane Shannon, Shinedown's Zach Myers and Brent Smith, and the station's Greg "StyckMan" Owens, Melissa "Mo" Wagner and Erin Austin.

brantley9326.jpg Small Town Bro Down: Wheelhouse's Brantley Gilbert, Stoney Creek's Atlus and Riser House's Mitchell Tenpenny (l-r) with WMIL/Milwaukee's Shanna Cudeck at the station's Secret Show.
opry9326.jpg Sooner Or Slater: Warner's Slater Nalley (c) with the label's Mason Domke, the Opry's Stacey Cato and Lexi Lampkin and the label's Cris Lacy (l-r) at his Grand Ole Opry debut.
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Blake A Leg: Warner's Blake Whiten (c) with KSCS' Jessica Mackenzie-Williams, Mike Preston, Hannah Lane and Al Farb (l-r) at House of Blues Dallas.

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This Town's Been Two Good To Us: Curb's Dylan Scott celebrates No. 1s “This Town’s Been Too Good To Us” and “What He’ll Never Have.” Pictured in top pic (front, l-r) are songwriter/producer Charlie Handsome, songwriter Ashley Gorley, Scott and songwriters John Byron and Taylor Phillips; (back, l-r) Tape Room Music’s Caroline Hodson, the label's Benson Curb and Rebekah Liles-Jackson, ASCAP’s Duane Hobson, BMI’s MaryAnn Keen, Curb Publishing’s Sarah Schumacher, Big Loud’s Mike Giangreco, Warner Chappell’s Benji Amaefule and Sony Music’s Anna Weisband and Helen Lazenby. Pictured in the bottom pic (front, l-r) are songwriters Logan Robinson, Scott, Robbie Gatlin and Ricky Rowton; (back, l-r) Schumacher, Curb, Liles-Jackson Keen and ASCAP’s Emilia James.

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I Love This Lap: Galaxy's LoCash play the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in Daytona. Pictured (l-r) are the label's John Lessard, the duo's Chris Lucas, WKRO's DJ Tremble, the duo's Preston Brust and the label's Kerry Wolfe.

Kyle-Schuesler9226.jpg Signage: Singer/songwriter Kyle Schuesler signs with Hey Now Records. Pictured (front, l-r) are Schuesler and the label's Kris Lamb; (back, l-r) are the label's John Esposito and Clint Higham.
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War Damn Ella: Col. NY/Triple Tigers' Ella Langley plays Neville Arena in Auburn University, AL. Pictured (l-r) are TT's Blake Nixon, WHHY/Montgomery, AL's Rick Hendrick and girlfriend Amanda Jones, Langley, iHeart’s Angie Ward and TT's Chris Palmer.

hudson9126.jpg Houston, We Have A Miracle: River House/Warner/WAR’s Hudson Westbrook (c) with WKML/Fayetteville’s Sarah Weaver and RH's Lance Houston at the station's Music for Miracles.
parm9126.jpg Musta Had a Good Tide: Stoney Creek's Parmalee plays at WBWL/Boston’s Bull Beach House in Cape Cod, MA. Pictured (l-r) are the group's Josh McSwain and Barry Knox, the label's Lexi Willson, WBWL’s Brandon Clay and Amanda Jo Parker and the band's Matt Thomas and Scott Thomas.
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Take It From ME: MCA's Jordan Davis in Portland, ME. Pictured (l-r) are WPOR's Jon Shannon, Davis, the label's Annie Sandor and WTHT’s Jadd Naamani.

McGraw83126.jpg I Like It, I Glove It: Tim McGraw at Target Field in Minneapolis. Pictured (l-r) are Em.Co's Scott Siman and KEEY's Pat Knight and Gregg Swedberg.
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Stars Like Confetti: Broken Bow's Dustin Lynch, Warner/WMN's Cole Swindell, Black River's Chris Young, Curb's Rodney Atkins, Records Nashville's George Birge, Sony Music Nashville's Zach John King and Curb's Kelsey Hart help WWKA/Orlando raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of Central Florida at the station's 31st annual All Star Jam.

gavin83126.jpg The Day I Hang Out: Warner's Gavin Adcock with WHKO/Dayton’s Cindy Carusone, Nikki Montgomery, Nancy Wilson and guest Rachel Murray (l-r) at The Day I Hang it Up Tour in Newport, KY.

Top Stories

MCA's Schuler Departs
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MCA VP/Audience Development Chris Schuler has resigned, effective today (9/1). "It was a tough decision to leave this fun ride with the UMGN/MCA family these last 12 years but it’s time to start the next adventure," he says. "Special thanks to [Mike] Dungan, [Mike] Harris, Royce [Risser] and Damon [Moberly] for taking a chance on a kid from Kentucky." Schuler was VP/Promotion for Capitol (Breaking News 1/6/2023) and transitioned to his current role during the company's 2025 restructuring. Prior stops include Arista, Mercury and BMI. Reach him here. No word on plans for the position at MCA.

Sep 1, 2026 Share
Loba Goes Global As BMG Closes Concord
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Pres./Frontline Recordings Jon Loba has been named Head of Global Frontline Recordings for BMG as the company completes the merger with Concord announced earlier this year (CAT 5/14/2026). Concord's Bob Valentine serves as CEO, leading a six-member executive management team. Loba serves on the 12-member Strategic Leadership Council along with Tom Becci (Global Recorded Operations), Tom Scherer (Global Catalog Recordings) and Jim Selby (Global Music Publishing). BMG's Thomas Coesfeld serves as Chairman. Global headquarters are in Nashville and European headquarters are in Berlin.

"We believe that investing in creators, music rights, and AI will allow us to unlock new opportunities for artists and writers in a rapidly evolving industry," says Coesfeld. Adds Valentine, "While our reach has expanded, the mission that brought us together remains the same: to support artists over the long term, honor the legacies we represent, and help build the next generation of enduring music and culture."

Read full releases on the completed merger and executive teams here and here.

Sep 1, 2026 Share
60th CMA Broadcast Awards Finalists
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Broadcast Awards finalists for the 60th CMA Awards are below. Winners will be honored Nov. 18 preceding the live ABC telecast.

Broadcast Personality

Weekly National

  • American Country Countdown with Ryan Fox – Westwood One/Cumulus
  • The Country Top 40 with Fitz, Cory “Fitz” Fitzner – Hubbard
  • Crook & Chase Countdown, Lorianne Crook, Charlie Chase – Jim Owens Entertainment
  • The Highway Hot 30 Countdown with Buzz Brainard – SiriusXM
  • Steve Harmon Show  – Westwood One/Cumulus

Daily National

  • The Angie Ward Show – iHeartMedia
  • Backstage Country with Elaina Smith – Key Networks
  • Big D & Bubba, Derek “Big D” Haskins, Sean “Bubba” Powell, Carsen Humphreville, Jonathan Shaffer, Garrett Freche – Silverfish Media
  • The Bobby Bones Show, Bobby Bones, Amy Brown, “Lunchbox” Dan Chappell, Eddie Garcia, Morgan Huelsman, “Scuba Steve” Spradlin, “Mike D” Rodriguez, “Raymundo” Ray Slater, and “Phone Screener Abby” Anderson – Premiere /iHeartMedia
  • Katie & Company, Katie Neal – Audacy

Major Market

  • The Andie Summers Show, Andie Summers, Jeff Kurkjian, Donnie Black, Shannon Boyle – WXTU/Philadelphia
  • Hawkeye and Michelle, Hawkeye Mark Louis Rybczyk, Michelle Rodriguez – KSCS/Dallas
  • The Lo Show, Lauren Lo Sessions – KKBQ/Houston
  • Michael J & Candace in the Morning, Michael J Stuehler, Candace Dold – WPOC/Baltimore
  • The Scotty Kay Show – WUSN/Chicago

Large Market

  • Deb & Matt in the Morning; Deborah Honeycutt, Matt Malone – WFMS/Indianapolis
  • Eagle Mornings with Steve & Karen, Steve Waters, Karen West – WGH/Norfolk
  • Heather Froglear – KFRG/Riverside
  • The Jesse & Anna Show, Jesse Tack, Anna Marie, Jake Thomson – WUBE/Cincinnati
  • Scott and Shannen, Scott Dolphin, Shannen O Oesterreich – WMIL/Milwaukee

Medium Market

  • Clay and Company, Clay Moden, Rob Banks – WYRK/Buffalo
  • The Doc Show with Chewy; Ken “Doc” Medek, Sean “Chewy” Medek – WGGY/Wilkes Barre
  • Joey & Nancy; Joey Tack, Nancy Barger, Karly Duggan – WIVK/Knoxville
  • Julie and DJ in the Morning, Julie K Kansy, DJ Thee Trucker Dale Sellers – WPCV/Lakeland.
  • Steve & Gina in the Morning, Steve Lundy, Gina Melton – KXKT/Omaha

Small Market

  • The Cat Pak Morning Show with Brent and Friends, Brent Lane, Jordan Glass – WYCT/Pensacola, FL
  • Hilley & Hart, Kevin Hilley, Erin Hart – KATI/Columbia, MO
  • Kicks Wake Up Krew, Dub Bryan Axelson, Cody Blaine Jackson – WKXC/Augusta, GA
  • Liz & Scotty in the Morning, Liz Del Grosso, Scotty Cox – KCLR/Columbia, MO
  • Officer Don and DeAnn, Officer Don Evans, DeAnn Stephens – WBUL/Lexington

Radio Station

Major Market

  • KSCS/Dallas
  • KSON/San Diego
  • KYGO/Denver
  • WMZQ/Washington, DC
  • WPOC/Baltimore

Large Market

  • KFRG/Riverside
  • WCTK/Providence
  • WDSY/Pittsburgh
  • WMIL/Milwaukee
  • WQDR/Raleigh

Medium Market

  • KXKT/Omaha
  • WHKO/Dayton
  • WLFP/Memphis
  • WQMX/Akron
  • WUSY/Chattanooga

Small Market

  • KCLR/Columbia, MO
  • WCOW/La Crosse, WI
  • WKML/Fayetteville, NC
  • WKXC/Augusta, GA
  • WYCT/Pensacola, FL
Sep 1, 2026 Share
July CDM Ratings
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Chatt's All, Folks: Here are select Nielsen Audio Continuous Diary Measurement (CDM) ratings for July 2026 (three-month rolling average, 4/30-7/22) compared with May and June. Ranks (in parentheses) are among subscribers. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are Persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6am-midnight.

Chattanooga, TN
(Market 93)
WUSY Audacy
7.6 (1) - 7.4 (1) - 7.9 (1)
WUUQ Bahakel Classic Country
4.6 (3) - 4.3 (5) - 4.1 (5)
WOGT Cumulus 
Does not subscribe.
Huntsville, AL
(99)          
WDRM iHeartMedia
12.1 (1) - 11.7 (1) - 10.2 (1)
Jackson, MS
(125)
WMSI iHeartMedia
3.5 (8) - 3.3 (7t) - 4.2 (4)
WUSJ 
New South
3.7 (6t) - 3.5 (5t) - 3.2 (7)
WHJT New South Classic Country
2.0 (9) - 1.8 (9) - 1.7 (9)
Madison, WI
(88)   
WMAD iHeartMedia
4.1 (4) - 4.9 (5) - 5.0 (5)
WWQM Mid-West Family
3.0 (7) - 2.6 (10t) - 2.9 (9t)
Sep 1, 2026 Share
July CDM Ratings
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Rate Against The Machine: Here are select Nielsen Audio Continuous Diary Measurement (CDM) ratings for July 2026 (three-month rolling average, 4/30-7/22) compared with May and June. Ranks (in parentheses) are among subscribers. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are Persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6am-midnight.

Colorado Springs, CO
(Market 91)

KCCY iHeartMedia
4.4 (4) - 3.6 (5) - 3.1 (6)
KATC Cumulus
Does not subscribe.

Des Moines, IA
(70)      

KHKI Cumulus
KJJY Cumulus Classic Country
Do not subscribe.

Mobile, AL
(100) 
WKSJ iHeartMedia
7.3 (1) - 7.7 (1) - 5.6 (1t)
Spokane, WA
(90)
KICR Blue Sky
2.7 (6) - 2.8 (8t) - 2.4 (8)
KISC-HD2 iHeartMedia
1.3 (9t) - 1.1 (12) - 0.4 (15)
KDRK Stephens
KXLY QueenB
Do not subscribe.
Wichita, KS
(104)
  

KZSN iHeartMedia
5.7 (1) - 5.4 (4) - 5.5 (3)
KFDI SummitMedia
4.5 (8t) - 4.7 (6t) - 4.3 (7)
KVWF Murfin
1.7 (15) - 1.7 (15) - 1.9 (15)

Aug 31, 2026 Share
July CDM Ratings
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Kissin' Half Dozen: Here are select Nielsen Audio Continuous Diary Measurement (CDM) ratings for July 2026 (three-month rolling average, 4/30-7/22) compared with May and June. Ranks (in parentheses) are among subscribers. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are Persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6am-midnight.

Columbia, SC
(Market 89)

WCOS iHeartMedia
5.9 (2) - 4.7 (3) - 4.1 (3)

Little Rock, AR
(94)   
KSSN iHeartMedia
5.0 (3) - 5.4 (2) - 6.0 (2)
KMJX
 iHeartMedia Cl. Country
5.7 (2) - 4.5 (4) - 3.9 (4)
Springfield, MA
(102)
WRNX iHeartMedia 
4.6 (5) - 4.5 (4t) - 4.4 (6)
Toledo, OH
(108) 
WCKY iHeartMedia Classic Country
1.2 (7) - 1.0 (7) - 0.7 (8)
WKKO Cumulus
Does not subscribe.
Aug 28, 2026 Share
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Sep 3, 2026 Ten Speed: Here are July Eastlan Ratings for Country stations in the 10 largest markets it measures, compared with May and June. Eastlan uses ... Read full story
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Sep 1, 2026 Can't Spell Global Without Him: Following the completion of BMG's merger with Concord (CAT 5/14/2026), Pres./Frontline Recordings Jon Loba ... 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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