April 1, 2025 News@CountryAircheck.com

Baton Down The Hatches: Here are select Nielsen Audio Continuous Diary Measurement (CDM) ratings for February 2025 (three-month rolling average, 11/7-3/5) compared with December and January. Ranks (in parentheses) are among subscribers. Unless otherwise noted, all figures are Persons 12+, Monday-Sunday, 6am-midnight.

Baton Rouge (Market 79)	WYNK iHeartMedia 4.4 (4) - 4.9 (4) - 5.0 (4t) Largest share since June 2024. WTGE Guaranty Does not subscribe.
Louisville (58)	WAMZ iHeartMedia 6.9 (1) - 6.7 (1) - 6.6 (1) WQNU SummitMedia 2.8 (12) - 3.0 (12) - 3.2 (12)
New Orleans (50)	WNOE iHeartMedia 5.6 (5) - 5.5 (5) - 4.8 (5)
Oklahoma City (48)	KTST iHeartMedia 4.9 (5) - 4.8 (5) - 4.6 (5) KJKE Tyler 3.9 (6) - 3.6 (6) - 3.8 (6) KXXY iHeartMedia Classic Country 3.0 (8) - 2.2 (11) - 2.8 (10)

Taking Stocker: iHeartMedia Grand Forks, ND Market Pres. Jennifer Stocker has been promoted to Area President for Nebraska-Iowa, which encompasses more than 35 stations in Omaha, Des Moines, Sioux City, Davenport, Ogallala and Cedar Rapids. Her oversight includes KXKT & KFFF/Omaha, KMCX/Oglala, KKSY/Cedar Rapids, WLLR/Davenport and KXNO-HD2/Des Moines. Stocker, who has been with the company since 1999, reports to Division Pres. Shosh Abromovich.

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Three-Peak: FBMM has elevated Laura Beth Hendricks, Ben Huddleston and Abby Lamb to Assoc. Business Mgrs. in the company's Nashville office. “We are committed to developing the next generation of leaders and cultivating an environment where employees choose to grow their careers,” says Owner Jen Conger. Hendricks joined FBMM in 2010 and Huddleston in 2016. Lamb has been with the company for 10 years.

Gut Feeling: Premiere/Nashville Podcast Network's 4 Things With Amy Brown podcast has been renamed Feeling Things With Amy & Kat, adding licensed therapist and podcaster Kat Van Buren as full-time co-host. Brown co-hosts iHeartMedia's nationally syndicated The Bobby Bones Show. Van Buren has been featured on Brown's podcast for the past four years, in addition to hosting her own You Need Therapy on the Amy Brown Podcast Network. Listen to Feeling Things here. New episodes drop on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Flip Out: Coastal Television WYCM/Lafayette, IN will flip to Oldies tomorrow (4/2) after 12 years in the format. PD/midday host Brandon Adams has exited after four years with the station, which carried Big D & Bubba in mornings and Taste Of Country Nights. Eastlan ceased measuring the market last June, at which time WYCM ranked seventh in the market with a 4.1 share behind Neuhoff WKOA's second-place 13.8 share. Reach Adams here.

Ice Off: Black Diamond WMKC/Traverse City, MI is off the air following a weekend ice storm in northern Michigan. PD/afternoon host Susan Melton posted on social media, "Not sure when we will be back on the air."

Signage: Warner/WMN's Matt Schuster signed with FNGRPRNT's Dillon Goldberg for management.

Tour Support: Jordan Davis' 2025 Ain’t Enough Road Tour with Mitchell Tenpenny and Vincent Mason kicks off Sept. 11 in Greater Palm Springs, CA and stops in cities including Los Angeles, New York, Phoenix, St. Louis, Rosemont and Savannah before wrapping Oct. 25 in Estero, FL. Tickets go on sale Friday (4/4) here. Watch the announcement featuring Peyton Manning and Jim Nantz here.

Bits & Pieces: Big Loud Partner and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer Craig Wiseman was honored March 27 with a Mississippi Country Music Trail Marker in Midtown Green Park in Hattiesburg. The marker is part of the Mississippi Country Music Trail commemorating legends, venues and landmarks that have shaped the state's impact on country music. Wiseman was also presented with a key to the city during the proclaimed Craig Wiseman Day in Hattiesburg.

Audacy KILT/Houston morning hosts Tucker "Frito" Young and Katy Dempsey recently wrapped their Frito & Katy’s Farming the Future contest in partnership with a local John Deere retailer. This initiative awarded a total of $4,500 to three local 4H and FFA chapters to support their agriculture projects, and provided them with new John Deere equipment.

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

Country Aircheck’s ACM Voter’s Guide is available here.
"Kira Kathleen" Smethers joined KCLR/Columbia, MO in nights.
Townsquare/Sedalia, MO OM Rob Creighton exited.

ICYMI: Carrie Underwood continued her Idol To Icon web series, revisiting Hollywood Week, sharing BTS stories and looking back on her fashion choices.

Dolly Parton partnered with Good American for a limited edition denim collection, Dolly's Joleans.

Family Affair: What do you get when you take two Country Radio Hall of Famers and add a child who grows up around the industry? WPOR/Portland, ME's Ben Brophey and his parents Mike and Ginny discuss his almost inevitable journey into the business. And go behind the family-like scenes of WUSQ/Winchester, VA as it closes in on its 50th consecutive No. 1 book. Plus, go off the record with RCA's Corey Kent. It's all in Monday's (3/31) Country Aircheck Weekly.

Crib Note: Audacy KSON/San Diego & KFRG/Riverside Dir./Promotions Dana Johnson and husband Clark Johnson welcomed their second daughter, Jordan, March 29. She joins two-year-old big sister Cooper. Congratulate the family here.

Chronicle: Music Row executive Van Tucker died March 28 at the age of 67. Tucker was founder and Chief Creative Officer of Avenue Bank, later serving as CEO of Nashville Fashion Alliance and Launch Tennessee. She was a 1999 graduate (and later a board member) of Nashville's Leadership Music program, and founder and board member of the Americana Music Assn., among many other board positions. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to the Williamson County Animal Shelter. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Read her full obituary here.

Canadian artist and songwriter Joseph "Dick" Damron passed March 29. He was 91. Damron's recording career began in 1959, and he scored five No. 1s on the Canadian Country chart during the following two decades. He won Canadian Country Music Awards for Best Male Vocalist (1983), Best Single (1984) and Entertainer (1989). Damron also had cuts recorded by Charley Pride and George Hamilton IV. He was inducted into the CCMA Hall of Fame in 1994 and the International Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

Country Aircheck Today Top 5: Here are the Top 5 songs for March 31, according to Mediabase 24/7.

LOCASH/Hometown Home (Galaxy) 4783 points
MORGAN WALLEN/I'm The Problem (Big Loud) 3766 points
JOHN MORGAN f/JASON ALDEAN/Friends Like That (Night Train/Broken Bow) 3614 points
DYLAN SCOTT/This Town's Been Too Good To Us (Curb) 3501 points
COLE SWINDELL/Forever To Me (Warner/WMN) 3364 points

Country Aircheck Top Point Gainers: Here are the top point gainers for March 30-31 compared with the same days last week, according to Mediabase 24/7.

LOCASH/Hometown Home (Galaxy) +985 points
MORGAN WALLEN/I'm The Problem (Big Loud) +895 points
JOHN MORGAN f/JASON ALDEAN/Friends Like That (Night Train/Broken Bow) +648 points
NATE SMITH/Fix What You Didn't Break (RCA) +511 points
BLAKE SHELTON/Texas (Wheelhouse) +505 points

Tomorrow's Birthdays (4/2): Zach Bryan, Emmylou Harris, Chris Janson, Simon Dumas (King Calaway), Buddy Jewell, Dean Townson, Kelli Haywood, Colton Bradford, Garret Doll, the late Leon Wilkeson (Lynyrd Skynyrd), the late Leon Russell.

Say Cheese: Lee Brice's You, Me & My Guitar Tour stops in the Wisconsin Dells. Pictured (l-r) are WWQM/Madison's Cailynn Hensen with fiancée Mitch Wright, WWQM’s Kristi Kelly and husband Johnny Danger, guest Mandi Kunst, Brice, Curb’s Samantha DePrez and WNCY/Appleton-Green Bay, WI's Charli McKenzie.

Big (Slot) Machine: Big Machine's Carly Pearce (c) with WCTK/Providence's Kevin Palana and wife Rebecca at Foxwoods Casino.

Fast Star: 7Ridges/Columbia's Luke Combs (c) with Make Wake's Sophia Sansone and Chris Kappy at his Music City Walk of Fame induction.

House Hold: LoCash's Chris Lucas (l) and Preston Brust (r) manifest "Hometown Home" hitting No. 1 with KDRK/Spokane, WA's Tim Cotter and Jamie Patrick.