CMA chief Sarah Trahern to step down in December as Brittany Schaffer takes over

Sarah Trahern will leave the Country Music Association on 10 December after 12 years as chief executive, with Brittany Schaffer set to succeed her.

Trahern, who has led the Nashville-based organisation since 2014, set out the timetable in an interview with Billboard published on 13 October Billboard. She said she and her husband will fly to Spain on 11 December, the day after her final day in the post. Schaffer was named in July as her replacement and began working alongside Trahern in September. That handover period officially ends on 31 December.

Schaffer was previously dean of the Mike Curb College of Entertainment and Music Business at Belmont University. The two gave their first joint interview in September to discuss the future of the CMA, the trade body for country music. The CMA currently has 8,000 members and a 75-person board.

The change at the top comes just weeks after the organisation's biggest annual event. The 60th Annual CMA Awards will take place on Wednesday, 18 November 2026. It will air live on ABC and Disney+.

Viewers will be able to watch the ABC broadcast and the Disney+ stream at the same time. That simultaneous stream is a first for the show. The ceremony will be available on Hulu the day after the live broadcast, according to the CMA announcement CMA.

The CMA and ABC have extended their broadcast partnership through 2032. The deal keeps the awards on ABC while adding streaming access on Disney+, which is owned by the same parent company.

Lainey Wilson will host the 60th show. It is her return to the role. She will become the first woman to solo-host the CMA Awards twice.

Ella Langley heads into the night with nine nominations. She leads the field for the 60th anniversary edition.

For fans, this means a familiar show with a few new parts. A new chief executive, a first-time simulcast and a returning host arrive in the same season. The music, as ever, does the rest.