Country Radio Broadcasters will present its highest honor to longtime Country Countdown USA host and prolific on-air talent Lon Helton with its 2026 President’s Award during the Country Radio Hall of Fame ceremony on August 3 at Virgin Hotels Nashville.
The CRB President’s Award recognizes individuals who have played a vital role in shaping the success of the annual Country Radio Seminar and its mission to advance the Country radio format. Over a career spanning more than five decades, Helton has served as a broadcaster, journalist, mentor, and format advocate whose work has helped shape country radio and the broader music industry.
His on-air career began in Illinois, followed by stops in Denver, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Since 1984, Helton has hosted nationally syndicated country programming, including Country Countdown USA, which he launched in 1992 and continues to host, along with Country Close-Up, Nashville Live, Listen-In, and Country Star Tracks.
Helton was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Radio Hall of Fame in 2022. He has been named the Country Music Association’s National Broadcast Personality of the Year 13 times and the Academy of Country Music’s National On-Air Personality of the Year five times, and his other honors include St. Jude’s Angels Among Us Award, the Bob Kingsley Living Legend Award, the CRB Humanitarian Award, and CMA’s J. William Denny Award.
Beyond broadcasting, Helton served as CMA President and Chairman from 1999 to 2002 and has served on the boards of the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum, the Country Music Foundation, the St. Jude Country Radio Advisory Council, and the Country Music Retirement Community.
CRB/CRS Board President Kurt Johnson commented, “Few people in this industry have given more to country radio than Lon Helton. This recognition has never been more earned, or more obvious. Presenting this award to Lon is one of the privileges of my career.”
