March 12, 2025 News@CountryAircheck.com

Kix Pack: Here are select Nielsen Audio Continuous Diary Measurement (CDM) ratings for December 2024 (three-month rolling average, 9/12-12/4, aka the Fall book) compared with October and November. Ranks (in parentheses) are among subscribers. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are Persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6am-midnight.

Columbia, SC (Market 89)	WCOS iHeartMedia 5.8 (3) - 5.6 (3) - 5.1 (4)
Little Rock, AR (94)	KSSN iHeartMedia 6.6 (4) - 6.4 (4) - 6.0 (5) KMJX iHeartMedia Cl. Country 4.4 (8) - 3.5 (9) - 3.7 (8t)
Springfield, MA (104)	WRNX iHeartMedia 3.6 (5) - 3.8 (5) - 4.7 (4t) Largest share since July 2024.
Toledo, OH (109)	WKKO Cumulus 8.6 (1) - 8.1 (2) - 7.9 (2) WCKY iHeartMedia Classic Country 1.1 (11) - 1.1 (11) - 1.4 (10) Largest share since June 2024. WMIM Cumulus 0.7 (13t) - 0.7 (12t) - 0.7 (12t)

Audacy Cuts: Additional Audacy cuts made last week include KFRG/Riverside morning co-host Guy David, whose departure leaves Kelli Green as solo morning host. David joined the station in 2023 after previously holding a similar position at KYGO/Denver (CAT 7/28/23). After leaving KYGO in 2020 (CAT 6/11/20), David hosted a current affairs talk show on Sports KSHP/Las Vegas. Reach him here.

Seattle-based Sr. Dir./National Experiences Brian Thorpe exited after four years in the position, which included producing national events like We Can Survive and Stars And Strings. Thorpe originally joined the then-Entercom/Seattle cluster as Dir./Promotions in 2006, after three years at Entercom/Denver. Reach him here.

See previous reporting about Audacy's cuts here, here and here.

Flip In: Carriage WLJA/Ellijay, GA has flipped from Southern Gospel to Christian Country as "101.1 The Pulse," positioned as "Where Faith, Country and Gospel Collide." The station has hired three personalities from the former Christian AC WFSH/Atlanta, which was purchased by K-Love, Inc. last month and moved to a satellite format: Dan Ratcliffe joins in mornings, Kim Fitz is in middays and Kelly O'Brien joins to co-host afternoons with the station's managing partner Darien Southerland. Reach Southerland here. Stream here.

Sample playlist from March 12:
JUSTIN MOORE/If Heaven Wasn't So Far Away
GEORGE STRAIT/I Saw God Today
LEFEVRE QUARTET/All The Praise
RANDY TRAVIS/Forever And Ever, Amen
LUKE BRYAN/Most People Are Good
MORGAN WALLEN/Don't Think Jesus

Festive All: Brothers Osborne, Jelly Roll and Chris Stapleton are among the artists performing during the 2025 NCAA March Madness Music Festival at San Antonio's Tower Park at Hemisfair April 4-6. The event is free and general admission. Details here.

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

New openings, including KWEN/Tulsa APD/afternoons, are on the Country Aircheck Job Board.
CRS Women's Networking Breakfast mentors share advice in Country Aircheck Weekly.
ACM Radio Award nominees were announced.
Steve Sutton rejoined WGNE/Jacksonville in mornings.

Bits & Pieces: Josie Bisto's "Love Lies" was named the Song Category grand prize winner at the conclusion of the NSAI Song Contest last month. The song will be performed during Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival.

The staff at Steel City KFKF/Kansas City hosted a party today (3/12) to celebrate PD/morning host Dale Carter's 30th anniversary with the station. He shared on social media, "The years have been filled with a lot of history. Some of it bad, most of it good. I'd go back and do it again in a heartbeat." Congratulate him here.

ICYMI: Koe Wetzel, Rod Essig, Curt Motley and Nick Meinema are featured in season two of the podcast On The Bus with Troy Vollhoffer; listen here.

The members of Little Big Town are serving as mentors for coach Kelsea Ballerini's team during the current "battle rounds" on NBC's The Voice, which continue March 17 and 24.

Wedding Belle: WRSF/Nags Head, NC PD/morning co-host Ray Turner and his on-air (and longtime life) partner "The Jill" Turner recently tied the knot in the Florida Keys. The couple has been together for 16 years. Congratulate them here.

Gordon-Humbert-(l)-and-Dennis-Reese25.jpg

Life Note: Sony Music Nashville SVP/Radio Marketing & Promotion Dennis Reese is mourning the loss of his father, Gordon Harry Humbert, who passed away March 11 in Pensacola at the age of 86 surrounded by family. Reese shared on Facebook, "My Dad has been and will continue to be a huge part of who I am. I have so many incredible memories that I will hold on to forever." Reach Reese here. See full obituary here.

Country Aircheck Today Top 5: Here are the Top 5 songs for March 11, according to Mediabase 24/7.

JELLY ROLL/Liar (BMG/Republic/Stoney Creek) 4525 points
CODY JOHNSON w/CARRIE UNDERWOOD/I'm Gonna Love You (CoJo/Warner/WMN/Capitol) 4255 points
LOCASH/Hometown Home (Galaxy) 3963 points
DYLAN SCOTT/This Town's Been Too Good To Us (Curb) 3582 points
COLE SWINDELL/Forever To Me (Warner/WMN) 3081 points

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers: Here are the top point gainers for March 9-11 compared with the same days last week, according to Mediabase 24/7.

CODY JOHNSON w/CARRIE UNDERWOOD/I'm Gonna Love You (CoJo/Warner/WMN/Capitol) +2363 points
DYLAN SCOTT/This Town's Been Too Good To Us (Curb) +884 points
JASON ALDEAN/Whiskey Drink (Macon Music/Broken Bow) +743 points
JOHN MORGAN f/JASON ALDEAN/Friends Like That (Night Train/Broken Bow) +730 points
RILEY GREEN/Worst Way (Nash. Harbor) +595 points

Tomorrow's Birthdays (3/13): Billy Yates, Steve Armstrong, Kay Smith, Jay Turner, Rick McCracken, the late Liz Anderson, the late Jan Howard.

All Nighter: Music Soup/Interscope/MCA's Vincent Mason (in hat) with Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Cade Otton, the label's Donna Jo Passuntino and KKWF/Seattle's Drew Bland at New Country Night Out.

Arch Support: Valory's Preston Cooper in St. Louis with the label's Chris Palmer, WIL's Tommy Mattern and Marty Brooks and the label's Adam Burnes (top) and KSD's Dusty Panhorst.

Kids At Chart: Nashville Harbor's Greylan James (c) and the label's Andrew Thoen (r) celebrate Music Choice's Jim Murphy adding "Wait Til You Have Kids."

Signage: Singer/songwriter Zachary Knowles signs with Concord Music Publishing. Pictured (l-r) are Concord's Claire Buchanan, Garrett Stephenson, Matt Turner, Jen Hubbard, Courtney Allen and Ellie Gray; (front, l-r) Concord's Brad Kennard, Knowles and Concord's Melissa Spillman.