February 11, 2026 News@CountryAircheck.com

SIG Gigs: Townsquare/St. Cloud, MN Classic Rock KLZZ Brand Mgr. Dave Thomas has been named PD/morning host for Saga Classic Country WSIG/Harrisonburg, VA. He succeeds PD/afternoon host Tom Morgan, who has moved to Classic Rock sister WWWV/Charlottesville, VA as PD/morning host. Thomas' move is a return to the Saga cluster, where he previously was Brand Mgr. Concurrently, WSIG middayer RJ Kelly moves to afternoons, with middays being temporarily covered by Robbie Vogler. Morgan will continue tracking afternoons at WCVL/Charlottesville, which he has been doing since 2024 (CAT 2/16/24); reach him here.

Writers Block: Riser House Entertainment Sr. Dir./Publishing + A&R Kirby Mathews has joined Back Blocks Music as VP/Publishing. “Kirby is a songwriter's advocate in every sense of the word," says Founder/CEO Rakiyah Marshall. Adds Mathews, "The team has built a catalog and culture that truly puts songwriters first which is so important to me, as I've dedicated my career to elevating songwriters and protecting their craft." Prior to Riser House, Mathews spent time at Play It Again Music and WinSongs Music Publishing.

Keeping Up With The Jonas: Former Lyric Capital Group VP/Catalog Administration Amanda Hruska has joined Jonas Group Publishing/Nashville as Global Head/Administration. Prior to Lyric Capitol, she spent seven years as Head/Copyright at Round Hill Music, and had earlier roles with Warner Chappell and Bug Music in Los Angeles.

Gig Alert: ACM Lifting Lives is seeking a Manager to oversee program execution, promote operational excellence and contribute to strategic initiatives. The job requires at least three years of experience in nonprofit management, program leadership or a related role. Find details and apply here.

Friyay The 13th: A one-day-only “Lucky for You” 13% discount for CRS 2026 will be available Friday (2/13) using code LUCKY, reducing the $698 general registration rate to $607.06. Friday is also the final day for booking rooms at host hotel Omni Nashville, here. CRS 2026 takes place March 18-20 in Nashville; register here.

Festive All: Ashley Cooke, Bob DiPiero, Ernest, Hardy, Jack Ingram, Robert Earl Keen, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose and Jeffrey Steele are among the songwriters and artists performing during the annual Key West Songwriters Festival April 29-May 3. Additional songwriters are forthcoming, and schedules will be made available in March here.

Jackson Dean, Wade Bowen, Cody Canada, Frankie Ballard, Harper Grace, Alex Lambert, Shelby Stone, Sunny Sweeney and Chandler Walters have been added to the lineup of the invite-only Live In The Vineyard Goes Country in Napa Valley, CA April 21–23.

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

The final day to register online for CRS 2026 is Feb. 18.
Ella Langley leads early 2026 airplay, while Cody Johnson returns to the stage in Country Aircheck Weekly
WFRG/Utica, NY's Dave "Wheels" Wheeler departed. (2/10)
Valory Pres. George Briner retired. (2/9)
iHeartMedia's Bill Stewart was named Tucson SVPP. (2/9)
Dane Schmidt, Jordan Marcus and Jude Warren joined ERN's Cadillac Music. (2/9)

Bits & Pieces: Longtime iHeartMedia KXKT/Omaha morning co-host Steve Lundy will be among the inductees into the Nebraska Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame's Class of 2026 Aug. 11 during the organization's annual convention in Lincoln. Lundy's radio career has spanned nearly 50 years, and he's been with KXKT since 2004. In a social media tribute, his co-host, Gina Melton, called his induction "a testament to the impact he’s had—not only on the airwaves, but on the community he loves and serves." Reach Lundy here.

Country Aircheck Today Top 5: Here are the Top 5 songs for Feb. 10, according to Mediabase 24/7.

JASON ALDEAN/How Far Does A Goodbye Go (Macon Music/Broken Bow) 4526 points
ELLA LANGLEY/Choosin' Texas (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple Tigers) 4299 points
MORGAN WALLEN/20 Cigarettes (Big Loud) 4164 points
SHABOOZEY & JELLY ROLL/Amen (Empire/Magnolia/Stoney Creek) 4046 points
THOMAS RHETT f/JORDAN DAVIS/Ain't A Bad Life (MCA/Valory) 3036 points

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers: Here are the top point gainers for Feb. 8-10, compared with the same days last week, according to Mediabase 24/7.

JASON ALDEAN/How Far Does A Goodbye Go (Macon Music/Broken Bow) +2107 points
LUKE COMBS/Sleepless In A Hotel Room (Columbia) +1406 points
GEORGE BIRGE f/LUKE BRYAN/Ride, Ride, Ride (Records Nashville/MCA) +1256 points
LUKE COMBS/Days Like These (Columbia) +989 points
CODY JOHNSON/The Fall (CoJo/Warner/WRN) +906 points

Tomorrow's Birthdays (2/12): Moe Bandy, Bub McCullough, Jerry Broadway.

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This Chart: RCA's Corey Kent celebrates his second No. 1, "This Heart." Pictured (back, l-r) are Studio Bank’s Kari Barnhart, Boom Music Group’s Shaina Botwin, Sony Music Nashville’s Dennis Reese, Triple 8 Management’s George Couri, Triple 8 Management’s Chris Fox, BMI’s Mason Hunter, Young Guns Publishing’s Laura Alexander, SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Warner Chappell’s Bethany Mako, Goat Island Sound’s Kos Weaver, Combustion’s Keithan Melton and Goat Island Sound’s Sam Shelton; (front, l-r) songwriters Jacob Hackworth, Thomas Archer, Kent, Michael Tyler and Blake Bollinger, and producer Chris Farren.

Cereal Killers: Riser House's Meghan Patrick welcomes KNCI/Sacramento, CA's newly revamped morning show Pat and Cody with Joe (CAT 1/8). Pictured (l-r) are the label’s Roger Fregoso, the station's Sonia Jimenez and Pat Still, Patrick and the station's Cody Robinson, Chad Rufer and Joe Maumee.

Choosin' Texas Hold 'Em: Sawgod/Columbia NY/Triple Tigers' Ella Langley at the Grand Casino Arena in Minneapolis. Pictured (l-r) are iHeart's Gregg Swedberg, KEEY's Pat Knight and Rich Davis, Langley, TT's Julianna Vaughn and KMNB's Paul "PT" Thomas, Greg Thunder and Adam Sprenger.

Signage: Songwriter Bobby Pinson signs with Riley Green's Duckman Publishing and Lady Luck Publishing. Pictured (l-r) are LLP's Kim Penz and Cliff Audretch, Pinson, LLP's Erik Dylan and Green.