May 4, 2026 News@CountryAircheck.com

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Still The Ones: Here are select Nielsen Audio Continuous Diary Measurement (CDM) ratings for March 2026 (three-month rolling average, 1/8-4/1/26) compared with January and February. Ranks (in parentheses) are among subscribers. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are Persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6am-midnight.

Albany, NY (Market 68)	WGNA Townsquare 6.0 (3) - 5.7 (4) - 5.4 (2t) WKLI Pamal 2.8 (12) - 2.9 (11) - 2.2 (13) WINU Pamal Classic Country 1.2 (18) - 1.6 (17t) - 1.5 (14)
Allentown, PA (75)	WCTO Cumulus Does not subscribe.
Dayton, OH (66)	WHKO Cox 9.1 (1) - 10.0 (1) - 11.1 (1) Largest share since Sept. 2024. WZDA iHeartMedia 0.9 (16) - 1.1 (15) - 1.3 (11t)
Fresno, CA (67)	KHGE iHeartMedia 3.4 (7) - 3.5 (6) - 2.7 (9) KSKS Cumulus Does not subscribe.
Grand Rapids, MI (69)	WBCT iHeartMedia 8.4 (1) - 6.8 (3) - 8.6 (1) WTNR Cumulus Does not subscribe.
Wilkes-Barre, PA (81)	WGGY Audacy 6.9 (2t) - 7.3 (3) - 7.4 (2)

KBUL's Richards To Depart: Cumulus' four-station Reno cluster OM and Country KBUL PD/morning host Bob Richards is planning to depart this summer for a new position expected to be outside the radio industry. He began his radio career at a Stephen King-owned radio station in Bangor, ME, with stops in Abilene, TX; Lafayette, IN; South Bend IN; and Jackson, MS before joining KBUL in 2009. Reach Richards here. Cumulus is recruiting his successor; find the job listing and apply here. Salary range is $60k-$75k.

A'Hoyt: Max Media WGH/Norfolk Dir./Production, weekend personality and 11-year station veteran Jerry Hoyt has moved to middays following Barry McKay's switch to afternoons at "yacht rock" formatted sister WTWV. McKay joined WGH in 2024 from AC WSPA/Greenville, SC (CAT 4/22/24).

Rose Quartz: "Quartz Hill Music Group has an outstanding roster of artists with so much potential," says newly installed SVP/Promotion & Marketing Bill Macky, who will oversee radio strategy for both the Quartz Hill Records and Stone Country Records artist rosters, as reported this morning (5/4) via Breaking News. Macky most recently was SVP/Promotion at Black River, which he joined in 2012 after prior stints at Epic, Sony, MCA and 16 years in radio in Pittsburgh, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento and Bakersfield. Reach him here.

Saying Farewell: Wendlee Broadcasting signed off Classic Country KSTA/Coleman, TX April 29 citing "economic and technical issues" and an inability to find a buyer. Watch the farewell from Station Mgr./morning host Dan Haynes (whose late father, Joseph Haynes, also worked at KSTA) here. The station had been on the air since 1951, and operated by Wendlee for more than 20 years.

We Shall Be Zea: NZME iHeartCountry New Zealand has added eight AM and three FM signals to its nationwide network, including coverage of the capital city of Wellington. iHeartCountry New Zealand was launched a year ago on 10 signals as the nation's first terrestrial Country station in more than 30 years (CAT 5/2/25) with programming overseen by NZME Chief Content Officer Mike McClung.

Tour Update: The first few weeks of Post Malone and Jelly Roll's Big Ass Stadium Tour Part 2 have been canceled, affecting shows in El Paso, Waco, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, Tampa and Oxford. The run will now kick off in Charlotte June 9. “The truth is, I promised y’all beautiful people new music, and I don’t have the time to finish it before tour starts," Malone shared on social media. "We ain’t ready for tour just yet, so I’m making the decision to push the tour back about three weeks to get this music done.”

Dolly Parton has canceled her Las Vegas residency, which was previously rescheduled to September, citing health reasons.

Santa Anna's Alana Springsteen will embark on her 25-date I Hope This Helps Tour Sept. 17 in Roseville, CA and running through Oct. 24 at Nashville’s Exit/In. Support acts are Erin Kinsey and Kyle Schuesler. Tickets (5/8) here.

Enchntmnt/Warner Records' Blake Whiten will launch his 16-show Something To Say Tour Oct. 8 in Lexington, KY, with openers Slater Nalley and Eli Winders. The tour includes stops in Chicago, Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville and New York. Tickets (5/8) here.

Bits & Pieces: Tracy Lawrence presented $50,000 to local non-profit organizations including Brooks House, People Loving Nashville, Open Table, The Village at Glencliff and Room in the Inn on behalf of Mission:Possible during a show at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.

ICYMI: Read Ashley McBryde's feature from today's (5/4) print edition of The New York Times here.

Life Note: KFDI/Wichita morning host JJ Hayes is donating a kidney to a stranger in honor of Hayes' late wife, who was the recipent of a donated kidney which gave the couple three more years together. His surgery date has not yet been set, but is expected to be before the end of the summer. Listen to Hayes share news of his donation journey with listeners here. See local media coverage here. And read more about kidney donation from both sides in tonight's (5/4) Country Aircheck Weekly.

Country Aircheck Today Top 5: Here are the Top 5 songs for the week ending May 2, according to Mediabase.

LUKE COMBS/Sleepless In A Hotel Room (Columbia)
TUCKER WETMORE/Brunette (Back Blocks/Mercury)
CODY JOHNSON/The Fall (CoJo/Warner/WRN)
RILEY GREEN/Change My Mind (Nash. Harbor)
ELLA LANGLEY/Be Her (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple Tigers)

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers: Here are the top point gainers for May 3, compared with the same day last week, according to Mediabase.

ELLA LANGLEY & MORGAN WALLEN/I Can't Love You Anymore (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple Tigers) +566 points
JORDAN DAVIS/Turn This Truck Around (MCA) +480 points
LUKE BRYAN/Country And She Knows It (MCA) +392 points
JON PARDI/Boots Off (MCA) +355 points
LUKE COMBS/Be By You (Columbia) +275 points

Tomorrow's Birthdays (5/5): Mike Severson, Chris Michaels, Mickey Jack Cones, Chele Fassig, the late Tammy Wynette, the late Sammy Allred, the late Doug Baker.

Tube Check Tonight (5/4): Ashley McBryde, ABC News Live.

iHeartCountry Club: Team Big Machine at the iHeartCountry Festival in Austin. Pictured (l-r) are Jimmy Harnen, Jay Cruze, Ryan Dokke, iHeart's Rod Phillips, Sandi Spika Borchetta and Scott Borchetta.

Pen Pals: Leo33's Trey Pendley with KNCI/Sacramento, CA's Sonia Jimenez and Chad Rufer (top) and KKBQ/Houston's Travis Moon and Lauren "Lo" Sessions-Barker.

Saturday Night Live: Luke Combs' My Kinda Saturday Night Tour stops at Ohio Stadium. Pictured (l-r) are SMN's Dan Nelson and Dennis Reese, WJKR/Columbus' Kevin Kirschner, WQMX/Akron's Cherise Richards and Sarah Kay, WXTU/Philadelphia's Nicole Michalik, Combs, WXCY/Wilmington, DE's Charlie Maxx, WUBE/Cincinnati's Grover Collins, Audacy’s Samantha Rudnick, SMN's Mallory Michaels, KEEY/Minneapolis' Pat Knight, WCOL/Columbus, OH's Kayla Hanley, WQMX's Justina Ciraldo and WHKO/Dayton's Nancy Wilson.

Don't Come Cookin': Blue Highway’s Jackson Dean plays WUSN/Chicago's Low Dough. Pictured (l-r) are the station's Austin Huff, Dean, the station's Marci Braun, WSCR's Leila Rahimi and WUSN's Melissa McGurren and Scotty Kay.