weekly January 5, 2026, Issue 993
Prepare For Disruption: CRS ’26
Get the popcorn ready for a session likely to be among the most talked about at CRS ’26: “The Disruptors: What If You Took a Risk?” That’s just one panel from just one of the seminar’s five topic buckets, which are augmented by not one but three research presentations and not five but six New Faces performances. Needless to say, the March 18-20 event at the Omni Nashville Hotel offers plenty for attendees and potential attendees (register here) to engage with and apply throughout the year and beyond. Back To The Disruption: Panelists include Shelley Hargis Cumulus’ Travis Daily, Bonneville’s Brian Michel, iHeartMedia’s Gregg Swedberg and BMG’s Jon Loba, the latter described by returning Agenda Committee Chair Shelley Hargis as a “disruptor supporter.” Hargis says the radio panelists were selected for being “those who want to make radio a discovery tool for music” and who “aren’t scared to step out and play a brand-new song from a new artist.” RJ Curtis Some of the seminar’s topic buckets are returning – sales & revenue; music discovery – and others are new – resilience & storytelling; innovation & efficiency; creating engaging talent. One panel Hargis says the committee is eagerly anticipating will focus on “communicating, managing and working across generations.” Featured panelists include a Baby Boomer (KPLX & KSCS/Dallas’ Mike Preston), a Gen Xer (Riser House’s Jennifer Johnson), a Millennial (SiriusXM/Pandora’s Kathleen St. Clair) and a Gen Zer (BBR Records’ Regan Donato). CRS Exec. Dir. RJ Curtis says the session will address how “these generations have different work ethics, value systems, hopes and dreams and aspirations,” and how “having these different factions inside a workplace can be disruptive.” It Datas To Me: A different research presentation will be presented each of the event’s three days. Partners are Strategic Solutions Research for a perceptual study of listener habits and music trends, NuVoodoo for an auditorium music test and the CMA for a study of teen music consumption habits. Curtis is especially excited about the latter, saying, “Based on the preliminary findings, we are not out of the game with teens; there’s an (continued on page 6)
Should’ve Been A Cowgirl: Stoney Creek’s Parmalee celebrate No. 1 ”Cowgirl” with the WUBE/Cincinnati team. Pictured (l-r) are 33 Creative’s Becca Campbell, the group’s Josh McSwain, the label’s McKennan Henninger, Reagan Donato and Lexi Willson, the group’s Barry Knox, Matt Thomas and Scott Thomas, and the station’s Jake Thompson, Anna Marie, Jesse Tack, Grover Collins and ”Big Dave” Chandler.
Connoisseur Shifts Mornings
Connoisseur Media has dropped Premiere’s The Bobby Bones Show on KBAY/San Jose, KYKX/Tyler, TX and KDES/Palm Springs, in addition to the previously reported KUPL/Portland, OR (CAT 11/19/25) and WCCQ & WXLC/ Chicago (CAT 12/8/25). At KBAY, Danny Miller has moved from middays to mornings. KYKX picks up Silverfish Media’s Big D & Bubba, airing the show from 4-9am beginning today (1/5). And recently hired KDES OM/PD Todd Violette (CAT 11/3/25) has added mornings in that market, where he uses just his first name on the air. WCCQ & WXLC (continued on page 3)
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