Kix Brooks Is Stepping Down As The Host Of “American Country Countdown”
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After 18 Years, Kix Brooks Is Leaving The American Country Countdown
Country music fans have gotten used to hearing Kix Brooks on the American Country Countdown. The Brooks & Dunn singer has hosted the beloved radio show since 2006.
The American Country Countdown plays on hundreds of radio stations every weekend. The show features Brooks counting down the Top 30 country songs of the week on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. While the show started in 1973, it rose to even greater popularity and prominence with Brooks as the host.
But after 18 years, Brooks has decided it’s time to say “goodbye” to the program.
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The news comes shortly after Brooks & Dunn won the CMA’s Vocal Duo of the Year award for the first time in 18 years. The duo has won the category 15 times and has 19 total CMA Award wins. They’ve tied with Chris Stapleton for the most wins in CMA Award history.
Brooks has also received the CMA’s National Broadcast Personality of the Year award three times for his work on American Country Countdown. He was the first person to ever win a CMA Award in both the broadcast and artist categories.
Brooks also won the National Personality of the Year award from the ACM in 2021.
Who Is Replacing Kix Brooks On His Radio Show?
According to MusicRow, Brooks’ final American Country Countdown broadcast will air over the weekend of December 28-29.
The program has already selected a new host to replace Brooks. Inside Radio reports that Ryan Fox, the morning host of 99.5 The Wolf in Dallas, Texas, will take over on the American Country Countdown.
Fox’s first broadcast will air the weekend of January 4-5.
“To be given the opportunity to take the reins on one of the longest-running, most successful, country countdown shows in the world and sit in the same chair as Hall of Famers like the legendary Kix Brooks and the late, great Bob Kingsley, is a tremendous honor,” Fox said. “This is a terrific era for country music, and I cannot wait to count down the biggest country hits from coast to coast!”
Brooks reflected on his time hosting the American Country Countdown. He also revealed that he’s stepping down from the hosting role to focus more on his work with Brooks & Dunn:
“The fact that I have been supported by hundreds of affiliates and an amazing team of radio professionals for 18 years has made this one of the greatest experiences of my professional life. It’s time to turn my primary focus back to writing, recording and touring with Brooks & Dunn. It’s been an honor, to say the least, that I was trusted with a microphone that had such an iconic history. Special thanks to all the fans who listened and participated, to ensure that I was being the best that I could be. Keep counting ’em down!“
After 18 years, fans will surely miss hearing Brooks on the American Country Countdown.
