Free Memberships a Cornerstone of CMA's "Year of Country Radio" Campaign CMA used the annual gathering of radio representatives from across the country known as CRS to announce that the organization is awarding complimentary organizational and two individual memberships to every Country Music radio station in the United States for one year. The free radio memberships are a cornerstone of CMA's "Year of Country Radio" campaign, said CMA Chief Executive ... Read more

At the meeting of the Country Music Association Board of Directors this week in Phoenix, Ariz., Troy Tomlinson was named President of the Board and Ed Hardy was named President-Elect. The appointments begin immediately. Chairman of the CMA Board Gary Overton, Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment Nashville, made the announcement at the first quarterly gathering of the Board. Tomlinson, who is President and CEO of Sony/ATV Music Publishing ... Read more

Three was the lucky number at the annual CMA Songwriters Luncheon with the presentation of the CMA Triple Play Awards, which honor songwriters who pen three chart-topping hits in a 12 month period. “This occasion affords CMA the opportunity to honor true creators,” said CMA Board President-Elect Troy Tomlinson, President and CEO, Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville. “These exceptional songwriters begin every song with a blank page. They proceed to create ... Read more

Debut Release From Blair Garner’s TriPower Production Company   NASHVILLE, TENN. (December 2, 2011) – For nearly two decades Blair Garner has helped launch and further the careers of countless country music stars through his nightly syndicated radio show, “After MidNite.”  Seven nights a week, millions of listeners in the U.S. and Canada enjoy Blair’s entertaining and surprisingly candid conversations with the format’s top stars. Now he’s releasing a first-ever type ... Read more

Jason Aldean and The Band Perry Pick Up Two Awards Each; Kimberly Perry Picks Up A Solo Award for Song of the Year; Newlyweds Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert Named Male and Female Vocalist of the Year It was a night of new victors and returning champions at "The 45th Annual CMA Awards" Wednesday night in Nashville.   Taylor Swift won her second CMA Entertainer of the Year trophy. Newlyweds ... Read more

Country superstar and 11-time CMA Award winner Tim McGraw surprised good friend Kix Brooks with news of his second win for CMA National Broadcast Personality of the Year. Brooks, host of “American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks,” received the phone call during last night’s taping of the weekly countdown program. McGraw’s call wrapped up a day of surprises for several radio stations and broadcast professionals across the United States after ... Read more

Detroit native Kid Rock surprised Chuck Edwards and Linda Lee of WYCD’s “Edwards and Lee” by calling in with news of their Major Market Broadcast Personality of the Year Award win. WYCD was notified of their Major Market Station of the Year win this morning by Taylor Swift. Kid Rock’s announcement comes on the heels of five-time 2011 CMA Award Nominee Swift personally notifying several other radio stations and broadcast ... Read more

Five-time 2011 CMA Award Nominee Taylor Swift surprised several radio stations and broadcast professionals across the United States this morning by personally notifying them of their CMA Broadcast Award wins. Swift spread the good news by calling Major, Large, Medium, and Small Market Station and Large, Medium, and Small Market Broadcast Personality of the Year winners from her Nashville home. The Major Market Broadcast Personality winner will be announced later ... Read more

A Month So Big It Takes 45 Days! The Country Music Association is celebrating Country Music Month with 45 days of promotions, events, and activities designed to drive awareness of the format leading up to the annual CMA Awards, “Country Music’s Biggest Night™,” on Wednesday, Nov. 9. Nashville Mayor Karl Dean issued a proclamation from the city citing the important role and tangible impact of the Country Music industry on ... Read more

Jack Greene, a beloved member of the Grand Ole Opry, was present at the announcement Tuesday of the final nominees for “The 45th Annual CMA Awards” at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.   Greene, who was CMA’s first CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1967, used the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the CMA Awards to present CMA with his original trophies for Male Vocalist, Single of the ... Read more

The JaneDear Girls Make Announcement Live from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium Final nominees for the nation’s top Country radio stations and broadcast personalities were delivered to Country Radio today, when the JaneDear girls revealed the 2011 CMA Broadcast Personality and Radio Station of the Year finalists live from Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. The announcements were carried live to Country radio stations by CMA’s official radio partner Premiere Radio Networks.   The winners ... Read more

Hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood, 2011 CMA Awards will be Broadcast Live From the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville Wednesday, Nov. 9 on the ABC Television Network Topping the list of final nominees are four artists with five nominations each for “The 45th Annual CMA Awards” including Jason Aldean, Brad Paisley, Blake Shelton, and Taylor Swift. Right on their heels are The Band Perry and Zac Brown Band, who ... Read more

The Band Perry and Jake Owen to Announce the Finalists in Five Categories Live on ABC’s “Good Morning America” From the GMA Studio in the Heart of New York City’s Times Square Jerrod Niemann and Thompson Square Announce the Finalists in Seven Categories At the Historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville The JaneDear Girls to Announce CMA Broadcast Awards Finalists in Nashville “CMT Insider Special Edition: 2011 CMA Awards Nominations” Airs ... Read more

It was good news and bad news for RTE broadcaster Sandy Harsch when CMA Awards co-host Brad Paisley surprised Harsch with the news that she was named CMA International Broadcaster of the Year.   The good news was that she was selected. The bad news was that the award was held up in Customs and didn’t make it to the presentation backstage at the Olympia Theatre in Dublin. Paisley, who ... Read more

© 2010 CMA Close Up® News Service / Country Music Association®, Inc. As Editor and Publisher of Country Aircheck, Lon Helton keeps his readers in Country radio and the Country Music industry up to speed. Thousands follow breaking news each day in Country Aircheck Today, dig deeper into the issues via the weekly Country Aircheck Weekly, and track airplay for new releases each week in Country Aircheck “The Adds,” all ... Read more