The 2025 Country Radio Hall of Fame Inductees
Pictured L to R: Ginny “Rogers” Brophey, Sean Powell/Bubba (Big D & Bubba), Derek Haskins/Big D (Big D & Bubba), Rowdy Yates, Gregg Swedberg, Clay Hunnicutt, and Mary McCoy
Download Here | Photo Credit: Kayla Schoen
(Nashville, Tennessee – July 22, 2025) Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc. hosted the 2025 Country Radio Hall of Fame dinner ceremony last night, Monday, July 21, at the Virgin Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
Celebrating its 50th Anniversary, this year’s Country Radio Hall of Fame ceremony was a powerful tribute to the legacy and impact of country radio. The evening was filled with heartfelt speeches, moving tributes, and unforgettable moments that honored the remarkable careers of this year’s honorees.
The inductees included on-air personalities Big D & Bubba, Mary McCoy, and Rowdy Yates, alongside radio honorees Ginny “Rogers” Brophey, Clay Hunnicutt, and Gregg Swedberg.
This year, Jon Loba, President of Frontline Recordings for BMG Americas, received the honor of the 2025 CRB President’s Award. This award is bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and played a vital role in shaping the success of the Country Radio Seminar and its mission to advance the country radio format. Loba has played a key role in elevating the presence and power of country music on a global stage.
Pictured above L to R: RJ Curtis, CRB Executive Director; Jon Loba, President of Frontline Recordings for BMG Americas; and Kurt Johnson, CRB/CRS Board President
Download Link | Photo Credit: Kayla Schoen
Past inductees of the Country Radio Hall of Fame at the 2025 induction ceremony.
Download Link | Photo Credit: Kayla Schoen
To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Country Radio Hall of Fame (CRHOF), a series of special events is launching this week in Nashville, including the debut of a 24/7 streaming channel and a three-night songwriter series at the iconic Bluebird Cafe. Kicking off the celebration, the Legends of Country Radio streaming channel debuted on WSM-AM, honoring five decades of excellence in country radio. The channel features a curated mix of classic country hits, archived audio, personal stories, and drops from CRHOF members, and classic syndicated programs including Bob Kingsley’s Country Top 40, Bob Kingsley Specials, and New Music Nashville Specials produced and hosted by Bob Guerra. The launch was spotlighted during the Country Radio Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony’s cocktail reception and dinner, hosted by Bill Cody.
Continuing the week’s festivities, The Bluebird Cafe will host a special Bob Kingsley Presents songwriter series celebrating influential figures in country radio. The series begins tonight, Tuesday, July 22, with An Evening Honoring Lon Helton, featuring Matraca Berg, Steve Bogard & Friends. On Wednesday, July 23, An Evening Honoring Nan & Bob Kingsley will showcase performances by Steven Dale Jones, Will Robinson, Bobby Tomberlin, and D. Vincent Williams. The series concludes on Thursday, July 24, with An Evening Honoring RJ Curtis, featuring The Warren Brothers, Rhett Akins, and Lori McKenna.
Nominations for the 2026 Country Radio Hall of Fame are being accepted here. The Class of 2026 will be revealed at CRS 2026, to be March 18-20, 2026.
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About the Honorees:
Big D & Bubba: Big D & Bubba first teamed up in 1996 at WTGE/Baton Rouge, La and launched their own, self-syndicated morning show just three years later. By the early 2000s, they were the largest syndicated morning program in country radio, and had been recognized nationally, with a CMA nomination for National Broadcast Personalities of The Year. The pair has since notched wins in that CMA Category (2015), along with two National Personality of The Year honors from the Academy of Country Music (2007, 2014). In 2014, Big D & Bubba formed their own company, Silverfish, which remains their radio home, boasting a reach extending into 97 radio stations, partnered with 71 broadcast companies. They’re the longest running morning show syndicated on a national basis. Since 2011, Big D & Bubba have been heard on the Armed Forces Radio Network each morning, a broadcast achievement they say is their proudest.
Mary McCoy: Mary McCoy has been entertaining radio listeners in Conroe, TX for more than 70 years, a feat that is not only remarkable, but one that has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. Her radio career started in 1951 when she joined KMCO-AM in Conroe, TX, a community of 100,000 residents north of Houston. In the early 1990’s, Mary McCoy was one of the first voices heard on a new radio station in the same community of Conroe, TX, on KVST-FM. She has continued her on-air career, playing country music on K-STAR Country 99.7 for more than 30 years. She is currently heard six days a week, teamed with on air co-host Larry Galla. Mary is a 2010 Texas Radio Hall of Fame inductee, and part of the 2024 National Radio Hall of Fame class of honorees.
Rowdy Yates: Rowdy Yates will mark 40 years working in radio in 2025, with a July 21st induction into the Country Radio Hall of Fame. This is the crown jewel in a long and successful broadcast career that has included prominent roles in programming, on-air, national syndication, and ambassadorship for Country music and country radio. Rowdy’s early days handling weekends in Denton, TX, in the mid-80s soon escalated into dual programming/on-air roles in College Station, Oklahoma City, and eventually, legendary call letters including KIKK and KILT/Houston and KVOO/Tulsa. In 2004, Rowdy branched out into nationally syndicated radio, with an eight-year run hosting “Country Gold.” Since 2013 he’s owned, operated and served as host on Syndicated Media LLC Houston, TX, producing a variety of programs for radio syndication including “The Original Country Gold,” the most listened to country request show in America. Additionally, since 2019, he’s served as RFC Media/Suite Radio Houston, Texas-Operations Manager/PM Drive Personality for the24/7 country radio formats “The Brand” and “The Legend.” Host of “The Rowdy Ride Home” the first nationally syndicated PM drive program in the history of country radio. Rowdy has been honored as Personality of the Year by the Academy of Country Music, and the CRS-Country Aircheck Awards. He is also a member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.
Ginny “Rogers” Brophey: Ginny “Rogers” Brophey’s radio career encompasses more than 40 years of continuous work on the country genre at some of the most prestigious brands in the format. Her programming and on-air skills have contributed to country music’s success and growth in the challenging Northeastern US, notable in the Boston market, with stops at WBOS, WKLB, and WBWL. Since 2022, Brophey has served as Brand Manager/Air talent/Content Creator at Townsquare Media WOKQ/Dover/Portsmouth NH. In addition to growing country’s presence in her market, Brophey joined country radio’s support of St. Jude Children’s research Hospital through the “Country Cares” radiothon program during her time with WBWL, earning the “St. Jude Radio Partner of the Year” honor in 2019. Her St. Jude commitment included nine years of service on the St. Jude Radio Advisory Board. Brophey’s list of Industry Awards include: 2012 CMA Major Market Station of the Year (WKLB) 2014 and 2015 ACM Major Market Station of the Year Nominee (WKLB) 2011 and 2012; 2013 CRS/Country Aircheck Music Director of the Year (WKLB); 2022 New Hampshire Broadcasters Association Best Promotion of the Year (WOKQ) 2024; New Hampshire Broadcasters Association Best Morning Show in New Hampshire (WOKQ), a morning show Brophey has mentored for three years. Her significant impact over many decades at country radio has earned Brophey induction into the Country Radio Hall of Fame class of 2025.
Clay Hunnicutt: Clay Hunnicutt is one of the rare industry professionals who has enjoyed major success at both the radio and label side of the business. Hunnicutt’s radio journey came first, beginning in college as an unpaid intern at legendary WUSY/Chattanooga. While there, Hunnicutt served many roles, including Production Director, Imaging Director, APD, and ultimately, PD of the 9-time CMA Radio Station of the Year. More success followed, as PD of WGAR/Cleveland, Director of Programming for Clear Channel’s five station cluster in Nashville, TN, with day-to-day PD responsibilities for country WSIX. Hunnicutt then took on a similar role for iHeart/Atlanta, launching country WUBL, before taking on a series of corporate roles for iHeart, including Executive VP of Programming for the company’s major markets. He rounded out his time with iHeart serving as VP/Brand Manager of Country Programming for its 143 Country stations, and VP and General Manager of iHeartMedia’s National Programming Platforms. Among his many awards for industry recognition, Hunnicutt was a regular on Billboard’s Power 31 list, Radio Ink’s Best Top 50 Programmers. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Country Music Association, The Academy of Country Music, and the Country Radio Broadcasters. He is an Alumni of the 2005 Leadership Music program. Hunnicutt left radio to launch Big Loud Records as President, where he helped start the careers of Chris Lane, Morgan Wallen, Hardy, and others. His next stop was the role of GM of Big Machine Records, and he most recently served as EVP Label Operations for all Big Machine Label Group’s imprints.
Gregg Swedberg: Gregg Swedberg has spent the last 34 years programming country radio powerhouse KEEY (K102)/Minneapolis to ratings success, reaching a #1 ranking not only in the country format, but for the entire Minneapolis radio market, while fending off numerous format challengers along the way. Swedberg was named K102 Program Director in 1992, eventually rising to Operations Manager, Sr. VP/Programming, Regional Sr. VP/Programming and National Country format Coordinator for parent company iHeartRadio. Swedberg is a past board member for the Country Radio Broadcasters and has been consistently recognized by the broadcast industry for his success at KEEY, including an incredible run as a member of Radio Ink Magazine’s most influential Country PDs every year since 2000, PD of the year honors from Radio & Records magazine, and numerous appearances on Country Aircheck’s Power 31 list. KEEY has won multiple CMA and ACM Station Of the Year awards, while several personalities on K102 have also been honored by both organizations during his time as PD.
For more information about the Country Radio Hall of Fame and to view past inductees, please visit www.countryradioseminar.com.
About Country Radio Hall of Fame: The Country Radio Hall of Fame was established to recognize those who have dedicated their careers to the advancement and success of country radio. Honorees represent the very best of the industry, with a commitment to excellence that continues to shape the landscape of country music radio.
About Country Radio Seminar: Country Radio Seminar (CRS) is an annual convention designed to educate and promote the exchange of ideas and business practices in the Country music industry, with specific emphasis on issues relevant to Country radio. CRS 2026 is scheduled for March 18-20, 2026.
About Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.®: The Country Radio Broadcasters, Inc.® is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1969 to bring radio broadcasters worldwide together with the Country Music Industry to ensure vitality and promote growth in the Country Radio format.
