CMA Reveals 2026 Broadcast Awards Finalists

THE COUNTRY MUSIC ASSOCIATION
REVEALS 2026 BROADCAST AWARDS FINALISTS

Finalists Recognized Across Broadcast Personality and Radio Station Categories

The Country Music Association has announced the finalists for the 2026 CMA Broadcast Awards, industry honors recognizing the radio stations and broadcast personalities whose work continues to make an impact across the Country Music industry.

As a trade association, CMA recognizes excellence across every part of the industry. The CMA Broadcast Awards honor outstanding achievement among radio personalities and stations in the United States and Canada, connecting Country artists and music with audiences in markets of all sizes.

See below for the full list of 2026 CMA Broadcast Awards finalists.

 

CMA BROADCAST PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR:

WEEKLY NATIONAL

• “American Country Countdown with Ryan Fox” (Ryan Fox) – Westwood One / Cumulus Media
• “The Country Top 40 with Fitz” (Cory “Fitz” Fitzner) – Hubbard Broadcasting
• “Crook & Chase Countdown” (Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase) – Jim Owens Entertainment
• “The Highway Hot 30 Countdown with Buzz Brainard” (Buzz Brainard) – SiriusXM
• “Steve Harmon Show” (Steve Harmon) – Westwood One / Cumulus Media

DAILY NATIONAL

• “The Angie Ward Show” (Angie Ward) – iHeartMedia
• “Backstage Country with Elaina Smith” (Elaina Smith) – Key Networks
• “Big D & Bubba” (“Big D” Derek Haskins, “Bubba” Sean Powell, Carsen Humphreville, Jonathan Shaffer, and Garrett Freche) – Silverfish Media
• “The Bobby Bones Show” (Bobby Bones, Amy Brown, “Lunchbox” Dan Chappell, Eddie Garcia, Morgan Huelsman, “Scuba Steve” Spradlin, “Mike D” Rodriguez, “Raymundo” Ray Slater, and “Phone Screener Abby” Anderson) – Premiere Radio Networks / iHeartMedia
• “Katie & Company” (Katie Neal) – Audacy

MAJOR MARKET

• “The Andie Summers Show” (Andie Summers, Jeff Kurkjian, Donnie Black, and Shannon Boyle) – WXTU, Philadelphia, Pa.
• “Hawkeye and Michelle” (“Hawkeye” Mark Louis Rybczyk and Michelle Rodriguez) – KSCS, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
• “The Lo Show” (Lauren “Lo” Sessions) – KKBQ, Houston, Texas
• “Michael J & Candace in the Morning” (“Michael J” Stuehler and Candace Dold) – WPOC, Baltimore, Md.
• “The Scotty Kay Show” (Scotty Kay) – WUSN, Chicago, Ill.

LARGE MARKET

• “Deb & Matt in the Morning” (Deborah Honeycutt and Matt Malone) – WFMS, Indianapolis, Ind.
• “Eagle Mornings with Steve & Karen” (Steve Waters and Karen West) – WGH, Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News, Va.
• “Heather Froglear” (Heather Froglear) – KFRG, Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.
• “The Jesse & Anna Show” (Jesse Tack, Anna Marie, and Jake Thomson) – WUBE, Cincinnati, Ohio
• “Scott and Shannen” (Scott Dolphin and “Shannen O” Oesterreich) – WMIL, Milwaukee-Racine, Wis.

MEDIUM MARKET

• “Clay and Company” (Clay Moden and Rob Banks) – WYRK, Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y.
• “The Doc Show with Chewy” (Ken “Doc” Medek and Sean “Chewy” Medek) – WGGY, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, Pa.
• “Joey & Nancy” (Joey Tack, Nancy Barger, and Karly Duggan) – WIVK, Knoxville, Tenn.
• “Julie and DJ in the Morning” (“Julie K” Kansy and “DJ Thee Trucker” Dale Sellers) – WPCV, Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.
• “Steve & Gina in the Morning on Kat 103.7” (Steve Lundy and Gina Melton) – KXKT, Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa

SMALL MARKET

• “The Cat Pak Morning Show with Brent and Friends” (Brent Lane and Jordan Glass) – WYCT, Pensacola, Fla.
• “Hilley & Hart” (Kevin Hilley and Erin Hart) – KATI, Columbia, Mo.
• “Kicks Wake Up Krew” (“Dub” Bryan Axelson and Cody Blaine Jackson) – WKXC, Augusta, Ga.
• “Liz & Scotty in the Morning” (Liz Del Grosso and Scotty Cox) – KCLR, Columbia, Mo.
• “Officer Don and DeAnn” (“Officer Don” Evans and DeAnn Stephens) – WBUL, Lexington, Ky.

 

CMA RADIO STATION OF THE YEAR:

MAJOR MARKET

• KSCS – Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
• KSON – San Diego, Calif.
• KYGO – Denver-Boulder, Colo.
• WMZQ – Washington, D.C.
• WPOC – Baltimore, Md.

LARGE MARKET

• KFRG, Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif.
• WCTK – Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, R.I.
• WDSY – Pittsburgh, Pa.
• WMIL – Milwaukee-Racine, Wis.
• WQDR – Raleigh-Durham, N.C.

MEDIUM MARKET

• KXKT – Omaha-Council Bluffs, Neb.-Iowa
• WHKO – Dayton, Ohio
• WLFP – Memphis, Tenn.
• WQMX – Akron, Ohio
• WUSY – Chattanooga, Tenn.

SMALL MARKET

• KCLR – Columbia, Mo.
• WCOW – La Crosse, Wis.
• WKML – Fayetteville, N.C.
• WKXC – Augusta, Ga.
• WYCT – Pensacola, Fla.

 

The CMA Broadcast Award categories are established by market size based on population as ranked by Nielsen. Entries for Broadcast Personality of the Year are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and biographical and impact information. Candidates for Radio Station of the Year are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and leadership and impact information.

Any full-time, on-air broadcast personalities and radio stations in the United States and Canada were eligible to submit entries, regardless of CMA membership status. The entries are judged by a panel of distinguished broadcast professionals, representing all market sizes and regions.

CMA Broadcast Awards winners are not eligible to enter the same award category in consecutive years; therefore, those who received trophies in 2025 were not eligible in 2026.

“The 60th Annual CMA Awards,” will air live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 8/7c on ABC, Disney+ and next day on Hulu. Winners of the CMA Broadcast Awards will be announced in the coming weeks and recognized during the CMA Awards Pre-Telecast Ceremony.

About the Country Music Association

Founded in 1958, the Country Music Association is the first trade organization formed to promote a type of music. CMA created the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 to recognize artists and industry professionals with Country Music’s highest honor. Music industry professionals and companies across the U.S. and around the globe are members of CMA. The organization serves as an educational and professional resource for the industry and advances the growth of Country Music around the world. This is accomplished through CMA’s core initiatives: the CMA Awards, which annually recognize outstanding achievement in the industry; CMA Fest, which benefits the CMA Foundation and music education and is taped for a three-hour network television special, “CMA Fest”; and “CMA Country Christmas.” All of CMA’s television properties air on ABC.

All balloting is tabulated by the professional services organization, Deloitte.

As used in this document, “Deloitte” means Deloitte & Touche LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP. Please see www.deloitte.com/us/about for a detailed description of Deloitte’s legal structure. Certain services may not be available to attest clients under the rules and regulations of public accounting.

For more information about the CMA Awards, visit CMAawards.com.