The Country Music Association has announced finalists for the 2026 CMA Broadcast Awards, recognizing radio stations and on-air personalities across the U.S. and Canada.
Broadcast Personality of the Year finalists were named in six categories — weekly national, daily national and major, large, medium and small markets. Radio Station of the Year finalists were named in four market-size categories: major, large, medium and small.
Categories are established by market size based on population as ranked by Nielsen. Personality entries are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and biographical and impact information, while station entries are judged on aircheck, ratings, community involvement and leadership and impact information. A panel of broadcast professionals representing all market sizes and regions evaluated the entries. Any full-time, on-air personality or station in the U.S. and Canada was eligible, regardless of CMA membership. Winners are not eligible to enter the same category in consecutive years, so 2025 recipients were not eligible in 2026.
A full list of 2026 CMA Broadcast Awards finalists follows:
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
“Hawkeye and Michelle” (“Hawkeye” Mark Louis Rybczyk and Michelle Rodriguez) – KSCS, Dallas-Fort Worth
“The Lo Show” (Lauren “Lo” Sessions) – KKBQ, Houston
“Michael J & Candace in the Morning” (“Michael J” Stuehler and Candace Dold) – WPOC, Baltimore
“The Scotty Kay Show” (Scotty Kay) – WUSN, Chicago
LARGE MARKET
“Deb & Matt in the Morning” (Deborah Honeycutt and Matt Malone) – WFMS, Indianapolis
“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, CA
“The Jesse & Anna Show” (Jesse Tack, Anna Marie, and Jake Thomson) – WUBE, Cincinnati
“Scott and Shannen” (Scott Dolphin and “Shannen O” Oesterreich) – WMIL, Milwaukee-Racine, WI
MEDIUM MARKET
“Clay and Company” (Clay Moden and Rob Banks) – WYRK, Buffalo-Niagara Falls, NY
“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, TN
“Julie and DJ in the Morning” (“Julie K” Kansy and “DJ Thee Trucker” Dale Sellers) – WPCV, Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL
“Steve & Gina in the Morning on Kat 103.7” (Steve Lundy and Gina Melton) – KXKT, Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
SMALL MARKET
“The Cat Pak Morning Show with Brent and Friends” (Brent Lane and Jordan Glass) – WYCT, Pensacola, FL
“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-Fort Worth
KSON – San Diego
KYGO – Denver-Boulder, CO
WMZQ – Washington, DC
WPOC – Baltimore
LARGE MARKET
KFRG – Riverside-San Bernardino, CA
WCTK – Providence-Warwick-Pawtucket, RI
WDSY – Pittsburgh
WMIL – Milwaukee-Racine, WI
WQDR – Raleigh-Durham, NC
MEDIUM MARKET
KXKT – Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA
WHKO – Dayton, OH
WLFP – Memphis, TN
WQMX – Akron, OH
WUSY – Chattanooga, TN
SMALL MARKET
KCLR – Columbia, MO
WCOW – La Crosse, WI
WKML – Fayetteville, NC
WKXC – Augusta, GA
WYCT – Pensacola, FL
Winners will be announced in the coming weeks and recognized during the CMA Awards Pre-Telecast Ceremony. “The 60th Annual CMA Awards” airs live from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Wednesday, Nov. 18, (8pm ET, ABC and Disney+, next day on Hulu).