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March 25, 2026 News@CountryAircheck.com

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LinkedIn Park: Cumulus/Indianapolis VP/MM Darlene Park has been promoted to Regional VP/Central Indiana, adding WWKI/Kokomo & WMDH/Muncie to her responsibilties. She has overseen the Indianapolis cluster, including WFMS, since 2023. Prior to joining Cumulus, Park held positions at Bonneville/Denver, then-Entercom/Denver and then-Clear Channel/Chicago.

Senior Class: “It’s a privilege to make music with such strong leaders who embody and uphold our core values," says Warner Records Nashville Chair/Pres. Cris Lacy of her updgraded executive team, as reported earlier today (3/25) via Breaking News. Kristen Williams rises from SVP to EVP/Radio & Commercial Partnerships; SVP/Legal & Business Affairs Patrick Sabatini to EVP/Operations & Business & Legal Affairs; and SVP/Strategic Marketing Victoria Mason to EVP/Marketing. Additionally, VP/Interactive Marketing Brooke Hardesty rises to SVP/Digital Marketing and VP/A&R Rohan Kohli has been upped to SVP/A&R. Austin Jenkins has joined the label as SVP/A&R from his previous position as SVP/A&R for MCA and Head of Lucille Records.

Hot Air: Details are forthcoming, but look for former Apple Music Global Head/Country Music Michael Bryan to launch an artist management company next month with Charlie Worsham as his first client. Bryan left Apple after five years last fall to take a sabbatical (CAT 10/20/25). Prior to Apple, he spent three years at CAA as Talent Agent/Artist Development Lead. His earlier radio career included iHeartRadio/Nashville SVP/Programming & WSIX PD, as well as stops in Orlando, Norfolk and New Orleans.

Inside Job: Connoisseur Media is selling its five Brookings, SD stations, including KKQQ & Classic Country KJJQ, to Brookings Radio, locally owned and operated by MM Cami Powers, her husband Derrick Powers and Business Mgr. Chad Hogie. “The Brookings market did not fit into the long-term vision we set out for Connoisseur," says Founder/CEO Jeff Warshaw. "As we pursued a potential sale, we looked for local quality operators to purchase these stations and found that the best operators in the market already worked for us."

Tour Support: Ty Myers' 33-date The Legal Tour kicks off June 11, with dates currently scheduled through November 21. Tickets go on sale next Friday (4/3) here.

Festive All: Ashley Cooke, Chase Matthew, Dasha, Drew Baldridge, Dylan Marlowe, Ernest, Kameron Marlowe, Lauren Alaina, Priscilla Block, Russell Dickerson, Tucker Wetmore and more will perform on the Riverfront Stage during CMA Fest June 4-7 in Nashville. The lineups for Ascend Park, Walk of Fame Park, Bridgestone Plaza and Fan Alley are available here; tickets here.

Ella Langley, Old Dominion, Dylan Scott, Clint Black, Shenandoah, John Anderson and Rodney Atkins are among the artists playing the inaugural Alan Jackson’s Five O’Clock Somewhere Fest June 12-13 in West Palm Beach, FL; details here.

Shaboozey has been added to the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards lineup, which also includes Lainey Wilson. The show airs live from Los Angeles March 26 on Fox, iHeartRadio stations and the iHR app.

Signage: Big Loud's Ernest has signed with Warner Chappell Music (WCM) Nashville. He's penned 13 No. 1s, including his single “Flower Shops,” featuring Morgan Wallen, and Wallen and Post Malone's “I Had Some Help."

Bits & Pieces: LoCash will guest host Skyview Networks' Country Top 40 With Fitz this week.

Audacy's Pittsburgh cluster, including WDSY, provided 331,657 meals to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank via their seventh annual Giant Eagle Feed the Need Radiothon March 24. Dan + Shay's Dan Smyers was among the celebrities making an appearance.

ICYMI: Hudson Westbrook talked about his family’s history as landmen, dropping out of Texas Tech (and surprising his mom with that information live from stage at Austin City Limits Festival) and EP Exclusive on The Drew Barrymore Show.

Chronicle: Chip Taylor, a 2016 inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, died March 23 at the age of 86. Among his best-known compositions are The Troggs’ “Wild Thing,” Merrilee Rush’s “Angel In The Morning" (later recorded by Juice Newton), The Hollies “I Can’t Let Go” and Janis Joplin’s “Try (Just A Little Bit Harder).” His songs were also recorded by Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Bobby Bare, Emmylou Harris and Anne Murray, among many others. In addition to having a recording career of his own (both as a solo act and with Carrie Rodriguez), he founded Train Wreck Records. See his full obituary here, and his Songwriters Hall of Fame bio here. No word on services.

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

SHABOOZEY & JELLY ROLL/Amen (Empire/Magnolia/Stoney Creek) 4414 points
ELLA LANGLEY/Choosin' Texas (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple Tigers) 3801 points
JUSTIN MOORE/Time's Ticking (Blue Highway) 3748 points
THOMAS RHETT f/JORDAN DAVIS/Ain't A Bad Life (Blue Highway/MCA) 3651 points
DYLAN SCOTT/What He'll Never Have (Curb) 3583 points

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers: Here are the top point gainers for March 22-24, compared with the same days last week, according to Mediabase.

ELLA LANGLEY/Be Her (Sawgod/Col. NY/Triple Tigers) +1305 points
KANE BROWN/Woman (RCA) +680 points
JASON ALDEAN/Don't Tell On Me (Macon Music/Broken Bow) +577 points
CODY JOHNSON/The Fall (CoJo/Warner/WRN) +555 points
LUKE COMBS/Sleepless In A Hotel Room (Columbia) +454 points

Tomorrow's Birthdays (3/26): Kenny Chesney, Ben Gallaher, Charly McClain, Ronnie McDowell, Dean Dillon, Danny Kee, Chad Heritage.

Kill Joy: RCA's Corey Kent (c) celebrates the platinum certification of "Something's Gonna Kill Me" with the label's Paige Altone, Triple 8's Chris Fox, the label's Ken Robold, Kent, Triple 8's George Couri and the label's Caryl Atwood and Jason McColl (l-r).

Blue Cheese: Blue Highway's Preston Cooper and Jackson Dean with their label team at CRS. Pictured (l-r) are Jake Basden, Ashley Sidoti, Chris Waters, Cooper, Amy Staley, Dean, Claire Compton, Adam Burnes and Sally Green.

Binnie & The Jets: Binnie/Portland, ME raises $371,043 during its Cares For Kids Radiothon (top) and $23,000 at its benefit concert for The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center featuring Big Loud's Lauren Alaina. Pictured (top, l-r) are WTHT's Jadd Naamani, Amy Ryan and Michelle Taylor, WFNK's Holly Nunan, WHXR's Rick Johnson and WFNK's Leif Erickson; (bottom, l-r) Naamani, Alaina, the hospital's Meaghan McNamara, Ryan and Taylor.

Human Kind: Stoney Creek's Jelly Roll (c) with the label's Shelley Hargis, JoJamie Hahr, Jon Loba and Adrian Michaels (l-r) after accepting the CRS Artist Humanitarian Award Friday (3/20).

The Mockingbird And The Bro: WJVL/Janesville, WI's Justin Brown with Big Loud's Hardy (l) and Nashville Harbor's Greylan James at CRS.