Gem City Return: Cox WHKO/Dayton, OH has added former Top 40 WBLI/Long Island air personality Thomas "TJ" Johnson as host of its New Country Nights show. Johnson previously worked at Urban WDHT/Dayton before joining the Cox-owned WBLI. He succeeds Jordan Knight, who hosted the WHKO evening show for nearly a decade in addition to his morning show at sister WWKA/Orlando. Knight will now focus full-time on the Orlando station, where he is known on-air as Slater.

Fun Uncle: Former WRWD/Poughkeepsie, NY air personality "Uncle Mike" Hansen has joined Neversink Media/AK22 Digital Media WDLC/Hudson Valley, NY for middays, and will also assume the newly created role of Dir./Community Relations for WDLC and its two sister stations. Hansen spent 15 years at iHeartMedia's WRWD before departing in a round of company cuts in June (CAT 6/29).

Saska-Two: Saskatoon Media Classic Hits CJMK/Saskatoon, SK switched to a hybrid Country/Pop format as "Kick 98" Tuesday (9/8). The move comes less than a week after former sister Country CKBL re-branded and let go of its airstaff under new owner Rawlco (CAT 9/8). CJMK is about 80% current/recurrent and almost evenly split between Country and Pop titles. Yesterday's most played artists include Gracie Abrams, Luke Combs, Ariana Grande, Niall Horan, Stella Lefty, Teddy Swims and Lainey Wilson. Greig "Gregger" Achtemichuk remains in mornings, joined by sister Country CJWW-AM reporter Keira Miller and Clayton Kroeker, who departed mornings at CKBL last week. Former crosstown Rock CFWD personality Kendra Helms is in afternoons. Stream here.

Tour Support: Garth Brooks will play Salt Lake City on his Blame It All On My Roots Arena Tour, with shows scheduled for Oct. 9-10 at the Delta Center. Tickets (9/18) here.

Kelsey Hart will embark on his 13-date Red All Over Tour Sept. 25 in his hometown of Central City, KY with Carson Bock as support. Stops include Milwaukee, Chicago and Minneapolis. Tickets here.

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

• "Sabrina From Queens" Sergio and Cane Peterson are joining WWWF/Nassau for mornings. (9/8)
• Bob Reeves and Liz Kiley joined Melody Place. (9/8)
• Skyview Networks' Heather Baumanis departed. (9/8)

Bits & Pieces: Darryl Worley has recorded a new version of his 2023 single "Have You Forgotten?" for Big Machine to mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Worley is requesting that stations of all formats across the U.S. play it at 9:11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, also its release day. Contact George Briner here for airplay info.

Vince Gill (Oct. 2-3), Brad Paisley (Oct. 2), Steven Curtis Chapman (Oct. 1), Bill Anderson (Oct. 3), Suzy Bogguss (Oct. 2) and Rhonda Vincent (Oct. 1) have been added to the Grand Ole Opry's birthday weekend (CAT 8/6). Tickets here.

ICYMI: Warren Zeiders performed “Overrated” on NBC's America’s Got Talent (9/8). 

Lainey Wilson will perform during  Amazon Music Live, the concert series airing after Thursday Night Football, Oct. 15 on Amazon Music, Prime Video, Twitch, and more.

Life Note: Industry vet Marc Driskill is recovering from an emergency 10-hour surgery to reconstruct and reattach his left hand following an accident. He is expected to undergo a series of additional procedures, beginning with skin grafting and bone and tendon repair. A GoFundMe has been started to help with his recovery; donate here.

Country Aircheck Today Top 5: Here are the Top 5 songs for Sept. 8, according to Mediabase.

1. LUKE COMBS/Be By You (Columbia) 4636 points
2. STELLA LEFTY/Boston (Sandlot/Atlantic Outpost) 4390 points 
3. KENNY CHESNEY/Carry On (Hey Now) 3596 points
4. MORGAN WALLEN/Been By Now (Big Loud) 3525 points
5. JOHN MORGAN/Kid Myself (Night Train/Broken Bow) 3134 points

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers: Here are the top point gainers for Sept. 6-8, compared with the same days last week, according to Mediabase.  

1. MORGAN WALLEN/Been By Now (Big Loud) +1212 points
2. ELLA LANGLEY/Loving Life Again (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple Tigers) +1172 points
3. LUKE COMBS/Rethink Some Things (Columbia) +1066 points
4. JASON ALDEAN/Anytime Soon (Macon Music/Broken Bow) +1056 points
5. ZACH JOHN KING/Get To Drinkin' (SMN)

Tomorrow's Birthdays (9/10): Ashley Monroe, Kerry Harvick, James Poteat, Tracy Gibson, the late Tommy Overstreet.

Hanks For The Memories: Lost Highway's Flatland Cavalry at the Baltimore stop of Kacey Musgraves' Middle of Nowhere Tour. Pictured (l-r) are WPOC/Baltimore & WMZQ/Washington D.C.'s Jeff Kapugi and wife Laurie, WPOC/WMZQ's Kelly Ford, the group's Cleto Cordero holding Hank Butts, WGTY/York's Scott Donato, the label's Megan McCaffrey and the group's Jason Albers and Reid Dillon.