May 13, 2026 News@CountryAircheck.com

Early Riser: "I'm extremely grateful to [label founders] Matt Swanson, Jennifer Johnson and Mitchell Tenpenny for the opportunity to be a part of the Riser House Entertainment family," says industry veteran Shane Allen, who has joined as EVP/Promotion & Artist Brand Strategy, as reported this morning (5/13) via Breaking News. "I've admired their culture and success for the better part of a decade and am thrilled to be able to contribute to the future growth of this incredibly diverse entertainment company." The company also promoted Label Mgr. Megan Stottlemyer to VP/Label Operations, VP/Streaming & Strategic Partnerships Alex Heimerman to Head/Marketing & Label Strategy and Dir./Business Affairs Jason VanAuken to VP of that department. Reach Allen here, Stottlemyer here, Heimerman here ad VanAuken here.

Reve-News: Beasley reported Q1 2026 net revenue of $42.6 million, down 12.9% from $48.9m the same period last year. Accounting for the sale of its Fort Myers cluster, that is down 6.7% on a same-station basis. The company had an operating income of $7.7m, compared to a loss of $300,000 the prior year quarter. Digital revenue was flat year-to-year, but increased 18.2% on a same station basis and accounted for 25% of net revenue. "While first quarter results continued to reflect pressure in certain legacy advertising categories and an uneven pace of recovery across our markets, we made meaningful progress against the strategic priorities we outlined over the past year," says CEO Caroline Beasley. Full release here.

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Twaining On Sunday: Andrew Whitworth, Ashley McBryde, Carl Edwards, Corey LaJoie, Keith Urban, Lauren Alaina, Michael Bublé, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Shaboozey, The War And Treaty and TJ Osborne are among the presenters for the Shania Twain-hosted 61st Academy Of Country Music Awards, airing live Sunday (5/17) on Prime Video from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Mt. Rushmore State: Connoisseur Media is selling six Watertown, SD stations to Riverfront Broadcasting, including Country KSDR and Classic Country KLDO. The transaction is pending FCC approval, and is expected to close in late summer. “The Watertown market was not a market we felt Connoisseur could make a material difference in with the focus and approach we bring to radio,” says Connoisseur Founder/CEO Jeff Warshaw. "Riverfront Broadcasting, being a South Dakota-based company, understands the local market and can carry on providing local content and will excel in serving the community.”

Tour Support: Zach John King's Get To Drinkin’ Tour kicks off Oct. 1 in Indianapolis and includes stops in New York City (10/16), Nashville (11/5), Toronto (10/13) and more. Additional dates and support are TBA; tickets here Friday (5/15).

Shania Twain will join Harry Styles for a 12-night stand at London’s Wembley Stadium beginning June 12, followed by a one-off headlining performance in Ireland.

Sam Seaboard: Syndicator Seaboard Networks has launched the weekly Classic Country show Studio 39 With Steve Bauer, which is available to stations via barter. Host Bauer is a Wichita radio veteran. Seaboard also recently announced plans to launch country mix show Amped Up Country at the end of the month (CAT 5/7). Contact Seaboard founder Steven Clendenin for info here.

Festive All: Russell Dickerson (6/4), Carly Pearce (6/5), Shaboozey (6/6) and Ashley McBryde (6/7) will be this year's Artists of the Day at Fan Fair X inside Music City Center during CMA Fest. Additional CMA Close Up Stage programming includes live Country Heat Weekly sessions with The Red Clay Strays and Maddox Batson; Behind the Hits featuring John Morgan, Blake Pendergrass and Parker Welling; Audacy Presents: Music You Should Know featuring Carter Faith, Warren Zeiders and Katie Neal; and Up Close With Brandon Lake. Lineup and ticket info here.

Aaron Barker, James Slater, Frank Myers, Dylan Altman and Ashland Craft are among the songwriters set to perform during iHeartMedia WAVW/Ft. Pierce, FL and BMI's fifth annual Treasure Coast Songwriters Festival tomorrow (5/14) through Sunday (5/17) in Stuart, FL; info here.

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Jo Dee Messina has been added as a headliner alongside Justin Moore and Clint Black for the Heart Of Country Music Festival, set for Sept. 11-12 at Kenton County Fairgrounds in Independence, KY. Additional performers include Shenandoah, Little Texas, Cole Goodwin and John Morgen; tickets here.

Tales From The Crypto: The 2027 Grammy Awards will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Feb. 7 on ABC, Disney+ and Hulu, marking the first time the Grammys have aired on ABC since 1972. This year’s eligibility period is Aug. 31, 2025 – Aug. 28, 2026; nominees will be announced Nov. 16.

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

Morgan Wallen and Ella Langley lead the midyear airplay report; full list in Country Aircheck Weekly.
The CMA and Disney extended their broadcast relationship through 2032. (5/12)
Max Media/Cape Girardeau, MO's Jack Swart was upped to GM. (5/11)
Sean "Slim" Widmer joined KDRK/Spokane, WA to track middays. (5/11)

Country Aircheck Today Top 5: Here are the Top 5 songs for May 12, according to Mediabase.

CODY JOHNSON/The Fall (CoJo/Warner/WRN) 4317 points
TUCKER WETMORE/Brunette (Back Blocks/Mercury) 4037 points
JORDAN DAVIS/Turn This Truck Around (MCA) 3670 points
RILEY GREEN/Change My Mind (Nash. Harbor) 3659 points
ELLA LANGLEY/Be Her (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple Tigers) 3479 points

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers: Here are the top point gainers for May 10-12, compared with the same days last week, according to Mediabase.

KENNY CHESNEY/Carry On (Hey Now) +2560 points
CODY JOHNSON/The Fall (CoJo/Warner/WRN) +1690 points
LUKE COMBS/Be By You (Columbia) +1250 points
ELLA LANGLEY & MORGAN WALLEN/I Can't Love You Anymore (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple Tigers/Big Loud) +1038 points
ELLA LANGLEY/Be Her (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple Tigers) +863 points

Tomorrow's Birthdays (5/14): Dustin Lynch, Katie Stephens, Tom English, Dave Collins.

~~Ain't No~~ Love In Oklahoma: Columbia's Luke Combs (c) with the label's Christy Garbinski, iHeart/Oklahoma's JJ Ryan, American Country Countdown’s Ryan Fox and the label's Nicole Walden (l-r) in Norman, OK.

Howdy, Radio Partners: Big Machine's Cole Goodwin (front) says "Howdy" to radio partners and their families in Florida. Pictured are WKRO/Daytona Beach's DJ Tremble, guests Emerson and Jordan, WWKA/Orlando's Melissa Quinones, guests Sherry Stanley and Paul Stringfield, WQYK/Tampa's Launa Stringfield, WPCV/Lakeland, FL's Julie Kay, WQIK/Jacksonville's Scot "Froggy" Langley, guests Lisa and Caden Langley, the label's Liz Gregg Santana and WIRK/West Palm Beach's Nick Rivers.

The Golden State: Riser House's Meghan Patrick with the label’s Roger Fregoso and KSON/San Diego's Jessica Chenoweth (top) and Fregoso, KNCI/Sacramento's Sonia Jimenez and Chad Rufer (bottom, l-r) at Country In The Park.

Signage: Singer/songwriter Colton Dawson signs with Warner Records Nashville and TKO Artist Management. Pictured (front, l-r) are TKO's TK Kimbrell, Dawson and WRN's Cris Lacy; (back, l-r) TKO's Cassie Petty, WRN's Stephanie Davenport and TKO's Jordan Bernal.