weekly January 26, 2026, Issue 996
Q&A: Connoisseur’s Keith Dakin
Following last fall’s acquisition of Alpha Media, Connoisseur Media promoted Keith Dakin from VP to SVP/Programming (Breaking News 9/5/25). Based in Hartford, Dakin rose from OM to VPP at Connoisseur in 2019, where he got his first taste of the Country format overseeing WFRE/Frederick, MD. In addition to WWWF/Nassau-Suffolk, Dakin’s oversight now encompasses multiple Country outlets, including KUPL/ Portland, OR; KBAY/San Jose and the WCCQ & WXLC simulcast in suburban Chicago. CA: How did your life change after the Alpha merger and your promotion? Keith Dakin KD: I was head of programming for 13 stations in Connecticut and Long Island and then, all of a sudden, it was over 200. Just when I thought everything was kind of mellow, we bought the Bonneville/San Francisco cluster in October. It got really busy, and the first thing I realized was that no human can do this without help. So we hired all sorts of format coordinators – all people we either promoted, gave more juice or moved into different spots. They are a game changer for keeping things organized, keeping the trains on time and making sure everyone feels heard. How many are there, and do they all report to you? Six, and I do Alternative. We picked the ones who were experts in their formats, like [KZKX/Lincoln PD & Lincoln/Topeka OM] Rob Kelley (CAT 9/9/25). He knows the country players, and is great at it. He’s also tech savvy, which is really helpful. You’ve spun off a few small markets since the merger. Are there more sales or acquisitions in the works? [Laughs] You never know what [CEO] Jeff Warshaw is going to do. He’s always talking to people, looking at deals and opportunities, and looking to strengthen areas that we already have. So, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a bunch more deals between now and the end of the year. But nothing is imminent that I know of. Jeff realized that some of these [former Alpha] markets aren’t built for us. If he can find a local owner that can do it better – like he did in Bakersfield, where we sold to the station’s former PD – then everybody wins: the city, the new owners and us, because they can handle a market that we just can’t put our energies into correctly. (continued on page 7)
Milwaukee‘s Best: WMIL/Milwaukee celebrates its Class of 2026. Pictured (front, l-r) are Broken Bow‘s Dawn Ferris, the station‘s Scott Dolphin and Shannen Oesterreich, and Valory‘s Adam Burnes; (back, l-r) MCA’s Donna Passuntino and Vincent Mason, Big Machine’s Chase McDaniel and Jane Staszak, Wheelhouse‘s Lisa Mastrianni and Alexandra Kay, Broken Bow‘s John Morgan and Valory’s MacKenzie Carpenter.
Q4 PPM Drivetime Leaders
Following the release of the December Nielsen PPM monthlies, Country Aircheck has analyzed Q4 numbers to determine the stations with leading shares and cumes in drivetimes. Quarterly averages eliminate the wobbles that can be present at a daypart level on a month-to-month basis. All figures are Persons 6+. Mornings: All of Q3’s leaders have repeated in Q4, except for morning drive cume. After taking the lead for the first time in Q2, WUSN/ Chicago’s Melissa McGurren and Austin Huff return to the top, edging out Q3 leaders Mark “Hawkeye” Louis and Michelle Rodriguez from KSCS/Dallas, and Q3 runners up, KKBQ/Houston’s (continued on page 5)
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