I was driving home the other night listening to WKKW in Morgantown. At 7:30 PM they run a competition between two records. The second record was one that I had not heard yet.

It turned out to be the new Brantley Gilbert song “Kick It in The Sticks.” I called the station PD and asked him if there was a Country version of the song that we could play.

It got me thinking about the direction of the format on the radio. Can we all agree that there are two kinds of Country Music? One that plays really well in concerts and particularly against the crowd that has come to see an act, like Brantley and Eric Church, for example.

The other target is one that plays to the core of the radio listener. The format’s target, on the radio, is very broad. That said, it really does center with women 35-44 years old.

I know that record companies and, even more so, the artists feel constrained by any kind of box that the radio puts around their art. I understand this totally and artists are going to push the envelope, as they should. If individual programmers avoid a song because it fails to meet the “sound of the station,” he or she should be allowed to make that call.

We know that this is not how Country radio/promotion works. If you fail to play a major label release your picture quickly shows up in post offices across America.

Let’s compare country to some other formats, where programmers make decisions based on different criteria.

AC has become a music format made up of established hits from other format, Country included. The only AC only song that has had any impact recently is “Happy Pills” by Norah Jones.

Heck this week AC still has two Adele songs in the top 10. Two Katy Perry songs, Maroon 5, Carly Rae Jepsen, One Direction and FUN. are top 10 songs.

Usually Country has an entry on AC radio but CHR/Hot AC has been so good the last 6 months that they have stayed in those formats for music. Carrie Underwood’s “Good Girl” is in the mid 40s but that means about a half dozen stations on the panel. Not significant.

AC programmers can pick and choose what fits the sound they hear in their heads.

No one wants to go this way. The number one song, “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson gets about half the spins as the number one song on the Country chart gets. Of course the song will be in Power on AC for months and months. In Power, not just in rotation.

CHR programmers need to be watching and listening to their stations 24/7. The music could change after a long lunch meeting.

Records get 125 plus spins a week on CHR stations. The audience turnover on CHR is the reason for this.  The number one cume station in Country is usually around 1.25 million listeners a week. CHR is 4 million. Usually Country music radio leads the way with time spent listening (with the exception of talk radio) so playing the top records between 40 and 50 times a week is more acceptable. Though I did notice that WKKA played the number one record almost 120 times last week.

I point that out just as a way to talk more about CHR radio’s music choices.

CHR is all over the road. CH plays divergent titles like “Lights” (how about that unique voice on Ellie Goulding) to “Scream” by Usher. CHR plays thin songs like “Give Your Heart A Break“ by Demi Lovato to something as layered as “Payphone” by Maroon 5.

CHR gets away with going from one extreme to the other. AC plays it pretty safe, making sure that songs are exposed and successful on other formats before adding it their stations.

Country has set its own course. There has been more excitement in Country Music and Country radio in the last few years than at any time since the early 90s.

This charge is being led by Brantley Gilbert and Eric Church and Jason Aldean and Miranda Lambert and on and on.

I just wonder when we reach a point where a record on the radio is so far out of the genre musically that lyrics can no longer carry it.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)

Singer/songwriters Buddy Miller and Jim Lauderdale have been tapped to co-host a new radio show on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country, channel 60. “The Buddy & Jim Show” will be broadcast from Miller’s home studio in Nashville, and feature interviews and performances from roots music stars.

The weekly program will premiere Saturday, August at 10 pm ET and be re-broadcast Sundays at 10:00 am ET, Mondays at 2:00 am and 2:00 pm ET and Wednesdays 12:00 am and 10:00 pm ET. Lucinda Williams guests on the debut episode and performs songs by Bruce Springsteen and Woody Guthrie. Check out a clip at americansongwriter.com. Future guests include Emmylou Harris, Richard Thompson, and the North Mississippi Allstars.

Miller and Lauderdale are friends and frequent musical collaborators. At the annual Americana Honors and Awards show, Lauderdale hosts the proceedings and Miller leads the all-star house band. Both are repeat winners at the event, which is also broadcast live on SiriusXM Outlaw Country.

Many friends and admirers of Johnny Cash, old and new, pay tribute to the Man in Black in “Johnny Cash The Greatest: Number Ones,” a one-hour radio special available for download via Airplay Direct.

Participating artists include Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Sheryl Crow, Shelby Lynne, Rhett Miller, Brandi Carlisle, Amy Lee, Lucinda Williams, Shooter Jennings, and Sam Beam.

“Johnny Cash is a legend and we are very excited to have this wonderful radio special on AirPlay Direct, that celebrates his music and life.” said Robert Weingartz, Chairman & CEO of AirPlay Direct.

I think that everyone who knows me or reads this space each week knows that I am an unapologetic broadcast radio fan and participant.

“Radio has been berry berry good to me.”

I half-jokingly say that I like radio as a career, because we don’t pick up heavy stuff and we don’t sweat. That certainly is one reason.

I was talking to a friend the other day about the challenges that radio gets from the online services like Pandora and Spotify. His comment that if radio were introduced today it would heralded as a revolutionary tool for marketers and advertisers.

Imagine being able to send the same message/song to thousands of people at the same time for very little expense? Imagine being able to be part of a community hearing that message or song for free.

But the real beauty of radio for me and other radio pros is not necessarily the business of the business.

I have said before that all of my friends, with the exception of my Wednesday night poker group, are in radio. There is camaraderie in the radio business that has to be unequaled in other fields.

Even if all of your friends are in radio, and in some cases records, we have relatives who are in other businesses so we know that they don’t build this kind of bond if they are building automobiles or delivering overnight mail instead of newscasts.

This is exactly point made by Senior Vice President of Programming for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment Clay Hunnicutt on why he loves his job:

“The working relationships and friendships that I have experienced with some of the most talented and creative minds I could have ever imagined. From Sammy George when I started at WUSY, to Mike O’Malley & Marc Chase, Scott Borchetta and Mike Dungan, and so many others. I don’t think I could have experienced that selling insurance and building houses. Those are honorable professions, but the combination of art and commerce coming together at the same moment is exhilarating.”

Last week radio stepped up and performed at its best when the shooting occurred in Denver.  Many people in the business say that being able to serve the community is one of pleasures of working in the industry. When a tragedy hits your city, be it the shooting at the movie theater or the derecho that came through the Midwest and eastern parts of the country last month, there is a coming together that is matched only by the first responders charged with keeping us safe.

In Raleigh, WRAL is always in the top 3 ratings wise. A huge reason for this is Bill and Lynda on the morning and Barry Fox programming a great radio stations but Bill and Lynda are so good because they live the lifestyle and giving back is important to all of them.

“I love radio for the fact that we are able to positively impact thousands of lives daily,” says Barry. In fact it is that attitude that permeates the entire station and makes it an important part of the community.

I don’t use the term community lightly. I have been involved with radio for many, many years and most of it has been country radio. I can tell you that there is a marked difference with the country audience. I think that this has to do with the combination of the listener caring about their city and town and the artists.

Providing the information about the artists is a very important part of the experience because we have the ability to learn about who the listener cares about.

I am a big fan of Melody Lee at WTVY in Dothan. Mel is one half of the morning show and is also the sales manager at the station so she is talking to listeners on the air and interacting with customers/listeners every day out on market.

She told me, “I love radio because I get to interact with listeners each and every morning. Newspaper reporters don’t get that immediate feedback. Television anchors don’t get it. I get to communicate each and every morning with the community. Instantly. They tell me what’s going on in our community, what
matters to them, what angers them, etc. Speaking to them every morning makes me more passionate about where I live and the causes I support.”

As a woman who gets up at 4 am every day she is also realistic. “I love radio because no one can tell when I’m having a bad hair day,” she adds.

I am not taking shots at Pandora or Spotify here. In fact, Spotify CEO Ken Parks spoke to us at the CMA board meeting just Wednesday and he seems like a great guy who believes strongly in his service but what they all lack is the human element that all of us in radio have enjoyed.

Whether it be with other disc jockeys, sales people or listeners, I have received more than I could ever give back. And that is one reason I love radio.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MusicRow.)

Tenacity Records President Mike Kraski has announced the elevation of VP Promotion Tim McFadden to the role of Sr. VP Promotion, effective immediately. The move follows the exit of previous Tenacity Sr. VP David Haley.

McFadden originally joined the Tenacity promotion team in early June, where he has been working with artists Bill Gentry and Darryl Worley. Previously McFadden worked in promotion at R&J Records and Momentum Music Group, and has over 30 years experience working in radio and records.

Reach McFadden here and Haley here.