The Academy of Country Music has announced the Radio Awards nominees for the 54th ACM Awards, including triple nominations for WYCD-FM in Detroit, Michigan, and KUZZ-FM in Bakersfield, California; and double nominations for KUBL-FM in Salt Lake City, Utah, WMIL-FM in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, WYCT-FM in Pensacola, Florida and KORA-FM in Bryan, Texas.

The Radio Awards are given out during the annual Radio Winners Reception which will be held on Saturday, April 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada, the day prior to the ACM Awards live telecast from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 8 p.m. ET/delayed PT on the CBS Television Network. The full list of 54th ACM Awards nominations will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for the 54th ACM Awards are available for purchase now at axs.com.

54th ACM Radio Awards nominees:

National On-Air Personality Of The Year (tie within category increased nominees):
Cody Alan (CMT After MidNite with Cody Alan)
Kix Brooks (American Country Countdown)
Darren Wilhite and Tim Wall ( Wilhite & Wall)
Lon Helton (Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton)
Tracy Lawrence (Honky Tonkin’ with Tracy Lawrence)
Lorianne Crook and Charlie Chase (The Crook & Chase Countdown)

On-Air Personality Of The Year – Major Market:
Chuck, Rachael & Grunwald in the Morning ( WYCD-FM; Detroit, MI)
Katie Neal (WNSH-FM; New York, NY)
The Rob + Holly Show (WYCD-FM; Detroit, MI)
Tanner in the Morning – Rob Tanner, Catherine Lane, Chris Allen, Captain Jim, and Mimi (WSOC-FM; Charlotte, NC)
Tracy Dixon, Guy David & Patrick Knight (KYGO-FM; Denver, CO)

On-Air Personality Of The Year – Large Market:
Jim, Deb & Kevin (WFMS-FM; Indianapolis, IN)
Lexi and Banks ( KUBL-FM; Salt Lake City, UT)
Q Morning Crew with Mike and Janie (WQDR-FM; Raleigh, NC )
Ridder, Scott and Shannen (WMIL-FM; Milwaukee, WI)
Tige & Daniel – Tige Rogers, Daniel Baker, and Mari Mueller (WSIX-FM; Nashville, TN)

On-Air Personality Of The Year – Medium Market:
Kenn McCloud (KUZZ-AM/FM; Bakersfield, CA)
Brent Michaels (KUZZ-AM/FM; Bakersfield, CA)
Mo & Styckman Show (WUSY-FM; Chattanooga, TN)
Roger, Julie and DJ Thee Trucker in the Morning (WPCV-FM; Lakeland, FL)
Tom & Becky (WBBS-FM; Syracuse, NY)

On-Air Personality Of The Year – Small Market:
Adam & Jen in the Morning (KIOK-FM; Richland, WA)
Brent Lane and Candy Cullerton (WYCT-FM; Pensacola, FL)
The Q Crew with Jason and Ashley on Q100.3 (KRWQ-FM; Medford, OR)
The Roger & Corliss Morning Show (KORA-FM; Bryan, TX)
Scotty & Catryna in the Morning (KCLR-FM; Columbia, MO)

Radio Station Of The Year – Major Market:
KKBQ-FM; Houston, TX
KNIX-FM; Phoenix, AZ
KPLX-FM; Dallas, TX
KSCS-FM; Dallas, TX
WYCD-FM; Detroit, MI

Radio Station Of The Year – Large Market:
KAJA-FM; San Antonio, TX
KUBL-FM; Salt Lake City, UT
WLHK-FM; Indianapolis, IN
WMIL-FM; Milwaukee, WI
WWKA-FM; Orlando, FL

Radio Station Of The Year – Medium Market:
KATM-FM; Stockton, CA
KUZZ-AM/FM; Bakersfield, CA
KXKT-FM; Omaha, NE
WHKO-FM; Dayton, OH
WIVK-FM; Knoxville, TN

Radio Station Of The Year – Small Market:
KHAY-FM; Ventura, CA
KKNU-FM; Eugene, OR
KORA-FM; Bryan, TX
WGSQ-FM; Cookeville, TN
WYCT-FM; Pensacola, FL

Tricia Jenkins has joined Cumulus Media’s The Ty Bentli Show, joining host Ty Bentli, Chuck Wicks and the team on-air in mid-February. Jenkins heads to Nashville from Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she was previously midday personality and Music Director at KMNB-FM, and fill-in personality at K102/KEEY-FM.

The Ty Bentli Show launched earlier this month, following the exit of Kelly Ford to join Nash FM’s 94.7 in New York. The Ty Bentli Show is syndicated exclusively by Westwood One.

John Shomby, Director of Programming, NASH, said: “The cast is now complete. We look forward to TJ being an integral part of The Ty Bentli Show.”

“TJ is one of the most amazing women I know,” Bentli professed. “Her value goes beyond the magic she will bring on-air with The Ty Bentli Show – she’s hilariously honest, strategically focused, and innately curious about others. Tricia Jenkins, welcome to the Music City!”

Jenkins noted: “It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been in this business, it’s still mind blowing to me that I get to live in Music City to be a part of The Ty Bentli Show as my JOB! I can’t wait to join the team at Cumulus Nashville and wake up with all of my new friends across the nation! Thank you, John Shomby, Ty, and Mike McVay for everything, but mostly for moving me out of -57 degrees (the current wind chill as I’m writing this)!”

Amazon Music will host the second annual Amazon Music Presents: Country Heat at the 2019 CRS.  The two-hour show, powered by Live Nation, will take place Wednesday (Feb. 13) at 6 p.m. at Omni Nashville and will feature performances from Amazon’s Music’s global “Country Heat” playlist, including Zac Brown Band, Tenille Townes, Adam Hambrick, HARDY, and King Calaway.

“This year, we’re thrilled to bring some of today’s hottest rising and recognized country acts from our ‘Country Heat’ playlist to CRS,” said Ryan Redington, Director of Amazon Music. “We’re proud to participate in this event, a seminal force in the industry for 50 years.”

As part of Wednesday’s concert event and in-between artist’s sets, Radio Ink will return to honor the Top 30 Program Directors in the Country format.

Each year, program directors are reviewed and ranked by a panel of experts working in the country format. Experts base their judging on criteria that include how their station performs, programming experience, their contribution to the country radio format, how they mentor others and what they give back to the industry. The final list is compiled by the editorial staff at Radio Ink Magazine.

“We are thrilled to be a part of this amazing event at CRS again this year, which, without a doubt, is the #1 highlight in country radio every year,” said Deborah Parenti, Radio Ink‘s Publisher. “The opportunity to honor some of the hardest working, smartest, and most engaging program directors in radio there makes it even more special both for them and for us. Thanks to CRS and Amazon for making the opening night at CRS a night to remember.”

Cumulus Media’s NASH FM 94.7/WNSH-FM, the organization’s flagship country station in New York City, is set to launch a new morning drive show “Kelly Ford In The Morning” on Feb. 4. “Kelly Ford in the Morning” will air weekdays from 6am-10am on NASH FM 94.7.

The move issues in a return to New York City and to NASH FM 94.7 for Ford, who was previously the Nashville-based co-host of Westwood One’s country morning show Ty, Kelly and Chuck (now The Ty Bentli Show).

Ford helped launch NASH FM 94.7 in 2013 as its first Midday Host, before moving to Nashville in 2015 to join “America’s Morning Show” for Westwood One. An advocate for women, Ford has been honored by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation with a national Gracie Award for her work on “Ty, Kelly and Chuck.”

Chad Lopez, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus New York, said, “We are thrilled to have a talented, recognizable name in country music at the helm of our New York–centric morning show. We welcome Kelly back to NYC in a big way, and so will our loyal and passionate country music fans and advertising partners.”

John Foxx, Program Director, NASH FM 94.7, said, “Kelly has built amazing relationships and has created a strong bond with our listeners in New York and New Jersey. Her history in the format and passion for the music really sets Kelly up to create a fun and unique experience around Country Music and this city. It’s exciting having Kelly Ford lead Morning Drive at NASH FM 94.7.”

Kelly Ford said, “When Chad Lopez and John Foxx first proposed the idea of Kelly Ford in the Morning, of course my reaction was “What the Ford?!” And my second was, “Truck yeah!” I can’t thank Chad and John enough for bringing me back and Mike McVay for making it happen. It’s like a full circle moment for me as I was the first LIVE voice heard on NASH FM 94.7. To be able to work again with the New York NASH team, especially Katie Neal and Jesse Addy, it’s like having the (country) band back together again. I respect and trust them as broadcasters and friends. I’m also beyond grateful for so many of the passionate NASH FM 94.7 listeners who fought to bring me back. It’s a great opportunity for them to have the local morning show they deserve with insider access to Nashville and the country stars we love. I’m also excited for Pizza Suprema.”