R.I.P.: Kim Leslie, Radio Personality, Nashville Music Executive

(1962-2026)

Kim Leslie, a longtime Nashville radio personality, music industry executive, and Country Music Association staffer who helped create key industry awards, died Oct. 9 in Gallatin, Tennessee, from Lewy body dementia. She was 64.

A Bronxville, New York, native, Leslie built a multi-decade career that bridged on-air radio work, music direction, label promotion, and organizational leadership in the country music industry. She began at WMZQ in Washington, D.C. (98.7), then moved to Nashville, where she served as afternoon host and music director at WSM-FM (95.5). She later worked in promotion at Asylum Records.

In 2001 she joined the Country Music Association as senior manager of industry relations, where she oversaw the creation of the CMA National Broadcast Personality of the Year award. She co-hosted afternoons at WKDF (103.3) starting in 2003, added part-time work at Sirius Satellite Radio in 2007, and spent more than a decade as a morning co-host on Midwest Communications’ adult contemporary “Mix 92.9” WJXA. She also served nearly a decade on the Country Radio Broadcasters board.

CRB Executive Director RJ Curtis credited her in a social media post with creating the Tom Rivers Humanitarian Award, presented annually at the Country Radio Seminar to recognize public service in country radio. Amy Paige, a former host at Cumulus Media’s WSM-FM (95.5) and WKDF, wrote on Facebook: “Kim was one of the first Nashville radio personalities that I met. She was gracious, warm and incredibly talented. This is a major loss.”

Leslie later founded Music Row Media Training and was involved with Cards from Kids, LLC. After roughly three decades in radio, including about 10 years in mornings at WJXA, she stepped away from full-time on-air work around 2017 to focus on charitable efforts.