Cumulus Country 92.3 KRST Albuquerque relaunched as “Nash-FM 92.3” at 9:23 this morning.
The changeover comes with the addition of the Blair Garner-led America’s Morning Show replacing the station’s “Get Up Gang” of Scott Simon, Scott Brown, and Rachel Michaels. Juan Velasco will remain in afternoons.
KRST was second in the Albuquerque market with a 5.4 share in the Winter Phase 1 trends, while Clear Channel’s “Big I 107.9” KBQI was tenth with a 2.9 share.
Cumulus announces that Country-formatted KRST in Albuquerque has adopted the NASH FM Country music and lifestyle brand, joining the growing list of what will eventually be more than 60 owned-and-operated Country stations operating under the NASH brand. As of today at 9:23 a.m. MT, the station is known at NASH FM 92.3 KRST – with their logo, website and on-air promotions using “NASH FM” and “Powered by NASH” language.
NASH FM 92.3 KRST will add “America’s Morning Show” with Blair Garner, Terri Clark and Chuck Wicks to its current lineup of NASH programming, which already includes “NASH Nights Live” with Shawn Parr and Elaina Smith and “Kickin’ It with Kix” with Kix Brooks and Suzanne Alexander. These shows orginate from the Nashville NASH campus, the nation’s only multimedia facility devoted solely to producing and distributing content based on the Country music lifestyle, including radio programming, TV/videos, magazines and events.
“We are pleased to introduce NASH FM 92.3 KRST to New Mexico as the NASH brand continues to expand throughout the country,” said John Dickey, Executive Vice President and Co-COO of Cumulus. “The NASH brand will complement the already robust Country-driven content that 92.3 listeners have come to love.”
“Integrating the multi-media star power of NASH into a heritage station like KRST just makes sense,” said Kris Abrams, Program Director for KRST. “Pairing Blair Garner and his AMS team, Kix Brooks, and Shawn Parr with 20 year Albuquerque personality Juan Velasco made it natural to put a little more Nashville in our name.”
Cumulus launched the NASH entertainment brand based on the Country music lifestyle in January 2013 beginning with NASH FM 94.7 in New York City. In addition to Country radio stations, the NASH brand will include a NASH magazine, concerts/events, online content and television programming.
Joseph_Gallant 
Charles Everett
Cumulus’ WKHX-101.5 in the Atlanta area will likely be the next to go “Nash”, which means in all likelihood that the people on the local Cadillac and Dallas morning show will soon get axed.
Also expect Cumulus to begin syndicating their “Nash” brand and content to country stations in cities where they don’t own a country-,music station.
Thus, there could be many more cities where local country-music morning shows could get replaced with Blair Garner.
Do you like listening to the sound of your voice, Gallant?
Clear Channel owns the country FMs in Baltimore, Hartford and Washington, D.C. Greater Media owns the country FM in Boston. There is no chance at all that those stations will go Nash.