Country music may have Nashville as its headquarters, but some of the most important things happening in the format take place hundreds of miles away from Music Row. They happen in morning studios in Omaha, during afternoon drives through Dallas, at charity events in Fayetteville, and in communities where a radio personality’s name can be just as familiar as the artist singing the next song. The Country Music Association has announced its 2026 Broadcast Awards winners, recognizing outstanding personalities and radio stations across the country, and this year’s results offer something I’ve believed throughout my thirty-plus years in broadcasting: the stations that matter most aren’t necessarily the ones with the biggest budgets, the most elaborate studios, or the largest corporate resources. They’re the ones that understand the people listening.
And this year, one of the biggest stories belongs to a market I know particularly well.
Omaha.
KAT 103.7 KXKT has pulled off something worth celebrating, earning both Medium Market Radio Station of the Year and Medium Market Broadcast Personality of the Year for Steve Lundy and Gina Melton.
That’s a pretty impressive double victory.
I’ve spent a significant part of my broadcasting career in Omaha, and I’ve always appreciated how competitive that market can be. People sometimes underestimate the city because it doesn’t carry the glamour associated with Los Angeles, New York, or Chicago. But anyone who has programmed radio in Omaha understands that listeners develop strong relationships with their favorite stations, and successful broadcasters don’t remain successful simply by showing up and playing the hits.
You have to earn your place.
Omaha listeners have plenty of choices, a long history of supporting established radio personalities, and a willingness to stick with stations that make them feel connected to the community.
KAT 103.7 has spent years establishing that kind of relationship.
Steve and Gina have also become one of the market’s most recognizable morning combinations. Their chemistry, experience, and familiarity with the region have helped give KAT a personality that extends beyond its music selection.
And that’s what makes this year’s recognition particularly meaningful.
Winning a station award is one accomplishment. Having your morning show recognized in the same year suggests that the judges saw strength in both the station’s overall presentation and the personalities helping define it.
The duo previously received the CMA’s Medium Market Broadcast Personality of the Year award in 2024, making this another important milestone in a successful partnership.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the celebration in Omaha is a little louder than usual.
And knowing radio people, somebody has probably already figured out how to turn the awards into a weekend promotion.
Nothing wrong with that.
When you win something this significant, you’d better find a way to let the audience celebrate with you.
But the Omaha story is only part of a larger group of winners that deserves recognition.
In Philadelphia, Beasley Media Group’s 92.5 XTU WXTU has earned Major Market Broadcast Personality of the Year honors for The Andie Summers Show, featuring Andie Summers, Jeff Kurkjian, Donnie Black, and Shannon Boyle.
Philadelphia is a fascinating Country radio market, particularly when you consider the city’s tremendous sports culture, established broadcasting traditions, and an audience that expects personalities to bring something distinctive to the table.
Andie and her team have developed a recognizable morning presentation in a market where listener loyalty can be difficult to earn and even harder to maintain.
Their recognition is especially noteworthy because the station competes in one of the country’s largest and most demanding radio environments.
The award recognizes the work of the entire team, and that’s worth emphasizing.
Great ensemble radio requires more than putting several entertaining people in the same studio. The personalities need to understand how to interact, when to contribute, when to listen, and how to make the audience feel like part of the conversation.
Anybody who’s ever tried to assemble a successful morning show knows that chemistry isn’t something you can simply order from the equipment supplier.
I’ve checked.
They don’t carry it.
At least not at a price most radio stations are willing to pay.
In Cincinnati, The Jesse & Anna Show at B105 WUBE takes Large Market Broadcast Personality of the Year honors.
Jesse Tack, Anna Marie, and Jake Thomson have developed a morning presentation within a station brand that carries considerable history in the Queen City.
Cincinnati is another market where heritage matters. B105 has been part of the region’s Country radio landscape for decades, and maintaining relevance requires a combination of recognizable personalities, strong programming, and an understanding of the local audience.
For Jesse, Anna, and Jake, the award represents recognition of that work in a highly competitive market.
Meanwhile, in Lexington, Kentucky, Officer Don and DeAnn at 98.1 The Bull WBUL have earned Small Market Broadcast Personality of the Year.
I particularly appreciate seeing stations and personalities from smaller markets receive this kind of recognition.
Not because their work is somehow less significant than what happens in major markets, but because the responsibilities of local broadcasters in smaller communities can be remarkably demanding.
The morning personality may also be involved in promotions, community appearances, charitable events, production, and whatever else management needs handled before the end of the day.
And in a smaller market, listeners frequently know those personalities personally.
They’re the people you encounter at the grocery store, the county fair, the high school football game, or the local fundraiser.
You can’t manufacture that kind of connection.
You have to build it.
On the national side, SiriusXM’s Buzz Brainard has been recognized for The Highway Hot 30 Countdown, earning Weekly National Broadcast Personality of the Year.
Buzz has become a familiar voice to Country fans across the country through SiriusXM’s The Highway, a channel that has played an important role in introducing emerging artists and helping listeners discover new music.
That makes his recognition particularly interesting to me.
I’ve always believed broadcasters should take music discovery seriously. Country radio has an extraordinary collection of established artists, but the format’s future depends on finding and developing the performers who will become tomorrow’s familiar names.
A countdown show that can connect listeners with both successful records and developing artists occupies an important place within that process.
And although satellite radio operates differently from traditional terrestrial broadcasting, the fundamentals of creating a compelling personality-driven program remain remarkably similar.
Listeners still want somebody who understands the music.
They still appreciate a host who knows how to tell a story.
And they still develop relationships with voices they enjoy spending time with.
In the Daily National category, Big D & Bubba take home the honors.
The nationally syndicated program, featuring Derek “Big D” Haskins, Sean “Bubba” Powell, Carsen Humphreville, Jonathan Shaffer, and Garrett Freche, has developed a substantial following through its mixture of Country music, personality, humor, and conversations that don’t always go exactly where anyone expected.
That’s part of the appeal.
I’ve always had a soft spot for broadcasters who understand that radio is supposed to be entertaining.
A perfectly formatted program with excellent music scheduling can still be painfully dull if the personalities have nothing interesting to say.
Big D and Bubba have built a recognizable show by giving listeners reasons to spend time with them beyond simply hearing the next song.
And the ability to maintain that connection across multiple markets is an accomplishment worth recognizing.
The station awards tell another important part of the story.
In Dallas-Fort Worth, New Country 96.3 KSCS has earned Major Market Radio Station of the Year.
Dallas is one of the most important Country radio markets in America, and it has been fiercely competitive for decades. Country music is deeply connected to the region’s identity, but that doesn’t mean a station can take the audience for granted.
KSCS operates in an environment where competing Country brands, established personalities, major concerts, and the enormous musical culture of North Texas create substantial expectations.
Winning a national station award in that environment is significant.
And I think there’s a lesson here about heritage brands.
A station can have a recognizable identity that stretches back decades, but history alone doesn’t guarantee success.
Management still has to make good programming decisions.
Personalities still have to connect.
The station still has to serve its community.
And the entire operation has to sound like something listeners want to make part of their lives today, not simply something they remember enjoying years ago.
In Raleigh-Durham, 94.7 QDR WQDR has earned Large Market Radio Station of the Year.
WQDR has long been an important Country brand in North Carolina, serving a region that combines the growing Research Triangle with communities whose relationships with Country music extend back generations.
The station has developed a reputation for audience loyalty and community involvement, and this latest recognition adds another accomplishment to its history.
Interestingly, WQDR also earned the Large Market station honor in 2024, demonstrating that its success isn’t confined to a single awards cycle.
That kind of consistency deserves attention.
And then there’s Fayetteville.
Beasley Media Group’s 95.7 WKML has received Small Market Radio Station of the Year, giving the company a second 2026 Broadcast Award alongside the Philadelphia morning-show victory.
Fayetteville is a distinctive radio market because of its deep connection to Fort Bragg and the military community, along with the families, local businesses, and organizations that make up the surrounding region.
Serving that audience requires understanding a community where military life, family responsibilities, and local traditions intersect in ways that may be different from other markets.
A successful Country station in that environment has opportunities to develop meaningful relationships with listeners.
And that’s what these awards are intended to recognize.
The Country Music Association evaluates station entries using factors including airchecks, ratings, community involvement, leadership, and overall impact. Personality entries are judged on their on-air presentation, audience performance where applicable, community contributions, and professional accomplishments.
Those criteria are important because they recognize something that radio executives occasionally forget.
A station’s success cannot be measured by a single number.
Ratings matter. Of course they matter.
I’ve spent enough years studying audience estimates to understand that.
Revenue matters, too. No station can continue serving its audience if the business can’t sustain itself.
But great broadcasting also involves people, relationships, and the ability to make a difference in the communities where stations operate.
A morning personality who helps raise money for a local family may create a connection that lasts for years.
A station that supports military families, schools, charities, and community organizations can become something more meaningful than another entertainment option.
And a broadcaster who understands the audience well enough to make people laugh during a difficult morning may be doing something that doesn’t show up neatly in a research report.
That’s why these awards still matter.
They recognize accomplishments that go beyond simply playing the right records.
And as I look through this year’s winners, I find myself thinking about the larger challenges facing our industry.
We’re watching companies consolidate operations, reduce staffing, automate programming, and search for additional efficiencies.
Some of those decisions are necessary responses to economic realities.
Others deserve careful examination.
But amid all those discussions, the CMA Broadcast Awards provide an opportunity to recognize broadcasters who continue demonstrating the importance of personality, local involvement, and strong programming.
There’s something encouraging about that.
The industry needs successful national programming, certainly. Syndication provides access to talented personalities and entertainment that individual stations might not otherwise be able to develop.
But we also need strong local radio.
We need stations whose people know the community.
We need personalities who understand what matters to their listeners.
And we need broadcasting companies willing to invest in the relationships that make their stations distinctive.
Which brings me back to Omaha.
I have a particular appreciation for the broadcasters who have made that market what it is, and seeing KAT 103.7 and Steve and Gina receive recognition together is especially satisfying.
That’s not because Omaha is somehow more deserving than the other cities on this list.
It’s because I’ve worked there. I know the competition, the history, and the pride that successful Omaha broadcasters take in their work.
When a station and its morning show are both recognized nationally, the accomplishment reflects well on the people who spend every day trying to create something worthwhile for the audience.
And in a business where we spend so much time talking about what’s wrong, it’s nice to have an opportunity to celebrate what’s right.
Congratulations to every winner, from the national personalities reaching listeners across the country to the local stations making a difference in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Omaha, Lexington, Dallas, Raleigh, and Fayetteville.
Enjoy the recognition.
Take the pictures.
Put the awards somewhere people can see them.
And if somebody in the building wants to produce a ridiculously over-the-top promotional announcement about winning, I say let them have a little fun.
You’ve earned it.
But when the celebration is over, remember what made the recognition possible.
The listeners.
The people who wake up with your morning show, spend their afternoons with your station, support your community events, and give you the privilege of being part of their lives.
They’re the reason any of these awards mean something.
And they’re the people we all have to go back to entertaining tomorrow.
Congratulations to the 2026 CMA Broadcast Award winners. You’ve given an industry that needs some good news plenty of reasons to celebrate.
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