August 28, 2026 News@CountryAircheck.com

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.

Alexanders The Greats: WOKK/Meridian, MS morning host Quinn Alexander will move to mornings at WUSJ/Jackson, MS Sept. 1, where he will be paired with PD Traci Lee. He succeeds morning co-host Gordon "Gordo" Hultengren, who recently resigned. Alexander had been tracking afternoons at WUSJ since Lee returned to mornings in April (CAT 4/7). WUSJ evening host Fisher Alexander (no relation) moves to afternoons. No successor has been named yet in nights. Prior to joining WOKK in 2024 (CAT 12/6/24), Quinn Alexander held on-air roles at WSIG/Harrisonburg, VA; WCJC/Kokomo, IN; KGKL/San Angelo, TX and WEBB/Augusta, ME.

Gig Alert: Dick Broadcasting is seeking a PD for WUBB/Savannah, GA to succeed Nathan James, who is moving to Super Hi-Fi as Mgr./Station Operations (CAT 8/27). At least three years of experience in radio programming, preferably in a similar market size, and a strong knowledge of the Country format are required. Find the job posting and apply here.

No Regular Joe: Tucker Wetmore, Sierra Hull and Marcus King will be among the performers, and Kix Brooks and Keith Urban among the speakers at the CMA Foundation's 10th annual Music Teachers of Excellence ceremony Oct. 7 at The Pinnacle in Nashville, where industry veteran and Country Music Hall of Famer Joe Galante will receive the inaugural CMA Foundation Impact Award, recognizing his longstanding leadership and commitment to advancing music education. Thirty music teachers will also be honored.

If This Is Austin: Connoisseur is selling four Minnesota stations serving Austin and Albert Lea, including Country KAUS-FM, to Hometown Broadcasting of Austin and Albert Lea. The deal is expected to close in the early fall, pending FCC approval. Connoisseur CEO Jeff Warshaw says the area is "not a market where we felt Connoisseur could make a meaningful difference." Hometown CEO Greg Jensen says, "We look forward to serving our communities and surrounding areas.”

Festive All: Lainey Wilson, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, Chris Stapleton and Miranda Lambert will headline the Oct. 2-3 Country Calling festival in Ocean City, MD. More than 25 performers across three stages will include Brothers Osborne, Dustin Lynch, Russell Dickerson, Charley Crockett, Clay Walker, Wyatt Flores, Travis Tritt, Mitchell Tenpenny, Kaitlin Butts, Carter Faith, Jackson Dean and Rodney Atkins. Tickets here.

The Voices of America Country Music Fest will move to a new home for its fifth edition, Aug. 5-7, 2027 at Butler County Fairgrounds in Hamilton, OH. Tickets here.

Storytellers Of The Week: Search for news and people in the archives at countryaircheck.com.

Dolly Parton passed away at 80 years old. (8/25)
Highlights from ACM Honors are in Country Aircheck Weekly.
Nathan James joined Super Hi-Fi as Mgr./Station Operations. (8/27)
Rick Thomas was named SVP/Programming for Mālama Media Group. (8/26)
Saga SVP/Content Pat Paxton resigned, and Scott Chase and Ryan Ploeckelman were named co-Group PDs. (8/24)
Anna Widmer was named Riser House VP/Promo. (8/24)

Bits & Pieces: Queen B WGLR/Platteville, WI will pay tribute to the late Dolly Parton 7am-noon CT Aug. 30 during its Classic Country show The Roadhouse. Host Dave Murphy will present a chronological retrospective of Parton’s most iconic recordings. Listen here.

Country Aircheck Today Top 5: Here are the Top 5 songs for Aug. 27, according to Mediabase.

KANE BROWN/Woman (RCA) 4660 points
LUKE COMBS/Be By You (Columbia) 4412 points
STELLA LEFTY/Boston (Sandlot/Atlantic Outpost) 3925 points
TAYLOR SWIFT/I Knew It, I Knew You (Disney/Republic/MCA) 3396 points
KENNY CHESNEY/Carry On (Hey Now) 3227 points

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers: Here are the top point gainers for August 23-27, compared with the same days last week, according to Mediabase.

KANE BROWN/Woman (RCA) +4556 points
MORGAN WALLEN/Been By Now (Big Loud) +1602 points
ELLA LANGLEY/Loving Life Again (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple Tigers) +1297 points
JOHN MORGAN/Kid Myself (Night Train/Broken Bow) +1094 points
TAYLOR SWIFT/I Knew It, I Knew You (Disney/Republic/MCA) +932 points

Tomorrow's Birthdays (8/29): Shawn Camp, Dan Truman (Diamond Rio), Don Schlitz, Darlene Dixon, James T. Horn, Tony Randall, Vicki Russell, the late Jimmy C. Newman.

Sunday's Birthdays (8/30): Andrew Millsaps (Neon Union), Gerald Whitworth, the late Kitty Wells, the late Jim & Jon Hager (Hager Twins).

Monday's Birthdays (8/31): Brown Bannister, Jenny Cranford, Donna Hughes, the late Dave Wheeler.

The Highwoman: Stoney Creek's Carly Pearce celebrates the release of Honest Woman with SiriusXM The Highway's Cody Alan.

We Got Hitstory: Riser House's Mitchell Tenpenny (c) celebrates five BMI Million-Air Awards (“At The End Of A Bar,” “Truth About You,” “If The Boot Fits,” “Drunk Me" and “We Got History") with BMI's Mason Hunter and Leslie Roberts.

That's The Goodwin Stuff: Big Machine's Cole Goodwin with WCOL/Columbus, OH's Dan E. Zuko (l) and WQHK/Fort Wayne, IN's Jesse Garcia.

Signage: Singer/songwriter Anna Rae (r) celebrates her Joan Of Arc management signing with the company's Cindy Mabe.