Big D and Bubba

The Big D and Bubba Show is a nationally syndicated radio show airing six days a week on approximately 120 country music FM radio stations.

The Big D and Bubba Show

Genre	Comedy, Country Music
Running time	4 hours (approximately)
Country of origin	United States
Home station	WKDF (broadcasts out of Nashville, TN)
Starring	Derek Haskins (Big D) Sean Powell (Bubba) Carsen Jonathan Shaffer Garrett Freche
Produced by	Jonathan Shaffer
Original release	December 16, 1996
Website	bigdandbubba.com

The show is syndicated by Compass Media Networks. Live shows are broadcast from 6 to 10 AM (Eastern Time) Monday through Friday.

There is also a pre-show heard on weekday mornings from 5 to 6 AM (EST) and a 4-hour "best of" show called "The Big D & Bubba Weekend Wakeup", which is heard on Saturday or Sunday mornings on most broadcast affiliates.

The Big D & Bubba show is broadcast globally in over 177 countries through the American Forces Network (AFN). The show is available on all United States military installations and all ships at sea.

Listeners can also listen to a live stream of the show on the "Big D & Bubba APP", which is available on iPhone & Android devices.

"The Big D & Bubba Weekly Podcast" is a popular Comedy, Entertainment, & Lifestyle-focused podcast centered around the lives of the members of the show, their families, and friends.

Big D & Bubba also host “Honky Tonkin’ with Big D & Bubba”, which is a fun 3 hour weekend show focusing on stories and country songs from the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early 2000s. Each show usually features a guest celebrity sharing their personal stories and history.

Big D (Derek Haskins) is married with two sons and spent time as an exchange student in Russia. He is originally from Cookeville, Tennessee.^[1] Big D is also a licensed airplane pilot.

Bubba (Sean Powell) is divorced and a father of 2 daughters and 1 son. Bubba grew up in Houma, Louisiana, and like Big D, also started on the radio at age 14. He has worked for radio stations nationwide and in Guam. Bubba is also an airplane pilot, and a former firefighter.

History

Big D and Bubba first teamed up on December 16, 1996, on WXCT (now WTGE) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The show succeeded enough to garner the attention of cross-town country rival WYNK-FM. In February 1999, Big D and Bubba signed a deal with AMFM Broadcasting (then owner of WYNK) to do mornings on the station and syndicate the show nationally. No country morning show had ever been successful in a nationally syndicated format for an extended period. Soon after their debut on WYNK, AMFM Broadcasting was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, a forerunner to iHeartMedia, Inc.

March 1999, Patrick Thomas was hired as producer. He remained with Big D & Bubba until 2023.

On December 6, 1999, Big D and Bubba were first heard on KMML-FM in Amarillo, Texas. This marked the beginning of syndication.

The show grew slowly but steadily while fighting the widely held belief that a syndicated country morning show would not work. By the summer of 2003, the Big D and Bubba Show was heard on 14 radio stations (more than any other previous attempt at syndicating a country morning show).

In the fall of 2003, Clear Channel Communications relocated Big D and Bubba to Nashville, Tennessee, basing their show on radio station WSIX to be central to a country music format.

In September 2005, Big D and Bubba signed a syndication deal with Premiere Radio Networks.

On November 22, 2011, Big D & Bubba ended their broadcast on WSIX to concentrate on their syndication. This move set plans for their eventual departure from the corporate radio world.

In September 2013, Big D and Bubba announced they were leaving Premiere Networks to form their own production company, Silverfish Media. They signed a partnership deal with Compass Media Networks to distribute the show, sell advertising, and license it to affiliates.

In January 2016, "Carsen" became the show's first female cast member. She remains with the show today and is currently the Director of Programming for Silverfish Media's properties.

On Monday, October 18, 2021, Big D & Bubba returned to the Nashville airwaves as WKDF became the new home station for the show. The show previously aired in Nashville on rival station WSIX-FM from 2003 to 2011.^[2]

Garrett Freche joined Silverfish Media and the Big D & Bubba show in 2022 as the Digital Director, overseeing all aspects of the social media, video, and online presence.

On Monday June 5, 2023, Jonathan Shaffer (Shaffer) joined the Big D & Bubba show as Executive Producer. Shaffer is also the Public Address voice at Loves Truck Stops nationwide.

Awards and recognition

On July 21, 2025, Big D & Bubba will be inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame

Big D & Bubba are also Two-time nominees for the National Radio Hall of Fame. (2024 & 2025)

• 2007, 2014, 2022, 2024 Winner of the Academy of Country Music "National Personalities of the Year"

• 2015 Winner of the Country Music Association "National Personalities of the Year"

They were also nominated for the Academy of Country Music's National On-Air Personalities of the Year in 2010, 2016, and 2020.

Big D & Bubba, were also nominated by the Country Music Association as the CMA Awards “National Broadcast Personalities of the Year” in 2002, 2007, 2011, 2014, and 2017.