September 15, 2025 News@CountryAircheck.com

Dreamers & Doers: iHeartMedia/Minneapolis VP/Sales Devon "Dee" Doers has been promoted to Pres./MidNorth Area, which comprises six markets in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. His oversight includes Country stations WQRB & WATQ/Eau Claire, WI; WMFX/Rochester, MN; KQDY & KBMR/Bismark, ND; KSNR/Grand Forks, ND; KYYX & KCJB/Minot, ND; and KCAD & KLTC/Dickinson, ND. He reports to Division Pres. Shosh Abromovich. Prior to joining iHeart, Doers served as Dir./Sales for Townsquare/Bozeman, MT.

Wolf Packer: Former KUPL/Portland MD/air personality Danny Dwyer will be joining crosstown Audacy KWJJ Sept. 26. He tells Country Aircheck he will do daily segments on the Nick Steele and Kristen Flowers-hosted morning show, as well as weekend air shifts. Watch the announcement here. Dwyer also recently launched a podcast (CAT 9/11).

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Times They Are A Changin': “Dylan is one of the great young programmers in this country," Connoisseur/Portland, OR OM Ross MacLeod says of newly announced (Breaking News) Dir./Content Dylan Salisbury. The role had been handled by Collective Heads' Tim Richards and Jimmy Steal, who have stepped down from their Co-Dir./Content duties, but will continue to work with the company in other capacities. He joined then-Alpha in 2022 and added KUPL to his purview last year (CAT 1/23/24). His Country background includes voice tracking KATC/Colorado Springs and nights for Westwood One's Mainstream Country format. Reach him here.

Hawk Up: Bicoastal Media KACI/The Dalles, OR flips from Talk to Country as "103.9 The Hawk" with new call letters KTDS (it airs on KTDS-AM and translator K280FL). The lineup includes the syndicated Big D & Bubba in mornings.

Great White Winners: Josh Ross was named Entertainer of the Year at the Canadian Country Music Assn. Awards Sept. 13 in Kelowna, BC, along with Single and Video of the year for "Single Again." Mackenzie Porter won Female Artist, Jade Eagleson Male, James Barker Band Group/Duo and Cameron Whitcomb Breakthrough Artist. Madeline Merlo feat. Dustin Lynch's "Broken Heart Thing" won for Music Collaboration. Radio Station of the Year winners were CFCW/Edmonton (large market) and CIGV/Kelowna (medium/small market), and CICX/Orilla, ON's Jason McCoy (Country personality). Full winners list here.

Bits & Pieces: Luke Bryan has teamed with Bayer for the 10th year to suport its "Take Care, Now" campaign, in partnership with Feeding America. A new component of the partnership is food drives at Bryan's three Farm Tour stops, beginning Sept. 18. Fans who bring non-perishable donations will be eligible to win prizes, including a VIP ticket upgrade.

The 200th episode of the free, four-hour syndicated show Red Dirt Proud With JB Cloud show airs this weekend (9/20). Reach host Cloud here.

Valory Music's Adam Burnes took first place in a Sept. 13 beard competition sponsored by Rocky Mountain Villains in Denver. Proceeds benefitted the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Congratulate Burnes here.

ICYMI: Reba McEntire, Karen Fairchild and Kimberly Schlapman performed the opening theme of The Golden Girls (watch here) and Lainey Wilson and Vince Gill sang "Go Rest High On That Mountain" (watch here) during last night's (9/14) 77th Emmy Awards.

Russell Dickerson performed “Happen To Me” live from ESPN’s College GameDay in Knoxville, TN.

Engage Meant: Reba McEntire and her boyfriend of five years, actor Rex Linn, are engaged. The two currently star together in the NBC sitcom Happy's Place.

Chronicle: WZBB/Stanleytown, VA MD/Sports Dir. and afternoon host Dan “The Man” Taylor passed away Sept. 13 following a heart attack. Taylor was on his second stint at WZBB (CAT 3/29/19) after previously serving as APD/MD from 1997-2009. After leaving in 2009, his stops included WKML/Fayetteville, NC, and a nearly three-year stint at KBIM/Roswell, NM. See WZBB's social media tribute here. No word on services.

Country Aircheck Today Top 5: Here are the Top 5 songs for the week ending Sept. 13, according to Mediabase 24/7.

RUSSELL DICKERSON/Happen To Me (Triple Tigers)
JELLY ROLL/Heart Of Stone (BMG/Republic/Stoney Creek)
SCOTTY MCCREERY f/HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH/Bottle Rockets (Triple Tigers)
SHABOOZEY/Good News (Empire/Magnolia)
JORDAN DAVIS/Bar None (MCA)

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers: Here are the top point gainers for Sept. 14, compared with the same day last week, according to Mediabase 24/7.

JASON ALDEAN/How Far Does A Goodbye Go (Macon Music/Broken Bow) +486 points
HUDSON WESTBROOK/House Again (Warner/WAR) +311 points
RUSSELL DICKERSON/Happen To Me (Triple Tigers) +280 points
JILLIAN JACQUELINE/Cult Classic (---) +223 points
RASCAL FLATTS w/JONAS BROTHERS/I Dare You (Republic/Big Machine) +210 points

Tomorrow's Birthdays (9/16): David Bellamy (Bellamy Brothers), Sonny Lemaire (Exile), Terry McBride, Bobby Randall, Maura O’Connell, David Corey, Jim Della Croce, Greg Gosselin, Cynthia Grimson, Mark “Hawkeye” Louis, Jackie Proffit.

Web Check: Runaway June will take over the iHeartRadioCountry Instagram Stories account Friday night (9/19), posting backstage and onstage content, and chats with performers live from the first day of the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas.

Empire State: Empire/Magnolia's Shaboozey celebrates the gold certification of “Last Of My Kind,” “Drink Don’t Need No Mix" and “Good News” at Empire 15, the label's 15th anniversary event in San Francisco.

Church Service: EMI's Eric Church with the WHKO/Dayton team in Columbus, OH. Pictured (l-r) are guest Lindsey Woods, Aaron “Woody” Woods, Nancy Wilson, Church, Nikki Montgomery, Rachel Murray and Cindy Carusone.

Change My Mind The Gap: Nashville Harbor's Riley Green celebrates "Change My Mind" reaching No. 1 on the Official UK Country Music Radio Airplay Chart with his international label team. Pictured (l-r) are Iren Coutiel, Alex Hannaby, Green, Jimmy Harnen, Flo Myerscough-Harris and Cary Dal Lago.

Send Doods: Big Loud's Ashley Cooke in St. Augustine, FL. Pictured (l-r) are guest Wendy Jordan, WKHX/Atlanta's Lucas Phelan, guest Jordan Wiley, WKRO/Daytona Beach's DJ Tremble, Cooke, the label's Lauren "LT" Thomas and Sarah Headley, WGNE/Jacksonville's Brian Jordan, guest Lisa Langley, WQIK/Jacksonville's Scot “Froggy” Langley (holding Chance) and WIRK/West Palm Beach's Nick Rivers.

Heart Like Wine: Big Loud's Miranda Lambert plays the inaugural ACM Presents Wine & Country in San Simeon, CA, which raised more than $420,000 for causes including ACM Lifting Lives, Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation, the Hearst Cancer Resource Center and The Foundation at Hearst Castle. Pictured (l-r) are the ACM Board's Randy Bernard and Ebie McFarland, Lambert and the ACM's Damon Whiteside.

Signage: Big Loud's Hardy has signed a go-forward exclusive songwriter publishing deal with Spirit Music Nashville, which also acquired select compositions from his catalog. Pictured (front, l-r) are SMN's Derek Wells, Michael Hardy and SMN's Frank Rogers and Andy Hodges; (back, l-r) SMN's Brian Bradford and Kennedy Murphy, attorney Matthew Beckett, Lyric Capital's Michelle Davey, attorney David Crow, Relative Music Group's Jesse Matkosky, Lyric Capital's Thomas Hartsock, SMN's AJ Burton, Will Cooper and Mikey Fiorentino, Track Mgmt.'s Troy “Tracker” Johnson, SMN's Jasmine Pettus and attorney Lexie Rigler.

Signage: Singer/songwriter Cameron Whitcomb (c) signs with The Core Entertainment. Pictured with The Core's Chief Zaruk (l) and Simon Tikhman.