Country Radio Broadcasters has published its board of directors for 2026 and 2027, and the list is a fair map of who actually decides what country radio plays. The trade body runs Country Radio Seminar, the annual event where programmers, labels and artists meet, and its next edition is booked for 17 to 19 March 2027 at the Omni Nashville Hotel.
The officers are unchanged. Kurt Johnson of Townsquare Media continues as president, John Shomby of Country's Radio Coach as vice president and Matt Sunshine of The Center for Sales Strategy as secretary.
Four directors are new. Travis Daily comes in from Cumulus, Shelley Hargis from BBR Music Group, Jay Cruz from Big Machine Records and Nashville Harbor Records and Entertainment, and Mike Molinar from Big Machine Music. Two of those four come from the Big Machine group, which is a notable weighting on a board of this size.
Johnson framed the appointments in terms of coverage rather than seniority. "Our board represents so many different perspectives across country radio and the music industry," he said, adding that the range of experience is what the organisation's work depends on.
The full board reaches well beyond broadcasters. Tim Foisset of Spotify and Debra Herman of Apple Music sit on it alongside Jon Loba of BMG, Damon Moberly of MCA, Kristen Williams of Warner Music Nashville, and Jordan Pettit and Stacy Waugh of Big Loud. Having both major streaming platforms in the room at a radio body is a plain statement about where the genre's audience now is.
Traditional radio still holds the numbers. Rod Phillips of iHeartCountry, Tim Roberts of Audacy, Justin Chase of Beasley Media Group, Greg Strassell of Hubbard Radio, Gator Harrison of K-LOVE, Brent Michaels of KUZZ in Bakersfield, Allison Warren of Cumulus and Ashley Layfield, who programmes stations in Tampa and Atlanta, are all on it.
The rest of the board comes from management, publishing and the trade press: Chuck Aly of Country Aircheck, George Couri of Triple 8 Management, Kenny Jay of Albright and O'Malley and Brenner, Jennifer Johnson of Riser House Entertainment, Mike McVay of McVay Media, Joel Raab and RJ Meacham of Summit House Entertainment. Charlie Morgan continues as board member emeritus.
No leadership change or policy shift was announced with the list. What this board's constituency does week to week shows up in the airplay counts, as when McArthur put HARDY on top of the MusicRow radio chart last month. More industry coverage sits on our business hub, and country stories are on our country hub.
The facts
- Country Radio Broadcasters has named its 2026 to 2027 board of directors.
- Kurt Johnson of Townsquare Media returns as president.
- John Shomby is vice president and Matt Sunshine is secretary.
- Travis Daily, Shelley Hargis, Jay Cruz and Mike Molinar are new additions.
- Spotify's Tim Foisset and Apple Music's Debra Herman sit on the board.
- Charlie Morgan continues as board member emeritus.
- The body runs the annual Country Radio Seminar.
- CRS 2027 is set for 17 to 19 March at the Omni Nashville Hotel.
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