Zach Top phones country radio winners with 2026 CMA Broadcast Awards news
Zach Top spent Tuesday, Oct. 13 on the phone with country radio, delivering good news station by station.
The singer called personalities and stations across the country to tell them they had won a 2026 CMA Broadcast Award, the annual prizes for country radio talent in the United States and Canada Billboard.
He made the calls himself. That personal touch kicked off the countdown to next month's ceremony.
In the national categories, Buzz Brainard won Weekly National Personality of the Year for "The Highway Hot 30 Countdown with Buzz Brainard" on SiriusXM. The Daily National Personality of the Year award went to "Big D & Bubba" from Silverfish Media.
Two local shows also took top honours. "The Andie Summers Show" on WXTU in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, won Major Market Personality of the Year. "The Jesse & Anna Show" on WUBE in Cincinnati, Ohio, won Large Market Personality of the Year.
The winners were chosen from finalists revealed in September across personality and station categories CMA. The Country Music Association, the body behind the awards, had said winners would be told in October CMA. Tuesday's calls kept that promise.
Categories are set by market size, a grouping based on the population each station serves as ranked by Nielsen, the audience measurement firm. Winners from 2025 were not eligible in the same category in 2026, which keeps new voices coming through each year.
The 2026 winners will be recognised at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville during the Pre-Telecast Ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 18. That event takes place before the 60th annual CMA Awards.
The main show will be hosted by Lainey Wilson. It will air live at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on ABC and Disney+, and stream the next day on Hulu.
For fans, this means the voices you hear between the songs get their own moment. Radio remains where many listeners first meet a new single, request a favourite and follow a tour announcement. A win brings industry recognition that can help a host's career and a station's standing with listeners and advertisers.
Top was a fitting messenger. As a touring artist, he relies on those same stations to reach drivers, workplaces and kitchens across the country. This time, he was the one with the news they wanted to hear.
